tekobo

Tacking onto this thread because I received my care package from @tony b this morning. The Husband came in with a parcel and said "It's from Cedar Rapids". So exciting! I finished my chores and then sat down to open it and fell about laughing when I pulled this out: Maggi cubes! They smell and look just like they did from my childhood. I haven't used them in years for "fear" of MSG but I also know that my Nigerian stews haven't tasted the same since. Will give them a go when I next cook up a stew, thank you. Thanks also for the hot sauce, peanut butter powder and suya pepper @tony b. I will try out the suya pepper at the earliest opportunity and report back.

What a theme! Looks great, well done.

That's why this is fun. Other people might enjoy your food but striving to do it mo' better is what makes all these tweaks and tricks so much fun to try out. Good luck!

Well? How did it go??

P.S. I like how you numbered your skewers @tony b. Looks like a full-on professional tasting. Never had suya with corn but timing may mean that your spice arrival will coincide with my corn ripening here. Fingers crossed!

You had me at "my nose was running". Get me some of that No 2 Batch. Please. OK, Pretty Please.

Hmm. I like the idea of getting a good crunch on the outside and a soft inside using a Konro. As for the fondue and raclette jokes - I know @Pequod's wife is wise to all of that. I am just looking forward to him trying to explain how he is going to cook the goat on his, sorry her, Konro.

You're too kind. We completely highjacked your thread @Scott.W. Sorry! I hope you do end up with a KK. As others have said, a chat with Dennis will help with exploring what is best for you.

My question to @Pequod was really about wanting to understand the definition of "true" two zone cooking. In practice, that is pretty irrelevant and I think I have learned something useful from this thread - thanks @Scott.W for starting it off Dennis' illustration showed the difference between indirect and direct cooking. Pequod's description of how he uses his 23" reflected mine i.e. cook on indirect side on the main grate and then switch down to the lower or sear grate for the direct cook. He also talked about increasing the temp when he came to do the sear. I generally just keep the same med-high temp through out. Now I think I am going to try something different. Use the lower grate throughout. Cook on indirect side at medium temp and then crank up the heat and move the meat to the direct side. No hassle and, for the level of accuracy/finesse that I need, I think it should work.

What amazes me is that people fall for those scams. Greed gets the better of them I guess...

Welcome @Scott.W. I was a complete novice at kamodo cooking when my KKs arrived last December. I was able to set them to work within hours of arrival. They are super easy to use and they just get easier over time. So nothing at all to worry about if you are already accustomed to this style of cooking. As for size, anything smaller than a 21" has limitations. I have found having two KKs is the best solution for me. It means you can cook at different temps and different modes at the same time. And many people end up with two or even more once they get into KKs. In my case it was a no brainer because they had to be shipped to the UK with all the attendant customs clearance costs so doing it once made the most sense. I got a 21" and a 23" in the end. @Pequod is a strong advocate of the 32" and I am guessing he is right in that you will be hard pushed to find something you couldn't fit onto a 32". However, I am not sure about this "true two zone grilling" thing. @Pequod, what does that mean? I have my 23" set up for two zone grilling and it works for most things for me, including cooking whole fish.

Gosh, I am soooo jealous @MacKenzie! The konro grill looks great as does the food. Was it a different way of cooking? How would you say that it complements/contrasts with KK cooking?

That'll be great Dennis. Might that mean that you will also be able to ship to the UK and other countries or just the USA?

Thanks @Pequod, I can feel something pushing me towards the smoker. Not bad if it is the only thing I missed off my original order but now want. Oh yeah, and a 22" table top and/or a 42", just for the hell of it. Waiting for that lottery win. The goat that comes with the 42" will come in handy. Lovely looking brisket @sfdrew28. How much did it weigh? I think it was you who was puzzled by how fast my briskets cook. I assume it is must be because my briskets are smaller but I don't know by how much. I have loved my good brisket cooks but I suspect that those of you who can buy larger (and grain fed?) briskets get a different taste experience.

All this talk is pushing me to the "buy a hot/cold smoker space". Good job! Keen to see how @sfdrew28's brisket cook goes. Also interested in the difference between this and the smoke pot. For a start, it would seem that the Dennis smoker will keep going for longer. But is there a better/different flavour with the smoke pot?

I love it. Nigerians are, unfortunately, known for internet scams and drug running. I was worried that a "consignment" of suya spice from Lagos, sent on by a Nigerian in the UK would attract unwelcome attention. But no, the suya spice has made it past sniffer dogs in Canada, USA and now Australia. What fun. Our reputation can't be all bad. I hope you enjoy both versions @Aussie Ora.

Naaa. Mummy is still in Lagos, Nigeria. I told her about the cook on the phone. The Husband, on the other hand, is here and found the large one I gave him chewy but loved the smaller one that followed.

I wouldn't want to be in the area when they took those ropes off! I can imagine him getting angrier and angrier as he lay out there in the sun....

P.S. The oysters were strange in a good way. Their briny taste alongside the mayo and hot dog worked well.

I agree. We did drink some red wine but I really want to get to a cocktail and dog combo that he would have liked. Onwards and upwards...

The great thing is that once you finally get your KK, all memories of these trials fade. Life-after-KK-arrival is really that good.

This was my first Bourdain tribute meal. Hot dogs. Bun slathered in garlic mayonnaise, dog wrapped in proscuitto, topped with deep fried oysters and a squeeze of black garlic vinny (courtesy of Le Pigeon). I have a vague memory of Bourdain discovering and loving oysters in France in his teens. This was a good but not great tribute. Will continue to work on it. Lack of dedicated alcoholic beverage made this inauthentic. Stlll so sad that he is dead.

We are having the best summer ever here. I learned about square foot gardening from @MacKenzie just before I took over a new plot at our allotment. It has been great. The best bit is succession planting so you have just the amount you want rather than a massive glut. The only problem is that the summer squashes didn't get the memo. We have a LOT of squash at the moment. Here is a grill full of home grown produce: \ The revelation of the evening was the peas in their purple pods on the top left. Pick them up and chew/suck the peas out of the pods like edamame peas. Delicious! Kept the veg warm while I cooked the marinaded octopus. My mother had never heard of people eating octopus. She asked if I was really talking about the things with eight legs. I was. And here they are plated. Had another. And another.

That looks lovely @tony b. Will give that a try.

Cool. I don't have an instant pot but my vac packer comes to the rescue. Chicken carcasses get squeezed down to very little in a vac pack bag. We store them in the freezer until we have a good number. The all day simmering method isn't such a big deal when you are making a lot of stock in one go. Horses for courses...