mguerra
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Posts posted by mguerra
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Well, you better start today. The pork should take 12-16 hours. When it's done, foil it and wrap it in towels and put it in a cooler. No way it's going to go bad between the time it's done and the time you eat it tomorrow! When you're ready to eat, take it out and eat it. I don't buy the theory that as soon as the temps falls below 140, your food is in the "danger zone". When you cook it up to 180 or whatever, you have killed nearly 100% of any bugs. If you then pull it right out of the cooker with clean hands or implements and foil it, it's not going to get contaminated. Personally, when I cook meats and pull them off the grill and foil them, I don't care if they go down to room temp in that foil. Once I open the foil, however, from that point on the meat goes straight to the fridge after I remove the portion I'm using.
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food grade
Here's a food grade bucket for you. Get a bucket that swimming pool chlorine tablets come in! Wash it out and that should pretty dang antiseptic. We brine our turkeys in 'em.
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why wait?
Why wait til this summer? You could be dead by then! Seize the moment and fire that sucker up tonight.
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Brisket
I'll post the photos at lunchtime. My first L&S brisket came out super! I smeared on a little Amore brand garlic paste, and grated on a bit of Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. It was as good as any brisket I've had at any of the fine Texas BBQ joints. Being an overenthusiastic newbie, I couldn't help but start a cook as soon as I got home from work (golf, actually, he sheepishly admitted). So my little brisket was just the right size to get finished about 2 AM, and I knew it. And I did it anyway. Me so tired. Next time I start a cook at 7, it's either going to be a three hour or twelve hour affair! Also, I put in about 12 charcoal briquets from a bag that I bought by accident. The Royal Oak lump and briquet bags look almost identical. Don't just grab one on a glance. Worked out fine. My cousin is a Weber Smoky Mountain devotee, and he swears by mixing lump with briquets. I just did it because I had them, and didn't want to go back to the store to return them. Actually, over at that WSM forum, they affirmatively encourage using Kingsford briquets instead of lump! Shrug.
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Probe
OK, I'll bend it, thanks. For those who don't want to pull the probe out during the resting period: Pull the probe out and stick a clean 16 penny nail in there. Now you can run the probe through the hole in the KK and not over the gasket.
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Maverick
For y'all using a Maverick, a question. The food probe is bent so I can't get it through the little hole in the side of the KK. The pit probe goes through of course, being straight. So I'm just running the food probe wire across the gasket. Anybody have a better solution, or has anyone bent the food probe straight? Wonder if bending it might ruin it or break it.
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day 3
Third day, third cook. Yesterday I bought a hunk of chuck something or other, cooked it nice and slow, wow! Had a beautiful smoke ring and was very tender. I tossed in a hunk of mesquite, very Texoid.
Tonight I've got a brisket going, my temp control is a little better, too. Having a ball with the Bronze Behemoth so far. Maybe tomorrow I can get some guys to help me move the damn thing!
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P.S.
Don't neglect to checkout the Susie Q site referenced in the article above:
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tri-tip, VWB style
The Weber virtual bullet group comes through again:
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/tritip1.html
This is an excellent forum to peruse for all kinds of cool info.
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I figured quite a few forum readers might be interested in this. If you like coffee, there is no better experience than drinking your own home roast. You buy the beans green, then roast them with a commercial or homemade coffee roaster. Let the beans rest for 12-48 hours, then grind and brew a little cup of heaven. Even the best coffee house coffee you get "on the outside" can't compare to what you roast yourself. For more info than you can possibly want, start here:
http://www.sweetmarias.com and http://www.coffeeproject.com Once you get into this, you won't be able to stand drinking coffee on the outside. Also, you won't want to drip brew coffee either, pressure brewing is the bomb. See: http://www.capresso.com for some great pressure brewers. Capresso isn't the only brand, there is Saeco, Solis, DeLonghi and others. Start surfing and you'll see. Basically you use an espresso machine to make coffee, and espresso and all the lattes and cappucinos. See also: http://www.homeroast.com/frameset-1home.html
This site has links to loads of other useful sites. This is an absolute perfect fit for KK people, well all ceramic cooker people, not just KK. My guess is a lot of us are food, wine, spirits, coffee, and cigar people.
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Disco ball
That's so funny! When Eddie Van Halen was off loading the thing, he said, " What is this contraption, some kind of disco ball?" I chased the temps a little, they ran between 230 and 280 the whole cook. There was a plateau, just like ya'll said, and she finally hit 185 about 2 AM. The Maverick beeped, I got up, pulled 'er off, loosely foiled, wrapped it in a towel and went back to bed. Hand pulled it this morning, bagged the meat and threw it in the fridge. Having never done a cook like this before, I think it went right good. Very tender and juicy, I've got a couple of mediocre photos, I'll post at lunchtime.
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One hour in
OK, I'm an hour in and my temp has crept up to 270, I'm making very tiny adjustments to the top and bottom vents to try to avoid the temp chasing errors everyone has warned about. Smells great! I've got the bottom vents open about an eighth of an inch or less and the lid just cracked a hair. Stoker has not arrived yet, since I just ordered it today! I got the Stoker because they told me I can use an Airport Express to wirelessly connect it to the internet and my home network, and control it with my iPhone as a remote, or any computer anywhere. That sold it for me, as opposed to the Digi Q, which does have some features I really wanted. (The open lid detect and ramp temp features.)
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I've only had my KK for a few hours, and the first cook is already underway. The accessories that come with this cooker are spectacular! I got three cooking grids, each one is almost heavier than my old charcoal grill. They are beautiful pieces of heavy stainless, as is the charcoal basket. Very nice, clean welds; impressive work. The spring and hinge assembly is equally impressive. All stainless, heavy duty fabrication. Stainless ain't cheap, pardners. The lid just eases right up when you tension the spring properly. I didn't read the owners manual, just figured it out, the unit came with the spring non-tensioned. Something to do with shipping, no doubt. The little stainless roller bearing that enables the latch is smooth as silk. The nut that retains this unit was loose, I put a spot of Loc-Tite on the threads. Things can loosen with shipping, check all your threaded fasteners on delivery. Also, the spring tension adjuster bolt threads were filled with dust and ceramic debris so I removed it, cleaned and anti-seized the threads, re-installed. The damper top threads were clean, I just put on a spot of anti-seize. The tile setter obviously knows how to lay out the tiles, he or she started a nice straight line on center and worked out beautifully. The machined interface between the lid and the body is smooth and tight, I've got no smoke leakage. The stainless name plate and big beefy lid handle are super to the eye and the hand. Really I could go on and on but if you read these forums much at all, you know this is a creme de la creme product, first rate. My day one impression is that this is the tops.
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photos
OK, I posted the photos to MobileMe, the gallery name is "Komodo Kamado Arrives" Go to http://gallery.me.com/mpguerra/100024
No www in there. If that doesn't work, let me know. That pile of rocks thing is my home made heat deflector drip catcher. It's a stainless steel vegetable grilling basket filled with those lava rocks they have in gas grills. I didn't want to soil my pizza stone or drip tray that came with the KK.
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My new KK arrived today, I couldn't get it in the backyard, so I just tore off the crate and fired it up right there in the driveway. Filled up the charcoal basket with Royal Oak, hit it with a MAPP torch, dialed 'er in to 225 and put on a 4.38 pound pork butt. Fitted the Maverick probes and baby, the game is on! I did all this in a major hurry, grabbed the first pork butt I saw, had no real time to figure out how to season it, so I did this: mixed up some comino, (cumin to you non- Texas folk), garlic powder and some fresh ground pepper. Sprinkled it on, patted it in a little and that's it. Got photos of the whole operation, if'n I can figger out how to post 'em. Cook started at 7PM Central.
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Monday is my surgical day, I finished surgery just about the time the driver called, nobody's waiting. Everyone had perfect results, blindness stamped out...and so on.
So the Bronze Behemoth is sitting in the driveway all uncrated and I've got no way to move it back to the deck. I think I'll run down to the market, grab a brisket, and get after it in the driveway. Somebody can help me move it later!
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Driver just called
Just got the call from the truck driver, I'm running home to take delivery.
Whoo Hoo!!
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Now you've done it!
If the patients wouldn't run their mouth, telling me all about their grandson's graduation, and their husband's stroke, and their last fishing trip, and blah, blah, blah.... I could actually run on time!!!!! It's really hard to politely tell a patient to shut the hell up. However, I do have my tricks to try to control and direct the conversation.
Seriously, it is difficult to try to balance an appoinment schedule. I HATE to make patients wait. I don't want them to wait in the reception room, (RECEPTION room, not waiting, see how we spin that), and I don't want them to wait days or weeks for an appointment. We see patients on the day they request, period. Plus, any emergency patient gets seen right away, you will appreciate that the next time YOU are the emergency with the cactus thorn stuck in your eye. So sit down, shut up, and read a magazine, ours are all current, this months edition, by the way. When Granny in front of you finishes her story about last weeks gall bladder attack, and I actually get to do her eye exam, I'll see you.
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So there, Jackie
So, Jackie, one accessory at a time, I DID work my way up to a KK!! It took almost a year, but what the heck.
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Dang
Projected delivery date, 3-20, came and went with no KK. I was going to cook my ... off all weekend!!! Shucks.
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After almost a year of hemming and hawing( what the hell is hawing?) I decided to buy a KK. Hopefully I can stealthily place it on the back deck one day when my wife isn't home, and maybe have a nice chicken or tenderloin ready when she walks in the door! No way I can uncrate it, install it, and finish a low and slow one afternoon while she's at work. I did put the pencil to the paper and figured we will recoup the purchase price in meals we don't eat out in less than a year. We eat out A LOT. Although I did not hear back from Dennis yet, I did indicate in an email to him that I want the Dark Metallic Bronze one. I might go under the deck and install an extra vertical load bearing element to support the weight. Once I know it is shipped, I'll order the EZ que rotisserie equipment and a Cyber Q. I'm super excited!
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WiFi
For you Mac people, the Airport Express unit has a USB port so you can probably wirelessly network the Cyber Q to your home network, then access it from any computer in the house, or from any computer anywhere using MobileMe! You would need to protect the Airport Express from the elements, but that should be an easy rig. The Airport Express unit can be used with Windows. For those not familiar with Airport Express:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB321 ... MjE0NDc0OQ
It is a little two way radio using 802.11 technology to connect wirelessly to your network. It has a 1/8" audio jack, USB port, and an Ethernet port. I have them scattered all over the house, connected to powered speakers, for wireless whole house audio. I also have one connected to a printer in my office, so I can print from any computer in the house wirelessly. (Of course now we have printers with 802.11 built in that don't need the Airport Express.) Check it out.
Need quick tip about the next day
in KK Cooking
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mental masturbation
If you want to see a tremendously overthought treatise on this subject, check out the Wiz's website:
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/coolerholding.htm
I love the Wiz and all his info, just this particular bit I'm not too worried about.