LarryR

After my first low and slow cook on a Ceramic I realize this is a different animal than I'm used to and what applies to my WSM may not apply here. I started my cook with a full basket/ring of Rancher Natural Hardwood Charcoal (unlit) and 8 - 10 lit briquettes laid on top of the unlit. I then assembled my cooker; put the clay saucer in, deflector and grate on. Then put my ribs on on and shut the lid. I opened the bottom draft door about 1 inch and the top damper about 5 full turns. She came-up to temp (225 grate) slowly, about 3 degrees a minute. Around the 1:30 mark I had temps stabilized at about 223 grate. Bottom door was open just a sliver and top damper maybe 1 inch turn from closed. She stayed at 223 - 226 for about another hour then the temps slowly started climbing. I couldn't close the draft door but took the top damper down to "barely" open. Temps continued to climb. By the 3:30 mark I was around 265. By the end of my cook, 5:30 temps were at 278. Keep in mind these are grate temps, my lid temps were in the 300's. I couldn't have closed anything down any more without completly closing it. So with this not being an option here are a few things that I think could be the cause. 1. Rancher burns to hot. However I've used it for quite sometime and had excellent temp control. Doubt this is the issue. 2. Started with too much lit. I think this could have contributed to my temp issues. Maybe I should take it down to 4 or 5 lit. 3. Did I take the temp up too slow, too fast? 4. Do I need a larger heat sink? I'm using a 14" clay saucer directly over the fire. I'm going to be doing a butt (or two) this weekend and would really like to keep my grate temps around 225 - 230. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I did these for UFC 88 two weekends ago and they were AWESOME!! Did 4 lbs and they were gone! Will do them again. How'd your's turnout?

LOL, if I had a dollar for every time I started a diet after a heavy Q weekend. Cooked all weekend; pizzas on Friday, Tri tip on Saturday and ribs and turkey on Sunday. Will be eating salads, chicken and fish all week to make-up for how much I had this past week. It was all so good though. I posted some pictures under the cooking pictures section. Ribs were awesome! Had some issues maintaining low and slow but I'm thinking I may have started with too many lit. Will have to try it again this weekend.

PICTURES OK, just fired-up my lit, I'm going to go main grate @ 225. I'm using pecan and cherry wood. Pictures to come . . . Update: I'm using a rib rack on the main grate. First low and slow on her, chasing temps a bit trying to dial her in at 225 grate. I'm about 50 minutes in, how long should it take for her to settle in? Update 2: Temps finally settled in around 1:15 into the cook, 223 - 226 grate. I added the turkey legs around 2:30 mark, took pictures closed her up and now I cannot get her under 238. Another thing that's bothering me just a little bit is my dome temp is 305. I go by grate vs. dome but it does have me a bit concerned. I have the draft door open just a sliver and the top damper is open maybe 1/16 of a turn. I'd prefer to be around 225 grate, any suggestions or just roll with it. Ribs looked very good. Update: 4 hours in I'm at 260 grate and cannot get the temp to drop. Any suggestions? Update: Pictures updated. Very full tummy Damn that was a great meal. Had a tough time keeping the temp down. At the end of my cook she was sitting at 275 grate and I couldn't get her to come down. Shortened my cooking time to 5:30 vs. the 7 I usually go. They were done perfect for me, gentle tug and meat came off the bone. Very moist, great flavor. In summary I'm thinking the Rancher Charcoal I used may burn a little too hot for a ceramic (Whiz said it burned hot) vs. the WSM I used it in. End product was very moist, not sure if they were more moist than what I've done prior, but they were quite moist. Turkey legs were amazing, such great flavor in those babies and they were definitely more moist on the grill or my WSM. Any suggestions on keeping temp down or would most agree it's the fuel?

I searched but could only find one reference to this question, please forgive if I missed this topic someplace. Doing first ribs (spares) in my ceramic today and I'm wondering about rib placement, main grate or top grate? My setup will be 14" clay saucer over my fire, 16" pizza pan placed on top of the saucer then the main grate on. My concern is radiant heat coming off of the pizza pan if using the main grate. Any worries here? Thanks in advance for your input on this and any other first time ceramic rib tips you might have for me. Oh, almost forgot, I'm going to do Amusement Park Turkey Legs too. Posting that recipe got me craving them. Local store had some very nice, fresh and large legs.

I thought I posted this yesterday but came back and the post wasn't there, and this was before the two bottles of wine I drank last night. Please forgive if I posted someplace else, feel free to point it out to me and I'll delete one of the two posts. I have guests coming today who love fall off the bone ribs and prefer this to how I like mine, a gentle tug to get the meat off the bone. So my question is, can I get fall off the bone with my ceramic without foiling? I've definitely noticed the higher level of moisture in my product so I'm thinking I might be able to get fall off the bone without the foil. In the past I've used a modified 3-2-1 method to achieve this level of "doneness," how will this work on a ceramic? Looking forward to doing my first spares on the ceramic.

Great pics, chops look awesome! Never tried jerked chops, another idea for a cook! Love Walkerswood Jerk, I'm with you, nice and spicy! Looks like I'm picking-up some pork chops.

OK Guys and Gals, this is a real fun/great cook! If you've ever been to a fair or amusement park you've seen the turkey legs they sell. If you've ever tasted them you know there's no other taste like it. Well, here's how to make them. I found this recipe HERE I've edited it just a bit but the original recipe is the same. Works best with large legs, if you get smaller pieces adjust the time accordingly. I mix the honey and steak sauce and brush it on vs. drizzling. Here are some PICTURES I did a turkey breast, turkey thighs and a fatty on this cook too. Between the fatty and these legs it was amazing! Comments in the recipe are his not mine. Amusement Park Turkey Legs 1 (2 Liter Bottle) lemon-lime soda (Do NOT GET DIET!!!) 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons hot sauce 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 large sweet onion, sliced 4 turkey legs (get some big, honkin’ ones!) 2 tablespoons homey 1 tablespoon steak seasoning Directions In a large pot, mix the lemon lime soda, sugar, hot sauce red pepper, pepper and onion. Place the turkey legs in the mixture, and bring to a boil (yes, you are cooking Sprite). Cook 30 to 45 minutes**. Remove onion slices from mixture, and arrange on the prepared grill. Place turkey legs over the onions. Drizzle with honey, and season with steak sauce. Cook, turning once, 20 minutes, or until a crisp browned crust has formed on the turkey legs. *When smoking, arrange the onions as directed above (they’ll eventually caramelize and burn. That’s OK,they are protecting your legs). Smoke for 1.5 to 2 hrs, turn and smoke for another hour. They’ll come out so sweet (yet spicy), tender and juicy they just melt in your mouth. **Like I said, I enjoy slow cooking these babies. So, if you’re using a smoker, cut the Sprite boil time down to 20-30 minutes. They’ll cook the rest of the way in the smoker.

Ah! Got it. When I've bought them they've been removed from the original packaging and re-packaged single in the foam trays with plastic wrap. Interesting they're getting them from there and not Harris Ranch just down the "street." I think I'm going to swing by there today and pick one up for tomorrow. If you're coming to Fresno anyway swing by the Winco on Shaw near the 99. They have the sausage there or at least they had it in stock last night, I picked some up for a fatty. It's scary how good they taste and how bad they must be for you. I've tried many different types of sausage and the roasted peppers and caramelized onion is my favorite by far.

You know, that's the one thing I tell myself I need to get every year and then at the last minute I realized I didn't pick one up and end-up sanitizing the "Homer's Bucket." I edited the post reflecting the suggestion.

In looking at my fuel basket I think I'll be good. When using it in my WSM I'd knock the ash off once during a 18+ hour cook and I'd be fine. I've grilled over it but prefer using it for low and slow cooks. It will be interesting to see how long of a burn I can get out of it in a ceramic. In a WSM I could get 24 hours (@225) out of 10 lbs. I imagine I could get about double that in a ceramic. When I connect my Stoker to her I'll test this out. Right now I'm trying to get manual control down first. EDIT: Just thought of another fuel related question. In my WSM I start my low and slow cooks using 8 lit coals dumped on a ring of unlit. Would this be too many for a target temp of 225 (grate) in a ceramic? Thanks for the input.

We're starting to plan for Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday of the year) and I can't wait to do the bird on the ceramic. Here's one of my favorite brines. Thought I'd share with PICTURES of course. I did her last year on my WSM. Jack Daniels Maple Syrup Turkey Container large enough to brine your turkey in (a 5 gallon food grade container works well for large birds) 2 cups maple syrup 1 cup bourbon 1 tablespoon pickling spice Remainder of container filled with salt water mixture with ½ cup table salt per gallon of water (you can also add apples oranges etc.) Ice can be added to brine to insure safe temperatures Brine in refrigerator for 24 hours, rinse bird and allow to air dry in the refrigerator overnight Season cavity, place carrots, celery, pierced lemon and anything else you desire in cavity. Butter and season skin Smoke or grill to 165 Breast/175 Thigh, cherry or other fruit wood recommended Be sure to use a drip pan below your bird to capture all the "goodness" for your gravy. Note: I ice down the breast for approximately 45 minutes prior to cooking. This helps the breast and thigh come to temp. at the same time. Ziplock bags of ice work well. Enjoy and let me know what you think of the end product.

Thanks for the comments guys, I've really enjoyed cooking on the ceramic so far. I thought the producer was Harris Ranch, but Trish thinks it from Snake River (I'm thinking she saw something on the packaging or asked). I get them through my local meat market named appropriately, The Meat Market. I recently read an ARTICLE (last paragraph) that stated Harris Ranch raises Kobe here in central California, ships them to Kobe Japan for a few more feedings, long enough for it to be designated from Kobe and the cattle are then slaughtered and sold as Kobe beef. I thought I was buying what Harris didn't send to Japan.

Success!! Removed the clay saucer, put deflector on the main grill, removed foil and bumped her up to 500. Awesome!! I didn't have the equipment or ingredients to take the pizza off the paper tray but it didn't seem to make a difference. Crust was perfect. Thanks for all the help. Next time, homemade! 2nd Pizza

Johnnyboy, I'm located in Fresno, CA. Trish, regarding the fatty; I was in Save Mart tonight and they're now carrying the roasted pepper and caramelized onion sausage I use. If your local store doesn't carry it speak to grocery manager and they'll order it for you. As Trish reported The Meat Market is a local "Walk-in" market. Walk in and pick-up a Wagyu tri-tip for $5.99 lb. and it's going to be one of the best cuts of meat you will ever cook. Honestly, I looked at the Snake River website and what I've bought from The Meat Market looks much better than what they have on their website. Trish, are you sure the product from The Meat Market is from Snake River? My impression is it was from Harris Ranch here in the Central Valley which raises Kobe Beef, sends it to Kobe Japan for a feeding or two and then slaughter. it's then it's sold as Kobe Beef as it's meets the requirements for Kobe Beef. You probably looked more closely at the packaging than I did but this was my understanding. I'll post the article and the pictures here. Sanny, I'm not sure if you recognize me from somewhere else or not. Do you have a WSM? Thanks again to everyone for the warm welcome, it's greatly appreciated.

WOW, thanks for all the input in such a short period of time. I'm going to do some pizzas tonight so I'll try some of these tweaks. Unfortuantly I won't have the time to do homemade so we'll be doing Papa Murphy's again. 1 - I'll try and get the pizza off the paper tray and on to the bare stone. It's a Pampered Chef stone (which seems pretty nice), I have a fibrament on order. 2 - I have found that my main grill runs about 70 - 90 degrees lower than the factory dome temp therm reads. Last night I had her running for an hour and I was 80 degrees lower at grate using my clay saucer and heat deflector (see picture below). This is why I put the top grate on to get the pizza stone in the higher heat range. A side note I've calibrated my Maverick ET 73 and the factory therm that came with my cooker against boiling water so I'm confident in my readings. Maverick runs about 2 degrees cool and the therm runs about 10 degrees cool. Should I continue to use the top grate or move to the bottom? 3 - Should I remove my clay saucer and only run with the pizza pan as a deflector? Right now the clay saucer is sitting right above the fuel basket and then the deflector is sitting on top of the saucer. I suppose I could remove the clay saucer and just set the deflector on the main grate under the top grate where the pizza stone is sitting. 4 - How long between pizzas should I give the stone to recover/reheat? Thanks again for all the help. I'll be sure to post pictures of the final product.

Excellent news. A buddy of mine and I bought about 30 bags a piece when they were on sale at HD for $2.99 a bag (20 lb. bag). I used it exclusively in my Weber Smoky Mountian (WSM) for my smokes. Burns very clean and long. I've been using Royal Oak in my ceramic so far and have been very pleased with it. I'm looking forward to getting some of the Komodo stuff too.

I'm planning on buying some of the Komodo Charcoal, however, until then I have around 20 bags of The Original Charcoal Company's 100% All-Natural hardwood Briquette charcoal (Rancher). Other than the additional ash, does anyone see any reason I couldn't/shouldn't use this in a ceramic? I know I won't get the high temps out of it that I would with say Komodo or Lump but, I've got 20 bags laying around. Thanks in advance.

Here are some pictures from my first two cooks with my new to me ceramic. It's been a lot of fun learning a new cooker. You've also got to love being able to eat your "education." WAGYU TRI-TIP HIGH HEAT BRISKET RIBS AND TURKEY LEGS

I did some pizzas on my ceramic the other day and was a little disappointed with the crust near the center of the pizza. I think it could have been one of two things; my setup or too low of temp, 450. I'm thinking maybe I should have run her closer to 600. My setup from bottom up is a 14" foiled clay saucer, 16" foiled pizza pan, lower grate, upper grate, foiled 16" pizza stone. I let the cooker (and stone) warm-up for approximately 45 minutes and put pizza on for approximately 18 minutes or until the crust was a dark golden brown and cheese was starting to brown. Outside crust was great, near the center wasn't doughy but was not quite done. Was short on time so the pizza was a Papa Murphy's take and bake and still on their paper tray, but I don't think that would make a difference, would it? PICTURES For review. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Prime, thank you for the welcome. Thanks for your kind words Trish. Yes, I guess you could say I put her through the paces the first week. Great memory, however you forgot pizza too The the Wagyu tris are amazing, I was telling Trish she's ruined herself for any non-Wagyu tris from here on out. I found-out we can also get Wagyu briskets there also. They come two to a case (full packers) for $4.79 lb. I'll post some pictures tonight as with this being my second post I think picture posting is now enabled. What section should I be posting questions in, KK 411? Thanks again for the warm welcome.

Greetings from Central California. I recently acquired a (new to me) ceramic cooker and I'm in the process of getting the nuances of a ceramic down. I've enjoyed reading the cooking tips and viewing the pictures on this site. I've really enjoyed cooking with her so far. Biggest difference I've noticed is my product is more moist than on my other grills. Please bear with me as I learn to cook with a ceramic.