johnnymnemonic

After I get the above under my belt a bit, I will try to graduate to curing my own ham for the holidays and cook that on my new KK BB32.

@Basherwanted to let you know I'm prepping for my KK later this year by practicing on the cured meat. Here's my grandmother's recipe for "Hunter's Round". (attached image). The way I am doing this is by the book until you get to the part where it says "cover with water and cook". Instead I'm going to rinse it and smoke it on my BGE. (On the KK once I get mine). After this long it's going to probably be salty enough so I won't use salt on the outside, but I'm contemplating just putting freshly ground black pepper on the outside. The way I'm curing it is also not the same as my grandmother did. She used to throw it in the fridge in a pot or a tupperware container maybe and put a brick on top of it. Instead I vacuum sealed mine. Anyway I'll let you know how it goes. The thing I like about this recipe just looking at it is that it is super simple. Nutmeg, ground cloves, sugar, salt, saltpeter. No pickling spices. No brine. Just rub and refrigerate. Variables I will play with: * If it works out well with the bottom round roast, I am going to try it with a brisket so that it has more fat. * If the clove and nutmeg don't taste the way I want I will try different spices so that I get a better pastrami-like flavor. But I'm kind of rooting for this simple recipe and I hope the flavor profile is good. * With vac sealing I could skip the saltpeter. It won't look as pretty and "corned beef pink" without saltpeter but - no nitrites. And I bet I don't have to go 14 days. In the vac seal I bet I could do 7-10 days and that would be fine. I'm on day 6 in the refrigerator, so I'll be cooking this ~ 1 week from now. I will report back middle of next week with results on the bottom round.

Good driver!

Once I get my KK I'm going to try the smoke pot I think and see what it's like. I want to taste the difference on this "ultra-clean smoke" and see if the smoke pots really give a better flavor. But for the sake of notes from a Kamado (BGE) user for 12+ years I have a method that I like and I will try that as well on a KK. If you start with kiln dried wood to begin with it doesn't end up with as much of the crappy smoke (in my opinion) - and also if you keep your wood in a dry place that makes a difference. So I buy good quality wood chunks that have been pre-dried and I keep them in a dry place. I like to distribute my wood chunks throughout the firebox (not on top strictly and not on bottom, but just mixed in well with the charcoal. (4-6 good sized wood chunks or maybe even up to 8 chunks if some of the chunks are small). I light the fire (I use a looftlighter but before I got that I used a regular electric starter), put in my water pan, and close the grill with open vents. When dome thermometer reaches desired temp, I set the vents. 30-45 minutes later, I put the food on. I usually have a good bit of smoke throughout the cook and usually the smoke doesn't stop since chunks are distributed throughout the firebox. My theory is that the initial burn gets the wood hot and dry enough. I feel that I don't get as much of the acrid smoke this way. I also have these wood chips that are made from an old hickory tree that was cut down in my front yard at my previous house 5 years ago. The arborists gave me a huge bag that I haven't even gone halfway through yet - probably still have 20 lbs or more of it left. I let these chips season in my garage 3 years before I even started using them so they are very dry. When I use chips I mix dry wood chips in with the charcoal. Put a little charcoal, sprinkle some chips, some more charcoal, some more chips. I try to evenly distribute chips throughout the firebox. Usually this results in still having plenty of smoke throughout a cook but sometimes most of the chips burn up. It depends. Anyway, that's my classic method for chips and chunks, and I've always gotten "OK" smoke. Probably not the cleanest, but also probably not the dirtiest. I personally like Hickory. 2nd favorite is pecan. Partially this is because there's a lot of these woods in my area in Georgia and they are easy to get. Also Hickory imparts a classic North Carolina / South Carolina / Georgia BBQ smoke flavor that I am hooked on for pork BBQ. Hickory is just what we use around these parts and what my palette is used to. I have used apple and love it, even for beef brisket. I've used cherry / not sure that I cared for it, specifically. (To me a lot of the fruit woods taste similar so why not just get apple wood since (in my area apple is very easy to get). Oddly enough I like the flavor of mesquite wood on poultry. You have to be careful how much of it you use, but to me, a bird is great with a little mesquite wood. (that's just me). However, b/c of the aforementioned large bag of wood chips from the tree in my old front yard, I use hickory more than anything else right now and I haven't used mesquite in idk at least 2 years. I've not been very adventurous outside of these. I've heard cold smoking salmon with Alder is the classic. I'd love to try that if I get that cold smoking attachment for the KK.

sprang for a vacmaster vp215 based on comments here. The oil can be changed, etc. Should be very good. A little on the pricey side but I'm tired of messing with the foodsaver.

@braindoc your new 32 is beautiful and so is your back yard. What an awesome scene.

@Syzygies I have no bead on how much of a pain it is to change the oil. I hate the idea of one time getting liquid in my machine and having to send it back. But anyway sounds like I'm getting a chamber sealer. I'm very appreciative of all of these responses!

@Jadeite tell me about your big low and slow stuff on the 42.

I like cooking a whole bunch of pork butt, and I always cook more than my family needs. (sometimes I do this with other things too - chicken breasts, brisket, etc - but with pork butt it's always great b/c pork is always forgiving). When I shred the pork, I typically put it into vac seal bags while piping hot and stick it straight into the freezer. If I have extra time sometimes I have an icewater bath that I throw them in right after sealing bags and then into the freezer when done. When my family wants to eat barbecue, we get bags out of the freezer. I throw these bags in my sous-vide circulator at 145 degrees an hour or two before dinner to warm them up very gently. The result is my bagged/frozen pork tastes almost like it's fresh off the smoker. Often there's a lot of moisture in my bbq, so I have to use extra length in the bags so that the juices don't come all the way up to where the bag is sealing. I've also put paper towels down in the vac seal bags as well. Sometimes I get frustrated b/c it takes a while to get a good seal on a bag. One question I have - is anyone else just kind of tired of having to screw around with vac seal bags? Is there a brand of vac sealer that is like the Komodo Kamado - the rolls royce of vac sealers? Does anyone have any tips or suggestions on how to get great seals 100% of the time on a food saver (other than the aforementioned paper towels in the bag or using extra long bags? Thanks!

Perfect explanation, thank you @jeffshoaf for the time and detail.

This is strange to me as I have not received my KK yet. In a standard Kamado (I have a large BGE and have been cooking bbq on it for well over a decade), for a long low and slow cook I just add wood chunks to the firebox and try to mix them in very randomly so that as the fire continues to burn down there's always a little bit of new wood to burn. I can make pretty even smoke for hours with my BGE. What is different about the KK that makes you want to make a special pot to sit on top of the fire? I would think this completely unnecessary once you get the hang of how many chunks to put directly in the firebox.

I think I'll stick with 32 b/c I do a lot of low and slow and I don't need that huge of a space. It's plenty big enough for my family of 5 and any parties I cook for - and it's got plenty of grill space. I'm good. But I started to get FOMO. haha. I cannot wait. It's going to be a long time before it gets here. Got to start thinking about a name, etc.

Question that was bound to come up. I started reading some posts and I have seen that there have been a few people who have just thrown caution to the wind and changed their orders from a 32 to a 42. Not sure I can do this yet, but I decided to ask. A KK doesn't make financial sense in the first place - it's about having the best there is, like buying a fine sportscar. Anyway if anyone has cooked on both a 32 and a 42, is there a big difference? Will I be equally happy when I am doing smaller cooks with a 42? That's my main question. I'm guessing with the basket splitter the thing really doesn't use much more charcoal than the 32, and both are huge so it's going to take a while to heat soak either of them but anyway. I have been wondering whether I should just go full 42.

I'm very excited about receiving my KK later this year. It took me an extra 2 years to pull the trigger - but - it's pulled now. 32" BB in matte black pebble coming my way. Hopefully in late October / early November.

@Dono , it's called an "at mention" and is somewhat common in many different forum and chat apps (like Slack for example). you just type an @ symbol while working on your post or comment and start typing someone's user name and then you can choose them from the resulting dialog and it will mention them in this nice little blue bubble. BTW thanks for your detailed comment about the Thermoworks! Will definitely give it serious consideration!

@BlueRidgeBBQGuy I recently ordered my KK after 12 years of green egging and here's why: - I wanted the best (and I have been reading about and watching videos about KKs for years) - after a while you inevitably have to change the felt gasket on your green egg. I've done mine 3 times and my father-in-laws a couple of times. It is not fun to have to take apart your cooker and do maintenance on it. If you have the 2009 to IDK 2016 spring assisted hinge, it is almost impossible to get the stupid top and bottom of the green egg lined up. You usually end up with an "underbite" on your egg. It's very frustrating to spend a thousand bucks on something that won't line up perfectly. The new hinges are better, and if you save the spacers when you buy either the egg itself or a new hinge assembly, you can learn to line up the hinges properly and avoid the "underbite" or "overbite" alignment issues on your egg. One of my father in law's grills had the old spring assisted hinge and I was able to line his up perfectly using the spacers after changing the gasket. - but BGEs are such a pain in the behind on this point. The egg is a great cooker, but it's got some annoyances. Don't get me wrong, I love my egg. BGE stands by its merchandise and they have replaced parts for me for free (like a cracked fire ring). I'd recommend BGE over other Kamados in its class because of how well the company stands by their merchandise (and I live in Atlanta close to headquarters). However -- I'm really looking forward to having something that is going to run for many years without much intervention. Maybe some hinge spring tightening on the KK. Maybe some wiping down and vacuuming on occasion. But no gasket replacement (at least not for a massively long time). I'm looking forward to a ceramic cooker that loses even less moisture than the egg and that keeps temperatures better than any grill in the known universe. I'm looking forward to a grill that (to cite the "rum and cook" guy on youtube) cooks a pork butt that beats a pork butt smoked on a Yoder professional grade pellet grill (and does it all in a mostly maintenance free manner). I think his video is a little weird b/c I'd probably use a full basket of coals with wood chunks in it and rely on the vents rather than using the cold smoker attachment for extra smoke with only 1/4 basket of charcoal but... meh - whatever. Still pretty good endorsement. I'd rather have less maintenance on the KK for years and years than have to maintain a pellet grill. And if you watch other videos - Stephen Raichlen cooks on everything and knows it all - calls KK the best ceramic cooker without compare. You can take any number of people's word for it. I don't have my KK yet and I don't know anyone who has one, so I haven't tasted the food yet - but I'm pretty sure I'm going to get my KK and say "that was worth it". If you cook a lot and consider it your hobby, why not have the best? Cheers! @DennisLinkletter you've never been disparaging of the competition but if you wanted to know some of the reasons why I finally ordered my KK (you probably have had other people talk about their eggs so this may not be new to you but - just in case). Anyway I'm brimming with excitement and will be for the next 4 months until I get my KK Big Bad 32.

I'm counting on being blown away and it being better. If you can buy 6 large green eggs for the same price.... But I have been convinced for a very long time. I was just waiting until I finally had the free cash to buy my KK. I'm very passionate, too. I think you can make great food on a variety of equipment. It's just knowing your equipment and putting the love, time, and energy in. I've learned to perfect BBQ on the BGE without using any gadgets. I work in tech and a lot of geeks like to use their Fireboards and BBQ Gurus and all manner of stuff. I have a ~ twenty dollar Lavatools PT12 Javelin contact thermometer and that's it. I know how to set my fire to get the right airflow and I've learned that for the most part you don't need absolutely consistent temperatures (but you can do pretty damned well without gadgets if you practice). The last thing I want to do when I am relaxing from my tech job is using more tech to BBQ with. That all said, one thing I'm really excited about is the temperature consistency of the KK b/c it is just so much better insulated. I want better hardware, too. I'm tired of replacing the BGE gaskets every 3-5 years - I cook a lot so I wear them out fairly quickly and it's a real pain to redo them (and I've also replaced the bands and hinge- thank goodness BGE's newest generation has made them a little better). 'm looking forward to the KK lasting a lot longer than this and being better than this in all respects. Some questions that I have: * while I'm not a "gadget guy", it would seem like a waste to get a grill with a bung for a probe and not get a probe. What probe should I buy? Are there any recommended ones out there that do not require a smart phone (I just hate crap other than pages from work going off on my smart phone). * A lot of people definitely do not use the port for it, but what's the recommendation on using a BBQ Guru or a Thermoworks Billows instead of just learning the vents on the KK? It would seem that the opinions differ on this quite a bit, but a lot of people say "it's definitely completely unnecessary on the KK b/c it holds the temp so well" - but what's y'alls feeling on that? @Basher @tony b et al - thanks in advance for your time reading and responding.

so @5698k, you're a pebble guy? This is all new to me.

@RokDok you think tiles are better than pebbles? Bet I can change it up and get matte black tile. What's the reasoning for this recommendation? Just more grout / more maintenance?

Got a huge list of things I want to cook on this thing @Basher. On my egg, my standbys are pork butts, brisket, and ribs. I also love doing chicken for the family just on normal nights, etc. I also love to do pheasants and turkeys. As this thing will arrive by thanksgiving a turkey sounds like it will be one of the first few cooks I do. One thing I have been wanting to try is curing some beef and smoking some homemade pastrami, or this other recipe my grandmother used to do called "hunter's round". It's basically got sugar, salt, saltpeter, nutmeg, ground cloves. (rub the meat, refrigerate, and turn it every day for 14 days), then her recipe is to use a sirloin tip or bottom round roast. boil the roast after it is done aging/curing. I was thinking take some brisket or a big hunk of chuck instead of the sirloin tip or bottom round and do the same recipe. At the end, wash off the roast and rub it again light on the salt, minus the saltpeter and smoke it on the KK instead of boiling it.

matte black pebble

I'm a 12 year green egger. I have had my eyes on the KK for years. I finally put in my order for a BB32 yesterday. Thanks to Dennis and all you helpful forum posters for your words. I am looking forward to receiving mine in late October, early November, according to my conversation with Dennis yesterday. -John Atlanta, GA

Pequod, Tony B, tekobo - Thanks!! Cool, this is great feedback. I think I will probably go with the 32. As I am not getting rid of the egg, I think that'll be my 2nd Kamado for now. I can get a 2nd KK later when I'm not house poor. I think I will talk to Dennis before ordering. I am still about 30 to 60 days out. But I cannot wait! As to the question of what I do - I grill, I smoke, I do pizza. Chicken, fish, pork, beef, you name it. My setup right now is that I have a large BGE and I have a Weber Genesis II E-210 that I sometimes use for things I don't want as much fire flavor on - I don't use it much but it can be handy. My wife would rather use gas b/c she hates fooling with lighting the Kamados. she doesn't understand how easy it is with a looftlighter but she really doesn't care. I have used the everliving heck out of my BGE and it has been OK. I am about to do my 3rd felt gasket replacement on it in 10 years. bout to put a new hinge on it and replace the notorious spring assisted one that always results in terrible alignment (overbite, underbite - hard to get the egg right) - at least it takes a while to get it aligned every time you have to replace the gaskets. I just want a perfect product. One that isn't quite so finicky and is extremely well made. I have learned a great deal cooking on my egg for almost 10 years now. I am looking forward to the best.

I've always wanted a Komodo Kamado and for various reasons have been holding off. Well, I'm about to move into a new house in the next 60 days. Likely to be there a long time. I have a good spot to put a KK. All of these things were not necessarily true until now. Now - All I have to do is buy one. I wanted to ask what the "ideal size" KK is. And I know that's a difficult question. Context: I am an avid big green egger right now and I have a large BGE. Why did I get the large? The large fits a good amount food within but also has good temperature control without too much fuel usage. I have heard with the BGEs the XLs are not quite as user friendly and use more coal. A medium is just a bit too small. The "Large" is sort of an ideal size of the BGE. It does 2x boston butts just fine. 3-4 racks of ribs... does everything I ask it. Is the 23" Ultimate the "ideal size" KK? I know the 23" ultimate is slightly bigger than the egg, has more cooking levels. It is probably "all I need". But the 32" big bad - how much more coal does it use, and does it feel like it dwarfs you when you're just cooking for your family of 5? I don't want to get too much KK but I also don't want to miss out on having a big one if it is just as friendly and nice as the ultimate. After all it is my dream come true. I have since read a few other threads here and it appears it's a toss up. Would love to hear more thoughts. Maybe I will 'just go for it'. Thanks! -John