PVPAUL

Hello All, I need to replace the fiber gasket (for top damper) and looking for advise / instructions on how to do this? Looking for how to remove old one and how to best replace the new one. Good news is Dennis always includes this as a spare part so I have the gasket on hand. Thanks! Paul

Oscar, thank you very much for the clarification and the great Videos. I didn’t have a chance to watch your video before my initial response to this thread. I’ve now watched both and am finding this information very helpful. I plan on subscribing to your YouTube channel. Cheers

I guess I’m confused on whether newer KK’s even need a burn in due the changing of materials Dennis is using to build KK’s now. It would be great to get clarification on this.

Yes, I was told to use them as landscape pavers! I use foil as a deflector and to catch juices / oils from the cook! Good Luck Gloria!

So early in my Learning process my briskets were never done on time and you cannot rush it. I watched a YouTube video put out by Meatchurch titled “Overnight Brisket”. Essentially they were saying start your brisket in the evening at 190 F and cook overnight and then raise the temp in the morning. I did this any my brisket was still not done on time. I’ve since settled on cooking about a 15lb full packer brisket that I’ve been trimming about 1-2lbs off. I’m starting it in the evening at about 225F target and then raising the temp to about 275F in the morning and then wrapping with butcher paper when I hit the 160-170F range. Cooking until it’s done and then foil, towel, and cooler technique. So far I’ve had two successful cooks in a row so planning to stick with this technique. Also, a few years ago I went too the Salt Lick in Texas and was very happy with their brisket and ended up buying their dry rub which I really love on the brisket! I’ve also been making this size brisket for small gatherings and saving the flat for making brisket chili. I also vacuum the leftover brisket in sections and then freeze / reheat via sous vide which I’ve also been very happy with. Congrats on your cook! Paul

Hello All, I just wanted to follow up on my 1st run at Nixtamalization.....making masa and tortillas. My Masa starter kit from Masienda arrived about 10 days ago and my Premier wet grinder arrived earlier this week. All and all I would say it was a success...did the nixtamalization process last night and started out just making 1 lb of heirloom corn and taking notes. The grinding process went pretty good...did it in two batches and ended up adding about 1.25 cups of water. I believed the end consistency coming out to the machine was good (not too much moisture) so initially I did not add any dry masa back into the mixture. When I started using the tortilla press I was not able to handle the tortilla without it breaking up on me. Based on this I decided to add dry masa (from Masienda) back into the masa mixture. I ended up adding 6 TBS and after that the tortillas held together...but they were still pretty fragile. I was able to get some "puff" but not as good as I hoped! Maybe more dry masa next time??? I also learned to not press to hard on the Masienda tortilla press as they would get too thin. For dinner I made two fresh salsa's using a Mocajete, guacamole and some Mexican street style corn. Earlier this week I smoked up a 6lb rack of beef plate ribs. I decided to warm up these leftovers via sous vide to about 100F and was able to cut up the meat and cut off some of the fat which I rendered down and then pan fried the cut up rib meat until it was crispy! All and all it turned out very good! The Cerveza in the pic is a homebrew Hazy IPA. I look forward to my continuing education in the art of Nixtamalization! Thanks @syzygies !!! Paul

All, I want to thank you for your input. I plan to give my power washer a try and to also do some shopping to look into some of the tray / tub suggestions on this post. All the best, Paul

So as Tekobo would say I jumped down this rabbit hole today. I ordered to two cookbooks suggested above and the from Masienda I ordered the Nixtamal starter kit complete with tortilla press (along with white and blue masa flour). I decided to hold off on the Masa hand mill at this time. Tekobo, I understand that you ordered the Premier 1.5 liter table top wet grinder and look forward to your feedback. @Syzygies I believe from your original post that you already procured the Premier 1.5 liter wet grinder. Are you able to confirm that you are happy with this product? I'm excited to start making heirloom tortillas for many of my mexican dishes, masa for tamales and pozole from the heirloom corn! @syzygies .....thanks again for posting this information on the website. I also decided to look at the Rancho Gordo and find their Heirloom beans fascinating and I'm sure it won't be long before an order is placed for these as well! Cheers

Hey Syzygies, thanks all your information in your original post on this thread. I glanced at it a few times but dug in today and wow you may have set me in motion with making fresh masa for tortillas and tamales. Since I was a kid I helped my dad make tamales. I remember going to the tortilla factory as a kid and buying the masa fresh. Now the idea of making fresh masa using heirloom corn has me stoked to go ahead and purchase the ingredients and equipment. I like the idea of taking our family tamale recipe to the next level. We have a Metate in our home but it serves mainly as a decoration these days. I like the idea of the wet grinder you have in your post. We have a family tortilla recipe that uses flour and cornmeal and we hand roll our tortillas, however I do love corn tortillas as well so this has me excited as well. One of the other recent threads on the forum was for Tacos al Pastor and plan on picking up the Trompo King to assist me here. All the best, Paul

I'm just curious if anyone out here has found an easily available shallow tray / tub that accommodates the grates for the 32" BB for cleaning? Being a homebrewer I'm familiar with Five Star PBW and use this for cleaning but am having a hard time finding a suitable dedicated shallow tray for soaking and cleaning grates. Any help / links to available trays is appreciated. Thanks, Paul

Basher, yes I would take lessons from supplier for sure, just not available during this time due to CV. They do have online cookbook, guidelines that I plan to download in anticipation of getting my oven up and running in May. The one we have on order is a "Wolf" brand which offers free cooking demonstrations along with all different types of food cooked on all of their products and they even served up wine. It was very nice and I would recommend to anybody considering Wolf appliances....obviously once CV is better. Yep Mac, I bet with all of those beautiful veggies you grow the steam oven would be desirable! Best, Paul

Hello Fellow KK owners, we are in the process of a kitchen remodel and have decided to include a Steam Convection oven as part of our project. I'm very excited to add this capability and have watched some youtube videos on it's capabilites. I'm curious to see if any of you here in the forum already own this technology and where and how you like to use this technology when cooking. Techniques / styles / recipes etc. All the best, Paul

Hey Tony B, just curious, a what kind of new brewing hardware do you have? Earlier this year I decided to buy an “All In One” Anvil Electric brewing system. I still have my 3 kettle 10 gallon hybrid system but decided that after over 25 years of brewing I wanted to try a smaller (5 gallon drinkable) system. It doesn’t have wifi or Bluetooth but I really didn’t feel like I needed this or wanted this for this new system. So far I’ve brewed 4 different beers on this system, learning curve for sure but all and all I’m pretty happy with it. Just got done brewing a Schwartzbier a few hours ago and hit my target gravity! All the best, Paul

Dennis, thanks for the microwave tip. I will definitely try this out. I’m also already setting the pump at the lowest setting (another tip from you). I also understand not needing smoke all night long, however I find that I’m throwing away most of the pellets after a cook. I also plan to take smoker apart just to be sure my screen is clean etc. All the best, Paul

Honestly I’ve consistently had issues with having briskets done on time. I watched a YouTube video put on by the Meatchurch folks called weekday brisket. The basic idea is to start the brisket the night before and let it run at 190F overnight and then turn up the temperature to your 225-250 in the morning and let it finish. I’m a big fan of SV but prefer the FTC technique. Also, I find that my KK retains heat for hours after my cook so if your concerned with the brisket cooling down to much in the FTC I just put it back in the KK for an hour or two to have it at a serving temperature. I just did this technique on a 8lb shoulder and was very happy with the results. Now I just need to figure out how to keep the cold smoker going all night! Mine never stays lit and I’m using quality pellets etc etc. Cheers!

Syzgies, glad to see you have taken the plunge and bought one of these! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience with us here. I hope to join the Vermicular club sometime this year. We just had a pretty big remodel project at home so need to watch my spending for awhile. All the best, Paul

Great Story Doc, While I like fireworks, and sorry to say...I would be hanging down by the REK show! His encore song would be “The road goes on forever and the party never ends”. I hope to meet you on the 4th someday in the park, we can talk, fireworks, KK and REK! I have a funny story I will share with you. My wife and I got married in 1986 and went to Hawaii for our honeymoon. While there we went on a sunset food & booze cruise. While on the cruise we met a small group (3) and they asked us where we were from....We told them Wisconsin (very proudly of course!) and they said ......That’s OK.......... we got a laugh out of it...... and they were from Texas and very proud of it! (The feeling I got from them is that somebody has to be from Wisconsin and they were glad it wasn’t them!) During our trip to Texas this last year (my first) we were definitely struck with how folks from Texas are very proud of their state (it shows) and that they are all very patriotic........I really liked this about Texas.............................And you have REK in your backyard to boot!!! All the best, Paul

Hey Doc, I see you are from Kerrville , Texas. Last year in spring my wife and I and our two adult kids did a vacation in Texas. Started out in San Antonio and made our way to Austin and then took a drive out of Austin on Easter Sunday and stopped in Kerrville and ate at The Humble Fork there in town before taking scenic HWY 16 down towards Bandera. What a Beautiful Ride. Also after returning from our trip I see that one of my favorite Musicians is from Kerrville. None other than Robert Earl Keen!!! I would love to spend a 4th of July in your town to see REK playing in the park there. Saw him late fall in Madison WI and it was a great show. Try to see him whenever he is near by. All the best, Paul

Yes, I skip pineapple and cherries.....use OJ concentrate as I’ve never seen tangerine concentrate in my life and use mustard types I have on hand. Other than that I follow rest of recipe. Usually use a bone in ham but have also done this on spiral cut ham as well. Phins up! Paul

Coolpapabill, looks I'm Planning making the attached recipe with some modifications on Sunday. Last time I made this on the KK it turned out great! all the best, Paul

Hello om21braz, I’ve been grilling my whole life with Webber charcoal and gas grills. About 2 years ago I purchased a Cookshack PG500 grill. The Memphis you have is the KK of pellet grills! I decided on purchasing 2 KK grills last year ( one for a vacation home and couldn’t be without one at home). To be honest I’ve not used my pellet grill since I got the KK. I’ve not really used it because I’m having too much fun with the KK’s. The big difference is that the KK is extremely tight so you don’t have the airflow / moisture Loss you have in all other grills. One of the coolest things is that not only is the KK versatile in being able to do anything from cold smoking to high temp pizzas but you also have a unique piece of art in your yard. I think you may experience the same thing with your pellet grill as I have, however it’s nice to still have this in your arsenal when your entertaining for large parties etc. I’m getting a bathroom remodel and guy doing the tile work is amazed at the quality and the look of the KK. If you can afford the Memphis I’m thinking that a KK is in your future! Good Luck. PVPAUL

Mac, looks like a Cheeseburger in Paradise! Great photo! As promised I included photos from The Mississippi Pot roast from yesterdays cook. Smoked the Chuck roast for 1.5 hours then placed in the foil tin with the rest of the ingredients and then cooked tightly sealed with foil for about 3.5 hours at 325F. Plated with some mashed potatoes and used some leftover duck fat and duck juice from a Sous Vide Duck Confit recipe and had a side salad that my wife has been making ....that I’ve been craving as of late. FYI, the Mississippi recipe came off of a You Tube video. Wasn’t sure if I would like it but I had this chuck roast burning a hole in my pocket and decided to defrost and give it a try. I was very happy with this recipe and will definitely make this again. Best, Paul

Thanks for the compliments! Today I’m doing a smoked Mississippi Pot roast on the 32” KK. Just threw it on a few minutes ago. Using Lumberjack M-H-C pellets. I’ll take a couple of pics and post them a little later today!

We’ll being sort of locked up these days I decided to spend the day cooking. While the KK was not included in this cook I thought I would still share with the forum. I was speaking with my 90 year old Uncle and he shared with me a simple salsa recipe his mom used to make when he was a kid. Being the proud owner of a pig like Mocajete I decided to make the fresh Salsa like Grandma...Simply a roasted tomato, garlic, banana pepper, green onion, cilantro and salt. Next up was a kettle of home made pork with Mole tamales....probably about 100 of these and in the final pic a plated traditional Mexican fare.......Tamales, Frijoles y arroz!