John T

On 3/20/2024 at 11:33 AM, John T said:

Some years ago we smoked a piece of pork that we first brined for several days.  Came out well.  Right in the middle next to the bone the curing liquid didn't quite penetrate but it tasted fine.  That suggests injecting brine in addition to soaking could be a good thing to do.  I'll see if I can find the brine recipe we used.  (Probably nothing fancy -water, salt, sugar, curing salt)

Late, but for future reference, we found the piece of paper with the brine recipe we used: 

2 liters water
3/4 cup kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
curing salt-- 1 tsp/5 pounds of ham

On 3/18/2024 at 7:39 PM, Cheesehead_Griller said:

I have a whole uncured ham from a pig we had butchered this past fall. I sawed it in half today so it is a bit more managable. Now, it's time to cure it. 

Do any of you have a good recipe and instructions for curing a ham? Should I be injecting the brine/cure into the meat? Any tips would be much appreciated. Thanks! 

Some years ago we smoked a piece of pork that we first brined for several days.  Came out well.  Right in the middle next to the bone the curing liquid didn't quite penetrate but it tasted fine.  That suggests injecting brine in addition to soaking could be a good thing to do.  I'll see if I can find the brine recipe we used.  (Probably nothing fancy -water, salt, sugar, curing salt)

16 hours ago, jonj said:

I have an Alfa 4 Pizze, which I have had for a few months, and think the floor temperature is at least as important as the dome for pizza. One can always hold the pizza on the turning peel up toward the dome to finish the top if it lags the bottom. I use this to check the floor temp:

https://www.thermoworks.com/ir-gun/

yup, I have one of these IR temperature sensors.  I guess I just need to be more patient and wait until the floor temp is really really hot. 

On 9/1/2022 at 4:08 PM, John T said:

You folks are like the devil with temptations 😉.  Okay, which of these is the better companion to our KK Supreme?

     Alfa 5 Minuti

     Forno Venetzia Pronto 500

So we ended up with the Alfa 5 Minuti and have tried pizzas twice now. 

Still on the learning curves with pizzas - those done in our KK tend to cook the bottom faster than the top, and in the WFO the top faster than the bottom.  We'll get there eventually, but may not have many clothes that fit by then. 

11 hours ago, Tyrus said:

Come to find it was an Italian base Deli in Plymouth Ma that carried the rabbit along with many other sausages and attractions in the showcase. I'll be sampling their sausage along the holidays or maybe grind my own, Kielbasa or Sweet, doesn't matter, either one is a treat. 

 

 

 

Please tell, which Deli in Plymouth.  (We are just south of you on Cape Cod :-))

You folks are like the devil with temptations 😉.  Okay, which of these is the better companion to our KK Supreme?

     Alfa 5 Minuti

     Forno Venetzia Pronto 500

To clarify, any association with Mr Rogan could turn people away. 
 

My post referred to the adage - if you lie with dogs, you will get fleas. 

Be careful when lying down with dogs.   

2 hours ago, tony b said:

Ravioli - well, that's a different ballgame altogether! 

Just two flat sheets of pasta, dollops of filling on the first sheet, wet slightly between the dollops, lay the second sheet on top, press and cut apart.  Then cross your fingers that the pockets don't come apart when boiling. 

9 hours ago, Troble said:

I’ve been wanting to make my own pasta for a few years now but have prioritized other things (like my KK) over investing in a pasta maker machine. I’m thinking about making 2022 the year I start rolling out my own dough and I was wondering if any of you fine people have any recommendations. I’m hoping to make lasagna, gnocchi, spaghetti, fusilli & a bow tie pasta

got any advice for me as I start this process? Thanks in advance 

For pasta that starts with flat sheets of dough, we use a simple hand cranked adjustable roller with a couple cutting attachments. Dough made by hand. But for extruded pasta (tubes of various shapes), you would need a machine.  

On 8/22/2021 at 12:17 PM, John T said:

I have been trying both the MSR SS pot and a cast iron pot (repurposed mussel cooker, photo below - after removing the wooden handle and plugging the hole).  I like the size of the MSR (the cast iron pot takes up a significant fraction of the charcoal basket in our 21" Supreme), but struggling with the duration of the smoke output.  This got me wondering if there might be enough radiant heat for a ~large smoker pot to sit below the charcoal basket - with standoffs so the holes on the bottom are not blocked.  Would also have to avoid blocking the KK air intake. 

Thoughts?

John

 

 

Over this past weekend I tried my idea of placing the smoke pot below the charcoal basket.  Used the MSR SS pot as my cast iron one was a bit too tall to fit below the charcoal basket.  The MSR was set on 3 SS screws (laying horizontal) as standoffs.  (The holes I drilled in the pot are on the bottom.)   I was cooking a 2.5"-thick cowboy steak using reverse sear.  Better part of an hour at ~230F (steak on the warming rack with aluminum foil on the rack below shielding direct radiant heating), followed by a rest while Babe heated up to 400+ then the sear).  The steak came out great, though I didn't see or taste much smoke.  Looking at the wood chunks after cool down, they don't appear to have fully carbonized (still see some brown color).  So I;'m interpreting all this as the pot didn't get hot enough to get the wood chunks smoldering.  Perhaps my taller cast iron pot being taller and in contact with the charcoal basket would get hotter?  But for the little guy its back to burying that smoking pot in the charcoal. 

I have been trying both the MSR SS pot and a cast iron pot (repurposed mussel cooker, photo below - after removing the wooden handle and plugging the hole).  I like the size of the MSR (the cast iron pot takes up a significant fraction of the charcoal basket in our 21" Supreme), but struggling with the duration of the smoke output.  This got me wondering if there might be enough radiant heat for a ~large smoker pot to sit below the charcoal basket - with standoffs so the holes on the bottom are not blocked.  Would also have to avoid blocking the KK air intake. 

Thoughts?

John

4 hours ago, C6Bill said:

I’m surprised there are not more Looft Lighter users here. I’ve been using one for a few years now, it does a great job of starting kamado’s, I use it to start my pizza oven too.

Yeah, I use an LL - works fine.  Probably not quite as fast as a torch, but with the built in blower, it's a one step operation.  But my thumb does get a bit tired holding the trigger down - it isn't a turn on and walk away operation.  

3 minutes ago, BOC said:

Amazing setup! For the ham, safe to assume you went for the pre cooked/cured? The pink color kind of gives it away unless of course you cured it yourself. Either way, well done!

Nope, a fresh ham shoulder to start.  The brine included some curing salt that gives the characteristic color. 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For several years we have wanted to build a shed to store things that really shouldn't live in our basement (like gasoline powered equipment).  The purchase of "Babe" (as in Paul Bunyan's big blue ox) this past summer (21" Supreme) pushed us over the hump.  Totally home built from plans.  Babe lives inside during the winter months, rolling out for cooks then back under cover.  Will remain on the porch now (under sunbrella cover) till the snow flies.  Tried a brined ham for Easter roughly following these directions - https://www.daringgourmet.com/how-to-smoke-a-ham/    Used apple wood in the pot with coffee char for fuel - turned out well if I do say so myself.

John

Thanks for the information. Just ordered the 475 ml MSR. 

Could one of you with a 475 MSR pot provide its approximate diameter?  I’d like to figure out if it will fit better in our 21” KK than the cast iron pot I have now. 
    Thanks

John

Don’t let all that great rendered duck fat go to waste. Parboil cubed potatoes then brown them in the duck fat. Yum. Our go to way to finish the breasts is to sauté shallots, deglace with calvados, add stock, sliced apple and several cloves, cover and cook until apples are tender. Serve the sauce over or under the sliced breasts. 

Thanks, folks. I didn’t know about the short top grill option. 
  J

On 8/29/2019 at 6:31 PM, ThreeDJ16 said:

The sear grill absolutely for high heat cooking if you like a char on your burger or steak.  Some folks have called it a reverse sear, but you can cook on the main grill close to the temp you like, then slap it down on the sear grill and give it those marks and char the outside.  Personally I see no need for it and cook pork chops, steaks and burgers on the sear grill 100%.  You will need a long spatula for burgers on the sear grill as it gets freakn hot.  Long tongs work for pork chops or steak.

total newbie question relating to the reverse sear protocol:

After the cook on the main grill, do you remove the main grill from the KK and place to the side to access the sear grill for those final few minutes?  The hinged section on the grills doesn't seem wide enough to provide good access.

Thanks

Absolutely move it while still in its shipping crate using a pallet jack.  On sloping ground, pump up the jack just enough that you can move it, keep your hand on the hydraulic release, and drop it back down before the works get rolling too fast downhill.  I moved our 21" by myself, burping it down a slope, leapfrogging sheets of 3/4" plywood.  But at twice the mass, you might want a second pair of hands helping.

we use resealable silicon pouches for sous vide from these folks:

https://www.stasherbag.com/collections/the-stasher-ecosystem?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIo9_eoc7h6gIVQcDICh1mwAjYEAAYASAAEgJJsPD_BwE

Never get all the air out, but that seems not to matter.  Clothes pin or clamp to the side of the pot to keep the bag submerged. 

so pardon my ignorance, but how many boxes (shipped on one pallet) are needed to make this a "good deal?"  If indeed the charcoal doesn't go bad over time, I could be talked into joining.

On 6/13/2019 at 9:22 AM, What's a leftover? said:

Would be interested in a pallet share in SW Ct, Westchester County, Northern NJ. Do not have access to loading dock or forklift. Would drive up to 2 hours to meet.

Only looking for 10-15 boxes personally.

Holt

A bit premature for me (our 21” Supreme is aboard ship 2+ weeks out of LA) but down the road I’d be interested in sharing a pallet order. No idea yet what our usage rate might be, and thus how many boxes I could take. I do have loading dock access at work, and drive a half ton pickup w/ 8’ bed. Located on Cape Cod.