Loquitur

I’ve been setting up the Stoker inside my house without having connected it to the KK yet. I hooked it into my home network and followed the instructions in the manual and don’t appear to be having any problems with obtaining an IP address and accessing an online webpage. I thought I was going to have to configure my router in some fashion for “port forwardingâ€. Do you think that is something I will have to do later or maybe I won’t have to do it at all? Will it be obvious to a non mechanical person if the door of my Stoker is sticking causing the fan to run too much? I’m hoping my Stoker will fit my KK without a further adapter. I don’t know if I have one of the new factory installed Guru inducer tubes or not. I’ll know soon enough - I’m hoping to pop out the plug tomorrow. Susan

Here are my Thai burgers - which I made for a dinner with my Mom. I used the lower grill instead of the sear grill because they were on the small side and I needed to cook them through without burning them up since they're made with ground pork. The grill was pretty hot – hotter than I intended. But I’m the only one who does any cooking around here and my kitchen is a long way from my patio so it got away from me a little while I was working on other things. I put a thin coating of veg oil on the burgers and also used a brush with peanut oil to oil the grate just before I put them on. The bristles on the brush curled up, kind of like Dennis' eyebrows from the recent flash! I was able to turn them without them pulling apart but it took some time to wiggle my spatula under them. I'm anticipating making big old grass fed beef burgers for my husband and I on the sear grill, crispy on the outside and rare on the inside. Is there a trick to oiling a really hot grill so that burgers will turn easily? Even though I have elbow high welding gloves, getting a spatula under a burger on the sear grill that close to the flame sounds like it might be tough. Maybe I should oil the grate before it gets so hot? I thought the rule was hot pan/cold oil for non stick properties so I was thinking the hotter the better. Here is the recipe. I wish I could claim it as my own but it’s actually a slight variation of the recipe for a burger which won a $10,000 prize as the Alternative Meat Winner in one of the Build a Better Burger contests. The original recipe called for star anise in the pork mixture, and had a topping of mayonnaise mixed with lime juice, cilantro and Thai basil. I prefer to top it with ready made Thai sweet chili dipping sauce that I buy in an Oriental grocery. Makes 4-6 burgers. 2 lbs ground pork 1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla) 1/4 cup peanut butter 4 t palm sugar or brown sugar 3 cloves garlic 1" piece of ginger 2 hot garden peppers or hot sauce to taste Thai sweet chili dipping sauce Lettuce 4-6 rolls Mix peanut butter, fish sauce, and sugar in small bowl with a fork. This mixes easier if the peanut butter softens in the mixture a while. Place hot peppers, garlic and ginger in a small food processor and chop finely. Add chopped veg and the peanut butter mixture to the ground pork and gently combine with a fork. Form burgers and place on saran wrap or foil. Handle them as little as possible since they will be sticky. Grill burgers to 135 or to taste. Toast rolls. Assemble with lettuce and Thai sweet chili dipping sauce as a topping. Note: If you have not cooked with fish sauce before, don't be put off by the smell. It truly stinks!! But it is delicious and an essential ingredient of Thai cooking.

This is the response I got from Grillfloss. I've also used it a few times now and left it out in the rain and it still hasn't turned orange. Hi Susan, Sorry for the delay on this email. The answer is: "Yes" the Cleaning Head is stainless steel. There are many different types of stainless steel, and some are slightly magnetic. The "Cleaning Head" is made with a hardened stainless steel that has much more flex and is very rigid. The steel is similar to a chef knife, if you test kitchen knifes you will find they are also stainless steel and magnetic. I hope this helps. Happy Grilling, -- Mike Persichina Grillfloss - Mpact Products phone: 310-994-8408 fax: 509-272-0142 www.grillfloss.com

Thanks, Firemonkey, and all the other kind gentlemen who responded on this thread. I have a much clearer idea about how to produce the smoke and how different temps will require different techniques. I've now added apple wood chips and sugar maple and jack daniels pellets to my hickory chunks as smoking materials and am ready to experiment, especially on short cooks on the horizon such as burgers and chops. FM, everything in that cook looks fantastic. Are you a food stylist or something??? Hmmmmm.... I think Dennis might be shipping the accessories differently now. I received one, heavy, stonelike piece which fits in the smaller stainless pan and I thought that was a combo pizza stone/heat deflector. I was thinking about ordering another of those stonelike pieces in a larger size if Dennis has it and use that one solely as a pizza stone. Susan

RE: Big Mess on Pizza Stone Thats no biggie, just flip it over next cook and it will burn clean. Now ya tell me!!! BTW, I used your recipe for the modified ABT's. My husband picked up the peppers and he got really big ones. The cherry tomatoes helped fill the cavities and made them extra moist and delicious. That's definitely a keeper.

Re: Using a Smoke Pot

Thanks, Dachsie. I think I have one of those small cast iron smoke pots around here somewhere and those pellets look easy to store. I guess I woud put the cast iron pot directly on top of the area I light with the torch?

Thanks, cruzmisl. I read and bookmarked your "instructable" on pulled pork when you announced here that you had posted it. It will definitely be my guide for my first pulled pork, which might be this weekend if I can get my Stoker up and running. Looking at the instructable again, I can see how wood chips would be helpful. " Maybe you could plan a menu and ask for some recipes and tips in advance....just a thought." That's an invitation I coudn't possibly refuse!! Susan

Thanks, Conodo, I really appreciate your comments and am very encouraged. I know this process is a life long pursuit and that there are new lessons to be learned the entire way. If I can impose further with a question - how do I get a nice smoky flavor from a small fire? My bigger fire with the chicken and two chunks of hickory had much more smoke than my small fire where only one of the three chunks ever lit. Should I just pile some chunks on top of the small area that I light with the torch? Or use one big chunk, like a log, over the small area that I light? Or do I open the lid and add another chunk over the lit area as I go, replacing the chunk when I can't smell it anymore? The seal between the lid and the body of the KK is great. I can really feel how the parts fasten together when pushing down on the handle and pushing in with the latch. There is no way any air is escaping there. Super quality all the way. Susan

My first cook was a 7 lb chicken with ABT's. I wanted something with a wide temp berth since I don't have experience with charcoal and needed to keep the temp below 400 per Dennis. The plan was to light the coals with my new Bernzomatic torch, keep high air flow until the temp was 300 and then shut it down to hold at somewhere around 350. This worked pretty well but not perfectly. First I have to say that the torch is awesome!!! I filled the basket with Cowboy, which is the only type my local hardware store carries, plus two chunks of hickory, and lit three spots. In retrospect, I think I heated the coals a little too long with the torch and had too big a fire. I started to shut down at the 325 setting on the wheel as shown in the manual but over an hour and a half period, the temp climbed to 400. But it still worked out fine - the bird was delicious. It was a simple preparation - air dried overnite, S&P, aromatics and fresh garden herbs in the cavity, trussed, S&P and olive oil rubbed on the skin. I didn't open the grill until an hour had passed at which time I added the ABT's. I opened it a second time to remove the chicken according to my thermo's. It was very succulent and tasty. It had just the right amount of smoke flavor for a chicken not to mention the heavenly aroma after the ABT's were added. I burned quite a bit of charcoal - I would say about half a basket. Other than overheating the charcoal with the torch, I made three mistakes on this cook. After I turned the torch off and removed the canister, I laid it across 2 grills on a table. After a while it was in my way so I grabbed the bottom of the tube to move it. %&^*)$^% - OUCH - that sucker was hot!!! Fortunately it had cooled off enough that I didn't blister but you can be sure I'll not do that again. Also, I forgot to line the drip pan with foil so I had a pretty big mess after that big chicken. Lastly, I forgot to have the oil ready to do the grate when I opened the lid to add the food so I skipped it. My second cook was St. Louis spare ribs - Big Bob Gibson Memphis style (shhh - no D word please ). This time I only lit one spot in the center of the basket for a few seconds. It took a long time to get the temp up to 200, when I put the ribs on, but I got it to hold 250 easily. I didn't open the lid for 6 hours. The texture of the ribs was fantastic but I used too much rub for our taste. I liked the rub very much and will use it again - just a little less of it, especially after the vinegar dunk. Also, I would have preferred more smoke flavor. I put in three chunks of hickory but the fire never got big enough to get to 2 of them. I barely burned any charcoal at all. My big mistake on this one was I left the drip pan in the kitchen after cleaning it and forgot it altogether! So now I have a mess on my pizza stone. I forgot to have the oil ready for the grate this time too so I skipped it again. All in all, I consider it a big jump on the learning curve and lots of fun for sure. I’m happy my backordered Stoker just arrived so I won’t have to spend so much time watching the temps. Any tips or critiques from you pros is greatly appreciated!! No picture of the ribs because it was raining when I took them off.

ROFLMAO!!!

Some Pix Thanks, Hitman, hope this works. These pictures show the crate on my front walkway where the driver left it, the overgrown part of my walkway which the KK plowed through with no problem and its final resting place, for now anyway. I'm undergoing a patio renovation and am planning to have some cabinetry built along the fence to the left since that gate is now permanently closed. Thanks heavens for my disconnected gasser - its great for storing all the accessories. The angle isn't very good on the last picture but my cat stalking the KK was too funny!!

KK Castors The KK castors are great. I have overgrown pachysandra and euonymous encroaching on my brick walkway, pretty heavily in some areas. I had intended to trim it back before the KK was delivered for a clear path but that didn't happen. Plan B was plywood. But it wasn't even necessary. With one guy pushing and one guy pulling, the KK plowed through it like a bulldozer. Uncrating was no problem. We removed the grills from the body but did not remove the lid. Then 4 guys with two pieces of 2x4's gave it a power lift for just enough time for me to pull the pallet out. I don't think it took 5 minutes to get the KK from my front gate where the driver left it to its final resting place after it was uncrated. Really a piece of cake. I'll post some pics. Susan

It's here!!! My KK arrived on Friday in fine shape - what a relief!! I had been in touch with Hitman about his damage and its cause since our KK's were on the same ship and likely on the same truck for part of the way at least. I thank my lucky stars that I was spared. Getting it unpacked and in place was a cinch. I have some pics that I'll post when I figure out how to do it. Susan

Thanks, gentlemen - the magnet test is something I can handle. I used the back of my Polder. It didn't stick to the body of the Grillfloss but it sure did stick to the head! It hasn't turned orange either but I really haven't used it yet. I'll send an email to the company and see what's up. Susan

How can you tell if its SS? The head of my GrillFloss doesn't look like stainless steel to me but that's mainly because it isn't shiny. I really don't know for sure. How can I tell? Susan

Wow, DesertPirate, what an ambitious first cook! And congrats on your success. My KK is still on the water and I'm a newbie to charcoal cooking generally. I was thinking about doing some ABT's and a couple of chickens for my first cook where I have some leeway with the temperature control. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of trouble did you have getting the fire started? Susan

Re: Stoker mod

Re: Wheeling and Leveling a KK [ The casters on the 23" are pretty big and glide easily over most surfaces.....The casters swivel so you can guide it in whatever direction you want. Great - I don't think I will have any problem. My brother with his two strapping teenage sons will be here to help as well as my husband. That's exactly what I need. I didn't know they made such a thing. Good luck and it sounds like a very interesting tile color choice! I don't have a picture of mine yet but its the same as Cozy's. There is a picture of his in the current inventory topic about 3/4's of the way down. It's beautiful!!! Susan

Thanks to all the info on this forum, I ordered a Stoker. I chose it over the Guru because its a short wire run from the KK through a window to a switch for my home network and wireless from there to my notebook already in place. I hope its not too hard to use. I'm very excited about this project and really appreciate your warm welcome. Susan

I'm expecting my KK to arrive at the end of July. I live in a village on a corner lot and will have to negotiate a fair distance of sidewalk, fencing, brick pathways, 2 gates and the length of my brick patio to get the KK to its final resting place. Freight deliveries in my area usually come in a big van with a lift gate so I expect they will unload the crate on the sidewalk. If I uncrate it on the sidewalk, do I use the wood from the crate to make a ramp so the KK can be wheeled off the pallet onto the sidewalk? The brick for the pathways and patio was laid in cement with the bricks butted up against each other so there are no grout joints. Its pretty smooth as brick landscape goes but it is brick nevertheless. Should I expect to be able to push or pull the KK over a surface such as this? If so, should I expect that the castors on the KK will wheel it in a straight line? My pathway is only 31†wide at some points and I don’t have much more than that going through one of the gates so I won’t have much room to maneuver if it wants to go sideways. Lastly, I’m wondering if the final resting place for the KK has to be exactly level. The corner of my patio where it will be located is in front of a gate (which has been permanently closed) leading out to the sidewalk. There is a slight slope there due to the change in elevation between the patio and the sidewalk – I would say the front wheels might be ½ inch higher than one of the rear wheels and ¼ inch higher than the other rear wheel. Is there a way I could “shim†the rear legs to make up this difference or does it not matter? Susan

I just bought a 23†metallic bronze/autumn nebula tweed KK which will be loaded on the boat next week. Needless to say, I’m giddy with anticipation. I’ve been pouring over the forum posts for the past couple of weeks and have learned tons but I know I’m going to be a pest here because I’m not mechanically inclined and have never cooked with charcoal. But I’m ready to give it my all. I love the idea that I can keep the temp down for low and slow pork and other meats and fire it up hot for pizza, bread and tandoori goodies and do everything else in between. I live in Millbrook, New York, a lovely village in central Dutchess County, with my husband and four cats, and, if I do say so myself, I am a terrific cook. For the past seven years I’ve been using a Vidalia grill, which I like alot, especially now that I have a permanent gas line hooked up for it, but it has its limitations. I’ll be keeping it as a side burner and for storage. I have questions about getting the KK to its final destination on my property so I’ll move over to the 411 forum. Susan