Loquitur

Re: Steak Tips Just for the sake of accuracy in communication, Dennis' nomenclature for the grill levels is as follows: Upper grill is the small grill with tall handles generally set on the main grill for a second story Main grill is the largest grill with the hinged front sitting on a ledge in the KK Lower grill is the smaller grill with the open front that sits on a ledge in the KK Sear grill is the upper grill turned upside down on the low handles which sits on the charcoal basket handles inches above the coals. Just mentioning it because there is a large difference in the height off the coals between cooking a steak on the lower grill and cooking a steak on the sear grill. I can see how you could cook a steak at 800 degrees on the lower grill but its hard for me to imagine you would have anything left but a lump of charcoal if you cooked a steak at 800 deg dome on the sear grill. One of the benefits of cooking close to the coals at a lower temperature is that you get a similar effect without expending all the energy heating the grill up and then cooling it down.

Re: Steak Tips Some good ideas here. I happened to do the cross hatch grill marks on these particular steaks turning them quickly after 1 min per side but, to be honest, I generally don't bother. Its interesting to hear how to do the thick steaks. My husband, for no rational reason, doesn't like a large steak carved for two - he prefers his own steak. So I'm usually not making anything more than 20 oz max and more like 14 - 16 oz. I appreciate the theory of the reverse sear and know many people swear buy it haven't had much luck with it because I don't get enough char before the meat is overcooked. I'm obviously not judging it properly.

Re: Steak Tips Doc makes a good point - it all depends on how you like your steaks. This is what mine look like with my technique and my husband and I love them!!

Re: Steak Tips Normstar: I stopped cooking steaks 20 oz and less to Thermapen temps after having your experience many times. I think the problem is that the super high heat causes the internal temp of the steak to rise very quickly. I do them over 1/4 basket lump with the sear kit, charcoal mounded high, on the low handles of the sear grill so the steak is just inches over the hot coals. I bring the KK up to 425 ish dome, knowing its way hotter down where I'm cooking, throw on the steaks, close the lid and, depending on the size of the steak, I know in 2 to 2.5 min per side, depending on whether it is more like 14 oz or 20 oz, it will be done perfectly. And if I leave the steaks down there another 30 seconds, they will be overdone. The temp with the Thermapen at this point is probably around 115 but if you check it again in 30 sec, it will be more like 130 and after you remove the steaks, the temp will continue to rise during the rest. There is nothing worse than looking forward to a beautiful steak and overcooking it. Even though this system sounds kind of half a$$ed, its very reliable for me. If I ever brought my KK up to 600 or 700 degrees with this technique, my steaks would be incinerated!!

Re: Meat slicer advice I had my slicer out on the counter when a neighbor stopped by yesterday. He said he had one almost like it and that he loved it so much because it was so easy to clean!! He knew I didn't agree just by the shocked look on my face. He looked closer at it and told me to go the hardware store and buy wing nuts so I don't need to use the wrench under the carriage plate. He also told me to buy small magnets with handles to carry the heavy blade to the sink for cleaning and back to the unit. I appreciate this advice since I feel I'm much more likely to cut myself handling the blade off the unit then when it is on the unit and slicing when I am extremely careful. The reason I had athe slicer out was to experiment with cheese steaks so I can do something fun for my husband when he gets back from fishing in Canada. I had an 18 oz rib eye steak and first tried slicing it across the grain with the steak flat on the carriage. I would make one pass thru the blade and by the time I got it back into place for another pass, the meat was all bunched up so I had to turn off the slicer, reposition the meat, and try again. After a couple of times, I knew this just wasn't gonna work. So I turned the steak upright like it was a roast and then it went beautifully. Wow - I don't need any more experimenting - it was outrageous! I can't wait to finish the steak with the second one tonight!!

Re: New KK Site is up and running.. Dennis: I went to the store to check out the matte autumn nebula bronze tweed tile and wasn't able to see any tile colors except for a couple of blues and an autumn nebula. I was in the gallery under tile colors.

Re: New KK landing on the Redneck Riviera (Florida Panhandle Moving from the Dark Side (old gass cooker) to a Tweed Matte Autumn Nubula & Bronze Can't wait to see a picture of this and hear what you think of it. I have an autumn nebula and bronze metallic tweed but none of it is a matte finish. Very interesting!!

Re: Meat Slicer/Deep Fryer Advice The model slicer I have is Cabela's Commercial Grade Slicer by Chef's Choice. It has the ridged cover over the blade and is set at an angle so that gravity assists the sliced meat falling onto the tray. The lower part of the pusher is metal and the upper part is plastic and it has a 10" blade. I don't perceive slicing as being a problem. I sliced leftovers from my recent KK ham and turkey breast cooks and was dealing with irregularly sized chunks of meat removed from the bone which is a far cry from the shape of the meat they pull out of a deli case. So my early slices were uneven. But they were still thin and good. I don't think slicing is a reason to stay away from my particular model. But cleaning it definitely is. It didn't take me hours to take apart and clean - but probably a good 30 minutes. This one weighs 40 lbs which is about the max you would want for a home unit. I definitley have a recommendation for a home deep fryer - the T-Fal model. The special feature of this fryer is that it strains, drains and stores the oil in a built in container. When you want to use it again, you pull out the container, pour in the oil and you're good to go. And it cleans up in minutes. $100 Free Shipping http://www.amazon.com/T-fal-FR7008002-3 ... ryer+t+fal

Re: Meat slicer advice I bought a used one just recently - the 1/4 HP Cabella's model, likely similar to DJ's, and paid $250.00 for it. I've only used it two times so far and liked it a lot but I can see there is a learning curve as to how to use it to its best advantage. I did have some trouble holding the food on the carrier but I thought it was because I didn't have it shaped as good as I should but maybe it was because of the deficiencies raised by DJ of the plastic pusher. The big negative to this model for me is that cleaning it is a huge PITA. I need to use an allen wrench to remove the blade cover, a screwdriver to remove the screws holding on the blade and a wrench to remove the bolts holding on the food carrier. I would feel the need to take it apart and clean it every time I use it because there are lots of little pieces of food that get stuck in and around the blade that are hard to get to. I like that this model comes with a blade sharpener and the 1/4 HP is super powerful. I haven't tried to do any raw meat yet though I do plan to do rib eye for cheesesteaks. The Berkel model you are looking at stresses easy to clean without any tools so that would put it miles ahead of my model if I were in the market.

Re: Greetings from Stumptown! aka Portland, OR bbqsushi: Would you mind telling us about your tandoori marinade? Did you use the heat deflector or cook it direct?

Re: Everyday Misc Cooking Photos w/ details I bought a pork roast once in a supermarket in Spain that looked quite a bit like that roast. When slicing it there was a definite pattern of lighter meat and darker meat in each slice. I didn't understand the label except for the "cerdo" part and just did a simple roast but it sure was delicious. I would love to know what it would be called here to order it from a butcher. Everything on that plate looks wonderful!!

Re: New KK Site is up and running.. The upgraded roti arm locks for the 6 and 8 inch EZ Que roti baskets are now in the store.

Paypal Glitch? Dennis: I put in an order today of several items and chose Paypal as my method of payment. The KK store switched me over to the Paypal website but when going thru the process of payment, I got error notice PE101 and it appeared I would have to start over. So I went back to my cart to begin again and was happy to see my items were all still there. I started the payment process for the second time and before I could complete it, I received an email notice that payment had actually already been received via Paypal. So I don't know why I got that error notification. Just a FYI to fine tune the store. I love it!!!

Maple Brined Turkey Breast Did an 8.5 lb turkey breast on Sunday, 325 Stoker indirect to 155 deg. Followed Doc's maple brine recipe except I added some fennel seeds and coriander seeds due to personal taste. It was brined for 24 hours, rinsed, dried and placed on the grill in a roasting pan over a bed or carrots, celery, onions and some white wine. The flavor and texture of the meat was fabulous - moist, juicy, flavorful and "melt in your mouth" delicious. I couldn't have asked for more as far as the interior of the breast was concerned and am a convert to white poultry meat with brining in the prep. But the skin wasn't as good as it should be. I don't think it had enough heat/time to crisp up. Next time I will start this cook 2 days ahead instead of 1 so I can brine it for 24 hours and air dry it in the frig for another 24 hours. And I'll probably give it a good blast of 500 deg heat from my kitchen oven for a short time before it goes on the KK. Self criticisms notwithstanding, can't wait to do it again!!!!

Re: New KK Site is up and running.. I thought I saw the upgraded roti basket arm locks for sale in the store the other day but I went to order a couple of things and am not seeing them now. Maybe I was imaging it? Will shoot Dennis an email since I need to confirm they will fit the EZ Que roti baskets.

Re: New KK Site is up and running.. I found the extra charcoal basket in the Store as a spare part as opposed to an accessory. Surely the price isn't $.08????? Susan

Re: New KK Site is up and running.. Looks great! Can you add an additional charcoal basket as an accessory? I would like to order one and would be happy to do it online.

Re: Atomic Frog Balls Cook Shack: Have you tried these? I don't think I'm interested in the whole canning process but I'd be happy to try a smaller quantity that would last in the frig in mason jars until consumed if it tastes as good as it looks/sounds.

Easter Ham becomes Masters Ham Had a change of menu for Easter Sunday so my Easter Ham became a Masters Ham. This was my inaugural cook of 2013 and I look forward to many more. Deeeeelish!! For an encore, I just put on the pea soup!! Susan

Re: Just learning about our new KK Me too. I don't have the patience to wait an hour or more for the grill to come up to temperature. I open it up to get it going and then start shutting down as I approach my temp.

Re: BBQ Guru with KK Doc: I do have the clip that came with the Stoker and I do use it but I feel like I can't get it far enough away from the food/food container yet within the perimeter of the heat deflector to be as acccurate as I'd like considering that I'm usually making something large when I'm using the Stoker. I'm doing a 10 lb ham right now for my inaugural 2013 cook. The Stoker fired up online right away without any futzing around which made me very happy. Will post pics later.

Re: BBQ Guru with KK I liked the idea of that probe tree and bought it to use with my Stoker but the Stoker probes are too thick to fit in the holes. Susan

Re: Pulled Pork Chili Here is a variation of the Dragon Breath Chili that I've made a couple of times and its really good. Great idea to sub the pulled pork!! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy- ... index.html

Re: gyros with pics I've had a number of them over the years and like them too though I must admit some of them are hit or miss and I've had terrible luck with the canisters in that they always develop hairline cracks no matter how careful I am with them. But the simpler models with the bags have been great and I use them almost every day. I get the bags on Ebay - just ordered 100 pint and 200 quart bags yesterday for $54.00 free shipping. I've bought them before and they are nice quality. The next step up vacuum sealers are way more expensive. I've been away from my KK for the winter due to darkness and ice. Was looking forward to doing ribs on Sunday and posting pics since its supposed to be 50 deg but we got 6 inches of snow again last night. Pretty soon...... Those gyros look fantastic!! I love to get them from the street carts when I'm in NYC. And you're shoulders look great too, Doc. Beautiful color on them. Do they have the skin on?

Re: little help please Could somebody retitle this post 'Coffee Cardamom Rub" to make it easier to find?