JeffB

The bags and filters coexist without issue. Just think of the bag as a disposable pre filter that keeps the majority of the junk out of your expensive filter. The other benefit is that replacing the bag basically returns the vacuum to it's original suction level. In my area Home Depot sells standard Shop Vac bags while Lowes sells the standard and high filtration (drywall dust) bags.

I don't actually understand why anyone would use any vacuum without a bag. Bagless vacuums are a scam unless there is a cyclone somewhere inline. All you end up doing is substituting a cheap and easily replaced bag with a difficult to clean and expensive to replace filter. Shop Vac sells bags including one for fine particles (drywall dust) and when it is clogged up from sucking up a bunch of ash you just toss the bag, attach another and go on your merry way.

Re: Interesting Trophies!! Haha. My thoughts exactly

Since nearly every laptop has enough display resolution to handle HD I am going to assume your question refers to the aspect ratio of the display. If that is the case then yes, every Apple laptop (that I am aware of) has a display in the widescreen format. Does that answer the question?

I typically use Scott's Shop Towel paper towels since they are nice and thick and relatively soft. But, I often use whatever garbage paper towels we have lying around the house and never had a problem (at least a few coats on my knobs were done with cheap white paper towels). I tend to use a lot of wiping finishes because they are easy (Danish oil for example). As a result I probably wipe sometimes when I shouldn't but I haven't run into any problems yet so why stop. Eventually I will graduate to HVLP but will still probably wipe when I don't want to bother with cleanup. I will see if I can get a picture -- the only ones I took before were of the knob's "good side". In the meantime, if you check out the pictures/videos on the clamptite site I linked to earlier you should be able to figure it out. There are two ways to operate the clamptite and you end up with a slightly different look for each. I used the "double wrap" method for my knobs.

If I were buying a computer for a family member, especially one that I would have play tech support for, I would buy them a Mac. PCs are simply too much trouble and require too much maintenance to keep them running virus/trojan/malware free. A Mac might be outside your budget but when you take into consideration total cost of ownership and resale value, Macs end up up being a better deal. Both of the computers you linked to have more than enough power for web browsing and movie watching so I would just pick one based on budget. The first machine has better processor specs and it is a better looking machine IMHO but only you can say whether that is worth $90. If you are going to go the PC route I would wait a little longer to buy a machine. Windows 7 is due out at the end of the month and everything I have read indicates it is much better than Vista. Good luck with whatever you decide.

I don't have a Guru but the advice I have seen given previously is to open up the top damper a couple/few turns while the temperature comes up. Once you get close to your target temp you then close it down all the way and then open it back up a crack (1/8 to 1/4 turn I presume). As you said, the KK is so much tighter and better insulated that it is actually very easy to do a low and slow without a Guru at all, and if you are good, only one adjustment in settings when you reach heat soak. I haven't quite graduated to that level yet but I am getting close.

Good job with the move. Now get to cooking. That KK is way too clean and white on the inside

I really don't understand why the Guru folks don't add radio broadcast to their units. All I would want is the ability to monitor and have alarms. I cant believe it would cost more than 20-30 dollars to add. Even if I wasn't going to use the fan I would buy one for the higher quality versus the standard maverick-class of devices.

Syzygies, I think in practice getting the cooker off the crate is easier than the calculations might suggest. I used my eight foot ramp to get it off simply because I had it. But if I didn't I would have just used a short (1 or 2 feet long) piece of 3/4 ply. A tenth of an inch deflection is not enough to break 3/4 ply but I don't think it would even come to that. The stance of a KK is pretty wide so the full weight of the cooker would never be on the ramp if it is kept short enough. If you are really concerned you can just throw whatever you have on hand underneath the ply to provide some support. Most people just get a couple 2x4s, loop them through the ropes on the legs and pick the cooker straight up while someone pulls out the crate. As another data point, I am pretty sure that the newest cookers are actually lighter than the one I moved. Since your cooker already came in two pieces, emptying the bottom should get you below 300 which should be easily pushed down a short ramp. With the top on, a KK is slightly top heavy but just the bottom by itself is actually very stable and the top lip is at a perfect height for holding onto.

Hitman, mguerra made his own heat deflector from some items he bought from Home Depot. He is not using the standard KK heat deflector so it will look different -- and disgusting to my eye

Haha. Burned on a technicality

I would actually be surprised if anyone responded with a declaration that food on the KK was that much better than food on another ceramic. I haven't owned another ceramic but as best as I can tell the principle of cooking and general operation are all the same. If you have read through the Naked Whiz's review you will know that the thicker walls of a KK make it a more efficient cooker than a BGE (cooler to the touch as well) and that means less moisture is carried away from the food, which could result in moister results. But, no idea if that truly translates into a measurable difference in taste. IMHO when you buy a KK you aren't buying it because it can produce better results than the other ceramics, you are buying it because of all those differences that you already know. I also came to know about KK through the Whiz's review so I can sympathize with how you feel.

Re: skewered tandoor chicken Perhaps Dennis made a change in the upper grill because mine fits fine on the main grill when flipped upside down (that or I am missing something). There isn't much room between the long legs and the lid so not much room to rest skewers but they would still fit. Personally, if you wanted to do this I think you are better off using a couple fire bricks on the main grill. That way you can adjust for different skewers lengths.

The finish survived a five hour rib cook at 225 with flying colors. Next real test will be a high temp steak cook. The new knob design seems to be working well so I have faith.

Re: K7 to KK transition advice for Syzygies?

Re: Looks great, thanks for posting these. Absolutely. I have only had mine for 9 months or so and I can't count the number of times I have used it in unexpected ways. Silencing a rattling catalytic converter heat shield, lashing together wired shelves, etc. It is such a simple idea and yet so much more useful than I imagined when I first bought it. Yeah, the elements can be pretty brutal on a wood finish. I used a spar (marine) urethane so I am hoping it will last a while but it will definitely need to be renewed at some point. The heat is the biggest unknown for me right now so we will see how it goes. A heat shield sounds like a good idea.

I wish I had spray equipment but I haven't sprung for an HVLP setup yet. In this case I just wiped the finish on with a paper towel. Nice and easy cleanup. I mounted the knobs in my drill press (a poor man's lathe) and that made wiping the finish on easy.

Dennis recently sent me new cooker knobs (thanks Dennis) but I wasn't a fan of how they were finished. In particular, they were stained a dark color that completely hid the wood grain/color. As a big fan of showing off good wood (and Teak is good stuff) I decided to refinish them. I first sanded them down to get past the stain, and while I was at it I decided to reshape them to a more pleasing and graceful (IMHO) shape. I then finished them with several coats of oil and a number of coats of a high gloss urethane. I wanted the wood grain pattern to show but also wanted a glassy smooth surface that comes from filling the wood pores. Anyway, here is the result: A new knob is on the left, the original on the right (I don't have a photo of the new knobs before I refinished them). The new knob's finish is so glossy that you can see the unfinished ceiling of my garage in it. I had a little problem with the older knobs checking so I wrapped them with stainless steel wire using a Clamptite tool. Afterward, I liked the look of it so I just decided to copy it on the new knob even though it isn't necessary at this point. I haven't cooked with the new knobs yet so no idea how the finish will hold up to the heat but hopefully the way the new knobs are built should make it a non-issue. Either that or they will burst into flames .

Our local HMart was what I was thinking of when I said "Asian" market. My wife was there recently and saw a full bone in shoulder for $.79 a pound. The meat at most Asian markets can run the gamut so I wanted to see the quality for myself but I haven't had time yet. As far as rub amounts, it all depends on what flavor/bark you are going for. For reference, the pork shoulder in Chris Lilly's recent book calls for 4 Tbsp of dry rub for a 16 - 18 pound shoulder. I don't think that is enough though but your mileage may vary. I hope your shoulder will be just one part of a larger menu because one 15 pound shoulder will not feed that many people.