Dabble

BOC and JohnnyMnemonic, Thanks for the feedback. Using a KK definitely has a learning curve. Cooking itself is part art and part science. I am enjoying the learning process and trying various techniques; to wrap or not to wrap, butcher paper or foil, low and slow or hot and fast. In the end, having the ability to put a great tasting meal together and sitting down at the table with your family and friends is the ultimate goal!

Thanks for the feedback! I Can't wait to see you all are cooking up. Dabble.

Brisket pics.

Happy Tuesday from Sunny Arizona, This is a repeat post from the I did on the everyday cooking. I will only post under one subject next time. Brisket Cook, I cooked up an 18 pound pound brisket this weekend. It was a 16 hour cook that felt like a Greek Comedy; the end results were great but it was a little tricky getting there. I butchered the trim because I failed to sharpen my knife. I ended up sawing through most of the fat instead of slicing through it. Ended up looking like a bad haircut where the fat pad should have been. I used Kosher salt to dry brine the brisket and let it sit overnight wrapped up in some plastic wrap. I used BBQ Guys Beef Rub on the brisket before putting it on the grill. I ended up filling up the basket with some lump on top of some mesquite wood chunks. I only used one lighting cube in the middle to get the fire going. The temp control was tricky at best. I was trying for 225 (ish). I started with the top damper opened 3 or 4 turns and the lower dampers fully opened. I let the temp slowly rise up and closed the dampers as the temp got close to 225. The top damper was opened to 1/4 turn and the bottom damper was only opened on the second to smallest hole on the right side. And then I fell asleep. I woke up one or two hours later and the temp was at 240. I closed the top vent down completely and then opened it about 1 inch. I moved the bottom damper to the smallest hole only. And I fell asleep again.... I woke up around 4:00 am and the temp was 227 and slowly fell down below 220. I thought I may have killed the fire. I opened up the dampers to get some air flow. The temp rose up slowly over the next hour and I slowly adjusted the dampers closed again. I ended up having the top damper open about 1 inch and the bottom damper on the small hole again. However, the temp settled in about 235 and slowly raised up throughout the day ultimately going over 255. I closed the top damper down to wear it felt closed but I could see some smoke coming out. I would love to hear some feedback or ideas about the temp slowly increasing without any changes to the damper settings???? Anyway, I debated wrapping or not and finally double wrapped it in foil to finish the cook. The end results was a great tasting, tender, juicy brisket and 15 happy guests. Pictures to follow. Dabble.

Troble, That chicken looked great! What temp did you cook it at and how long did it take? I cooked a turkey on the KK for Thanksgiving. I made a gravy in a drip pan and put it under the turkey when it was cooking. I drained off the liquid and used the liquid as an au jus. Did you save the juice from the vegetables for dipping?

Brisket pics

Brisket Cook, I cooked up an 18 pound pound brisket this weekend. It was a 16 hour cook that felt like a Greek Comedy; the end results were great but it was a little tricky getting there. I butchered the trim because I failed to sharpen my knife. I ended up sawing through most of the fat instead of slicing through it. Ended up looking like a bad haircut where the fat pad should have been. I used Kosher salt to dry brine the brisket and let it sit overnight wrapped up in some plastic wrap. I used BBQ Guys Beef Rub on the brisket before putting it on the grill. I ended up filling up the basket with some lump on top of some mesquite wood chunks. I only used one lighting cube in the middle to get the fire going. The temp control was tricky at best. I was trying for 225 (ish). I started with the top damper opened 3 or 4 turns and the lower dampers fully opened. I let the temp slowly rise up and closed the dampers as the temp got close to 225. The top damper was opened to 1/4 turn and the bottom damper was only opened on the second to smallest hole on the right side. And then I fell asleep. I woke up one or two hours later and the temp was at 240. I closed the top vent down completely and then opened it about 1 inch. I moved the bottom damper to the smallest hole only. And I fell asleep again.... I woke up around 4:00 am and the temp was 227 and slowly fell down below 220. I thought I may have killed the fire. I opened up the dampers to get some air flow. The temp rose up slowly over the next hour and I slowly adjusted the dampers closed again. I ended up having the top damper open about 1 inch and the bottom damper on the small hole again. However, the temp settled in about 235 and slowly raised up throughout the day ultimately going over 255. I closed the top damper down to wear it felt closed but I could see some smoke coming out. I would love to hear some feedback or ideas about the temp slowly increasing without any changes to the damper settings???? Anyway, I debated wrapping or not and finally double wrapped it in foil to finish the cook. The end results was a great tasting, tender, juicy brisket and 15 happy guests. Pictures to follow. Dabble.

JonJ, That is the old spring. The spring partially tore away from the threaded mount where the bolt goes. I received an new spring from Dennis to replace it.

Johnny that is great looking chuck! I will post some pics on Sunday. Hear are some pics of my first few cooks.

Johnny, Thanks for all of the that great information. I should clarify, I didn't know there was a tool called a billow. It makes sense thinking about the guru. I only meant to say I have burnt a few bags of lump charcoal in the KK and used "billows" because it sounded good... I guess I can take turns with my kids and blow into the guru port.... Hmmm! With that in mind sounds like I should only be using one of the smaller holes or the lower right damper and open the top damper about 1/4 turn.

Hey Cheesehead! With a name like that, are you up in Wisconsin? I have cooked a few briskets before on my old propane smoker. I had to cut the packer into two pieces to make it fit. I am excited to smoke the whole, whole packer. I try to take detailed notes and pics for my smokes to review and learn from. I would be happy to share them with you. You have to let me know when you get your BB32! You are going to love it!

Greeting from sunny Tucson Arizona, I hope I am not being rude by breaking into this conversation. I created this same post under beef recipes. I thought I would get more responses by using this thread. I have recently picked up a BB32 to replace a simple propane cabinet smoker. This is my first post after much reading and a few cooks. I am excited to be part of the community! I have stoked up the billows on the KK a few times and I am still working on temp control. I am cooking up a brisket this weekend for a birthday party. I would love to hear the voices of experience. I am going to fill up the basket with lump after I strategically place a few pieces of smoking wood. I will probably use 5 or 6 pieces of mesquite. I think I will use 2 lighting cubes to get the party started. I have two questions: 1. Has anyone ever experimented with where you start the fire? I have been lighting the lump in the middle of the basket. The burns have been inconsistent. I thought about lighting the right (or left) side to allow the burn to migrate and possible increase the stability. Or, I could be overthinking it... 2. I want to smoke the brisket at 225 +/-. Does anybody have setting suggestions? I under stand that I only need to open the top about 1 inch. Where are you setting the upper and lower dampers to get 225 using the BB32? I am excited to hear back from you. I will post the cook when I finish.

Greeting from sunny Tucson Arizona, I have recently picked up a BB32 to replace a simple propane cabinet smoker. This is my first post after much reading and a few cooks. I am excited to be part of the community! I have stoked up the billows on the KK a few times and I am still working on temp control. I am cooking up a brisket this weekend for a birthday party. I would love to hear the voices of experience. I am going to fill up the basket with lump after I strategically place a few pieces of smoking wood. I will probably use 5 or 6 pieces of mesquite. I think I will use 2 lighting cubes to get the party started. I have two questions: 1. Has anyone ever experimented with where you start the fire? I have been lighting the lump in the middle of the basket. The burns have been inconsistent. I thought about lighting the right (or left) side to allow the burn to migrate and possible increase the stability. Or, I could be overthinking it... 2. I want to smoke the brisket at 225 +/-. Does anybody have setting suggestions? I under stand that I only need to open the top about 1 inch. Where are you setting the upper and lower dampers to get 225 using the BB32? I am excited to hear back from you. I will post the cook when I finish.