wrandyr

@dstr8Nice work with the lame.

I have a Fourneau, which ships with a perforated silicone mat to bake on. Might be an option to the parchment.

I have a couple of Combustion probes, and I have been having all kinds of geek fun with them.

I am of the opinion that the dough contains all the moisture it needs for the bake, as long as you can keep it in the vicinity of the loaf. To that end, I have had good success with simply placing a preheated metal bowl over the loaf on a sheet pan or even just a piece of parchment paper on the oven rack. It's a lot easier to handle than hot cast iron and seems to get the same result.

While I am not keen on the wires, I really love being able to collect a log of what went on in the cooker. I have really learned a lot. Plus, the zen of KK temperature control still eludes me.

My assumption is that the purpose of the levain is to increase the amount of active yeast so that there will be enough activity to rise the final dough faster than the gases can leak out. So it would depend how much active starter you had on hand. Of course, many of my assumptions have turned out to be incorrect.

My current starter is between 9 and 12 years old. I only bake about once a week, so I keep it in the fridge and refresh it every 4 days or so. I have been using a firm starter-it's more like dough than batter-and its pretty well risen when I use it.

@C6Bill Your formula yields a handsome and tasty loaf, but alas, the tang still eludes me . . .

How about "What is the ratio of water to flour in your starter?"

@C6Bill Thanks! I try it the next go round and report back. What hydration is your starter?

I have been trying for 50 years to get an any kind of tangy loaf. How is it done?

When using a temp controller for low & slow, my practice is to gradually limit the fan speed (or time on) percentage as the temperature gets to about 150°F, and I know the fire is going. Once the fire gets to my target temp (say 225°F), I'll have it down to 5%. This keeps the controller from getting too much fuel burning, which seems to contribute to spikes early on. I also leave the grates out until the temperature hits the target, then put them in for the heat soak time.

I have used the Duro/Loctite Extend product with good success.

I have gone for 12 hours in a 21" at 225°F using B&B extruded, with almost half the basket left at the end. I was using a Fireboard controller. I made a point of starting just a couple of bits of charcoal (with a Looftlighter) and as the temperature started to come up gradually limited the fan speed to 5%, so the fire never got too big. I have not mastered just setting the vents by hand. The charcoal in the box of Cocochar I received was wrapped in plastic, for what it's worth.

I guess it depends on what you have laying around. In my case, it was wood from the crate, 4 auto jack stands, and some threaded rod. I put wood across a pair of jack stands front and back of the KK. Then wood perpendicular to those under the KK. Put the threaded rod through holes in the wood, top to bottom. By turning nuts on the threaded rod, I could raise and lower the KK incrementally. Mine is a 21".

Packaged seasoned salt should work, although it would be hard to determine how much of the mix is salt. Try searching "dry brining".

The ideal solution. Get him in the videos!

I took delivery of my 21" KK last May. I struggled with the cost mightily. But, as I learned in my professional life, good tools are generally a good investment. @PVPAUL has hit the nail on the head. Dennis is clearly doing this as a labor of love, and it will be a challenge for him to find someone equally passionate to carry the torch when the time comes. That said, I am a handy fix-it guy who likes to take things apart, and the KK is built to last (see this thread for a worst-case scenario) . As others have mentioned, about the only thing you are likely to wear out is the gasket. Get a couple of extras, put them somewhere you (or your heirs) will be able to find them many years from now, and direct your attention to enjoying the cooks. Nothing that has come off my KK so far has been in any way a disappointment.

Thank you for the suggestions. I was under the impression that the bottom vent was the more critical of the two. The spring sounds like a good solution if it comes to it.

Ah! The grapefruit paradox is solved! Thank you! Since I am really bad at estimating, I made marks on the top stack at 15° of rotation intervals so I could keep better track at where things were. I did notice the vent wanted to move a bit when I opened and closed the lid. The sensitivity you describe could easily come into play. I could have the ratios between the top and bottom vents set in some odd fashion as well. I was running at 500°F with the bottom dial half way open and the top vent at about 105° rotation from closed, a little more than a quarter turn.

I did not make any adjustments to the vents while the chicken was on. I forgot to mention that there wasn't any wind to speak of at the time. I, too started out with a grapefruit-sized amount of charcoal. I realized that the temp wasn't going anywhere and added more. I think maybe a small jackfruit-size amount would yield a more fruitful experience.

I took delivery of a 21" Supreme last week, so I am at the very beginning of my journey. First the apology. The first time I fired it up, there was smoke leaking out from the front of the main seal. I couldn't find any real reason, tried lowering the catch, and finally texted Dennis for guidance. He called me within a minute, and asked me to describe the situation. He must have asked me at least three times if the hook was on the second catch, and I responded yes each time. It wasn't. Even though I had already read several of the many posts on this forum that said to make sure it was on the SECOND catch, I had developed some sort of cognitive blind spot and was accepting that the first catch was as far as things went. The light bulb finally came on as I was taking photos to send to Dennis for troubleshooting. Doh! @DennisLinkletter, I am really sorry for bothering you with a truly dumb question (They do exist!). First question: Is there a rule of thumb for determining when "heat soaking" is effectively complete? Some length of time? When the tile surface reaches some temperature? When your significant other says "Get on with it already!" ? Second question: I did the cure/vent process yesterday. I decided at the last minute to roast a whole chicken while I was at it. The KK had been at or near 500°F for five hours when I put the chicken on. The temperature dropped to about 400°, but I figured things must be pretty well heat soaked by then, so I expected the temperature to recover, and made no adjustment to the vents. There was plenty of fuel left. The temperature didn't really come back up until I took the bird out 2⅓ hours later. I only opened the lid once, an hour and a half after I put the bird in. My best guess is that the humidity being thrown off by the chicken was suppressing the temperature. Does that seem reasonable? Do you all anticipate and compensate for this? Thanks! Randy Wright