Paswesley

Re: Sylhet Red Chicken Curry (sous vide and grill) This looks spicy delicious! How many Scoville units?

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf [fade:1nfgs285][/fade:1nfgs285]@mguerra: You are so right, Doc. Raisins are one of nature's desserts, yet their unique flavor lends itself well to the main dish also. I had a weird thought about my next meatloaf. Have you ever cooked one with sweet crushed pineapple in it? I suspect it would be delicious. Finally, do you, or does anyone, know of ways to use butternut squash with the KK? I have a bumper crop of butternut squashes this summer, as well as several large (14 lbs.) calabazas. For the unfamiliar, calabazas are Cuban pumpkins that are denser in texture and much sweeter than our pie type pumpkins. Calabaza tastes much like a butternut squash. I know that I can bake some pieces in Mable, but I am interested in other ways to cook it. Any ideas?

Re: Incredible Technology Sorry, no pics for this cook. I cooked a meatloaf last night, though. Those pics and the recipe can be found in the cooking section of the forum under the "Beef " category.

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf @MadMedik: Thanks for the kind words. That is a good idea, to use parchment. Do you enwrap the entire loaf and secure it? How do you keep the shape of the loaf using your technique? @Loquitur: I appreciate your post. We love meatloaf at our house. Your post caused me to recall that I left out an ingredient. Powdered buttermilk has been edited into the original post. As for the raisins, they were my wife's suggestion. She prefers meatloaf to a loin roast, and that is saying something! I have been resisting the addition of raisins to my recipe, but I threw some in yesterday. It was so good. You know, it never really occurred to me that I cook large amounts. I do it automatically. I have found, and my family concurs, that certain foods simply taste better as leftovers than in the original dish. There are many uses that leftovers may be put to. I just love meatloaf sandwiches, for example. Thanks, Anton

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf Thanks, Doc. I feel better about posting. BTW, my wife, who is not a fan of meatloaf, said that this was the best that she has ever eaten. It was absolutely delicious, moist and so fragrant. Give it a try sometime. Again, I appreciate the kind thoughts. Paswesley

Re: Costco Kobe Beef Patties Thanks, slu.

Re: Robust and Hearty Meat Loaf Here is a pic of the meatloaf after Masterpiece BBQ sauce has been brushed on. About ready to take off. Yummy! BTW, the bitter melon, butternut squash and long beans in the background were picked from our backyard garden earlier this afternoon.

Re: Costco Kobe Beef Patties @slu: Thinking about getting some. Have you bought these from Costco before, and how long do you think they can be frozen at -5 degrees and remain of high quality? I would be using Ziploc freezer bags. Thanks

I have been reluctant to post in this section of the forum because some of you are chefs and professional cooks. I am just a guy who loves to cook comfort foods outdoors. I will now share this meatloaf with you. There is nothing scientific about it. I learned to cook while growing up watching my mother. She rarely used a recipe, so neither do I. Here is how I prepared and cooked my meatloaf. I stabilized Mable (my 23" OTB) at 320 degrees. I am using Royal Oak lump (made in USA bag) that I got from Wal-Mart. I added a small chunk (fist sized) of well-seasoned Wild Cherry heartwood to a full basket of the lump. While Mable was warming up, I prepared the meatloaf. None of the materials used, except the ground beef and eggs, were measured, so approximate amounts are given. 6 lbs. of 90/10 ground beef that I got from Sams Club 6 medium organic eggs 2 heaping tsps. Lawry's Seasoning Salt 1 Tbs. cumin/curry powder mix (the curry powder contains coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, and red pepper) 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup powdered sweet cream buttermilk (I get mine from the Amish market in Annapolis.) 2 Tbs. garlic powder 2 Tbs. dried minced onions 1/4 cup French's prepared mustard 1/2 cup seedless raisins I started by scrambling the eggs well and added in all of the dry ingredients (except the flour) and the mustard. I beat this for about 45 seconds by hand until well distributed throughout the egg mixture. Then, I put the hamburger (about 65 degrees internal) into the bowl and mixed it thoroughly by hand until well mixed. Finally, I added the flour and raisins and hand mixed. The mixture was shaped into a loaf and placed into a 14 by 8 bread pan. The pan was greased on the bottom and sides with 1/2 tsp. of bacon drippings. This is a pic of the loaf when it was first placed into Mable. Internal temp was 65 degrees and Mable was stable at 320.

Re: Ok, got a tracking number @Naked Whiz: Observing your angst reminds me of my own impatient wait last summer. The same kind of response to awaiting the cookers' arrival is generated by virtually all buyers, it seems. It reminds me of when I was a kid awaiting Christmas morning. It seemed as if it never would arrive. BTW, although not a native Tarheel, I lived in NC for twenty-one adult years. The last four of those years was spent living in Garner, hard by Raleigh. I miss NC so much. Go by Parker's BBQ and Mayflower seafood restaurant for me, will ya? Enjoy your KK. Paswesley

Re: Three Extruder Machines are in the House! Thanks for the update, Dennis. Looking forward to getting some of what sounds like an excellent product.

@Dennis: I gave my testimonials a year ago, but I have to brag about your product this once more. The level of build quality and engineering for performance in these OTBs is simply amazing. I have not invested in a Guru or Stoker, just a basic temp probe and remote- a Redi-Chek. Today, I had to do two things: cook a 10 lb. boneless pork loin roast, and attend a business meeting with the downline in our energy consulting business. Now, those two things are mutually exclusive without a Stoker or Guru- especially since the meeting was in Gaithersburg, MD, 45 miles away. Yet, I was determined to do both things successfully. I would not even consider doing what I decided to do with any cooker, unaided by Guru or Stoker technology, other than Dennis' product. I built the heat sink slowly (over an hour) and stabilized her at 212 degrees. I put in the roast at 43 degrees internal, at 4:00 pm and trusted Dennis and Mable for the rest. I left for my meeting at 5:20 pm and returned from Gaithersburg at 11:28 pm. I immediately went to the patio to check on Mable. My confidence was shown to have been justified. After operating unattended for 7.5 hours, the TruTemp pointed like a rock at 212 degrees! It had not moved a hair up or down. Ambient temp was 102 F when I left for the meeting and 80 F when I returned. Internal temp of the roast was 156 degrees. This means the ambient temperature had no effect on Mable's internal temp. Superlatives fail me. Dennis, my hat is again off to you for the truly incredible quality and performance that you engineer into these cookers. I sincerely thank you.

Re: Jammies for Esterdahl @fcnich: Are you installing a security fence, now that Esterdahl is standing there in her nightie for all the neighbors to gawk at?

Re: New KK coming to Tucson, AZ Congratulations and welcome to the KK family.

Re: Three Extruder Machines are in the House! Hey Dennis! Back from vacation yet? Hope that you had a great one. It's been four weeks since the last charcoal update, so I thought I would contact you and see if we will be getting any charcoal stateside before year's end. I imagine the shipping process will take at least a month. I am volunteering Mable if you need anyone to test how the new charcoal reacts to genuine American smog. May we begin to get our names on a waiting list? Are you going to take pre-orders or deposits? Thanks, Anton

Re: KK *should* be here by the weekend! Hi. I am not sure where you live (and I am not trying to find out) but you must be nearby because the freight terminal that you mentioned is Baltimore. It is always good to discover a KK owner who is in the area. Makes it easier to do pallet shares when Dennis makes the coconut charcoal- the best available and best suited for certain cooks- available. You had better strap a parachute to your hubby's back before he sees his gift. He will jump so high for joy, he may need it!

Re: New KK on the way to Manassas VA Cool! Be sure to check out the Amish market there in Laurel. They have wonderful, fresh and good foods and merchandise.

Re: Vegetable Garden, Anyone? Always good to hear from you, Cook_Shack. I have not forgotten how you talked me through my first cook on Mable. Your set-up sounds great, too. I wish I could put in something more permanent like yours. Unfortunately, I am growing the garden in the "conservation" section of my lot. So, anything I do has to be temporary and minimal impact. There is nothing better than to eat living food that was just picked or pulled moments before.

Hi, Guys. Dennis, I hope that I am not violating a forum rule by posting a picture of my garden. Some of these items will eventually wind up in Mable's capacious innards. I had an idea to share a picture of the garden that most of our sides and fixin's are coming out of this year. This is a humble little garden in the back yard behind the patio. I took the photo while standing in the Morning Room because the outdoor temp is 100 degrees. The garden is 20 x 18 feet, or 360 square feet. Packed into that modest space are: 1. Tomatoes- Beefsteak, patio type, and plum 2. Asian egg plant 3. Jumbo Virginia peanuts 4. Kentucky Wonder snap beans 5. Asian Long Beans 6. Calabaza 7. Butternut squash 8. Ampalaya (Bitter Melon) 9. Taro. We also have Thyme, Sage, Oregano and Basil are growing in pots along one side of the patio. The garden is about 95% organic, the one exception being a small amount of commercially produced 10-10-10 fertilizer that I used. The benefits, of being able to walk 30 feet out the morning room door and pick our own lovingly and responsibly grown veggies, are too numerous to list. Besides, it's fun! Will anyone else share a photo of their garden plot?

Re: New KK on the way to Manassas VA Welcome to the KK family. Also, thanks for your years of service. You are fairly close to my family. We live near Ft. Meade in the Baltimore metro area. When Dennis makes the extruded coconut charcoal available, would you be interested in helping to buy a pallet to share? There are several other KK owners in the vicinity. Paswesley

Re: Dome Thermometer Spring Great looking idea. As a secondary benefit, I imagine this modification will allow for another inch of internal clearance up under the dome. That will allow for a little extra clearance when doing very large cooks or when cooking very large items. Every now and then, the tip of the True Tel probe touches an item once the lid is lowered. The extra inch of clearance gained by the probe extending farther out will come in handy. Thanks for the idea!

Re: What is your KK's name? My KK is named Mable, much to the chagrin of my wife. She is a bit jealous of Mable, especially when I caress her (the KK's) wide hips. I named her Mable because she simply looks like that ought to be her name- the name of a good, comfort food producing woman. That's my Mable!

Re: Pork Roast Pacifique Update Pics: These are the "done" and "sliced" pics. The sliced pic clearly shows a distinct smoke ring. I placed a small dish of the tropical marinade alongside the roast, to be used as a condiment. The pics do not do this dish justice. It was absolutely delicious, succulent, juicy and fragrant. The hickory/birch smoke combo was outstanding. Now, I can't wait for an excuse to make a sandwich on soft, crusty bread with some sharp Irish cheese. Enjoy!

KK Family: Here's a try at a tropical themed pork loin roast. A nine pound tied boneless pork loin was rubbed lavishly in the rub that was given in the post called "Mable's First Birthday Cook." Next, it was marinated for 14 hours in Robert Rothschild's Pineapple Coconut Mango Tequila Sauce. Smoke will be a little of the hickory chunks left from Thursday's cook, with a big chunk of white birch thrown in. I am cooking it at 220 until it reaches 165 internal, and then I will finish it at 275 degrees. Please excuse the pink blur in the upper right corner of the pic. That is my right index finger, which is delicious when accidentally slathered in marinade.

Re: Pork Butt Makes me want a slice!