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LATrapp

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Posts posted by LATrapp

  3. SS Rack for cold smoking

    in Komodo General

    Posted

    Re: SS Rack for cold smoking

    I'd actually be interested in figuring out an external smoke box that can cold feed smoke via ducting into the bottom draft door. It would be much easier to regulate temps independent of airflow.

    I would hesitate making a SS briquette holder based on only one shape of charcoal, however, if it's something that can adapt to other ECC's then I'd be interested.

  4. Brands of jerky cures?

    in Komodo General

    Posted

    Re: Brands of jerky cures?

    Thanks Firemonkey, great idea. Unfortunately, then ECC I have at the moment are solid cubes with no holes to stack them on the wire. I'll figure something else similar out but that looks like a great method.

    Dennis, I just meant that with the top damper almost closed you will be getting the temps that you want however you will also be holding in the moisture that you are trying to evaporate from the meat. The tricky part then becomes getting enough airflow to dry the meat while at the same time not raising the temp. I'm looking forward to trying to find that sweet spot!

  5. Brands of jerky cures?

    in Komodo General

    Posted

    Re: Low temps

    Thx primeats,

    I hope I can keep the temp below 200. Saturday my goal is to do a butt and I would like to keep the temps below 250 for that cook... If I can master that then I will go for the lower temp required for the jerk cook

    The secret to low temps is to not to light much coal and close down the top until you can just barely see smoke leaving.. if you have airflow, it won't go out. 175-180 is do-able. Never tried lower..

    ;);)

    Looking to do some jerky in the next few days. I understand what Dennis is saying about keeping the top damper closed for low temps, but isn't that counter-productive to the necessary airflow for drying out the jerky?

  7. Hawaiian Luau/Kalua pork

    in KK Cooking

    Posted

    Re: Hawaiian Luau/Kalua pork

    Cook_Shack-

    Thanks for the reply and link. I will now seriously consider purchasing a banana plant. I'm in So California, so it should have no problem.

    The reason why I would still need to foil with the pre-frozen leaves is just that the quality of them is so poor. I might as well be trying to retard evaporation with chicken wire. Having fresh leaves would be incredible for a variety of purposes.

    Specifically, I'm thinking about: Misi Luki Banana

    I'm a fan of the smaller fruits and hoping that they would be closer to a plantain. Do you know anything about them? Could be great on the grill!!

  8. Hawaiian Luau/Kalua pork

    in KK Cooking

    Posted

    fetch?id=66959 Re: Hawaiian Luau/Kalua pork

    I tried my Luau pork one more time. The basics: .6% salt at 50-50 split between Hawaiian red and black sea salt. No other flavorings added. I highly trimmed the butt of fat. Maybe a little too much. KK at 225 degrees with heat stone and tray filled with water on top. Butt on main grill. Smoked with a chunk of Kiawe wood for 45 mins then wrapped the butt in banana leaves and tied. I find Kiawe to be a much sweeter and more pleasant smoke for pork and chicken and even fish than 'mainland' mesquite. Although Kiawe is in the mesquite family, it's really quite different to me. I ordered the Kiawe here: http://www.hawaiiguava.com/kiawe-smoking-wood.html Frozen banana leaves can be purchased at ethnic foods market. I found that only the interior leaves in the packet were in good condition and dark green, so I would recommend two packets of leaves to sufficiently wrap one pork butt. I am still hoping to find and use fresh banana or Ti leaves. After about 12 hours, the temp stalled at 160. Due to time constraints, I unfortunately had to pull at 17 hours at 165. Great flavor but a bit tough. Of course, that was before reading THIS article on bbq stall.. Next time I will foil wrap the already leaf wrapped pork when it reaches 150 or so. And the pics:

    post-6908-139082395853_thumb.jpg

  12. Gas Lighter Useful or Not Worth It? Thank You

    in Forum Members

    Posted

    Re: Gas Lighter Useful or Not Worth It? Thank You

    Having only used propane, is there a major advantage to picking up a mapp tank next time I need a bottle?

    To light the charcoal I use a Bernzomatic outdoor torch JT850, I use Mapp or propane and it lights the coals in less than a minute with no paper ash or lighter fuel smell. Here is a link, well worth the money.

    http://www.amazon.com/Bernzomatic-19425 ... B00008ZA0F

  13. Using a Dutch Oven (cast iron) on the KK? Anyone use them?

    in KK Cooking

    Posted

    Re: Using a Dutch Oven (cast iron) on the KK? Anyone use the

    Keep in mind that if you want to keep your seasoning on a black un-enameled cast iron, you don't want to cook anything acidic like a tomato based dish or citrus chicken etc.

    Enameled can handle the acid, but they are not necessarily easier to maintain. Baked on stains can be VERY tough to remove (bar-keepers friend can help) and you also have the potential for chipping on the enamel.

    I use both in the KK but for different purposes. One of my favorites is a wood fired cast iron skillet breakfast with skillets for eggs with fresh rosemary twigs, bacon, etc. Breakfast is amazing in the KK!

  17. Hawaiian Luau/Kalua pork

    in KK Cooking

    Posted

    Re: Hawaiian Luau/Kalua pork

    Thanks Syzygies. The Ti leaves are usually available at some specialty food stores (Murakai out in CA), but any florist can also get them with a bit of notice. I also have a bit of Kiawe wood, available online, which is the Hawaiian variety of mesquite that is traditionally used for their Luaus. I'm thinking about doing a test run this weekend and will certainly report back!

    Any other advice out there would be greatly appreciated...

  18. Hawaiian Luau/Kalua pork

    in KK Cooking

    Posted

    Aloha!

    Wondering if anyone has tackled some Hawaiian Luau Kalua-style pork!

    I'll be using a bone-in butt and hopefully some fresh Ti leaves. Most of the recipes I've been looking at mention just hawaiian red sea salt and not much else. Any other suggestions on the seasoning of the meat? Garlic, Aloha Shoyu, Bay leaves, etc? Skin on/off? I distinctly remember a some crispy skin bits at the last Hawaiian luau I attended although that might be more suited for a whole pig roast.

    Also, has anyone incorporated Ti leaf cooking with the KK? I see many mentions of wrapping the pork in Ti leaves then foil. But these aren't KK related. Many recipes list liquid-smoke which is almost blasphemy with a KK, but if it's wrapped in Ti leaves and foil, maybe it's necessary? Or would you recommend smoking unwrapped for a bit and then wrapping?

    I will probably be using lump since I can't find any ECC, but I'm open to suggestion on wood suggestions.

    Thanks in advance for any advice, tips, etc.

  19. are cloth awnings over a KK ok?

    in Komodo General

    Posted

    Re: are cloth awnings over a KK ok?

    How high up is it?

    I'd definitely give it some thought. I agree with the other that you should be fine with general use, but there have certainly been a few times that my KK is shooting sparks while getting up to a high temp. I doubt it would catch on fire, but spark marks probably wouldn't be welcome either.

    Personally, I wouldn't want to think about my awning every time I open the lid. Are there any other materials you can consider? Luckily Sunbrella isn't insanely expensive so maybe you could give it a shot and see how it works out.

    I have a similar awning (not over the KK) and the one piece of advice that I would give if it's fixed is to give it a slight angle if possible.

  20. First Rotisserie Cook: Very nice

    in KK Cooking

    Posted

    Re: First Rotisserie Cook: Very nice

    Looks great!!

    I just picked up some Weber Char-basket Charcoal holders:

    Weber%207403%20Char-Basket%20Charcoal%20Briquet%20Holders.jpg

    I've used them once on a single chicken and they worked great. Don't know how evenly they would cook on 2 chickens but I think they would be fine. They fit right into the fuel basket, leave enough of a gap so the fat does not hit the coals. Direct heat!

    I place a cast iron skillet on the floor of the KK filled with liquid to catch falling coal bits and the drippings. You will need to place an unused piece of coal under each of the baskets to prop them up and and keep them level but other than that they are very easy to set up.

    I'm guessing that something similar can easily be made, but for 15 bucks from amazon it was a worthwhile purchase.

  23. Everyday Misc Cooking Photos w/ details

    in KK Cooking

    Posted

    Re: Everyday Misc Cooking Photos w/ details

    WOW!!! That looks amazing. I have an extra brined point that might get the same treatment this weekend.

    Great thought on the salt test. I'm wondering how much that 36 hour soak knocked down the salt level. If for example, it started as an 8 on a 1-10 scale, what do you think it ended up at after the soak?

    What temp did you pull it off?

  24. My KK needs a sidekick!!

    in Komodo General

    Posted

    Re: My KK needs a sidekick!!

    Of course you realize we will be getting the KK Junior here sometime soon. And I take full credit for urging Dennis to make it! So you can just wait for it' date=' and then have a proper fraternal sibling for your KK. I was going to get a Primo for my secondary, but once Dennis agreed to go with KK Junior, I decided to wait for it. The "Portable" is actually Dennis' name for it, not the Junior.[/quote']

    Wow, I had forgotten that I posted my original query in the owners section so apologies for the delayed reply!

    So, I finally logged in after only reading the forums un-logged and I saw your response and the thread on the portable.

    That's it...I'm waiting!

    :smt003

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