MadMedik

Put foil on the heat deflector stone. Keeps it cleaner. Just remove messy foil and ready for next cook.

So yesterday was hot..., but this was from 9:30 to about 1:00. The video shows I had the air vents down low open about 3/4 of the way or so. I was wondering what would happen to the pellet smoke if I closed down the air dial to a 200 degree to 250 size range......i think i did it for a few minutes, but then opened the up again. I am wondering at a 250 degree cook it will still keep the pellets going? Perhaps with the fire above, perhaps there will be more of a heat draft and pull more air up through the vents, and keep the pellets going. I looked at the temperature guage, and it was about at the "6 o'clock" position, maybe just slightly less. After opening i did notice any "heat temperature". It was just hot outside so i had just the normal ambient temperature from outside...it was probably close to 100 at 1:00. I did Salmon fillets last week...i used the Coconut Charcoal and set the temp right at 180. It fluctuated to 200 once, then turned it down , back to 180...but 2 hours later my temp had shut off and fire burned out. I had plenty of coals, just not enough airflow. I had used a lot less coal because i knew i would not need it, but this disrupted the burn pattern...the coal burn to side, then no more coals, and fire went out. there was tons of coals "in the other direction" of fire pit... Relating the pellet tube to smoking salmon, it would have provided a tremendous amount of smoke....(1 of my chunks of wood was not burned) i will let you know how cooks go... MadMedik

Wow, that lamb looks so tasty. Great job !!!!! I love rack of lamb...

So I have had my Komodo for 3 years or so. LOVE it.... I don't always add "wood chunks" for additional smoke, but when i do, I will add 2 or 3 chunks of "wood" in to the coals. As the fire burns it will burn up the chunks...pretty basic I guess. My issue is the following: If you want to Heat Soak your grill for an hour or 2 before the cook, most of the wood chunks will burn up and I wont have smoke during the actual cook. I have tried to stage the lumps around the fire pit so they will burn at different times. However, sometimes the smoke effect is not that good. Often i am done with a cook and I have complete unburned chunks of wood. So why not put coals on after the Heat Soak, then they will smoke with the food?? Sounds like a good question, but i generally have the grills on and the heat deflector on during the Heat Soak, so then I have lots of very hot grills/stones to remove, add 'wood chunks', then reload. This can be hot and difficult. How about drop the chunks down the side of the grill and let chunks roll / fall into to hot coals and smoke...doesn't work well with very low temp cooks....a Very hot bed of coals, this will generally work. I have often thought of other methods of adding smoke. While hunting around on the internet, I came across a Smoking Website.... A-Maze-N Smokers with PELLETS. I saw this web site some time ago but never did anything. I had a friend who wished for more smoke with his gas bbq, and I went back to web site and bought the smoking device. You will see "flat maze like trays" that will burn pellets or "wood dust". Check it out...burn a very long time. The web site also has steel tubes, 6", 12", and I think 18" in length. These tubes can be filled with Wood Pellets that can be used on any Pellet Stove. You light one end of the tube, let it burn for about 5 minutes at one end...then blow out the flame and the smoke goes crazy. The website, as well as all over the internet, sells 2 pound bags of pellets with different woods or 'flavors'. these prices seemed cheaper than what i could find on internet.... like 8.00 for 2 pounds....versus 10.00 for 1 pound all over amazon. I bought the 6" tube. I measured the Komodo "air draft" opening in the front, lower part of Komodo. Between the 2 steel tubes that holds your front draft lid is about 7 inches. So I thought, hey, the 6" tube will fit between these tubes. It looked like it would be deep enough. With the Coal deflector directly above this area, i figured no hot coals would drop down on the tube. IT WORKS GREAT.... I have added a You Tube video showing the device on my Komodo. Check this out: A couple of comments/thoughts: I have not used it with a cook yet. I don't think the additional heat from coals above will change the smoking effect...I hope it will not "over heat" the tube and cause the pellets to burn faster....this is possible I suppose. I can easily add smoke whenever I want during a cook. Should the smoke run out and I want more 5 hours in to the cook, I can reload the Tube and add more. I had this tube about 2/3 of the way full....it Smoked for 3 1/2 hours inside my Komodo. I did not cook. I had only the tube in and watched/timed it while doing chores. With Pellets, you can add so many smoke profiles to your cooks. The 2 pound bags are small. they are suppose to be 100% of whatever wood you choose, so it is very easy to store and keep dry, without bigger, larger bags of wood chunks, and easy to have lots of 'flavors'. This web site has an impressive amount of pellet types. I can use the tube in my Kitchen Island infrared/gas bbq to add smoke to any meats. Pellets burn something like 96% of the wood content...so there is very little ash in komodo or gas grills....less ash on to my gas burners. Anyway, that is what I did for Labor Day...actually I will cook some spatchcock chicken tonight and use the A-Maze-N Smoking tube with "corn on the cob" Pellets.... Website for the Smoking Tube: http://www.amazenproducts.com/ Let me know what you think! Check out the video !! MadMedik

At what temperature did you cook the ribs? Wood on outside with coconut probably was used very little...you are right, put some in middle of coals.

How cool...I did not know Dennis was sending matching dogs with his KK's...!! And to wait 2 days before unpacking...what patience you have. It looks beautiful and the dogs look happy too. Let us know how the Rib cook went. There are many methods and theories about cooking ribs...do what works for you and what tastes best to you. It is like wine..... a good wine is what you like...not how expensive it is... Congrats!

Susan When you do the burgers very low, what temperature is your grill? With steaks people are running 500+.....do you go that hot for burgers too? That seems hot for burger in my mind?? Do you run lower temps but still cook very close? MadMedik

Welcome. Beef ribs are my wife's favorite. Enjoy

Looks great, I hope you are cooking more than posting.. Hope all is well!!

I got a new basket splitter last week. Finally used it last night. I did one half a basket, as opposed to a quarter...put it in upper left corner of grill. Cooked 2 small flat iron steaks, 1 trout, 3 sausages and they all cooked great. I shut her down and i have not looked at 'remaining' coals yet....to see if almost gone, mostly there, or what ? it worked fine. I actually had a fair amount of food on the 'half'. To do 2 steaks, or 2 or 3 hamburgers it would be perfect. I cooked using the Main, center grill. I did NOT cook up high, or very very low on the low sear level grill. It was great. The flat iron was exceptional....

For the burnt edges...you meat is running from 12 to 6 in photo.... put the 3rd, smaller sear grill in too. Put foil on the 3rd grill in same position as the meat....12 to 6, this will extend out the 'indirect' areas to the edge of KK and may perhaps lessen or eliminate the burnt edges... I believe Dennis has suggested this before. MadMedik

Thanks for input and ideas. I ordered the kit and another basket. Can't wait to try

Cooking a steak on the basket splitter setup??? If you use half a basket of coals, and add the steaks....do you put them on the "indirect side", or over the coals directly? I am thinking put on coal side for about 2 minutes for a sear, then push to side over the indirect side to finish?? Is that what you do for steaks? MadMedik

Those look great. What dough did you use? All home made, or store bought?

For the low temps, I rarely will set the Air Flow settings to the "final" opening. That will take a long time. I will open the bottom about 1/3 open, and spin the top control 1 to 1 1/2 times open...may be 2 times. I have used the small lighter cubes, but now will use a torch and light just in the middle of coals...not all over. I tend to get it going but will keep an eye on it, and start dialing it down as i get closer to desired temps. I rarely go over desired temps at start up. My experience has been as long as you are watching temp go up and back it down very close to your desired temp...you will not get an out of control fire. If you want 350, I will pretty much get to that temp, with wider than desired air flow settings, and then turn the settings down to where "i know they should be", and everything settles down. If i want 350, but come back and the fire is 500 or more, then there could be problems. As you learn, you won't get out of control fires. Now when cooking at high temps, for steaks and pizza, you can get very hot very fast....once at 500 or 550, you open up the settings too much and it will take off fast. Be careful at high temps and watch temp closely so you don't get super hot fires... If i am really in a hurry for the higher temps, I will spin the top several full rotations and open the bottom dial wide....BUT, you must be handy and alert and watch closely....i don't do this very often. You go get a beer and talk to wife for a second and you could lose control.... It seems there is a point where it goes slow and you think it is under control....then it takes off fast. Watch out for that... my 2 cents...

Are you asking about the the big beef ribs, or the smaller, short ribs? Just the local grocery store for both. Beef ribs are beef ribs, not sure that they are in short supply?? As for the short ribs, they may be different in local?? Basically, they are like the big beef ribs, be cut across the bones....1 beef rib may make 3 or 4 short ribs. It seems the "short ribs" have a lot more meat on them then if they were long, big boned ribs. Someone with knowledge may give insight to this...if if could find the big beef rib bones with the same amount of meat on them like the smaller short ribs...that would be something else ! They must be of a similiar cut, but are a bit different. I have often put the short ribs in a crock pot, 8 to 12 pieces, load it with BBQ sauce to cover, and cook on low all day in crock pot...boy are they good, extremely tender, don't need a knife to cut....very good

Related to journal. I wrote a lot in it but below are key points about how I cook stuff. This is what works so far...but it can be so different. I put this on a file and I can quickly look up a cook to be on track... Komodo Kamado Cooks and Summary Spatchcock Chicken: 375 degree, Main Level/or Highest grill , No Smoke, Direct 1 hour and 15 minutes Total cook time. Start ribs down, turn to breast down after 30 minutes Cook to 165 IT. John Henry rub was good Rotisserie Chicken: 350 degrees, Direct heat, approx. 1 ½ hours cook time Plowboy rub, or Texas Tickler, both are good. Pappy’s too Cornish Hens: use small basket, 1 hour cook (large basket too big) Pulled Pork: Generally, 250 degrees, use Heat Deflector, Full basket of fresh coals everytime, use additional smoke chunks, such as Cherry, Apple, maybe alder. For longer cooks, if desired, put Temp at 200 degrees, not 250. This should extend cook time if doing over night and want a longer cook time, to finish closer to eat times… Chris Lilly Rub has been very good. Apple Juice injections too Breaded Baked Chicken Thigh: Consider 350 degrees 375 degrees, Upper Level, approximately 40- 45 minutes total cook time. Direct Heat 165 IT done. No smoke, Oven Bake Extra Crispy crumbs. Don’t turn, cook on 1 side only Chicken Sish Ka Bobs: 375 Fire Temp, Direct, Main Grill, cook til done…about 30 – 35 minutes. Lid Closed, not open during the cook Steak Cook: Lowest sear grill 550 to 600 degrees, High Temps, Lower sear grill, cook to doneness 1 ¾ “ thick steak: about 14 minutes total (did this at bass lake on BGE) Omaha Steak Timer Spare Ribs: 250 Degrees, 5 hours total, Indirect stone, main and upper grill Tri Tip: Use Mesquite or at least half basket mix with mesquite 1) High temp 600 sear at beginning, then cool down to 350 degrees, til 135/140 IT 2) Low Temp, 275 degrees or so, to about 129/130 degrees, then put on High Temp sear grill and char it until blackened a bit and IT of 140 degree (apple wood, small chunk to medium size) 3) 375 degrees whole time til done, direct heat, mesquite chunks, 145 IT 4) 300 degrees, Apple wood smoke to 130, move to Sear Grill and sear til done, put in foil and wait/rest it Beef Ribs: 330 degrees, Indirect Stone with water in drip pan on the stone 1 ½ to 2 hours total cook time. Apple Wood chunk, Mesquite charcoal Some say no water in pan. Could lower temp, and cook a lot longer…like 250 degrees Turkey cook: 12 pound Turkey, Ice Bag to Breast 45 minutes before cooking, Rub butter, salt and pepper to skin 330-350 Temp in Dome, Indirect Stone on coal basket, Main grill 2 chunks cherry wood at beginning , 165 IT at breast, 175 at thighs desired Smoked Salmon: Fire Temp at 170-190 degrees only, Indirect stone, Main grill and Highest grill if need. Coconut charcoal with Alder smoke wood chunk, maybe some cherry. Cook to IT of 145 degrees, maybe more if desired. About 4 hours total cook time. Use skinless meat if possible Filet Mignon Roast: Direct Heat, 370, Main Grill, Mesquite Charcoal or chunks, done at 142 IT Total cook was 51 minutes, IT 143, Medium Rare and awesome Cooked 25 minutes on 1 side, then turn for the remainder See binder for marinade: Soy, Apple juice, workchestershire, Lawry, garlic,onions, pepper… Prime Rib Rotisserie: 300 Degrees, Rotisserie large basket, Cook to desired IT (135 to 140), Be sure it is thawed out. Consider cooking on grill, not rotisserie… like Tri-Tip? 350 degrees, Direct, until done? Turn throughout the cook Lamb Chops: ½ to 3/4 “ chops, direct heat, oil, lemon juice, garlic salt Cook with open/closed lid like old style bbq (less than 400 dgrees), 10 to 12 minutes, done and tasty Pretzel Dogs: Use pizza dough, rap around dogs. 400 to 450 degree fir Temp, Main grill, Use pizza stone Pizza: Main Grill, Pizza Stone, 550 degrees. Cook for about 10 minutes or so. Corn Meal for non stick barrier.

Dude, you are killing me. Make me feel guilty for not cooking so much....but I love it. You are doing great. Write everything down you do in a journal. My first year I did this and I still go back to it for reference. Write everything you did...marinating, rubs, smoke flavors, grill level, cook temp, and desired goal at start! Then write down how it ended up. Too smokey, need more rub, more or less time, etc. I have some cooks written down two or three times with minor changes..now I go back to the last cook and recreate. You will forget what you did last time...journal helps immensely . Keep enjoying !!

Beef ribs are my wife's favorite. Did some last week. I had been wanting to cook some beef short ribs, so I threw in one pack of them. They were very good. I may do 4 or 5 packs....about 20 small pieces next time. Here is a quick picture

Good story. Welcome to forum. Can't wait to see what cooks you come up with, being a chef and all !

So, what you are saying is, "don't light the fire and as soon as you can start cooking". Consider lighting the fire 2 to 3 hours before you want to start cooking, radiant heat will be set, and the food cooks better and moister. I like this theory... can't say i have really done this. I usually give my self at least 30 minutes, often 45 minutes. For low and slow at 250, i give myself an hour to get heat.....but often i will feel rushed, heat is not ready, and cook away when it is not "radiant" ready. I will attempt to start a fire 2 to 3 hours ahead of time....let it take its time, cook when i want. For newer KK enthusiasts, as long as you start with a full basket of coals, you will NOT run out of coals. Interesting thoughts, per usual for Mr Syzygies !!!! MadMedik

I do my spatchcock chicken at 375 degrees. I do about 30 minutes rib side down, then flip it over on skin and cook another 40 minutes or so skin down. This is usually the right amount of doneness on the skin. If the skin gets too dark, i can always flip back over on the bone side down. I love this chicken this way. Direct heat, no deflector stone. No flare ups

The drawers are made by OCI. They have online presence. My builder purchased them....

Copy that. Sounds nice. So question: you have the KK and bge. When do you use bGe and not the KK. Why still have a BGE? Just curious.

Okay, Outdoor Kitchen. This is long....sorry. In reference to my story, i have put two pictures which i think are at the bottom of this long text; Backyard Kitchen Notes Okay, so Robert (5698k), is asking outdoor kitchen advice. You may have seen my kitchen, which I love by the way, and I have been wanting to write something but have not had the time til now. By no way am I an expert...no way...however, I will just express some of the things I thought of and how it all worked out. It was custom built. I did Nothing to build it. With my wife's organization, approval, and desire to help, she customized all the colors and accessories after it was done...I chose the Hand and Face Smoking a Cigar though..... LOL. It took about 6 weeks to complete. The granite choice. We probably did overkill on the granite, as we added it on all the vertical walls, not just counter top. To save on cost, don't do the walls. However, it does make it look very nice. I am glad I did it. Location of the Kitchen: as you see, the out counter is on the edge of the Patio. It is exposed to rain. I realized this, however I did not check how level the counter was when they were building it. At this end, it is basically neutral...water falls on it, but most of it stays on the counter. It doesn't drain at all...it doesn't come in to patio either, but it doesn't doesn't go out to yard. In hindsight, be sure all areas are level to how you desire. Originally, i was going to do only the right side...have it on the wall of the patio only....with KK free standing where it is now.....then i thought, heck, that covers up most of the section to right, lets put storage on left of KK.... then I thought, what about my EVO grill....i need more space for that, so the counter came back toward the house where you see the EVO Grill now....then i quit......where was this simple thing going to end......??? Other LEVEL issue. If you note the large circular grill, EVO Grill by Evolution American Grills, i had a problem here but we caught it in time. It is very , very important to have this grill level, so that when it drips grease and liquid during the cook, it will drip out all around the surface. Originally, it was going to drip to the right side....they had laid the lower granite already, but we figured this out. They pulled it up, leveled, and reset the granite. It turned out good. If you cut out sections to insert grills or other items, be sure the measurements are precise to your desire. The EVO grill, i could have used another inch or two across to give it just a bit more room. By the way, this EVO grill is a Table Top grill. They do have permanently installed grills. I wanted to be able to have the grill, but be able to take it places...which has been great. I have cooked many times at company parties and lunches. Glad it is moveable, but it looks mostly "installed". Smoke Exhaust and Pollution: So if you have a grill (which of course you do), consider the amount of smoke you will have when you cook. Inside a patio, you can get a lot of smoke quick. I had always had the KK at the edge of patio at grass/cement edge, and smoke mostly went outward toward the yard. Steaks and High temp cooks generate more smoke. It would seem the counters change the dynamics of airflow a bit, so it seems now i get more smoke inside my patio on high temp cooks. The low and slow and 350 ish cooks is not bad at all. Consider this when designing. Put grills outward to yard, or consider Fans....more like restaurant style fans to be affective. I did not do fans... However, i did go buy a round 18 inch fan and put on the counter during hot cooks. Turn it on and it helps greatly with pushing smoke out to yard. Without fan, i have ended up with a "fog ceiling" of smoke in patio. Gas Grill / Infrared Grill by FireMagic: I considered whether or not to have a small gas grill, mostly for Searing or doing a quick hotdog or burger. I thought about this a lot. Consider, I do have the EVO Grill, and I can sear on that as well. I decided to install the Infrared Grill. They had 1 burner, and / or 2 burners. For the smaller incremental price increase, i went with the 2 burner. I am very glad for 2 burners and extra space. I have seared tritip and prime rib roasts on this. I have done hotdogs, chicken (it was dry), and small steaks....flat iron and flank steaks on it. It works great, and it is hooked to natural gas so i never run out of fuel. The burner is not HIGH ONLY. i was worried I would have to cook everything on this at a high temp. The burners are variable and i can choose any heat that i want. on HIGH, it is very hot !! I did NOT put in a stove. I had hoped to use this Gas Grill as a stove top. I have gotten a pot with water and put on Grill, turn up high, and see if it would boil. It got very hot, but i ran out of patience for a boil. It can be used for keeping things warm to hot, but to cook on it like a stove, not really. Stove or no Stove: speaking of Stoves, i chose to not install a stove. All my cooking outside and been mostly without stoves. I have never used the "stove accessories" on my gas BBQ in the years past. I made sure to have a stove on the gasser, but just never used them. That being said, i am fine not having a stove, but i did go online and purchased a rather large, Cast Iron and portable stove. It is Natural Gas unit. It is stored in under counter storage that it is not shown on picture. From my yard, looking back in to Kitchen, there is storage on both sides of the KK. 2 large stainless steel drawers out there and it holds a lot of stuff. I kept thinking there is so much "space" under there, why not use as storage. Not easy to access from the front side, we put doors on 'outside'. Works great. Back to stove: Cast Iron and pretty big. I have gas outlet around the side of house, so i can put Stove to right of KK. I also installed an extra "gas outlet" under the EVO Grill. So i cut put Stove next to EVO, open the door underneath, and connect hose. In almost 2 years, i have not yet used the stove....so I am ok with not having one permanently installed. Many, though, would want one installed. Water Drainage: if you want to wash patio floor, consider drainage. Below and to the back of the KK slot, we have a drainage hole. We can wash floor and water that goes back toward the KK will drain out to grass. You cannot see it, but it is there. In this "U-Shaped" design it is more important. Had i done just the area along the wall only, not so much of an issue. Refrigerator or NOT. I chose NOT to have a refrigerator. IT gets very very hot in the summer. A good one is very expensive. I don't want to store food outside. The cooks come and go and take a hour or two, so why have refrig...?? Cold Storage for food you are about to cook?? Not really...i bring it out when i am ready to cook. Beer Storage? Many would say yes, but how hard is it to go in and out for a fresh beer. $10 bucks for a small ice chest if you don't want to go in and out. 2 Large Drawers on lower right: I did not do this intentionally, but those 2 drawers can be used as and Ice Box or Ice Chest should you want this. They both have drain holes in them so you can fill them up with ice, put beer and sodas, or put trays of food in there with the ice and use as ice box. I have not done so or had desire to do so, but it can be done. They are just storage of cooking accessories and stuff at this point. Taking Food Out to Kitchen as you cook: Originally, with the KK only, i had purchased a rolling kitchen table/rack, about 2 foot by 3 foot rolling counter. The top was 'counter space' and cutting board. But it had lower cabinets and a drawer. Most of my cooking stuff was in here. I would prep food, put on top or cabinet below, roll out to KK and cook from it. Now i don't really need this due to all the space and storage outside. HOWEVER, now i have a medium sized serving tray. It was about 25.00 and it has handles. I now prep most food inside, and almost always it will all fit on the serving tray. Then carry it out and set on counter and most everything i need for cook is on tray. Clean up is nice too when using the tray. They went on sale later, so i got a second one for about 10.00 for when the first one breaks. I got them at Lowe's. Water Faucet: you want water in a kitchen. I don't "clean" up out there, but to rinse hands, wash off gross items on hands etc it is great. My sink is cold water only. Makes a for a good place to put Cigar Ash too.... LOL Trash Can and Paper towels: must have. I originally thought I would by a portable paper towel rack and just put out there when i needed it....then i went with the paper towel drawers. it is between the EVO grill and the KK...small cabinet. LOVE it there, use all of the time Grill Storage and accessory storage for KK: i wanted to be able to take off extra grills and store them close. I used to hang spare grills on side of KK, but that went away with the design of counter. So just below paper towel rack, have 2 large drawers. Open this, and there is a large shelf. I am able to put all extra grills in here and I don't care how black, tarry, or dirty it gets there. It stores my KK stuff well, keeps it close to me, and i am glad to have. Often, it is desirable to put shelfs on the counter next to KK with out bending over and putting underneath. SO, i bought a BBQ mat at Lowes, something to roll a bbq on and put on cement to cover the floor.... and will pull that out at beginning of cook and lay out on far left of KK counter area. Now, i put the dirty tarry grills there without jacking up my granite. I can put a "not hot" grill down first, then if i need to , can take off a HOT grill and put on top...and not burn the mat or mess up granite. Works well. Natural Gas vs Propane. I would say go natural if you can plumb it from house. I have both. I got propane for the EVO Grill so it would be portable. The infrared grill is Natural Gas, as it won't move. I did plumb the natural gas over to EVO grill, should i decided to quit moving it and desire to go with Natural only...i can convert. The door/cabinet under the EVO Grill is propane storage. Cabinet under Sink: more storage, cleaning supplies. Also, I have my Weed Burner/Torch stored under here. The burner is running off propane and is quite large burner. it barely fits under here. I have stored another propane tank under there as well and the burner is connected to it. I placed propane tank from the outer storage cabinet from the grass side. Tank sits in there perfect and is connect /open to storage under sink. I just open, grab torch, twist on the propane, light the KK, turn off gas and restore the burner assembly. never see it until i light the KK. I had room for more drawers. Storage is always good. Do as much as you can Electricity Outlets. I put one low and under sink on wall, close to where the KK rotisserie is. I just remove the cord around Motor, plug in 8 inches to right, and I have my power. I have a total of 4 power outlets, all on the walls. Would I have done anything different? I don't think so. Just adjust for water that accumulates during the rain is about it. Smoke inside can be a hassle, but i get by. Generally not so bad. Large Vents would be the only option, but quite expensive. Okay, that is my story of Kitchen. Maybe it will provide some thoughts to your endeavors. Good luck. Post pictures....no pictures, it did not happen !!! Ted MadMedik