Porkchop

my 2cents on beercan chix; if you can't eat the skin, you're wasting your time. i would stand in line for good chicken skin, as it is the bacon of the poultry world. brine your chicken and roast at higher temps (450 is what i do). spatchcock and start your cook skin down, then flip halfway thru. i generally count on my chix taking 40-50 min at that temp, so i flip around 20 min in. edit - i set up for indirect, fyi. if you want crazy good juicy chicken with crispy skin, brine it! i know this will get boo'ed, but i NEVER cook chicken low and slow anymore, for a couple reasons. mainly, it's because i covet that crispy chicken skin so, but also i don't like the texture of the bbq chicken as much as the grilled chicken. also ALSO, i don't usually do my birds spatchcocked unless i'm too lazy to break it all down into pieces. it's been happening more lately, as it is so quick to just spatch the cock (heee), and looks great on the grill. for me, a chicken is just a life support system for chicken skin...

nice steaks! the bleu cheese was a nice plus, but i prefer a big pat of butter on top, to melt over the hot steak. i like to keep it simple. big ups for FM's potato suggestion as well. i tend to use a neutral oil like canola, but that's personal preference. the big payoff there is the papery, crisp potato skin, covered with salt crystals and cracked black pepper. if i have the time, some grilled asparagus (or roasted brussels sprouts) and crusty french bread to mop up the juice from that steak... had my b-day dinner last night. guess what i had!

foil = "the texas crutch" or "the texas security blanket" lots of award-winning pitmasters use the stuff. i don't cook in it, but i will hold/hotbox with it. that or HD saran wrap. my KK regulates temp and airflow so well, moisture retention isn't an issue. but, i don't baste either. the less lifting of the dome, the better.

oh, yeah! when it looks like that, you know it's RIGHT.

tell you the truth, a real bbq man (or woman) should be able to cook in almost any vessel, imo. i wouldn't mind owning a WSM for sure! and i bet everybody here started on a weber kettle or ECB. the first time i realized there was a difference between grilling and bbq was on a weber kettle. i AM a steelie lover myself; one never forgets their first love! and, to tell you the truth, i almost feel guilty cooking on a ceramic pit; it's way too easy to claim any virtuosity for oneself.

doc, i LOVE the daisy wheel! and "Minion method" is right, altho it reveals you as a steelie lover (shuuuuuun...)! altho this generally refers to using briquettes in a WSM, right? i use the ELDER WARD method (har!) from the BGE website. it's the same thing, but he suggests going thru your bag of lump, putting the largest pieces you have in the basket first, and then sort of brick-laying the rest on top. supposedly, this allows for better airflow thru the stack. what i do then is light about 1/4 to 1/3 of a chimney of lump and dump it on top. before i ran out of mapp gas tho, i would just use the torch and light a few lumps on top of the pile. the main thing to remember here is, not too much fuel lit at once, and it should burn down thru the pile, not UP. don't light a chimney of lump, put it in the basket, then dump the rest of the lump on top of that. this will make a HOT fire, regardless of your drafts.

yep, see above! i've also used the old cast iron skillet for "pan" pizza, and it works like it's supposed to. i am the ghost of bbq's past... bwaahaaahaaa... i think this post prolly got resurrected due to the interest in pizza and such that Bev is bringing with her DVD!

beautiful calzones FM! what a pretty pizza stone too. that polished surface reminds me of marble.

bev, i was born in lansing, spent my early childhood in flint! i know from dominoes! seeing as you are a midwesterner, what is your personal preference when it comes to pizza? what is your favorite? i love all types, but my all time favorite is a stuffed spinach souffle pizza from Giordanos. do you have a good recipe for a Giordanos-style stuffed crust in that DVD? golden and flaky, almost like pie crust. i know it's a chain, but their crust is the best in my book... Uno's is good, but Giordanos is the s**t.

the bark is the best part! when that rub fuses with your fat cap and produces the WONDER FOOD that is "bark". it's sweet, savory, crisp, tender, and melty, and all at the same time. like the best fried chicken skin, or the fatty bits off a well-turned herb-coated steamship round! how'd that cooker do without a stoker? you like that learning curve? it's almost embarrassing how easy these cookers make it. of course, if your cooker is going to continue to tweet, you need to give it a name...

wow. i'm sure that he left a legacy of love and hospitality. that's the great thing about folks like us. when we pass on, our loved ones will always remember the laughter, the great times spent around the table, and the legacy of really good times. occasionally, especially when i've prepared something especially nice, i have a moment of clarity and am reminded that, in the future, when my loved ones think of me, this will be one of the times they'll remember fondly. "remember that one time?" i'm certain david's family and friends have the same sort of memories, and his spirit will continue through their fond reminiscences. just as we will remember him through his contributions here. and, while the sentiment may seem a bit odd, i reflect on this sort of thing when i look at my cooker as well. i know that my cooker will outlast me, and that, one day, one of my boys, or my daughter, will be thinking of me every time they use the family komodo. it's a good feeling. and i know, once david's family gets past the pain of loss, they'll all share those loving memories and create even more that David will get to be a part of even then.

why not? was listening to the radio, and "When You're Hot You're Hot" came on. put me in the mood for "Amos Mosley"...

enjoy

your cooker is only inanimate if you let it be so with as cool a name as "hitman", you gotta be good at that kind of thing! you should watch lots of episodes of the sopranos and look for names to go with your hitman persona. altho, i'd shy away from some of them...

considering the fact that most of those fellas cultivated cannabis on their farms, we're lucky we didn't wind up with a recipe for nachos! you just KNOW all those boys knew their way around a bbq pit!

hitman, nice choice of tile. you'll have to give some pics when your cooker is enthroned "in state". also, they cook better if you name them...

i'm still kickin, altho i had my doubts for awhile i could bore you guys with excuses and tales of woe, but honestly, my mind has just been elsewhere... i'm still cookin! had to sacrifice the ol website; just don't have the time, energy or inclination any more. it has been a very busy and eventful summer, but i'll be back again pretty soon. not like this board is short on skilled pitmasters, that's for sure!

you'll get the whole "fire management" thing down by then. by that time, you wont need a guru, you'll be one! just a little patience and know-how on setting up your fire and controllling drafts, and you'll be all good! what kind of charcoal are you using? how are you lighting your fire and arranging your fuel?

Merry Christmas right back atchya! i'm undecided but dinner will probably be porcine in nature! lamb would prolly be more appropriate tho!

jiarby, you think with a shoulder or even bone-in butt that the bone would wick the brine solution deeper into the meat? of course, the smithfield shoulders are already tumbled, and turn out some pretty good stuff, much as i am normally agin' paying for salt water when i buy my pork! sanny, we are not even gonna go there, my dear!

i LOVE pot roast!!!

i dont think we need sanny's part to be played by anybody but sanny... we need to wait until summertime tho, so she can do it in a bikini! my part will be played by kevin james with a beard! ive been talking to a buddy about this idea for awhile, but i dont really have the equipment. we should all compile an instructional DVD that can be distributed with new cookers, or for download, and have several folks here contribute on basic and advanced techniques. a section on the forum for instructional video would be cool!

as much as i hate the idea of spending the bones to get out there, i think a cali winery would be a great venue for a KomodoKamado Convention (as long as we dont get crazy and spell convention with a "k"!)

dennis, you're on my mind, bro. i know your presence with him now will be a source of strength and peace for your dad.

what was needed on this photo essay is pics of a nice juicy slice! i am a big fan of the lamb. i can picture it being served with some good, thin pita bread, some zatziki, tomatoes, cuke, and parsley! one of the first cooks i ever did on a ceramic was lamb chops! little tiny t-bones... they melted in your mouth like butter! i actually served them as horse-doovers, as they were pretty much 2 bites... so, you've proved that this actually happened saucier, but you haven't proven that the roast was ever SLICED!