Firemonkey

Hey, that's a nice story and all, but we have a saying around here; "pictures or it didn't happen!" So was that meatloaf imaginary or what?!

Oh yeah, I got as many muffler burns as I have grill burns! Forget looking like a noob...I had a Suzuki RF900 for a long while. I recall taking my driving test for the motorcycle endorsement, and the cop/inspector, who was clearly a Harley guy said "I have 3 pieces of advice for you" as he handed me my completion slip. He said "lose the tshirt, lose the shorts, and lose the flip flops." I never did, thats what I wore when it was warm out (always wore a helmet). Comfort trumps style ALWAYS!

I use one of two methods, depending on the weather. The ash only gets full enough to empty a few times a year, anyway. When its very humid, and not windy outside i will just slide the lid from the trashcan where I store my lump under the front draft door and push the ashes out with my hands. Dump the ashes in the gardens and its done. If it is really dry, or windy, the ash will be very light, so when I push it out the front it makes a big cloud and gets all over me and everything nearby. In these cases, i use a shopvac with a drywall filter on it to suck it all up. I think the next time I am going to try misting the ash with a spray bottle to make it heavier, rather than using the shop vac.

The blowdryer should only be used when you quickly want to attain *high* temps. In those cases, you blow the air in through the lower draft. But beware, its going to make a mess of flying ash, so you definitely only want to do it before the food is on. Even then, I prefer to wait for it to reach temp naturally. Otherwise, the temp will drop right back to what the normal airflow allows when you remove the dryer. The only time I would consider the dryer is if I was trying to get my fire spread to my whole basket of lump quickly, but after it was all lit, I would still give it some time to stabilize. Waiting and relaxing is half the joy of a KK!

Better not let Curly's cousin find out if they ran off together She might just be deep under cover on a research project with Gerard, too.

I'm in San Antonio this week, and this 100 degree heat and 90% humidity has got to be worse than grizzlies! Grizzlies might or might not mind their own business... Sweating your ass off is pretty much a sure thing!

Re: Hmmmmmmmm I'm working in Manitoba in a few weeks. It sounds like I need to take a few thousand mile side trip for some of that seafood. Maybe kill two birds at once and ride the train through the rockies- I hear that is a spectacular ride.

I think it was about 6 pounds.

I'm headed back to Newport week after next...I am going to have to look this place up. Thanks for the tip!

A few years ago, I did some work for the National Park Service, outside of Denver. I finished my work about 10AM on the last day, so I asked the clients what they recommended I go and see or do for the rest of the day. We came up with a short list; dinosaur tracks, Mt.Evans, and a few others. Mt Evans is 14,240 ft, North Americas highest paved road, and the summit parking lot is just a 1/4 mile walk from the peak. So after cruising up to the parking lot, only briefly stopping to admire summit lake, i jumped out of the car and took a look at the easy 1/4 mile trail with only 140 feet of elevation. I didn't give a second thought as I walked off on my quest to the top. I think I made it 100 yards before I found myself on my ass, huffing like I had run a marathon, and wondering if I would be encased in permafrost or if Birds would eat my body first! It was the worst feeling ever...felt like I was trying to walk with cinder blocks tied to my feet. I think it took me about an hour to make it back to the car, stopping every 15-20 steps to rest. On the way back down the mountain, I stopped and walked around a few other areas, a couple only 1000 feet lower in elevation and had no problems. I guess my un-acclimated limit is somewhere around 13K. I was only 35 and in fairly decent health when this happened. Definitely be careful with Mom. And some advice i got once i came back to town...Drink LOTS of water before you ascend. The altitude dries you out worse than a college hangover! This is the short walk that almost did me in:

My original KK kad the same thing happen after a period of non-use during the Summer, when it storms every afternoon here in FL. The lid got so heavy it wouldnt open up more than an inch or two on its own. For what its worth, the new KK, with the grout that doesnt need sealed, has never had that problem. If you have the old grout, and live in a wet climate, make sure you at least seal it regularly, or use a cover.

I cooked the pudding at the same time I seared the roast, but I didnt pour the pudding batter in the pan until a few minutes before the roast came off. The roast was off the grill while I ran the temp up to about 500, which took about 10-15 mins. After the sear, I let the meat rest on the cutting board while the pudding finished.

My POSK was always moldy inside because I never used it after KK came. I opened the top damper about 1/4 inch instead of keeping it sealed tight and never had any more mold.

I would plan on about 4 to 4.5 hrs. I did my last one indirect, upper grill, in a shallow pan so I could make yorkshire pudding, too. Pics in this thread: viewtopic.php?t=2862

I don't baste often, just because the kk doesnt really need that kind of attention, but have on occasion mopped. Actually, I did some baby backs a week or two ago that I wanted to hit with some vinegar and apple while it was cooking. I just opened the cooker and squirted the juice and cider vinegar mix all over the ribs using a condiment squirt bottle. No problem at all. Whatever hits the cooker dries almost immediately, and anything in the coals is now smoke and flavor. I was using a HD but no drip pan on that cook too. No mess to worry about unless it a thick sauce. Nothings going to make it to the bottom of your cooker, and even if it did, it's going to dry up in the hot ashes.

Yep, they love the aviation museum, and have already asked to go back. I will definitely try capt joes, and will probably hit McGuires for a decent steak (unless you have a better place?). Thanks for the tip!

The only advantage I can see from a 12-6 grate would be cleaning them. I use a grill floss, so its harder to get the outer edge of the grates scraped, especially near the back, but its really not a big deal. If switching the grate direction meant moving the hinge to the side, or losing it completely, I would prefer to keep it as is. You just itching to tweak something lately or what?? I have a couple of ideas if you want.

Well, I lived in Annapolis, MD for 21 years, so I do recognize the difference between "real" lobster and the warm water variety in FL. Most of what I buy and cook at home are previously frozen cold water tails. I'm not saying that I haven't had some mighty fine lobster this week, just that I miss the flavor of fire grilling a buttery tail. If I had a grill at my hotel, I would go get a live lobster and cook it over a bed of seaweed like we did when I was a kid! We also used to boil them in seawater, but since there was a swim advisory on the beaches here I don't know if that would be a very good idea

I do mine with a sear at the end too. I've never tried the sear first, but haven't found a reason to change the plan either viewtopic.php?t=2862

Wow, I dont think I have made the stuffed chicken since I posted it...I might need to make some this weekend - thanks for the inspiration! That pork roast is looking mighty tasty too!

I am in Newport, RI this week so I have been indulging in lobsters a bit myself. Still haven't found one that can compete with a nice tail fresh off the grill, though!

I think Dennis has some of the kk racks available. If not, you can use a regular v shaped roasting rack and flip it over. That what I use, it has 5-6 slots which has been plenty so far.