Firemonkey

Every time I start making sourdough, I end up forgetting about it in the back of the fridge, where it sits and swills until I finally throw it away. Usually under the urging of my wife. I need to hire a babysitter to tend my starter when I am out of town!

I go on the road selling Kirby Vacs No, not really, but I bet I could sell a bunch of them here in SoCal if I just marketed them as "Power Bongs" I work for a software company that specializes in assessment software (testing, quizzes, surveys, etc). I am the technical trainer, so I am the one who goes onsite to teach people how to use the product. When I am not on the road teaching classes, I work from home updating the training materials, conducting online training, or some other consultancy project.

I am stuck in LA, far away from my grills, and well, I miss them. How about some pictures of your recent cooks to get me by? I know someone has to have been cooking up something lately.

I separate the muscles and remove fat too. Usually not with a knife or anything- just with my gloved hand.

If you have Publix in Pensacola, you might give them a try. They sell some lump charcoal under the Publix GreenWise brand. I grabbed a bag this week to give it a try - $6 in Orlando area. Publix is always very good about getting anything you want for you on request. You can find a review of the publix charcoal on TNW charcoal DB.

Uh, heres' a dumb question. The state of my garage managed to mask the fact that I have both a KK pizza stone and a KK heat deflector, both in steel liners. I used the first one I could grab (not knowing I had two) for our pizza. Is there a difference? How do I tell which is which? The pizza stone is about an inch or two larger diameter than the HD. The HD also has a white alumina coating which will come off on your food, while the pizza stone is very smooth, gray, uncoated refractory...almost shiny when new.

psst...Hey Conodo, see that little link in the past line of his post

Nope, no liner here. I removed both my pizza stone and heat deflector from their liners. I use the liners as drip pans instead Plus, with no liner I can just flip the HD over each time and let the old drippings burn off. I dont know that the liner is making a difference in your temps up that high, with a long preheat, but maybe, since it is reflective? Your temp is higher than mine and is almost definitely contributing to the overcooked top. I run my pizzas around the 500 range, using a traditional hand tossed crust. The KK stone is on the upper/sear grill (on top of the main grill), directly above the fire with no deflector below. I let the stone "reload" for about 5 minutes between pies, while bring one in and take the next one out. Try a lower temp, with no liner, and see if that helps.

I have the KK burner, and orginally intended to use it for ignition only. I am a die hard charcoal fan, so using gas for a cooking source is reserved for an emergency only. The issue with the gas for charcoal ignition is that the KK burner was designed for cooking. Using it to light your lump is like using a Peterbilt to pull your bass boat. It will work, but its not very easy nor convenient. The KK burner is wide, and sits directly under the lump basket. Its too low and big to be able to quickly and easily swap it in and out after ignition, which would only take 20 seconds with that burner. Leaving the burner in place will cause it to fill up with ash and you would have to remove it and empty the ash next use. If you want the gas to cook with, it can be done, and thats why its available. If you just want to use gas for ignition, go with a mapp torch, weed burner or even somethign like the guru golf club that you could quickly stick into the grill to ignite and then remove. Personally, I am using a handheld propane torch and it takes less than 60 seconds to light 3-4 spots on the lump basket. The gas burner is in the garage in case of civil unrest, or so my wife could cook on the grill if I died.

That was me. I don't do it anymore,because the kk stone is thick enough not to need it. But with the thin $10 stones from the store, you still need the spacers between the deflector and stone. Otherwise, the thin stone alone absorbs too much heat and scorches the bottom. Stacked directly they are too thick and the crust doesn't crisp. I'm in a govt site right now, so I can't dig up a link but there are pictures on here somewhere of the process.

Im with Tucker. I have tried some of the foil methods, and much prefer the texture of fully cooked ribs that were not foiled. I use indirect heat, standing on end in a rib rack until the meat pulls back from the bone and I can pull off a bone easily.

Its Sunday, and that means a spread of something to graze on while watching football. With the recent discussion of eggplant, and some fresh mozzarella (that wasnt getting any fresher) in my fridge, I decided to make up some eggplant caprese. Its just a matter of grilling some eggplant, and topping it with some fresh basil leaves, roma tomatoe slices, fresh mozzarella and a bit of olive oil. I grilled a couple sweet italian sausages before the eggplant...It is football snacks after all! The first thing to do is slice and dry the eggplant. I cut into about 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices, spread them on a paper towel and lightly sprinkle them with kosher salt. Then flip and salt the other side. When your paper towels are wet, replace with dry ones and let those get wet, too. Heat your grill to about 400 dome, and lightly oil the main grate. Put the eggplant on the grill and grill both sides until golden. Assemble into stacks with slices of tomato, cheese, and basil. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (I mixed mine with fresh basil and rosemary in the magic bullet). finish with fresh ground pepper, and salt if desired. I did not salt since the eggplant was salted.

Reminds me of Porkchop! (is he still lurking around after his re-appearance??)

My problem was with wind, and humidity. See, its pretty hot and humid around these parts. So my arms and legs would end up looking like I was an aboriginal by the time i was done. The KK has much lower clearance than my K5 did, so the only thing I had that would fit under the KK was the lid to my lump-storing trash can. It only took the slightest of breeze to to carry the ash as it fell down (and then it would be in my sunroom, or all over the windows if I closed them). The best you could hope for was an absolutely still day, and then the puff as a pile formed would still get all over your legs and arms. I lobbied for Dennis to build a simple frame that you could wrap a bag around, and then insert it into the draft door slide so that the ash would remain fully contained. He said he was working on it, but I dont know what ever became of that project?

I got a filter designed for small particles. I think it was marketed as a drywall dust filter. It's a satin cover that goes over the standard foam filter. I was like $5 at lowes. If you are using the vac routine, it's a must-have! Without the satin filter cover, it would definitely be a royal mess. With the filter, the foam filter stays clean - along with the discharge air.

I gave up on the bag that you could attach to the draft door frame. I just bought a small shop vac and use it to suck up all the ashes through the top. Much cleaner than trying to scoop it out the door, especially if there is a breeze and it's humid! The good news is that you ony have to empty the ash a handful of times a year, even with heavy use

I've done eggplant on the grill many times, lots of other vegetables too, and they were good. You definitely dont want to add any kind of smoke to the fire, because as you have found, vegetables absorb much more than meat. I do eggplant, zucchine and yellow squash all the same way. Roast it direct over a hot fire. Zucchini and yellow squash tend to get softer as they get more cooked, eggplant gets a golden, sort of crisp crust on the outside. I cooked them at about 425, until they were golden, then flipped and browned the other side too. I cut them into about 3/4 to 1" slices, salt with kosher salt and leave on a rack for about 30 minutes to drain. Rinsed quickly, dried, lightly sprayed with olive oil from a sprayer, then lightly salt/peppered them. I can think of 2 possible culprits for your issue...first, was your fire all the way hot before you added them? Charcoal smokes until its fully burning. I dont ever grill vegetables alone, so the fire has been going a while before they ever hit the grill. Also, I never have leftovers when I do an eggplant, but the refrigerator may have amplified your smokiness? I have noticed that left over squash has a slightly different taste than fresh off the grill. Its not a drastic as you describe, certainly edible, but something to consider. Maybe try a piece fresh off the grill next time? What temp did you use? A hot fire or something lower? Doc, baked potatoes are the BEST on the grill. Just wipe them with olive oil, shake some kosher or sea salt over them, and put them on a 400 degree grill until they are done - Anywhere from 45 to 60 mins depending on the size. You will have to roll them over half way through, and i like to use the outer edge of the fire basket for mine, not right over the red hot center, and not on the perimeter, just over the fringe of the fire. Goes perfect with a nice steak off the KK!

I get much more than 2 cooks per box. I'm not sure if its the difference between RJ and Dennis product, but I probably get 4 to 6 cooks per box, depending on what it is. I take out the unburned stuff after each cook, when i switch back over to lump, though. ...or maybe its just that Dennis loaded an accurate weight in each package

Impressive work! As one who has an ever decreasing attention span, i have to ask; how long did it take to make that?!

I think I could debate that point successfully, given a set of standard requirements regarding performance, function, and aesthetics

I only use the extruded for low and slow cooks, beef jerky, or an occasional chicken when i want a cleaner/lighter flavor. I bought 15 boxes or so from Dennis' batch, and I still have a dozen left. Hoarding it for special occasions Honestly, for everyday cooks it takes too long to get up to temp, and it doesnt last nearly as long when cooking at higher temps, either. Lump is just more convenient unless i have a need for the extruded.

I wish some of the other lump on Amazon was prime eligible. I would make it pay for that membership fee really quick

You are allowed to do anything that furthers the discussion in a constructive manner.

You can get the afire on Amazon, $39.99 for an 18 pound box. Not a bargain, but readily available. Its sold directly by Amazon, so if you have amazon prime, you get free 2-day shipping anytime you want some http://www.amazon.com/aFire-0105U-18-Po ... 259&sr=8-1

Can I get a picture of your pot in the basket? Can you still use the handles for the deflector or do you need to put the HD on the lower grill?