Firemonkey

I think the spring will stay cool enough, too... Cookware has even more metal connecting the handle to the pan, and it stays cool enough so the spring should be fine. But you better be really careful not to touch that nut on the end of the rod

Man, I just came home from Chicago this morning, too!

If you saw my garage, or office, or even the backpack i carry when i travel, you would see why i have to start being more selective about my gadget collection

It comes on wheels so you can roll it across hard surfaces. If you have some lawn to contend with, it comes with rope tied around each leg. The rope is there so you can pass a 2x4 through them, and two big guys can pick it up and carry it like they did in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Alternatively, you can get a sheet of plywood, cut it in half, and leapfrog along by rolling it onto one board, and putting the other in front to do it again. If that doesnt work, there is a guy in your area who can engineer one hell of a pulley and track system for you, so you could move it on your own, with one hand. On the guru and rotis ideas...give the grill a shot without them. Youmay find out how steady and easy it is to control without a guru, and compared to a weber, how evenly it will roast even without a rotis.

I put my HD on the basket handles, without the liner. I use the liner as a smaller drip pan occasionally. For the HD, I put the cold HD on the basket handles after i light the fire, and let the whole grill come up to temp with the HD in place. Sometimes, I will let the drippings fall onto the stone, and other times not. with a whole chicken, I put a small (chinese carryout) foil pan on the main grate, and the chicken above it on the upper grill. The pan catches the bulk of the drippings but there are still a few extremities of the bird that drip outside the pan, and down to the stone. When one side of the stone gets all crusty with burnt on gook, i just flip it over so that side burns clean and I have a nice clean side on top again. I have a separate stone i use for pizzas, the HD is way to dirty to use for that.

Doc, Any insight into the availablity of TICL in the USA anytime soon?

They remind me of the pac man ghosts...you need pink, blue, orange and red covers with eyes embroidered on them.

I happened to see this book in the checkout lane at Lowes last weekend. The kids got a kick out of seeing a grill like mine in the book. The editors even gave 3-4 paragraphs (out of about 250 pages) discussing the advantages of a ceramic grill

I was wondering who else was going to pick up on that reference. You know, i actually googled it to see if they really limited the hits to 420, as one of those clever google-isms they like to build in sometimes - like "swim across the ocean" when you pulled directions to somewhere in Europe. BTW, Gerard, lookin' hot in that avatar.

The motors are pretty standard, and a few people have reported using motors they had on hand. viewtopic.php?t=3100&highlight=motor

Hell yeah the door gets hot in the new one! It sizzles like a hot frying pan when water splashes on it. It is the lower basket that hangs down lower, not much higher than the door actually. It burned up my knobs on the new grill, but the old style basket has never had that issue, though it doesnt hold as much coal. I think the stainless may even be slightly yellowed from the heat For the tube, I have never had to clean the inside of the tubes, and if I did, I would have just twisted a paper towel and pushed it through to knock any ash ou. All I have ever done is clean the rods on the door with a damp rag. If you have one, try running a magic eraser over them if they are really nasty. If there was ash in my tubes, I would have just used the door slides to push the ash out, and then wiped them off again.

GBD is a perfectly fine outcome for a butt...if you cooked it in your OVEN (which I could never endorse!)

Actually, just cleaning them well will get them sliding smooth. I dont think i would put anti seize or any other oil on them as it will either gum with the heat, or give the next load of ash something to stick to.

Yeah, about 400 dome. I dont pay as much attention to the temps when I am grilling as when i am roasting. I just grill it over hot coals. About the same as burger/chicken breast grilling temperatures. I cook it until it starts to flake when i bend it with tongs.

I just eyeball it (dont have a thermapen). Get the grate hot, wipe it with oil, let it heat for a min or two, wipe again right before putting the fish on. It wont stick. - especially on those shiny grates of yours! I usually cook my fish all the way, so i flip when i see the fat bubbles starting to form on top.

Wrap it in a leaf...no problem there. You can put it straight on the grate, too. I routinely put big (1.75#) skinless salmon fillets on the grate and they flip fine with just a spatula. You can also put the skinless mahi right on the grate. I usually cut mine to about hand sized pieces and just flip them with tongs, so with a spatula you will have no problem.

The ideal temp depends on the cut of meat. Some cuts will dry out if exposed to heat too long, and thus we grill them over high heat to attain the desired temp as fast as possible. Consider a steak for example Other cuts require more time to allow tough connective tissues to render into gelatin and liquid, and make the meat more tender. Consider a butt or ribs which would be tough if cooked too fast. There are also different characteristics of each type of meat, which determine how fast they absorb heat. You mention a brisket, so I wonder if what you experienced is the plateau, where the connective tissues begin to render. When this happens, the temperatures will level off, sometimes for a couple hours until all the fat is rendered, and then they will resume their climb. Sometimes, people even see a degree or two drop in the meat temps during this period. Were you cooking a brisket, intending to remove it at 160? If so, you would almost definitely find it very tough. Briskets are typically cooked to 190 or more to tenderize them.

I have also found about a 10 degree difference in the rack level temps vs. the dome temps in a heat soaked grill during a low/slow cook. You can see the probe location in this thread: viewtopic.php?t=1612 There is also some good discussion on this topic in this thread: viewtopic.php?t=2915

The 8" baskets are not vaporware, but its been at least a year since ezque has had them. I know others have found the same exact basket under the viking brand, so you might search online for that one.

They also make a heavy duty version that isnt supposed to come apart as easy, but its still ike an eraser...it rubs away as you use it.

Some things are better left alone I keep mine scraped clean with a grillfloss, but they stay black. The most important thing to keep them clean is remember to lightly oil them before each cook. That will make them very easy to knock off any charred bits and keep your food from sticking. I spent an hour pressure washing mine to get them shiny again and trust me, it's not happening! I also had to oil them up after that as it allowed a little pitting to start forming.

A damp Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works wonders and will make it shine like new.

I have tried the breaded wings on the grill several times now, and you are right, they are almost like they were fried when they are done. I did mine in a home made spice mix (dont have any DP) and have evolved the recipe to all flour and no cornmeal: viewtopic.php?t=2708&highlight=breaded+wings

If there are no pictures...it didnt happen

I was kind of thinking it could serve as not only the urn but crematory as well