Firemonkey

I think he meant that his subfloor was concrete (no basement), likely covered with carpet? When I moved my mexi-k from its last hometo this one, it too came through the middle of the house...across hardwood, short pile carpet and even tile. I was a little concerned with cracking a tile, or marring the wood, but it did fine.

yep... anytime you see things like "flavor enhanced...", "Deep marinated...", "contains up to..." you know you are buying about 10-12% (I have seen as high as 14%) injected water and other goodies. Its usually the fine print

I guess its a good thing I didnt refer to him as "Naked Whiz", then!

Its the same way here. Sometimes I think the few produce items they stock are just so thay can check the box on their form that says "we have produce". Even staple items like the bags of onions are usually soft and bruised. But the meat...I really have a tough time finding better quality:value, and none of their stuff is enhanced with up to 12% solution. I like that.

ideas - First, you will want to promise some tasty BBQ for your biggest, strongest friends. Then, when they are properly motivated... If you can fit enough muscle in the stairwell to carry it, that will be easiest. But if not, maybe leave it in the crate, and get yourself a piece of strong plywood, and a couple of 2x4s. Use the 2x4s as rails, by setting them (wide side up) on the stairs. Be sure to firmly wedge the bottom to the floor. Then use a dolly to get the crated KK to the bottom of the stairs. set your plywood on the 2x4s to use as a sled. Gently tilt the crate onto the plywood sled, you might need to screw a few cleats tot he plywood to keep the crate from sliding. Wrap a rope around the crate and pull / push it up the stairs. That would be my plan...your mileage may vary.

uh -oh... how long 'til someone photoshops porkchop or whiz into those?

Cool...make it a supreme.

natural chicken If you have a BJs, their entire chicken selection is the purdue naturally fresh stuff. Minimally processed no additions, and under 3% retained water. $.79/lb for the whole birds. I mention this because its almost impossible to find uninjected meats anywhere else, unless you pay a pretty large premium for them.

mike, I dont have a specific recipe, your favorite seasonings/marinade/brine will be fine. Spatchcocking is a technique, where you remove the backbone of a whole bird so it will lay flat. Whiz has you covered: http://www.nakedwhiz.com/spatch.htm simple recipe: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes ... hcock.html video of how to spatchcock: http://home.comcast.net/~ask-the-butcher/sp.wmv

Is it a bread pan? Is the pan you saw a solid pan, or open? I like the screen idea because it will let the fat drip away.

So are you no longer utilizing the Orlando warehouse as is listed on the distribution page? Whether its summer (which incidentally is NOT prime outdoor season here) or winter, ATL is still 450 miles away and will require freight (read: "Additional cost") browns, tans, or other neutrals that will blend to a natural enviro-scape? Natural stone would be ideal

Roger that, Curly - I have family in town this week, so I grabbed a cryovac double-pack of butts from BJs on the way home from the airport friday. I will post the goods when I cook it.

Cool! Im in Next time I am near Harbor Freight I will snag one. For about the cost of a bag of grout I can have a handy ignitor - and I can carmelize sugar for delicate deserts, too! Besides, with a name like Firemonkey...how can I NOT get one?!

You answered it yourself personally, I buy the bulk spices at the warehouse club for about $4-5 each for a quart size container. Thats only about a $1 more than the small decorative jars you get in the grocery. I like to make my own rubs. I slather them on quite thick when I do a butt or such, and I just cant see paying +/- $5 for about a cup or two of rub...which is usually half sugar. Plus, its fun to play with the flavors sometimes. But I hear what you said...the last rub I made was not good at all. Kind of bitter on the meat. I hated it, so I will likely toss the remaining half cup. One other reason I have resorted to making my own, is that once I get attached to a rub or sauce - it is undoubtedly discontinued/out of business/ or oterwise unavailable. Now, when I make my own, i will always be able to have it.

HAHA! Its always the details that make the difference. But who says we would be pretending? My interpretation is my reality

yep - it plateaus steady as she goes...it wil start moving again.

no burner... i refuse to cook with gas - i just want to ingite lump with it.

The weber page says pull it at 185-190, that sounds early http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/chuckroll.html

I liked my bicycle... ...until I got a car! I liked my mexican junk, until I saw there was an alternative

Hose... must be for watering all of the plants on the roof? Or maybe that brings it up to code - mitigates the fire hazard?

Did a spiral ham on Easter... Did it just like an oven. About 325-250 indirect,. I forgot what I used on it...likely some sort of brown sugar/maple? Turned out great. The end portions of the ham, the spirals shrunk a little, and started to open like a bloom. Made for some good bark-like pieces (people fought over them). That last pizza picture I posted had some of the leftover ham on it, too - out of the freezer, of course!

I might have to go this route, too I have the gas option for my mexi-krapado. I only use it for igniting the lump, but I cant see going back I ran out of LP last weekendm and actually had to use a chimney Didnt like that one bit after being spoiled. I have a 2nd draft door, so after I light with gas, I switch to the standard door to keep the burner semi clean. The burner in the mexi-krapado works for its purpose, but not for cooking. I cant get an efficient flame from it. Always orange fire, and if I turn it up too high, the whole base fills with fire...like a continuous flashback Plus, you have to use the basket with the metal flue around the base with it...since without it, the flame goes out so far its UNDER the firebox, rather than up through the hole in the middle. It sure would be cool if Dennis could cast in some sort of line for a gas ignition option. A quick release on the outside, and a removable ignition wand that connected to the inside. wouldnt need to be many BTU, just a good steady flame for ignition. For those of you that have a weed burner...how long do you have to stand out there and shoot the fire to get enogh of a burn going?

Dude - cruise control is a cool insurance policy for long unattended cooks - like overnight. But really, these things are quite stable once you get the hang of the airflow! Give it a try and practice...by the time your stoker arrives, you will have it down pat.

I dont have a KK, just a mexi-k, so I will defer the answer to someone who has one. But when you say it was hot, what part of the grill were you touching? And was it hot, like 2 second before you pulled your hand off, or like touch it and yelp hot? My mexi-K will be in the 3-5 second range around the firebox area at moderate temps like that.

If you had the center basket full of lump, you shoudl be able to get 350 easily. The "thermostat" is not how much lump you fill it with (at these moderate temps, anyway), the temp is controlled by the amount of air you allow the fire to have. You want it hotter, open thr bottom door a bit, and/or open the top hat some.. Still not hot enough? Open them more. Too hot, close them down some. Loading up with lump will allow you to burn the same fire longer...so you can get the long low and slow cooks. Personally, I tend to fill the coal basket all the way. I cook my food, and when its done, I "turn it off". That is, close the bottom and top completely. No air is allowed in, so the fire is extinguished. You will be surprised how little lump is actually used during a typical cook. You can just relight the stuff thats left and cook again next time. An easy way to relight it is to simply pour some lit coals on top of it. You might want to shake the basket or poke it with a stick, just to stir the ash off, but thats all there is too it. With the small basket full, and the door opened about an inch or two, as well as the top spinner open a couple inches you shoudl be able to hit 450 or more easily - and have leftovers after an hour long cook.