Firemonkey

a common complaint leejp - there is a whole discussion on the 'other' forum about them not working, and people adding home made antennae to them (with mixed results). They are so used to fixing their own grills, that it only seems resonable to re-engineer a thermometer, too! The thread begins: http://www.kamado.com/cgi-bin/discus/sh ... #POST13072

Excellent! Thanks, Jasen. No wonder I am so confused! Tony just uncrated this week and already the design has changed!

Man, now I am jealous ... and I havent even placed my order yet! Tony, whats going on with the handle on the main grill? Its in the back, under the hinge, and the other is mounted to the flip up section in front? Is there a way to lock the flip up part shut and use it as a handle, or am I reading the pics wrong? If this is how the handles are built, it there enough clearance under the lid in the rear to easily get the grate out while loaded? (not t hat I ever want to have to do that, but fires have gone out or other such nonsense) Thanks Rick

Yeah...maybe I should roll the K inside, too Since all the smoke blows into the sunroom anyway! Hmmm...open the windows to vent the smoke, or keep them closed so the room stays dry?! Dennis: Feature request - a receiver type device, top-dead -enter of the lid, that I can stand the handle of a golf umbrella in.

The skies turn black and their bellies start to rumble. I am really pressing my luck - cooking in the rain with cracked grout and all! Rain and tile be damned...I have tuna steaks marinating!

Dont forget the wheels The KK has recessed wheels...so it is giving back probably 3 inches in overall height to the K. I agree that the KK-OTB, since it is designed with a flat dome top appears to be shorter. Though I think you will find that you also have alot more functional space to cook with.

That truly defines the essence of 'pimped' Nothing like putting a $500 thermometer on a $29 grill!

NO, I was just asking! Maybe i was doing it wrong or something? I would never question the man who actually rigged pulleys to show a big 'ol eyebrow singing backdraft! Thats dedication, just like measuring the ash density of all that charcoal. It takes some serious resolve to burn all of that stuff, and not do any cooking on it!

TNW need an update? Whiz, Did you know several of the links on your home made lump page are dead?

Heres what went on my grill... First, some ABTs went on, joined shortly after by some potatoes to give them a head start: Then, once the ABTs were done, I brought out the main course: ...and now you can see why I am in the market for a new, bigger, cooker! We feasted, and this is what was left: This is a picture of a friend...we'll call him Mr. Googley. He was apparently angry that I did not offer him any, since after 4 months of drought, the skys opened up and unleashed a deluge. Not the short, afternoon storms we are famous for. This was a 3 hour drenching - you might be able to see some small pieces of mulch in the lower left of the picture. They are floating away as the water drained off the patio! The chicken in the above pictures were breasts, which I butterflied lengthwise, brushed with some rosemary infused olive oil, and stuffed with a little crushed garlic, portabella mushrooms, fresh spices from the garden (Rosemary, thyme, sage, purple basil, and pineapple basil)a little bit of cream cheese, then folded like a letter. Finally, I wrapped the whole thing in proscuitto, and tied it up.

Those pics were from ebay Apparently, a surplus company was selling a severely broken down k, with brown "custom" tile a month or 2 back. It looked like it fell of a truck or something. Someone was posting to the forums asking for advice about bidding on it. I think it ended at about $190.

If you stock it...they will come The other forum a chock full of people all over the US who swear by this stuff, and will order 10, 20, 50 boxes or more at a time. Since the other guys cant seem to get the stuff, keep it in stock, and get it out when people order it, I have no doubt that a container could easily be sold. If some could be warehoused at a few strategic locations around the country - it would continuously turn over. especially here in FL and the south where we out outdoor cooking season runs year round.

If you havent already tried Chef Jukes Raspberry chipotle You should! I think I have seen the recipe on this board somewhere. Its a little sweet, slightly smoky and as hot as you want to make it via the canned chipotles. Wonderful on ribs, butts (I know alot of you guys are vinegar sauce fans!), and my 8 year old has taken to dipping his chicken strips in it. Just in case, below is the recipe, as posted by the chef himself, on another forum. With regard to his notes, I used Knotts Berry Farm preserves, which has alot of whole fruit in it. I blended my chipotles as well as the preserves (together) before cooking, which made for a nice thick sauce - sans any kind of chunks. Chef Juke's Raspberry-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce NOTE: This is a slight variation on the classic Kansas City Barbecue sauce from the KC Barbecue Association, for those who like their BBQ Hot & Smoky! 6 Tbls. packed dark brown sugar 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/4 cup molasses ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce 2 Tbls dark rum 2 Tbls yellow mustard 1 Tbls pure chili powder 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 2 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. ground allspice 1/4 tsp. ground cloves 1/4 cup Chipotles en Adobo, finely chopped 2 cups ketchup 2 cups Raspberry Preserves (I use Wall's Berry Farm Raspberry preserves from Costco) Kosher or sea salt Pepper In large saucepan, combine sugar, vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire, rum, mustard, chili powder, pepper, garlic powder, allspice and cloves. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Cook, uncovered, until all ingredients are dissolved, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Stir in ketchup and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat slightly, add raspberry jam and 1/4 cup chipotles** and gently simmer sauce, uncovered, until dark & thick, about 30 minutes, stirring often. Use right away or transfer to jars, cover, cool to room temperature and refrigerate. Sauce will keep several months. Makes 5 cups or 20 servings. NOTES: **Add the chipotle peppers to taste. Since simmering will bring out the heat in the peppers start by adding ¼ cup of chipotles and cook for the 30 minutes THEN taste again and add additional peppers if you like it REALLY HOT. As with any recipe you can vary many of the ingredients to taste. Some items that you might want try adjusting are the amount of allspice and/or cloves or the type of raspberry preserves (I have not tried this with straight berries yet), etc.

I agree with J I like the idea of the teak accent...but it would give me something else to obsess over - trying to keep its golden color, instead of turning gray out in the elements. That point aside, my initial reaction was like Jasen's, in that it would need more heft. But after giving it some more thought, it would probably be fine. We are used to hoisting up behemoth lids via the handles...somethign the spring handles for us on a KK. So we dont need quite as much load bearing ability, especially since gravity is our friend when we close the lid. My only concern with the smaller wooden handle would be with people trying to roll the beast around by the handle. That may be an argument to go larger. You know what woudl look really cool...some laser engraved accents on the teak part of the handle. Dont ask exactly what I would put on there...a log maybe? Since i used to have a laser engraver in my garage, I couldnt resist the thought.

my god that looks good! I have been craving making some pulled pork for a while. I travel for a living, so I have to wait until I am home for more than a weekend to do it. I think its just because I enjoy conquering fire and cooking meat - since I still have some in the freezer from the last round!

One of the things I am not clear on is the grill configurations that are currently included with the KK. I have seen that you made a heavy guage sear grill - is this included? I saw mention of a riser to place the grill level with the base - still optional? Meat hanger? What about an upper grill? One of the great things about the mexi-K is all of the configuration options. While searing certainly requires going down to the fire, many times you want more grill area up top. its not uncommon to see K's loaded up with 40-50 LBs of meat at a time. Or maybe you just want lots of grill area for several racks of ribs, or jerky. Other times, such as with Pizzas, you seem to get better results when you can get further up away from the fire. Do you have a upper grill available? For comparison, its possible to go 2 or 3 levels up above the main grill on a #7 mexi-k. So what is standard equip currently, and what is optional equipment? What is in the pipeline?

Well, it looks like... A wish of Happy Father's Day is in order.

great idea! thanks for sharing porkchop. I like the idea with the rolled screen. I did a meatloaf recently on a piece of aluminum foil, over direct heat. The bottom charred just a little, and it broke some as I lifted it out. Also, I think I will try indirect with a drip pan next time. Since i usually coat my meatloaf with some sort brown sugar/ketchup paste, or a spice crust, the screen will likely pull it all off. folding one in half, and bending it to form a makeshift cradle might be just the ticket. You have inspired me!

Magic pixie dust? You know, in fairness, I wouldnt mind doing some reasonable repairs on my Kamado, such as recoating the interior, etc. Everything requires maintenance, cars, homes, and even cookers. When your home settles and cracks appear in a wall, or between blocks on the exterior you fix it, right? You dont expect the builder to come remodel for you. Now, when the roof falls in, things tend to change. Where I take issue is with having to buy the magic beans despite a proclaimed lifetime warranty, provided I am lucky enough to get a reponse. Also, massive tile loss is approaching "roof failure" inconvenience. A few tiles, no problem...just an opportunity and excuse to refresh all the grout and seal it up. But when enough of them fall off that you have to be concerned with pattern matching, now your talking major work. It would also sit a little better if they would disclose the materials, so we could just go get something locally...just as I would not expect to have to buy spackling and caulk, at inflated prices, from my builder in the above example. Please dont mistake the point of my post, Majestik certainly has a claim for a new lid. Regrettably, I have no doubt that the damage will be "due to his negligence of not keeping the damper top oiled." nevermind that the thing is one of the hottest areas of the grill, where any oil would immediatly burn off anyway

Is this plan still pending? Since I have been trying to get some of this stuff for the last 3 months, I would like to kept informed. According to RichardJ, there are 2400 boxes in a container. If I recall correctly, each box was 16#. Do you have any idea what the wholesale cost would be?

Having two materials of different densities sounds like a great plan, but I am wondering how they are bonded together. What is the thickness of each layer? I dont want to find the inner shell cracking apart and crumbling into the bottom of a KK in a couple of years. With the different characteristics of each compound, how have issues surrounding unequal expansion/contraction rates been addressed? Is there any sort of reinforcing mesh within the body? can you tell I am a more educated (and cautious) consumer this time around?

I have to ask... What the story on that dome top, Majestik? I saw the tape and thought you were just trying to keep more tiles from falling. Now I see that strap...which looks structural. How did you end up with that kind of damge to your lid? For those of you who have, or have seen a busted up K, is there any kind of reinforcing mesh inside of them to keep cracks from breaking the unit in two? What abou KK, is there any sort of reinforcing mesh in them (just in case?)

I am wondering what differences you have seen when cooking in a KK. Does it retain heat as well? I saw Dennis' post saying that with less mass, temps could be dropped more quickly. Responsiveness is good, but is it still forgiving enough in an overnight (non-guru) cook? How much cooler does the outside stay when you do a hot cook? Especially around the firebox area...I have a young-un who has come close to learning the hard way once or twice. Are there any other nuances you have noticed?

Thanks theo! I sent you a private message with my contact information. Rick

Thanks J Those were helpful links. I originally thought that the KK was overpriced, until I realized it comes with many accessories K charges extra for. Can anyone comment about the racks KK is currently shipping? One of the things that impressed me withe Kaado was their heavy S/S grills, brackets, etc. Now, where can I see one and how long will it take to get one? Also, I would have to agree with the poster in another thread who said this forum needs more pictures. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words... I wonder what this picture is saying? These open up all around my K when i get it hot. Not crazy hot, just like 500 or so.