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To get the temp up quickly, I open the lower vent in the back.

Very good choice ! You can't imagine how excited we are for you and your family. Everytime you light up your KK you will marvel at it. Funny your kid calls it koko kamado as I call my KK, KoKo. All of your questions will be answered here on the Forum.

Bosco, Are you able to get some Kamado Joe Lump Charcoal ? That is some very good charcoal. I get it at Costco when a Road Show is in the area.

I sort of tried this method. The one thing I was concerned about was once the chicken reached 145 and maintaining 145 for 8 minutes. I didn't do it that way. I just closed the vents and let it stay in the KK for 8 minutes. The internal temp went up and unfortunately I didn't take note of the temp at the 8 minute mark. The chicken was then covered with foil and rested for 15 minutes. My wife said the breast was a little dry. The thigh that I ate was good but I think I was looking for a fore juicy chicken. I know one issue I had was I did too much in this cook, meaning I also had a pan of potatoes and cauliflower underneath the chicken. I had to move one grill to get hot so it could be cleaned. The grill never got up to 500. The highest it got up to was a little over 400 and there were flames. So I decided to just put the chicken in. There will be another next time and follow the directions as follows.

I am making a chicken tonight using this process. I like to follow instructions the first time. I guess I will find out the hard way.

I have read and reread the instructions on cooking a chicken with these instructions. Am I missing something ? Once the temp hits 145, the chicken is to maintain 145 for 8 minutes. Sounds easy but is that 8 minutes inside the KK or taken out ? Then let it sit for 15 minutes. With a cooking temp of 350, does the temp of 145 stay for 8 minutes, when taken out for eight minutes ? I have no clue. Last thing I need to hear is the chicken isn't cooked from the Gallery.

I cover my KK after every use, no ifs and or buts. My BGE that is next to it isn't. I guess I have my priorities. LOL. As to knowing Kamado Cooking as a hobby, I feel it is a way of life. I don't see it as a hobby. Even with the BGEs, a lot of those users use theirs instead of using the oven. The same can be said here.The KK can be used for grilling, smoking, baking, and cooking like an oven. I don't know about you but everytime I go to a BBQ Restaurant or Steakhouse, I am disappointed because I know what come from my KK is better. LIke I say, "You gotta eat" ! We all go through phases of cooking certain foods but to fire up KK is not a phase. You aren't going to eat BBQ everyday or ice cream everyday. Do I use my KK everyday, no. I try for 2-3 times a week. Don't make it as hard at you think it is.

CC, I wonder where you have been. We need your input. Funny thing, I did a Tri tip on Sunday too. I also did a Reverse Sear. I was trying Steve Rachiln's way of doing it. Let the Tri Tip cook to 110* at a cooking temp of 225. Pulled the Tri Tip and covered and let it rest for 10 minutes. Can letit sit up to 30 minutes. The idea is because it has been rest for a period of time the juices would/should go back into the meat. So right after doing a Reverse Sear, just slice the meat. I can say that idea didn't work for me. Either I did something wrong or Steve Rachlin doesn't know what he is talking about. I did let the Tri tip get up to 132 during the Reverse Sear. I turned the meat every 2 minutes. I was trying to do it Santa Maria-style. My Tri Tip was very good and it wasn't tough. I think cooking it medium rare to medium the Tri Tip comes out just right and I do like my meat Medium Rare to Rare.

I found out this can be done with a Spatchcocked Chicken. That is how I cook a whole chicken.

This was in an Email from Thermoworks and it looked interesting. Cooking Chicken to 145* and maintaining 145 for 8 minutes. Thermal Tips: Simple Roasted Chicken Posted by Kim on Apr 27, 2016 in Accuracy, Bacteria, Blog, Carryover, ChefAlarm, Chicken, Cooking for Geeks, Food Safety, Jeff Potter, Kenji Lopez-ALT, Poultry, Roasting, Super-Fast Thermapen, Temperatures, Thermal Secrets| 9 comments The FDA Food Code recommends cooking chicken to 165°F (74°C). But the pasteurization of chicken is actually a function of both temperature and time. If you can hold your chicken at 145°F (63°C) for 8.5 minutes, you can achieve the same bacterial reduction as at 165°F (74°C). In his new book Kenji López-Alt uses this principle along with the principle of carryover cooking in large masses of meat to achieve succulent, perfectly safe results at a dramatically lower pull temp. To learn the necessary thermal secrets, keep reading. The Food Safety Culprit: Salmonella Verifying the internal temperature of chicken is particularly important given the threat of salmonella bacteria in poultry. Why is there so much concern with this particular bacteria? Salmonella is a very hardy bacteria. It lives in the temperature range of 35-117°F (2-47°C) which is beyond what most other common food bacteria can tolerate. According to the CDC, 1 in 6 Americans gets sick from foodborne illness each year, and about one million of those cases can be attributed to salmonella. Proper cooking and refrigeration temperatures when dealing with chicken are critical to avoid foodborne illnesses. Food Safety is About Temperature and Time The FDA Food Code suggests cooking chicken to 165°F (74°C) to be sure all bacteria is killed and safe to eat. This temperature is suggested because at 165°F (74°C) the chicken achieves a 7-log10 reduction—meaning that 99.99999% of the bacteria present are destroyed—instantaneously: a foolproof rule to follow for safety. Salmonella isn’t anything to be trifled with, and 165°F (74°C) is indeed the temperature to target if preparing food for individuals at higher risk of illness (older adults, pregnant women, young children, and others with compromised immune systems). Not widely known is the fact that chicken can achieve the same 7-log10 reduction at temperatures as low as 136°F (58°C) as long as that temperature is held at 136°F (58°C) for at least 63.3 minutes. As the internal temperature increases, the holding time for a 7-log10 reduction decreases. In a document from the USDA on Time and Temperature Tables for Cooking Poultry Products, the time cooked chicken must be held when brought to an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) is 8.4 minutes. At 150°F (65.5°C) the time is reduced to only 2.7 minutes! Chicken as the Temperature Rises In The Food Lab, Kenji breaks down what is going on with the protein as the internal temperature of poultry rises: Under 120°F: The meat is still considered raw. The muscle cells are bundled up in long, thin fibers giving the meat its “grain.” At 120°F: The protein myosin begins to coagulate, forcing out some liquid that remains within the protein sheaths at this point. At 140°F: The remaining proteins within the muscle cells of the breast meat coagulate, forcing all of the liquid out of the cells. The coagulated proteins make the meat firm and opaque. At 150°F: Proteins in the sheaths themselves rapidly coagulate and contract. Water that was forced out of the cells and collected within the sheaths is squeezed out of the breast meat. Above 150°F: Muscle fibers in breast meat have become almost completely squeezed dry. Meat is dry and chalky. 160-170°F: When held in this temperature range for ten minutes, collagen in the leg meat will begin to convert into rich gelatin, keeping the meat moist and juicy even after the muscle fibers have expelled most of their liquid. Chicken Texture at Different Pull Temps Below is a breakdown of what the texture of the breast meat of chicken will be at different pull temperatures: 140°F: Pinkish-tinged and almost translucent; extremely soft, with the texture of a warm steak; fleshy. 145°F: Pale, pale pink but completely opaque; very juicy, a little soft. This is Kenji’s favorite doneness temp. 150°F: White and opaque, juicy, and firm. 155°F: White and opaque, starting to turn a little bit stringy; bordering on dry. 160°F and higher: Dry, stringy, and chalky. According to this temperature guide, the breast meat will become dry if taken too far above 150°F (65.5°C), while the leg meat needs to reach the temperature range of 160-170°F (71-77°C) in order for the connective tissue to dissolve into mouthwateringly rich gelatin. Knowing that salmonella has been scientifically proven to be safely eliminated at temperatures lower than 165°F (74°C), we followed Kenji’s recipe for Simple Whole Roast Chicken to the finest detail, including the 145°F (63°C) pull temperature. Tracking the Cook Using ThermaData Thermocouple Loggers, we placed thermocouple needle probes in four locations: the standard recommended location at the deepest point in the breast avoiding bone (the lowest temperature found in the chicken), one in the breast toward the shoulder, another closer to the top of the breast about 1/2” below the skin, and the last probe in the center of the thigh. The data loggers enable us to see how all the temperature gradients rise over time as the lowest temperature reaches our pull temperature, and monitor the carryover cooking through a 30 minute rest to be sure it stays at or above 145°F (63°C) for at least 8.5 minutes. Thermal Tip: Ingredients —1 whole chicken, 3-1/2 to 4 pounds —1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil —Kosher salt and ground black pepper Instructions • Line a sheet pan with heavy-duty foil and place a V-rack or cooling rack on the pan. Suspending the chicken above the pan is important to allow for air circulation around the entire bird. • Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C). • Remove the neck and giblets and pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels. Dry skin with be more crisp and brown evenly. Food Safety Tip: Don’t Rinse • Using your hands, separate the skin from the meat. • Apply oil both under and on top of the skin. Using oil rather than butter will yield crisper skin because butter is about 18% water, which will steam and then cool the skin as it evaporates, giving the skin a spotty appearance with soft spots as it browns. • Season on all sides with salt and pepper. To Truss or Not to Truss? • Place the chicken onto the prepared rack. Place the ChefAlarm probe into the deepest part of the breast to track the lowest temperature during the cook. Set the ChefAlarm’s high alarm to 145°F (63°C). • Place the chicken in the 500°F (260°C) preheated oven and turn the oven temperature down to 350°F (177°C) as soon as the oven door is shut. Continue cooking until the high alarm sounds (cook time will be approximately 1 to 1-1/2 hours depending on the size of the bird). • Once the alarm sounds, spot-check the breast meat with an instant read thermometer like a Thermapen to be sure the ChefAlarm’s reading is the lowest temperature (the exact location of the lowest temperature may shift during the cook). You need to verify that the lowest reading is 145°F (63°C). Check the temperature of the leg meat, as well. It should be in the perfect 170-175°F (77-80°C) range. If not, put the chicken back into the oven for a couple more minutes. • Once final pull temp has been reached allow the chicken to rest, uncovered, for 15 minutes. This is critical. It must rest for a full 15 minutes for the full pasteurization of the meat to occur and for the chicken to be safe to eat. To be extra safe, you could use both the built in timer function in the ChefAlarm set to 15 minutes and the low temperature alarm feature unique to the ChefAlarm. Simply set the low temperature alarm to 145°F (63°C) during the rest to be sure your chicken doesn’t dip below the target temperature for at least 8.5 minutes. Observing Temperature in Motion The graph above shows the temperature changes at various points in the whole chicken as measured by our ThermaData Thermocouple Loggers. You can see exactly how the internal temperatures increased during the cook. The red horizontal line represents our pull temperature of 145°F (63°C). The most dramatic rises in temperature were, unsurprisingly, in the thigh and the outer breast meat which were most directly exposed to the hot air in the oven. Neither of those areas saw a temperature increase during the rest. Rather, you can see how they began to cool immediately once the inside breast meat reached 145°F (63°C) and the chicken was removed from the oven. Most importantly, we found that the coolest breast meat (the internal reading above) did NOT cool when the chicken was removed from the oven. See how the purple line above continues to rise from 145°F (63°C) to a maximum temperature of 155°F (69°C) during the resting period—the most dramatic temperature increase due to carryover cooking during the rest. It is important to note that this continuous rise in internal temperature after the chicken was removed from the oven is due to the significant mass of the whole chicken being cooked. We would NOT expect to see such carryover cooking in a single chicken breast, for example. The thigh’s peak temperature, as shown above, of 200°F (93°C) occurred as the internal breast meat reached our pull temp, resulting in a gradient variance of 55°F (30.5°C) between the coolest and hottest parts of the chicken! Many different temperatures occurring in the same roast chicken. In summary, we were able to observe that with Kenji’s recommended pull temperature the chicken remained in the necessary thermal range above 145°F (63°C) for a full 15 minutes (more than the required 8.5 minutes for pasteurization) after pulling the chicken from the oven, making it just as safe to eat as a piece of chicken that had reached the instantaneous pasteurization temp of 165°F (74°C). The Real Test: How Did it Taste? Because the chicken was cooked to a lower temperature, the meat retained more moisture and the result was a juicy and succulent piece of chicken—not a dry bit to be found! Not only was the meat extremely juicy, but the measures taken with drying the meat and separating, oiling and salting the skin, made for crackling-crisp skin. Some of our very willing taste-testing subjects commented this was the best roasted chicken they’d ever tasted. Because of personal preferences and some individuals being more susceptible to contracting illness, this cooking method may not be for everyone. But with the right tools and expert advice, you can experience better tasting roasted chicken. With the ChefAlarm and Thermapen‘s precision and accuracy there is no need to question your chicken’s safety. Get roasting!

I too have a BGE, an XL, that I bought in 2009. Like a lot of you, it sits next to the KK. I use the table that it sits in to put the food on. The question is, have you just given away your EGGS or did you sell them ? The one bad thing about the BGE is one can spend as much in accessories as the EGG. I am considering a 32" down the road and having 3 Kamados might be a bit much. As to you Ed, I too have a Dark Autumn Nebula KK. I enjoy lighting it up every time. I have to wonder if the Queen will want to be invited for dinner. Hopefully the time will fly by fast.

This might not be BBQ but it is dessert and after eating BBQ you would like dessert. Rozanne Gold AWARD-WINNING CHEF • AUTHOR • FOOD WRITER ABOUT BOOKS ARTICLES RECIPES PHOTOS MEDIA BLOG CONTACT Pineapple Flan This quivering custard of tropical intensity is made like a traditional crème caramel. 1-1/4 cups sugar 8 extra-large eggs 2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put 3/4 cup sugar in a small nonstick skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until sugar melts completely into a dark liquid caramel, about 3 minutes. Coat the interiors of five 5-ounce custard cups with nonstick cooking spray. Immediate divide caramel among cups (pouring to coat bottom of each.) Caramel will harden. Separate 4 egg yolks and whites, saving whites for another use. In bowl of an electric mixer put 4 whole eggs, 4 egg yolks, and remaining cup 1/2 cup sugar. Beat for 1 minute, until eggs and sugar are well blended. Slowly add pineapple juice, little by little, and continue to mix until juice is incorporated. Do not let mixture become too frothy. With a ladle, divide mixture evenly among custard cups. Place custard cups in a large, deep pan. Create a water bath by adding boiling water to pan so that water level comes two-thirds up the sides of the cups. Carefully place in oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until firm. Remove cups from water bath. Let cool, then refrigerate until very cold, preferably overnight. When ready to serve, carefully unmold custard onto dessert plates, loosening the sides with a small sharp knife if necessary. Caramel will coat the top and sides of the flan. Serve immediately. Serves 5

Do any of you inject a pork shoulder ?

Sorry for being late to the party. I hope all is going well and you are getting better.

Some Hand-Me Down ! Congrats on the new addition. You are going to enjoy the journey.

I haven't made it but I think that will be on my "Bucket List" of what to make in the near future. I like to share recipes that look interesting.

http://www.vindulge.com/2016/04/smoked-mexican-burgers-chorizo-smoked-poblanos/

What did the Pink Salt do to the chicken ? Thank you.

Welcome to the Forum. You have come to the right Forum. A lot of us have/had many other Grills, especially Kamados. I myself have a BGE XL. Then I purchased Komodo Kamado and it is my go to for most of my grilling and smoking. I did get a Rec Tec Pellet Grill but I use it more as an oven than I do a smoker. The KK is the ultimate Grill/Smoker. My KK will be with me for a long time and will probably bet handed down to my son.

Let me give a shout out to Simply Marvelous Rubs. They are thru Big Poppa Smokers.

Here is the video for this recipe. https://youtu.be/OLUkj1At-GQ

I found this on Facebook and it looks interesting and dangerous. Parmesan Potato Stacks For this particular recipe, you will need the following ingredients (feeds 4-6 people): • 3 teaspoons butter • 2 teaspoons Parmesan cheese • 1 teaspoon garlic powder • 1 teaspoon thyme leaves • salt • freshly ground black peppeer • 8-10 gold potatoes, cut into 1/16 inch slices First, preheat your oven to 350°F. Then, melt butter and use it to butter your muffin tin. Next, cut your gold potatoes into thin slices. When finished, place them in a large mixing bowl. Then, add melted butter, Parmesan cheese, and spices. Toss the mixture so that the potatoes are coated evenly. Now, layer the potatoes into stacks and place them into each individual muffin cup in the muffin tin. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Place the muffin tin in the oven and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center is tender. Once done, take them out of the oven and let them cool for about 5 minutes. Garnish the finished potato stack with Parmesan cheese, thyme, or rosemary. And enjoy!

Country-style Ribs would work as well. Thank you for the inspiration.

I am cooking (2) 3-Bone Standing Rib Roasts tomorrow. My question is, is it best to start the cook the at Room Temperature or right out of the refrigerator? Thanks.

Good choice in choosing a KK. A lot of us had the same experience, owning another Kamado, and looked into Komodo Kamado. You are going to be amazed how the KK is well-built. I still look forward to firing up my KK. As you can see everyone is helpful. Ask all the questions you want. Enjoy the journey.