leejp

Samantha... You go Girl!!! Did I just say that? OK not to fan the flames here but I think you're right on. Food is safer, more plentiful and less expensive here in the US than anywhere in the world. Even the ethnic food in the US in many ways are much better than "back in the homeland". If there's one thin we know how to do, it's growing/raising stuff. Just look at the mad cow/bird flu business. One would think it would be as prevalent in the US as elsewhere. Nope.. No offense to anyone who thinks otherwise...

I was looking for some ice packs for my cooler when I ran into these... http://www.techniice.com/ It's an ice pack that can be used as a heat pack as well. I bought 15 sheets from this person... http://cgi.ebay.com/5-Sheet-Techni-Ice- ... dZViewItem I got them yesterday and tried heating up a sheet a couple of minutes in the microwave. So far so good, comes out hot and is holding temperature for a long time. I had been filling the cooler with boiling water prior to lining with towels before wrapping que in foil and throwing it in to hold temperature. Actually, I find that there's additional collagen breakdown if the que slowly ramps down in temp. After 2~3 hrs in the cooler, the meat cools to ~150*F and it's noticeably better when pulled/sliced. I'll end my next cook several hours earlier and line cooler with Techni Ice sheets to hold the temperature.

Actually Porkchop... They really are catching on.... Legitimate que joints in New York are growing in number. They go through extremes to open a place in the city though... Blue Smoke for example had to install 15 story air handlers to get the exhaust from their pit out of the way of apartment and office buildings. Funnier still is that they had to educate their customers that the part of the meat that's pink is the smoke ring... not undercooked! Now I agree that some of these contraptions are just plain silly... But what is one to do if they live in a high rise and long for the smoke? There are people that use clever methods to get around the residents' association. http://twothirds.org/2005/09/smoking-po ... lower.html http://www.ntscblog.com/2005/07/little- ... ndo-q.html The point is that whatever it is... it's better smoked. My first smoker was an electric Brinkmann water. Now look where I am... There'll be some lunatic fringe folks who get started with the stove top thing. They just need to be educated.

They're catching on... http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/24/dinin ... ref=slogin Too bad they don't have the right tools...

I have a butcher... Actually a local farm market with a great butcher. If I buy the whole packer cut cut in the cryovac my butcher gives me the same price as the local warehouse clubs. I got the 17# chuck roll for $1.99/#. I have gotten it as low as 1.69/#. Same with brisket. My butcher will charge me similar prices for the flat (with the fatcap). The warehouse clubs have pretty big meat departments these days and the bigger cuts are more readily available than at the supermarket but I'm very happy with the "relationship" I have with my butcher. I'm very old fashioned. I don't shop at the big national chains unless I have to, I go to the local guys whenever I can even if it means I have to pay a premium but I make them earn my business with the service they provide.

Newspaper... Firestarter... For Hot/Fast Take out the lower damper and shove in several balled up pieces of newspaper through the opening. Open the top damper all the way and light the newspaper. Walkway for 10min and the coals will be searing hot. For Low/Slow Arrange coals carefully (smaller chunks and minimize the gaps), place a few small pieces of firestarter blocks (sawdust held together with wax) , light and place additional coals on top of the firestarters. Open the bottom damper and top damper all the way and walk away for 10min and the cooker will be ~200*F. I have a chimney starter sa well but it doesn't see much action these days.

Had the entire clan (10 grownups and 5 kids) for X-Mas eve dinner so I did a 17#er. Nothing too out of the ordinary... Raichlen's Barbecue U rub with hickory smoke wood. However, I tried something new this time: used a rack from a turkey roasting pan put the rubbed chuck roll on the rack put the rack on a disposable aluminum roasting pan the meat went in at 9PM on the 23rd reached 165*F at 11AM on the 24th (I foiled over the entire setup at this point) came out 3PM on the 24th (195*F internal) meat was taken off the rack, wrapped in foil+towel and put in a cooler for 2HRs (lost ~10*F during that time) 220*F~250*F the whole time Here's why I used the turkey rack and the pan... After I threw the meat in the cooler, I caught the drippings in the pan ran it through a gravy separator, once the fat was separated, I poured the remaining juices (2-1/2~3 cups... a LOT!) into a slow cooker set on warm. When I pulled (just fell apart) I just threw the meat in the slow cooker where the juices kept it moist all night. The turkey rack provides plenty of clearance for the smoke to get "underneath" the meat. No more opening up a can of beef/chicken broth or adding apple juice to keep the meat moist. Worked out perfect!!! Here are the pics (unfortunately no pics of the gravy separator... too busy tending to guests while cooking). The meat (with a bottle of beer for size reference) On the cooker 165*F ready to foil (note, not much drippings at this point) Foiled up (juices can't evaporate now) End product Some notes... THis was my 1st overnight. I went to bed ~1AM and woke up at 7AM. I had the temperature alarms set at 260*F and 190*F. I did NOT have to get up at all during the night and woke up to the meat at 143*F and the cooker at 229*F. Awesome!!! An observation... Until the meat reaches its plateau at ~160*F, the cooker temperature holds steady with little/no adjustments. Once the meat hits it's plateau, the cooker temperature will require adjustments. When the meat has broken through the plateau and the meat temperature is going up again, the cooker temperature I suspect this is because the meat is absorbing the heat at a steady pace outside the plateau portion of the cook. I never paid much attention to this in the past but with such a large piece of meat this was very apparent. All in all another great KK cook... and Keep those drippings!

I see they're different cuts Hmmm.... so which one to do? I've done chuck roll before so I know what to expect. But that shoulder clod looks interesting. But according to Raichlen, the shoulder clod is the ultimate test of a pit master. Perhaps I'll leave well enough alone and do a chuck roll for X-Mas and save the experimentation for later. Curly posted this website that has some pictures of the two.. http://www.cbef.com/cbchuck.htm

Chuck Roll vs Shoulder Clod... I thought they were one and the same but my butcher just told me they weren't... Hmmmm... which one to que for X-Mas?

meat, rubs, smoke wood, sauces... is important BUT When the rubber hits the road, good barbecue is all about consistent/predictable heat+smoke (coal) management. That's why I own a KK. Before I moved I had 3 bins for lump. Large, medium and small bins. After a cook I usually loaded the left overs into the small bin (picked through first). So on a low-n-slow I used only from the small bin. I haven't got that setup going here yet, but the smalls always worked great on the low-n-slow.

I'm going to do one for X-Mas... First KK overnighter Maverick sent me a new ET-73 (hope this one works). I'll get a~24#er which will go in the cooker mid afternoon the day before. The best I've done on the KK is ~5HR stretch where I've not had to do any damper adjustments. But I generally run a tighter range (200*F-240*F). As the chuck roll is a very forgiving piece of meat I'll set a wide range for the ET-73. Say 200*F~260*F. I'll also use the minion method with a slight modification. Instead of few pieces of bigger lump, many bits of smaller lump to keep the coals closer together so they light and spread more predictably/consistently. Any additional advice from the overnight veterans here?

Coal Management... Qith the OTB Start with a full load and make sure coals are evenly lit towards the FRONT of the cooker with the coals towards the back unlit. Arrange smoke wood throughout the coals. I would also use a heat deflector (or set the turkey on a roasting pan). Maintaining ~350*F for a few hours should not be a problem. You may have to run out a couple of times to adjust the dampers but no more.

Gotta Ask... What Animal is that?

All this spam... Losing my shirt on the stock tips... But the Viagra's working out fine...

Heat escaping is NOT the problem... "Air" escapin

I think I'll do one for X-Mas... will have some family over for a couple of days. I think I'll cook, pull and throw it in a crock pot set to warm lightly sauced with some apple juice and let people "graze" all day on the December que. Whereas Brisket is 1.5~2HRs/# @ 220*F, the Chuck Roll seems much more forgiving. Folks here have had their cooker run up to 300*F and still have had good results. I think 1HR/# @ 250*F will prpbably do.

I did a brisket this past weekend. I pulled it off the cooker at ~191-2*F (hungry kids). It was good but not the best I've done. So I've been rethinking this 190*F (some folks even say 185*F since the meat will dry out if it's in the cooker too long). With the cooker at ~220*F I find that I have to allow ~2HRs/lb for the meat to get to 190*F but I'm thinking now that 195* or 200*F would be better.

Mechanical Drawings??!!?? Are you Nuts??!!?? Don't you know you just hack these together? Check out find workmanship here... ( http://photos1.blogger.com/img/15/5697/ ... 0table.jpg )

Re: An Obviously Stupid Question Yup, that one will work; or Guru, or Maverick! Never a stupid question, if you don't know the answer. -=Jasen=- Whatever you do... Do NOT purchase the Maverick ET-73 Smoker Thermometer. That is a SERIOUS piece of junk!

Re: this is one of the reasons

Re: heat deflector in 2 piec How large should the rear section be? Rear to center.. Between 1/3~1/2 way should do. Big enough so it can sit on the coal basket "handles" without tipping backwards.

Dennis... Consider making this heat deflector in 2 pieces.. I think a 2 piece heat deflector made up of a a trapezoidal piece for the back that fits flush to the cooker walls and a half moon piece that leaves ~1/2-1" gap would work. I would most likely just leave the trapezoidal piece in the back of the cooker all the time. This will serve a dual function... First... for high temperature cooks when I want the coals hot towards the front of the grill, I find that with the top damper fully open the air wants to flow right through the back of the cooker straight to the top. The coals in the back definately get hotter. With the trapezoid in place, it would force the airflow to the front coals. Second... for casual cooking when I need to move food off the direct heat and move it to a "warming area" the area over the trapezoid would be ideal. Where the trapezoid and the round pieces come together I would bevel so there's less heat that escapes with both pieces in place. What do you think?

We have a TON of apples left from apple picking a couple of weeks back... They are getting soft and in another week will practically be cider. Now... I'm looking at the bushel of apples and I'm looking at my cooker and thinking.... What if I placed these apples in with the lump/smoke wood? They would cook/steam and eventually smoke. Would it add any/different flavor to the meat? Hmmmm.....

1-1/2 hr / #rule of thumb... Many folks here have cooked at higher temps for a shorter period and have had success. Check out Majestik's chuck roll. http://www.komodokamado.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=334 I cooked a 10#er for 10hrs at 250* and had it come out good. Every piece of meat is different. That said... I always give the meat ~1-1/2HRs/#. How embarassing is it to have hungry guests while the meat is stuck at 180*. Much safer to have it done early... wrap in foil+ towels and throw in a cooler. Now... wrapping in foil to keep the meat moist... Hmmm... I know many folks do it. But does it really work?

Like it or not... Genetically engineered foods are here to stay... The consumer is not aware/don't care... I'm somewhat picky but I generally don't seek out organic veggies and don't buy free-range anything. I think much of it is for the better (and I understand fully that the bulk of the meats that I consumed in my adult life was probably steroid enhanced stock bred over the years for muscle mass). Anyone who has seen the guts of a hog farm knows that it ain't pretty or natural. Same with any chicken operation. My concern is more for the sanitary conditions of slaughterhouses/meat packing companies vs genetic altering... That said... if you're really dead set against this sort of thing... http://www.supermarketguru.com/page.cfm/28238