leejp

Went to the butcher tonight...

Went to the butcher tonight, got the chuck roll and I sort of chickened out...

He brought out a 21# Cryovac chuck roll. Man that is a caveman cut of meat. I did buy it. $1.89/#. Here's the chickening out part... It's just the 4 of us and we're not planning on any company tomorrow so I had him cut it in 1/2. I'll do one tomorow and freeze the other one.

There's always one in the crowd...

This may be a nit and perhaps it'll make the grill more difficult to manufacture but I would prefer that the grill run North-South instead of East-West.

Taking food on/off, flipping steak/burgers... is easier in a North-South motion with a spatula. This is also true when cleaning the grill with a brush/rolled up foil... With the classic, one can simply rotate the grill 90* but with the OTB this is not possible. It's not too big a deal to come from the side.

I'm also thinking if the hinge is for coal management during long cooks, it should be in the back of the grill rather than the front so the meat can sit in the wider portion of the grill.

Gotcha beat!!!

Nudist Refrigerator Cooking!

http://www.bar-s-ranch.com/cooking/cooking.htm

Literally Naked!

I think I'm going to try a chuck roll this weekend. Just to check.. I want the meat sold as boneless chuck roast , stuff they usually make hamberger out of... correct?

Re: On the Chuckwagon

Anyway, the chuck roll was in there with a full load of royal-oak lump and several large chunks of hickory. The little K puffed away for about 7 hours. The temp stayed at about 350F, actually. Not what I intended, but a subject for a different, more melancholy post to come later...

So it was on at 11ish-am and pulled at about 6:30pm. It was truly spectacular. It looks like it lost almost a 3rd of its mass in drippings. I hope these photos can convey the sheer juicy sweetness that was this roast:

Wow! an 18# hunk of meat que'd in 7HRs! I would have expected at min 27HRs! I'm actually surprised you were able to pull it cooking it that high and fast! The pics sure do look great! If this what I can expect I may be done with Brisket as well!

Re: Relax

I only had to bend the L-shaped probe very slightly and it fit right thru. The hole is about 9/16" wide. I also used a standard drill bit to widen (slightly) to make it easier to get the temp probe in the top hole. Just go slow and be careful.

But the problem is probe removal, no? For me, once the probe is in it does not come off until I'm ready to pull/slice since the juices will start to flow out of the hole left behind. Particularly for steaks. Spoke with Dennis about this awhile back and my vote was for ~ 1-2 inch gap in the gaskets replaced a more pliable with silicone material so the probe wires could be "pinched" between the top/bottom lid without issue. Guess I lost that one ;(

Not sure what your asking here. You put the probe thru the hole and put it in the meat and leave till whenever you want. The guru hole is separate and is at the bottom of the unit. It has grout in it when it comes I guess untill you remove it if you have a BBQ Guru. On my list of things to get but haven't yet.

I don't remove the probe from the meat until the meat is out of the cooker and has sat for ~20min... Don't want to lose ANY moisture/juices through the hole left when the probe is removed from the meat. I don't see how one can leave the probe in the meat and still be able to remove the meat from the cooker if the probe is fed through the "polder hole" on the side of the cooker unless the plug is small enough to get through that hole.

It was actually the 1st of July (Sat) since the 4th fell on a Tue and many folks have to work Mon and Wed.

I did all 3 big categories (Pulled Pork, Ribs and Brisket) and burgers+dogs for the kids.

I did the butt the day before (pics here: http://www.komodokamado.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=302). Put a ~6lb Brisket flat in at 7:45AM on the lower grill (pizza stone covered in foil for the heat deflector). First time fat side down for me per Porkchop's recommendations. At ~10AM I added the top grill and put 6 racks of babybacks on it. I did think a bit about the swine dripping on meat but the setup was easier this way so I went with it.

I kept the cooker between 220~240 the whole time. Probably a bit higher than I should have but I had a hard stop at 4PM as the guests were arriving then. I pulled all the meat off the grill and put them in a cooler right at 4PM withe the Brisket at 191. I also dropped the pulled pork into boiling water at that time (foodsaver bags). At ~4:30PM We sliced the Brisket and put the ribs back on the grill (hotter) for the finishing sauce. It was a flurry of activity between 4:30 and 5:00PM.

When the food was served, the guests decended like locusts and started the feeding frenzy. Everyone really loved the Q. Telling comment "...whatever you paid for that thing... it's worth every penny..."

That said... this is Yankee territory where folks don't really know good Q. My observations...

First time I did pulled pork for a large group the day before. It was good, but definately a LOT better freshly pulled.

6HRs might have been a bit too long for the ribs. Had I kept it at 220 all along they might have been better. They were still very good though and the bone twisted off easily enough.

The Brisket was perfect!

In all... I was very pleased with the results. Feeding 30 folks ain't easy!

One Word...

Pizza!

Re: Nose Guard?

Yup' date=' I guess Dennis is gonna have to come up with a nose guard - hehe. Nator, we are waiting on the pics bubba! I must say that the tools from image shack really made my pic posting a lot easier - thanks again Mike for that info!-=Jasen=-[/quote']

image shack is a great (can't beat free) but I use smugmug in combination with send to smugmug.

http://www.smugmug.com/?referrer=DbOU18Jth68mA (note this IS a referral link - full disclosure)

http://wiki.shahine.com/default.aspx/My ... dToSmugMug

Smugmug is absolutely the best photo hosting service IMHO. The $40/year ives me a piece of mind (remote backup) and saves me a lot of aggrevation. I upload FULL size SHQ JPGs (family/friends can actually DL the original) and they create several gallery sizes for me. Each gallery can be password protected and absolutely no spam/banner ads/pop-ups...

What I can't stand are the "pyramid" sites that make family/friends sign up for a membership to view your galleries.

Hey Dennis... how about a "lounge" area for off-topic discussion?

Re: Relax

I only had to bend the L-shaped probe very slightly and it fit right thru. The hole is about 9/16" wide. I also used a standard drill bit to widen (slightly) to make it easier to get the temp probe in the top hole. Just go slow and be careful.

But the problem is probe removal, no? For me, once the probe is in it does not come off until I'm ready to pull/slice since the juices will start to flow out of the hole left behind. Particularly for steaks. Spoke with Dennis about this awhile back and my vote was for ~ 1-2 inch gap in the gaskets replaced a more pliable with silicone material so the probe wires could be "pinched" between the top/bottom lid without issue. Guess I lost that one ;(

Re: Good to hear!

I have found that my K5 responds better to adjustments at the top' date=' not the draft door. It was definitely tricky to get the hang of it.[/quote']

Perhaps this has something to do with it? This is a picture of my Kamado #7 with the bottom damper completely closed.

Sliding this contraption back and fourth is not exactly precise for fine adjustments. The OTB Supreme's lid and dampers are tight. A small leak out of the polder hole's about all the smoke I saw. With the bottom damper shut there is no way the coals are going to get any oxygen. I'm going to try an experiment. I'll bet if I shut the bottom damper completely, even with the top damper moderately open, the fire would go out.

Got a 7lb butt in the OTB Supreme as I write this... Just one comment so far... The temperature control is FAR superior to my Kamado #7. The OTB is just sealed better then the #7, particularly the damper door.

I just spun open the damper wheel a crack and it's holding steady at ~225 without ANY adjustments. The top damper seems to have a wider range. So all one needs to do is to get the top damper "in the ballpark" and set the dial on the bottom damper... easy as pie. My Sacramento #7 bottom damper never sealed properly and sliding it back and forth was far less than precise. It would hold the temp once set but getting there was a rather steep learning curve. Big thumbs up so far!!!

Pics...

That's a full load of Wicked Good Weekend Warrior Lump... turned out to be a 16hour cook at 220*~230*. I'll take a pic of how much was left over in the AM.

Here's what's left over (pic taken the next day). I shook the ashes off the charcoal basket. There was a good 1/3~1/2 of the coals I started with left in the basket. This is AFTER 16HRs!!! With good lump I'd bet 30+ hours on a single load is absolutely possible.

The pit thermometer goes through the hole but the meat thermometer has to lie across the gaskets.

Ha! caught another one... Tel-Tru hole is not drilled square (I suspect it'll loosen up with use though). Dennis.. don't mind me nit-picking these flaws. It's only so you can improve the quality of your cookers over time. Think of it as quality feedback.

Finished product. good smoke ring and bark.

I got a big party this Saturday to debut my OTB Supreme... I'm doing 6 racks of baby backs and a brisket on Sat for the party and will do a Butt the day before and reheat for the party (I find the butt is a little more forgiving when reheated).

I've always saved my butt pre-pulled in individual foodsaver bags since they were leftovers (works great!). But is it possible to save whole and pull after reheating if I'm saving the whole butt? Recommendations?

My OTB Supreme Cobalt Blue was part of the "Murphy" shipment that had to be shipped back to Indonesia. When the cooker finally got here, it was stuck in customs for 2 weeks and then we also had a bit of trucking issue (carrier would not accept delivery of a crate that's not fully sealed) for another 1-1/2 week delay.

I finally took delivery of my OTB Supreme on Tuesday and uncrated it... Minor damage... mine has a broken nose like Mike's... it'll shortly be repaired. Otherwise it's a thing of beauty... the mechanical/functional bits are "engineered"... and the artsy-fartsy bits are hand crafted. It's a perfect marriage. No contest between the OTB and my Kamado #7. We're talking Seal Teams vs Mall Cops here.

Been raining buckets since then... (see the floods in the NorthEast on the news? that's us). Seems fitting... I hope I paid all my bad luck taxes up front with this cooker . Here are the uncrating pics (more to follow):

the truck that delivered it:

packaging (with a few boards removed)

Uh...oh...

The plywood retaining the top of the cooker is off it's nail

Other side...

Top of the crate... (shows the rentention pieces of plywood off)

The cause... cooker wasn't strapped down properly and slipped off the block it was sitting on. The cooker probably teeter tottered back and forth and probably banged it's nose against the crate several times until the tiles fell off.

Thankfully, the broken nose is the only damage... Beautiful otherwise

And for yucks and giggles.... Here's what was rendered out of the crating. With 2 little ones, cars... every nail has to be accounted for during the uncratingso I was careful and took my time (in reality I'm really cheap and throw almost nothing away...there's useful lumber in there):

More yucks and giggles.... Here's my Kamado #7 packaging... Looks bad but the #7 did arrive safely. Even with what appears to be "seat of the pants" packaging, I would give this round to the Mall Cops (but then again... it only had to travel from CA to NY).

Overall I'm thrilled... Now here's where the customer service makes a real difference. From the time the order was in to delivery, my Sacramento #7 was actually faster (ordered 01 September 2003 arrived 25 November 2003) and arrived damage free. My OTB Supreme was "ordered" (Dennis actually emailed to "accept" the order... he wanted to make sure that the OTB Supreme was ready before he built one for me) on 03/19/06 and arrived 06/27/06 with a broken nose. I should be happier with the Sacramento-K experience right? Wrong... although the cooker did arrive earlier, I felt completely left out out of the loop in the process... the usual, phone calls don't get returned, conflicting stories from different folks (I guess I didn't have platnum status with the Kamado company)... whereas every email I sent to dennis was returned within 48hrs and I was informed of exactly what was going on with my cooker.

I'll have a break in report and initial impressions after the weekend. I'm feeding 30 folks... a big boston butt, a brisket and 6 racks of baby backs.

Your Redi-Chek actually works?!

Your redi check BBQ thermometer works?!

What a disappointment this mine's been. The receiver is constantly losing sync with the transmitter. This happens without alarm/warning. The receiver simply continues to display the last temperature it received from the transmitter. It simply does not work and I've been using the sensor/transmitter unit only (has a display on it).

So porkchop... point takes longer than the flat?

I've read conflicting info regarding what gets done first, the flat or the point...

It would seem that since the point is "fattier", that the point would take longer than the flat. But some very experienced folks are saying the the flat takes longer.

Anyone here cooked the two halves of Brisket separately? Doing a full packer cut every time I want Brisket is a bit of an overkill for a family of 4. I rather do the flat for a meal and save the tip for another.

Actually... I think I can convince my Butcher to sell me just the flat portion of the packer cut (all the more reason to get to know your butcher)... and avoid having to vac-pack and store it frozen.

If you do this... which cut do you prefer? I always put the temperature probe in the flat so it's done when the Brisket comes off the grill. I find the point's lways a bit overdone this way. Would it be different f the probe were in the point?

And the always... Fat side up or down?

Re: Happy To Be Here

Now about Dennis. This guy is like somebody you may only do business with a couple of times in your life.

Unless he gets into the charcoal business...

I bought a Redi-Chek ET-73 remote wireless thermometer a couple of years back based on the positive reviews I've read on the net. This is the model that moniters both the pit and food temperature. Hook it up to my Sacramento-K and it'll wake me on overnight cooks if the pit temp were ever to get too low/high.

What a disappointment this unit has been. The receiver is constantly losing sync with the transmitter. This happens without alarm/warning. The receiver simply continues to display the last temperature it received from the transmitter. It simply does not work and I've been using the sensor/transmitter unit only (has a display on it).

As my KK OTB Supreme is due Fri/Mon, I've been considering my options for remote monitering. I'll probably get a Stoker/Guru at some point but do need some way to moniter the pit remote in the meantime. What do you all use?

A lot of u-hauls or owner trailer have a tailgate that lowers to the ground. If it has expanded metal with large holes a piece of plywood and you can roll your K right up the ramp. Tie down with straps with rachets and let go on their way. Just me. Been there done that. Great that you have sold your old unit.

I picked up my Sacremento #7 with a help of a friend who has a trailer. It was uneventful and we got it home OK but I told myself I would never do it again. The $$ savings is just not enough for me to want to do it again... and I'm a pretty darn cheap guy.

If you are picking it up at at truck line they should load it for you. You should take tiedowns so it doesn't move around the truck bed. Another thing you can rent trailer with drop down ramps that are low the ground. U_haul ones rent for about $25/day.

I paid the extra $125 for the home lift gate delivery...

• Gas at ~$3.16 (regular unleaded) around here
  UHaul is ~5 miles from my house and the trucking terminal is ~80 miles away
  Bridge toll is $2.50
  trailer rental is ~$30 with tax/fees...

When all said an done I'd be paying ~$75 more for liftgate home delivery and it would take at minimum 4hrs of my time. If all goes well... trailer is available for the pickup window, the weather cooperates (imagine doing this in a nasty thunderstorm?)... I still own the cooker the minute I pick it up from the trucking terminal and therefore the risk... however small it may be... associated with getting it home.

I think it's $75 well spent... YMMV.

Find a large Chinese Market near you...

Find a large Chinese Market near you... (shouldn't be a problem if you live near a major city).

I'm about 70miles north of NYC and we're in the big city ~1x/month. I usually bring a cooler filled with ice and hit the asian markets.

For ribs, the Dynasty Market on Elizabeth has trimmed spares for less than $2/lb, regular price and the quality is much better than what I can get at the local butcher.

Call me a snob but I don't like buying my meats at the grocery store/wholesale club. I don't find their prices that much better than at the Butcher/Farm Market and I'm almost always disappointed at the quality.

Now if I can just find a Kosher market that sells brisket with similar quality/price...

Just remember that ashes are alkaline so keep them away from acid-loving plants like azaleas' date=' rhodo's, camelias.[/quote']

Yes... theory behind dumping ashes on the lawn is that here in the Northeast our rain is very acidic so we actually add lime to our lawns to raise the pH (the homecenters sell lime by the palletloads this ime of the year). I know for a fact that lime does indeed improve the lawn. I can actually see the areas where I missed with the spreader on my lawn after several weeks (limed areas greener).

I've heard they're good for lawns/gardens so I've dump them on lawn problem areas, spread them with a rake and spray whater with a garden hose until the grey disappears. Can't say I've been noticing a big difference thus far but I've just started doing this.