tony b

Fogo ships. That's how I get the Premiums like the Cuban/Argentina/Brazil ones. My local BBQ shop has started carrying their regular lump. Also look for Rockwood, if you can find it nearby. There's always Amazon. That's how I tried the Kamado Joe lump. Good stuff and well packaged for shipping. Dude, Royal Oak is soooo passé now! LOL

Thanks, MacKenzie. I really enjoy being able to eat outside in the summer. Unfortunately here that only means 4 months out of the year! Another nice evening and dinner on the deck. 3-legged chicken this time, with local corn (awesome!) and risotto with Boursin cheese. Direct @ 375F, with cherry wood. On the deck for dinner.

Indeed! The only "complaint" that I've had with ANY of their charcoals, is that the pieces can be too big! Nothing that a mallet and a screwdriver can handle, but still a bit of a chore to break them up into manageable chunks.

At some point, you might want to query other Aussies about the need for the cover. If you get your ODK built, you probably won't need it. Hoping that the rotisserie option was in the "bells & whistles"?

Did a couple of pork chops last night with roasted fingerlings and haricot verts. Direct @ 375F. Cherry wood chunks. Sauce on the pork chops was a homemade raspberry BBQ sauce. Plated with some nice black pepper Boursin cheese on the potatoes and chopped pecans on the pork chops.

Will be eagerly awaiting the pics of the new KK and its home in the new ODK.

If there's a demand, Dennis will come up with something - just like he's done many, many times before!

I have to admit that I'm not that crafty in my brewing room, but I did put together the DIY version of the Mark's keg washer and my own stir plate for making yeast starters, both using plans/guides in homebrew magazines/on-line sites. Many homebrewers that I know have lots of interesting "gadgets" that they've put together to solve one problem or another in their brewing practices. Zymurgy magazine publishes a "homemade gadgets" edition every year with some of them included. Others have put together entire brewing systems, including the 3-tiered stands for them, with pumps, valves, connectors, controllers, etc. A few have even make their boil kettles and hot liquor tanks out of old beer kegs that they've cut the tops out of and added on the thermowells and ball valves. Not to mention converting old refrigerators and chest freezers into kegerators and fermentation chambers. As a hobbyist group, homebrewers are an inventive bunch, usually out of frugality! LOL

Do you have the cold smoker? If you have items (drip pans, food) on the lower grate that limits use of the hinged door, I'd use the cold smoker instead of trying to place chunks of wood on top of the fire during the cook. If you don't have the cold smoker (and aren't interested in buying one), consider using Syz's cast iron Dutch oven "smoker pot" that many of us use. You can generate smoke for hours with it, so no worries about having to add more wood chunks during the cook.

Yeah, I guess that pretty much sums it up - everything but cold smoking. Sorry that I wasn't more clear. If it's a quick cook (<1 hour), I'll just toss some chunks on top of the coals, as by the time the smoker pot heats up enough to generate nice smoke, the cooks half over. I think your problem can be traced to either the RO charcoal not generating enough BTUs to heat up the cast iron, or your placement of the pot. With faster burning charcoal like the RO, the coals underneath the pot can burn up before the pot heats up and then the pot can slide off the pile and not be near the burning coals any longer. I've had that happen before, so I try and make sure that the pot is on a "steady platform" of lump around the spot that I've lit. @tekobo - any concerns trying to seal the lid on the smoker pot after it's already heated up? I use the flour/water paste on mine and I'd be reluctant to attempt that with a screaming hot bottom half. I could see putting the sealed up smoker on top of a chimney of burning charcoal to jump start it, then just transferring it to the charcoal basket in the KK on a short cook. Would probably have to add more chunks inside than I normally use, seeing as it would be generating smoke during the heat up of the KK before the food goes on.

You will love this charcoal. It's what I'm using right now. Have to admit that I didn't even look at the back of the bag.

MacKenzie, you had me with that piece of crispy fat!! Welcome back, Aussie! Missed your posts/pics.

As noted in the article (Thanks Tekobo!), so-called "nitrate free" bacon/ham, etc. is just pandering to the "healthy food crowd," as they use substitutes like celery juice in their brines which has naturally occurring sodium nitrate in it. So, in the end, it makes zero difference in how the sodium nitrite gets into the bacon, so why play that shell game and just use Pink Salt and be done with it?? Just sayin'!!

I'm currently using a bag of Fogo Argentine lump - this stuff is very nice. Like the other Fogo's, some of the pieces are a bit too large, but a screwdriver and a mallet take care of that in short order. @ckreef - glad it survived the trip. Was a bit worried having to go land the whole way and who knows how many hand-offs?

Anything above 250F. That's pretty much my lower limit for a "lo & slo" cook. I find that going lower (225F) just adds time to the cook and doesn't improve the results - YMMV.

According to the tracking number, it's out for delivery this afternoon!

I've never seen U5 shrimp before. Best I can do here is "colossal" - 10-12 count. The stuffed ones look awesome! Great surf-n-turf birthday dinner!

I think that you may be right about the basket splitter in the 32" only being left/right. Oh well, there goes that idea, but you can still just light the charcoal in the back half at each end and see how that works out for you? You will like the consistency of using the Guru controller - a good crutch until you get more comfortable with the vent settings. One tip about using the controller - don't open the top vent more than just off the seat. Let the fan do all the work. And for lower temps, half close the damper on the fan. You don't want a natural draft, as the temperature can drift up above the setpoint, especially on a windy day, and at that point, the Guru is worthless - it can't lower the temperature. I think that you will like the Fogo much better than the RO lump. It will be a tad harder to light, but burns slower (more dense). While I have the cold smoker, I still use my Syz smoker pot for most of my hot cooks. I have to use it if I'm using my Guru, as I only have the one port in my older KK. Make sure that you set it on top of your lit coals so it has a better chance of getting the smoke going.

Maybe hot smoked, depending on how long you keep it above 140F?? But definitely NOT cold smoked, unless you have an affinity for botulism!

Do you have the splitter basket? I'd consider putting that in with the fire in the back, lighting the basket of charcoal across the width of the grill, and using the rotisserie to cook the birds. Plan B - spatchcock the birds and do them direct on the main grate. That way you can flip them every 20 minutes or so and move them around the hot spots in the charcoal.

Just some bureaucrat flexing their "muscles" to prove to themselves that they have a meaningful job and doing something important! Sad indeed!

Come to Iowa, and go visit the Amana Colonies. It's an old German immigrant community from back in the late 1800s. It was a commune and they had big kitchen halls where everyone came to share what they had, cook and eat together. Now they are very nice rustic restaurants - all served "family style" - large platters and bowls of the main proteins and side dishes. Pretty authentic stuff. The local brewery makes a nice brew to go with the tasty food, too. My favorite is the rouladen. But the wiener schnitzel is very good too!

Because it's all high praise! You are truly worthy of all the accolades!