tony b

Bottom vent is not critical, as long as it's open enough to let sufficient air inflow for the top vent setting. It doesn't take much, as the KK is very efficient in its use of airflow, since unlike other grills, there's no air bypass around the charcoal box. The top vent is notorious for "walking about" on its own. The solution, if yours does this, is to get a compression spring and install it on the top vent shaft between the spider and the cotter pin in the shaft. Then, as you open the top vent, the spring compresses and creates a bit more tension to hold the top vent in a more stable position. Measure your shaft diameter and get a spring that just slightly bigger. It doesn't need to be a very strong spring, so the spring wire diameter doesn't need to be thick. This is the one that I've used with success. Hillman 2-Pack 3-1/2-in Zinc Gate Spring in the Gate Hardware department at Lowes.com

Thanks for the tip @tekobo about the quick freeze before putting the tandoori on the grill. Gonna remember that one!

Yep, achiote paste is worse than turmeric for staining everything it touches!

Because you can efficiently snuff out the fire after a cook is over and re-light the leftover charcoal for your next cook, load up the charcoal basket so you don't risk not having enough fuel to reach your target temperature or to run out of fuel before your meat is done. The "grapefruit" analogy is just the size of the lit area of the charcoal, not the total amount of fuel to add. My theory of your temperature change has two parts: 1) temperature drops when you put on cold meat, especially large cuts like a whole chicken, but it should recover if the KK was fully heat-soaked. 2) Suspect that you inadvertently moved the top vent when you opened the lid to put the chicken on. A small change in top vent opening will make a noticeable difference in dome temperature. For reference, on my 23" KK, 375F dome is only 1/2 turn of the top vent off the seat. So even a slight closure, hardly noticeable, will affect the temperature by as much as 50F.

Indeed! That's our @Poochie! 🤪

As @MacKenzie said, the rubber plugs already have the slit in them. Look at one of your spares in your repair kit. It should have a white piece of plastic in the slit.

I know, No Picture - Didn't Happen, but I did spin a chook (chicken) for dinner last night. Pics weren't on the agenda as we were in the beginning of a big thunderstorm. I actually pulled it off the grill a bit earlier than planned as a result.

I got these at CostCo. So check there, if you have one nearby.

That sounds more Japanese to me than Chinese. Japanese put Kewpie on everything!!

Scored some big-ass beef brontosaurus ribs at CostCo. Did one rack yesterday. Trimmed up and rubbed with yellow mustard and Meat Church Holy Cow. On the KK for 6 hours at 250F (w/Guru), drip pan, smoker pot of post oak, coffee wood and apple chunks. Glad that I opted for the drip pan over just a sheet of AL foil, as these ribs rendered out a LOT of fat, despite me trimming off at least a pound or two before rubbing them. Plated, with the corn (from FL - not bad. I won't see local corn until late July) and homemade cole slaw that I "Mexi'ed" up for Cinco de Mayo (added some jalapeno and the dressing had some Tajin tossed in.) These things were huge and so rich that I didn't finish mine.

Agree! I have the basket, spit rod/forks, and the cradle options. Use all 3, depending on the cook. Put in another plug for using Powdered Brewers Wash (PBW) for soaking/cleaning the rotisserie parts. Lots of nooks and crannies to clean. PBW makes it easy, peasy! Just wipe off with a wet sponge and rinse after a couple of hours soak.

I actually like the BBQ chicken feet at the dim sum places.

My advice - keep the rotisserie option open.

Or just buy it like I do! LOL https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ILZ9SNG

If not possible to adjust the sprinklers, invest in a Sunbrella cover for your KK - a good idea regardless!

What Robert said. Check the seal and make sure that the lid is fully closed (not in the 1st position). That butt should have been done in 6 - 8 hours. Definitely.

I've done a cold smoked salmon using the smoker attachment. But this was 5 years ago, so don't ask me any questions about how I did it - I've slept since then! LOL

Yes, get to know your grill before embarking on the venting. You can do as many cooks under 350F as you'd like before needing to do the venting.

Lovely cooks all around! Nice job folks! Making me hungry. I do like a Carribean goat curry. @alimac23 is that a Cavalier in the piggie picture? I've owned 4. Sweetest dogs around! Unfortunately, they don't live all that long typically. This is my current baby - Buddy. He's about to turn 2 years old.

Welcome to the Obsession, Bowtie! Looking forward to getting to know you and seeing your cooks. Your experience with all those other grills will jumpstart you in getting a handle on the KK. Once it arrives, sit down with a cooler of your favorite adult beverages and get to know your KK vent settings. Light a small fire (tennis ball size), just bump open the top vent off its seat and a 1" opening on the bottom (less sensitive) and see where it lands. After about 30 minutes, bump the top open a bit more and let it settle out again. Keep doing this until you get to about 400F (about the limit for heating the KK up before venting it a very high temps - another day with a cooler of adult beverages - see the theme here! LOL). Around 300F you might need to bump the bottom vent open a tad more. Take notes until you get a feel for it as you cook more.

ScotchBrite pads work well to clean the temperature probes.

That sounds EGGcellent!

Dude, that's a shit-ton of mole sauce!

Tried Rodney Scott's Porcini Garlic Herb Pepper rub on a steak last night - double thumbs up! Giving Gunpowder a run for my #1 steak rub!

@Bruce Pearson - good to see you still hanging around. Definitely need to cook something on your KK. As the saying goes - It's just like riding a bicycle!