tony b

Nice T-bones, Aussie. Well to celebrate us "dodging a bullet" (the predicted heavy winter storm of up to 10" of snow missing us completely), tossed on a couple of chicken thighs last night for dinner. Plated up with some mixed rices and Mexican street corn.

The best part of low & slow cooks is adding smoking woods to impart nice flavors - to generate more smoke! So, if you are that concerned about your neighbors, this might not be the best option for you - just sayin'.

Well, I finally got around to starting this year's batches of hot sauce today. Let the magic begin! Red one on the left is Red Dragon peppers, which aren't very hot, so I tossed in a couple of Carolina Reapers that my neighbor grew to kick things up a bit. The yellow one on the right is Aji peppers - nice fruity/citrusy flavor with moderate heat. We'll see how they turn out in a few weeks.

I do burnt ends whenever I do a full packer cut. But, I separate the point and flat after the flat is done. I've never tried to separate them before the cook. I seem to recall seeing Rachlen doing it on one of the Project Smoke episodes.

Those aluminum drip pans will be fine. Assume that you are accustomed to prepping a full brisket and know to trim the excess fat off before cooking.

Textbook!

yeah, we know!

Happy Birthday, Aussie! Nice seeing a piglet in a la Caja China smoker.

Would love to help you with your "wine problem." I'm sure that the '89 Lynch-Bages was amazing.

Physics - pretty hardcore. Where is she studying?

Nicely done.

Exactly, taste is king.

I'm thinking shrimp.

Just like doing the beef skewers, the trick is to apply the rub several times during the cook to amp up the flavor.

I was inspired by @Aussie Ora's OTB thinking when it comes to his unconventional use of rubs on "the wrong meats." So, last night I did a chicken breast with suya rub on the KK. While I braved the cold and snow to cook the chicken, I wasn't about to hang out and take pictures of the cook. But, I did take one of the plated results - with steamed broccoli and curry rice. Hats off to Aussie for inspiring me to try something unconventional! And, YES, suya pepper rub is very good on chicken!

Here's a picture of the "bend test" for ribs. You pick up the rack by the end and let it flex. If the meat starts to crack between the bones, it's done.

Too clean!

Sometimes it's just karma - those names were meant to be. Glad to hear that your hot sauce came out well.

Yeah, what Robert said! Plus, that Hermitage must have been killer with this gorgeous hunk of meat! Won't even mention the truffled spuds! DAYUM! Hope your friends realize how lucky they are to have a friend willing to share this meal, especially that wine, with them!

First time I've heard you name your KK, Tekobo! Inspiration was??

First off, Welcome to the Obsession. Not sure what you're using for fuel, and at what temp you set the Guru, but you shouldn't have run out of a full basket of charcoal in a 12 hour cook?? I like to set the fan damper on the Guru fan to 50%, the KK will still draw air in even when the fan isn't running. I'm currently using Rockwood. My old favorite - Wicked Good Charcoal's Weekend Warrior, is very hard to find anymore. Depending on what's available near you - Royal Oak lump (not briquettes) is generally available and is decent stuff. Some folks on here like Fogo, but I didn't like it - HUGE pieces in the bag (too big), it sparks like crazy during lighting, and is very hard to light. Check out the Naked Whiz's database for charcoal. http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm No easy way to add wood chips once you're up and going. (Side question - are you using the big ceramic heat deflector? Most of us, including Dennis, don't use it. It just adds to your heat up time and makes adding wood even more difficult. Most of us use either a drip pan or just aluminum foil on the lower grate, with no difference in cooking outcomes.) Best choices for smoking wood over a long period of time - a modified cast iron dutch oven as a smoker pot, or Dennis' cold smoker attachment. Oh, and use wood chunks, not chips, as chips burn up too fast (and don't even think that soaking them in water works - it doesn't! Wrapping them in foil will prolong their burn, but you still won't get a long smoke production.) I just set the Guru controller, in it's rack, next to the KK. The flat metal piece with the holes/slots in it can be bent into an exaggerated L shape so it sits up. Slide the controller into the angled slots on the top end and viola - you have a stand so you can monitor the temps from afar.

Had to think of you whilst at a local restaurant - The Map Room - they specialize in "international" foods. So, guess what I spot on the Burger menu?? And, NO, I did not order it!

Depends on whether you will be cooking direct, semi-direct (basket splitter, with the fire in the back), or indirect (drip pan). I'd go down a bit on temps to 375F if going direct. YMMV Here's where having a MEATER comes in handy - only real time temperature measurement on a rotisserie cook. Unless you trust those silly plastic "pop up thermometers" they put in turkeys. (Do they still do that??) Been so long since I cooked a turkey that big, I have no idea of how long it might take??

We got hit with another 3" last night. The wet stuff that the snow blower doesn't like, so I'm not going to bother. It's already melting and it's supposed to be sunny tomorrow, which should take care of it.