tony b

@ckreef - AWESOME!! I know all kinds of sick pies will be coming out of that baby as soon as it's broken in!! Add this one to your arsenal, tekobo: https://www.cooksillustrated.com/articles/614-one-hour-pizza?incode=MCSCD00L0&ref=new_search_experience_2

With any luck @sfdrew28, you'll outgrow them, as I did. I haven't had one in many, many years.

@Aussie Ora - guess will still be sending them to you from the States for the foreseeable future. @alimac23 - big fan of the Dizzy Pig line. Dizzy Dust is one of my staples. But all their stuff is very good. I've tried almost all of them. Oakridge BBQ and Lanes BBQ both make good stuff, too. Plowboys Yardbird is my standard for chicken.

@TomC - at least you could use a CC. Back in the day, we had to pay with direct money transfers, which meant actually going down to the main branch of the bank to sign paperwork that confirmed I REALLY DID WANT TO SEND THIS MONEY OVERSEAS! @Paul Those are Cascade hops. That plant is going on about 8 years now. I harvest about 2 lbs of dried cones every year and just give away the rest as I struggle to use them up. @amusedtodeath Those are actually lamb ribs in that shot. They are called Denver ribs and are from the belly side of the lamb.

Part of my intro into Kamado style cooking (back on the old POSK forum), was ABTs and the Baconator (aka Fatty). I was hooked and never looked back. Two styles of ABTs - vertical (core out the pepper from the top and leave whole) and horizontal (boat - cut in half lenghtwise and seed. Each has their place depending the filling you're using. The down side of vertical is that you need the special rack to hold them upright.

Listening to the wind howl all morning makes me think that we're still at the end of March and it's trying to go out like a lion!

What did you cook it on? I can tell from the glimpse of the grates and your talking about "felt line," that it's not a KK. The nice thing about pizza cooks on the KK, is that you can put the stone on the upper grate, closer to the top walls, so the top of the pizza cooks along with the crust bottom on the stone.

My dogs try to catch flies in mid-air, but rarely succeed. But, it's funny as hell watching them leap about and snap at them!

Fortunately, when I pulled the trigger, there were only 2 sizes of KK - the OTB 23" and the baby one (19.5"), or I'd have been in the same dilemma as you folks. Like others have said, get the biggest size that will fit your budget. But, don't dally too long making the decision, as you will be wasting precious cooking time otherwise!

I was about to say that cook's Guru Challenge worthy and then Charles finishes the story! Well done, madam!!!

Nice road trip, Bruce! Sort of a redo of Ken Keesey and the Merry Pranksters - except in a Bug and not a bus!

And yes, the sun does shine in the UK. Sometimes. Plus, glad to learn that the putty tat wasn't the break in cook for that pot!

Awesome budgie! Snowed again this morning, but fortunately the sun's come out and it's melted already. Predicting up to 3" of the stuff on Sunday! I've given up any hope of springtime soon!

At least you've found a good use for yours. Mine just get tossed. I get one in almost every order from them.

I packaged mine in Foodsaver bags in 4oz portions. My stash is coming up on a year old now and the last package that I opened still smelled fresh. They are dried, so as long as you keep oxygen away from them, they should last years.

I'd get a dedicated one for these, as they are quite pungent and will stain things purple! I went with a ceramic grinder, as they are supposedly harsh on metal ones. I went with these guys, as I buy salts from them all the time. I just mixed in some pepperberries in the grinder with the about half the salt. https://www.seasalt.com/pure-ocean-natural-gourmet-sea-salt.html#183=1941

We have snow! So, no budgies here. I have seen a robin or two so far, and the grass is starting to peek out of the ground. But it still seems like spring is a ways off.

Welcome to the Obsession! Can't wait to see you fire that beauty up and snaps some pics of the yummy food we all expect from you!

And much better local adult beverages!

Go for it, Shuley! Can't wait to see the pics. I'll go searching for one of those Chinese picks. Definitely will come in handy on a number of cooks. @tekobo - don't think for a minute that all that prep work on the Peking ducks got in the way of having an adult beverage (or 3!)

Nice tip!

Food with handles is always a nice added benefit! @Bruce Pearson - thanks. Fortunately it only lasted a day.

Damn that Easter Bunny! Instead of a nice basket of chocolates, he brought me a case of diarrhea! So, my anticipated lamb dinner got postponed until I felt OK to eat it. Trader Joe's pre-marinated rack of lamb (Rosemary & Garlic) dusted with some Greek seasonings - kinda heavy on the mint, but nice. On the KK @ 375F direct, with coffee wood chunks. Done. Plated, with some "melting potatoes" and glazed carrots (MacKenzie, some of those Maple Flakes went into the carrots - NICE! Thanks again!) Happy belated Easter, ya'll!

Coincidence perhaps, but tonight's dinner featured a new potato recipe that's apparently a hot trend right now - Melting Potatoes. https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a49569/melting-potatoes-recipe/ I made a couple of substitutions - duck fat for the butter; the olive oil was infused with garlic; and my spice blend was thyme, savory and purple crack salt. End result was similar to what you described - very crispy exterior and fluffy (almost mashed potato interior). Will definitely be putting this one in the recipe rotation!

Stunning duck cook, @wilburpan would be envious! Short-cuts or not! That Chinese implement looks medieval! Looks more like a self-defense weapon than a cooking implement! I love clafoutis! Cherries and duck - match made in heaven!