tony b

(other cDitch the big heat deflector. No one uses it anymore for any type of cooking. If you want indirect heat, use the drip pan or a sheet of aluminum foil on the lower grate. The big ceramic heat deflector just sucks up a lot of heat - you burn a lot of extra charcoal just heating it up for no good reason. Even Dennis hasn't used one in many years now. He only includes it in the standard package because folks expect it (other kamado style cookers have one.) FYI - the pizza stone is made of a completely different material, especially formulated for cooking on - breads, pizza, etc. But, just like the heat deflector, it will soak up a lot of heat to reach cooking temperatures. The upside is that once heated, it will allow multiple pizza cooks in quick succession without significant drop off in cooking temperature (fast rebound).

That's right - not much beats ooie-gooie warm cheese and puff pastry!

Yeah, pretty awesome stuff isn't it. I've never stuffed it with preserves before, but makes sense, seeing as how you put them on the outside after it's baked. I have stuffed them with chopped cooked mushrooms and herbs before.

Welcome to the Obsession! Quite a few of us here do Sous Vide cooking, so much so, that Dennis added this separate section to the Forum for us to post about our cooks. (Speaking of, I'm off to fire mine up to do a steak for supper!) Was impressed with the goose fat potatoes! I'm a junkie for duck fat spuds. Haven't tried to source goose fat. Curious as to the difference? Pics, Bruce, pics!!

We missed you - WELCOME BACK! Glad to hear that you had a great time back in the States and missed those ugly disasters in So Cal. Also glad that you're breathing better and it's OK back home. Don't go visiting Aussie in Perth right now!

Looking forward to those "tips," Dennis, as I've often struggled to keep mine lit, too. Tried your suggestion to place a lit chunk of charcoal just above the tube - with only moderate success. Best thing that I've discovered so far, is to blend pellets for those style of smoker grills with my wood chips. The combo seems to stay lit a bit better than chips alone.

Looks amazing, Aussie, but inquiring minds like ours would like to know - with all that lemon myrtle sailing about, how come none ended up in that salsa or marinade??

Welcome to the Obsession! I've done grilled sardines and they came out great. Never seen your fish before, must be a local species that's not exported.

Wow and then, WOW! Pretty picture until you realize what it really means! Stay safe!

Got a blast when I opened the box. The whole kitchen smelled like lemon pledge while I was breaking it down into the nickel and dime bags - well, only one dime bag (4oz), all the rest went into nickel bags (2 oz).

Charles, if you want to do your Dad and Jon both proud, do those Cornish hens like Cornell chicken to go with those salt spuds! It's similar to Alabama White Sauce. Ingredients 1 Large Egg 1 Cup Vegetable Oil 2 Cups Cider Vinegar 3 TBL Kosher Salt (Yeah, it’s a lot of salt, but don’t freak on it!) 1 TBL Poultry Seasoning (I prefer Penzey’s, but whatever use a good one - It’s critical!) ½ Tsp Black Pepper Instructions Need a blender or food processor (fp) to mix this up, as it is a cross between a very thin mayonnaise and a brine. First, place the egg in the blender/fp and pulse 2 or 3 times quickly to break up the egg. With the blender/fp running at medium speed, add the oil in a slow trickle to make an emulsion. Next, with the blender/fp still running at medium, add the vinegar, slowly to not break the emulsion. Finally, dump in the salt, poultry seasoning, and black pepper. Run blender/fp until incorporated. Pour marinade over chicken in a non-reactive pan or in a Ziploc bag and marinate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. The longer the better – I’ve done it up to 2 days. Cook chicken over indirect heat, with grill at 350-375F. If you want to use a smoking wood, I’d suggest a mild fruit like peach or apple. Cooking Time will vary with cuts – whole versus quarters, versus individual pieces. You can do direct heat if you use the top grate, as this marinade with cause flare-ups, especially in the next step. Baste the chicken with the marinade every 15 -20 minutes. Since it was in contact with raw chicken, stop basting at least 15 minutes before you take the chicken off the grill. (Or, mix up a second clean batch of marinade to baste with if you’re paranoid about such things or if you want to dunk the finished chicken in the marinade one final time as you take it off the grill, similar to Big Bob Gibson’s famous white sauce).

Unfortunately, shipping boudin and live mudbugs would be a major PITA.

Tasty looking chicken!! Nice glaze - takes a deft touch - well done!

Jump on in, Robert! Game's wide open. There's lot of local Cajun/Creole stuff down your way that I'm 100% sure others would love to try.

Like we tell all newcomers, your best resource is to talk to the Owner - Dennis Linkletter. He's a straight shooter and will not pressure you into buying anything. But, he will give you straightforward answers to any/all questions that you might have and will guide you along through the whole buying and delivery process. He's the gold standard for customer service!!!

While in the middle of typing the above post, the mail delivery person rang my doorbell and handed me this!! Almost tore up the box digging into it! Good thing Aussie packed it so well! And Dah-ham - that does look like a big bag of weed!! All the unpacked goodies!! Good thing this stuff has a long shelf life, as this looks to be a life-time supply!! Will set about shortly to break this down into nickel and dime bags for storage/distribution - LOL! A BIG THANK YOU TO AUSSIE FOR THIS REALLY NICE GIFT - THANKS, MATE!!!

Iowa finally stuck its toes in the water this past year, creating a legal grower/distributor program. Our first legal grower got their license last week (only 2 are allowed.) We are allowed up to 5 distribution stores in the entire state. Several are in the licensing process, but none are open. The grower won't have a crop until late Summer at the earliest anyway. It's all medical at this point, the list of medical conditions that qualify is only like 5 illnesses, only CDB oil can be sold and the limit on THC concentration is only 3%, which limits the usefulness in many cases, but it's a start.

Serious looking roast, even as leftovers!

As I understand it, Australia is trying to become the premier medical marijuana grower in the world! http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/04/news/economy/australia-legal-cannabis-exports/index.html

Yuk, Yuk! I was referring to primary distribution areas. Example, I can't find any Brooklyn Brewery beers around here, except in Chicago (Binny's Beverage Depot). Bells might be found at selected spots back East, but not out West. Vice Versa for Moose Drool.

It catching on over here, too. Some OK mass-produced stuff (Angry Orchard), but Cidre (made by the Stella Artois folks) is decent. A bit tougher on finding craft stuff, as it tends to stay very local. We have a local cidery here (Wilson's Orchard) that does some very nice heritage apple ciders. I've made a few that came out OK. Have a buddy who's very good at it (makes outstanding meads, too!), grows his own apple varieties for it (cider making apples are generally not very good for eating - raw or cooked!) Of the imports that I've had, I find the British style to be very dry (use a lot of crabapples), while the French versions tend to be softer. However, most beer/wine stores don't stock many, if any, imported ciders (outside of Cidre).

Sounds like Buck Roger's in the 21st Century! Oh sh!t, we ARE in the 21st century!!!

If you're looking for a nice domestic simple brown ale, here a few suggestions: East Coast: Brooklyn Brown Ale Midwest: Bells Brown Ale West Coast: Big Sky Moose Drool (Yes, that's really it's name!)

Looks like you're off to a great 1st start! Pics of the end of the cook would be appreciated!

Hey, we have good beers over here, too! It ain't all Bud, Miller and Coors. Just sayin'