tony b

My kind of entertainment, especially sipping the cocktail by the KK!

Happy Birthday, Bruce!

Nice ribs, mate. What did you put on them?

Great cook, Aussie, but that ear(lette) of corn is far too small. You make one good pass around the cob and you're done already!

Not as an actual "test," but i moved my phone, which was running the app, from the kitchen counter (within 6 ft of the KK) to the living room about 15 ft from the KK, and I lost the signal. So, I had to move the phone back to where it was. It sync'ed itself right back up. Was a good spot for it anyway, as that's where the phone charger is plugged in, so I just left it there to recharge. They say if you want more distance, you need the Block version (which isn't in production yet), or to otherwise connect it to WiFi, using an old phone (don't ask me how to do that - I maybe an Engineer, but I'm computer hardware stupid - not my field at all!)

I ordered 2. As God as my witness, i will never boil shrimp again!

Probably not. It's a sealed unit.

On this cook, it was inserted past the minimum mark - probably close to 3 inches. I had to tug pretty good on it to get it out at the end of the cook and it was a chore inserting it at the beginning, so I wasn't worried about it coming out!

Did the second cook last night with the MEATER. Bacon wrapped boneless beef ribs on the OctoForks. While the MEATER did a good job on the meat, the ambient temperature (and corresponding cooking time) were all over the map. The KK dome temperature was 300F and the MEATER ambient temperature reading was coming up slowly like before. Then, all of a sudden it turned over and started going down, a lot (70F) - HUH??? So, I went out to check on it and everything seemed OK. My first thought was - DAMN, the thing has burned out already!!! The ambient end of the probe was sticking out of the end of one rib (inserted long ways to ensure minimum depth - the probe has a scored line and the probe needs to be inserted to at least that depth), which put it near the coals on each rotation (i.e., pointed straight down at the basket). Then, all of a sudden, the temperature reading started increasing again and finally reached near the KK thermometer. I was baffled, but let the cook go on, as the meat temperature was behaving normally and that's what really mattered. Well, when I took the Fork off at the end of the cook and brought it inside and pulled the MEATER probe out of the rib, I could see what had happened. The bacon had dripped fat onto that end of the probe and coated it. There was a black crust all over the end of the probe. I guess what happened was that initially it acted like insulation, causing the reading to drop. Then, once the bacon rendered out and the fat burned off the end of the probe, the reading started going up again. Interesting for sure! Now, I just have to figure out what the next "test cook" will be??

1300 ft - WOW! The rolls of pink that I get on Amazon are only 150 ft and they last me a very long time. This would be more than a lifetime supply - assuming it's not waxed!! https://smile.amazon.com/Butcher-Durable-Approved-ORIGINAL-smoking/dp/B00NC5S6OM

@CeramicChef -

I assume that's to cover their extra shipping costs for multiple units, seeing as they claim "free shipping."

Just don't OD!

I know the clock is ticking, but this is the "deal of the century." Anova is releasing a new model and it's only $69!!! If you ever even momentarily thought about buying a Sous Vide machine, now's the time to strike. https://anovaculinary.com/anova-precision-cooker-nano/?anovanerd=yesplease&utm_source=01.+Primary+Marketing+List&utm_campaign=8a4da4f9bd-nano_launch_email&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f33347b916-8a4da4f9bd-100134741&ct=t(nano_launch_email)&goal=0_f33347b916-8a4da4f9bd-100134741&mc_cid=8a4da4f9bd&mc_eid=f20b46fd4c

Love Pot Stickers! I wuss and buy the wrappers. Even better, we have a great restaurant that specializes in dumplings - The Dumpling Darling. https://www.dumplingdarling.com/

Yeah, that's a fair amount of fat drippings. Maybe an aluminum pan on top of the charcoal basket handles to catch the excess. That way you can still "baste" the brisket, without the risk of flare ups!

Nice looking bacon, MacKenzie. Looking forward to doing my next batch, using the Purple Crack in the brine!

@Keith OctoForks - you should be, since several of us are eagerly awaiting the skewers to go with our Forks!! Just sayin'

Nice job, Shuley! I'd seriously think about leaving that drip pan off and letting all that pork belly goodness drip onto the brisket!!!

Isn't it fun experimenting with different combos for the Purple Crack! This morning's eggs were Purple Crack with Sriracha Salt - tasty!

Hey, Ken! Good to see you posting again. It's been too long!

Was going to be my second guess.

Well, after the 1st use of the Meater, I'd have to say that it met my expectations. Was easy to set up the cook. Was fun to watch the displays (there's even a time vs temp graph display). The meat thermometer end tracked along with my Thermopen, so it's pretty accurate. Unfortunately, I forgot to hook up my Maverick along side it to see how well the "ambient temperature" probe (on the opposite end) tracked. It was reading 325F at equilibrium, and I had the dome thermometer reading 375F. Makes sense, as the meat was on the "cool side" of the basket splitter. The one thing - the ambient temperature reading is very slow. While it finally reached equilibrium, it took quite a while to do so - like 15 minutes (but, the KK wasn't heat soaked, so it might have still been coming up to temp, as well for part of that time.) That was also true of the "Time Remaining" display. It took maybe 5 minutes after starting to begin to give an actual time (probably due to the algorithm that they use to do the calculation.) On most cooks where you would use the Meater, these time delays shouldn't be an issue. And, to be on the safe side, I pulled the Meater probe out of the tri-tip before I put in on the direct (hot) side of the grill to reverse sear, as I dropped down to the lower grate for that part of the cook. Like I said before, the jury is still out on a final verdict until I get a few more cooks under my belt with it to see how reliable it is under different conditions, like direct heat in a rotisserie cook. I also need to use it in a very long cook (10+ hours) to see how well the Meater stays charged. Would hate to have it peter out before the end of a brisket or pork butt cook. Per the instructions, it takes about 3 hours to fully recharge, so that could be a major flaw if it doesn't last long enough. One would think the designers would have thought of that and made sure the battery they chose would do the job. We'll see.