tony b

If you think the flat was a tad too dry, there's always burnt ends (aka Meat Candy)! It wouldn't be an Aussie dinner without Dee's salad!

Whatever color you choose, it will be the best grill/smoker you've ever owned - that is, until you buy your 2nd one!

Excellent!

You got it!

It didn't come across as well in this video as it did when Andrew Zimmern visited there on his show, but they actually have 4 different temperature/humidity controlled rooms to simulate the environment in Tuscany for each of the 4 seasons! The racks of hams get moved from room to room over the course of the year. That's dedication to a craft, even if you're using high tech methods to do it. Best quote from the Zimmern show - he asked them why Iowa to start this business, when neither of them are from here? Their answer - this is where the tastiest pigs are! You got that right! Here's a picture of Carl from Rustic Rooster Farms, that raise only heritage breeds, showing off a mulefoot whole hog roast (they did 4 different breeds of pigs that day - hog heaven, indeed!)

Been listening to George Carlin lately, have we?

Did you coat the soaked brisket in coarse black pepper & crushed coriander seeds before smoking? That's pastrami!

Just happen to get an email from the Thermapen folks about grilling frozen steaks. A good summary. http://blog2.thermoworks.com/2016/08/perfectly-grilled-steaks-freezer/?utm_source=Nl-2017Apr04&utm_medium=email&utm_term=ThermapenMk4&utm_content=inbox&utm_campaign=Apr2017-Frozen-Steaks-cs

We're lucky here in Iowa, as we have one of the top Salumeria in the country - La Quercia. Made me hungry for a snack. Fortunately, I have some La Quercia Borsellino in the fridge!

Awesome! When you're all done, post a set of "before" and "after" pictures. It will be dramatic! Looking forward to that first cook and seeing this Phoenix in action.

that was funny!

Then I got the Raging River covered, Charles. Will keep the heat level down on the house lamb blend for Dee. Can't wait - like Christmas!

Great minds, eh? I did a couple of lamb chops for dinner last night so i could try out the Bush Lamb seasoning from Aussie. I liked the seasoning a lot. Was too hungry to take pictures!

The sear grate is the upper grate (the one with legs) turned upside down and place directly on top of the charcoal basket handles. The lower grate is the one with the opening at the front and has it's own ledge in the side wall and sits a few inches above the charcoal basket.

We tell all the newbies that the first thing to do after your KK arrives is to go buy a bigger sized belt - you'll need it sooner than you think!

I'll see if I can find it around here. If not, maybe my next trip to Binny's in Chicago.

Splendid first cook. Interesting wine pairing for sure! For pork, I gravitate towards soft/fruity reds - Rhones or Burgundy varietals.

When I retired, this is one of my presents to myself. I had always wanted a dedicated space to brew so I didn't have to haul all the stuff in and out of the basement up to the kitchen on brew days. Yes, Ken, it's a nice red, but I actually re-purposed the box to stash some nice beers for short-term aging. But, what you can't see for that box is the stash of good Bourbons that I brought back from last year's KY Bourbon Trail vacation! My bar is overflowing, so I'm having to use some real estate in the brew room to store it! Damn, what a major problem to have - LOL!

Pretty close to Aaron Franklin's method. Take as much of the "hard" fat off as possible. It doesn't do anything to help keep the meat moist. It's not going to melt much and like he said, it just becomes insulation on the meat, keeping it from cooking. But, if you like to cook yours fat cap down, then leave some of that "insulation" on, otherwise, trim it as shown.

See if you can find some Tiger Prawns in your area, in particular Asian markets, as they are usually in this size category. In the States, this size is usually only found during peak harvest season in the Gulf, around August.

OK, then, I'll have to get a bit creative then. You running low on anything that you'd like more of, or some other Dizzy Pigs you want to try? btw - finally got to try the Bush Lamb seasoning tonight on some lamb chops. Nice! Need to find an excuse to do a leg or some Denver ribs, so I can really test it out. I'll probably send you some of my "house" lamb seasoning blend, so you can compare. Mine is a blend of different Mediterranean influences, so you'll have to tell me how spicy/hot you'd like it? When I make it, it has a kick to it because I skew towards Moroccan over Greek.

I suspect adult beverages were involved!

Good luck with that first cook of the pork roast. Looks naked - did you put anything on it? I'd take that Unibroue anyday! Love their beers.

Aussie, nicely done. Aaron Franklin says to leave about 1/4" of fat is all. And, I follow his butcher paper wrap technique as well. Works great.