tony b

Thank God! For a minute there, I was worried that it might be ketchup - WHEW!

Clue me in, Bro. I'm intrigued.

What do you do after 4 solid days of oppressive heat? Break out the bucket of duck fat and make something good! First, get out the bucket of duck fat - yes, that 3.5 pounds of duck fat and it was only $25 at my local butcher - WINNER! First off, let's do some garlic confit in duck fat. Jars went into the pressure cooker for 30 minutes. Well, since we have the bucket out, let's do some nice potatoes in duck fat, with fresh rosemary, thyme and garlic. Oh yeah, Happy National Tequila Day! Had a margarita (or two) to celebrate! Onto the KK, with some more of the local sweet corn! Skip to the chase - plating. 2 nice burgers (ground brisket), with cheddar cheese, the potatoes, and the corn. And, since we have a skillet full of nice seasoned duck fat, let's just slather that onto the corn instead of butter! Oh yeah, Duck Fat Rules, Baby!

Hope the family appreciates all the great food that they are going to get! I eat that pizza in a NY minute!

Isn't that what toys are for? LOL!

@Shuley Kudos on the Italian Beef, a personal fav. I'll take mine Wet & Hot.

OUT- F'ING-RAGEOUS! Well done, Tony! One of the best plating presentations that I've ever seen!

I wish that there was a way for all of us to converge and have a KK cookout marathon somewhere. It would be EPIC!

Yes, Ken, it's local corn. They pick it daily and sell in roadside stands. Can't get any fresher than that! @bosco - Yes, I liked the marinade. Followed your lead and did one with Q-Nami. I liked it the best, no Duh! @MacKenzie - you know the best of cooking is playing with your food! @Steve M - G&T = Mother's milk!

Whatever tile color floats your boat (pun intended!)

Hey Tony! Glad to hear that you didn't get sprayed! Nasty stuff. But that brisket looks awesome despite the Pepe intervention!

Yes, a standard metal drill bit will work, as cast iron is actually relatively soft metal. Here's the link to the one that I bought, which was the cheapest that I could find at the time. http://www.texsport.net/cast-iron-cookware-and-accessories/seasoned-quart-cast-iron-dutch-oven-with-legs-p-8448.html It's actually cheaper now than when I bought mine back in 2013.

So, my marinade arrived yesterday from Amazon and I was ready with a pack of "country style" pork ribs. Mixed up the marinade and in went the ribs last night for an overnight marinade. First off, this sh!t is seriously red! (Note: it's been over 100F with the heat index here for days! So, the cocktail of choice for Buzz - on the tumbler, is Gin & Tonic. The Clearheart Gin is from our local distillery - Cedar Ridge.) Onto the KK with smoking pot of maple and cherry woods. Cook is direct @ 325F on the main grate. The local corn has started to come in. Gotta hit that! Done. With this oppressive heat, even the bread gets tossed onto the KK so I don't have to heat up the house! Plated, with some Ginger Coconut Curry Rice.

I've never seen it, but I don't generally cook with Armagnac. I use Christian Brothers cognac. Most of my cooking liquors are cheap - bottom shelf stuff. If I need to finish a dish with a splash, where the actual flavor will make a difference, then I'll upgrade and grab something better off the bar.

The original thread from Syzergies. Is there some way for the Admins to pin this, as the question gets asked periodically. I'd say to use Ken's post when he built his, but he drilled more holes in it than necessary. So, I'd recommend sticking with the original post.

^+1 That looks like the perfect size to me. @DennisLinkletter - are the boxes of the coffee chunks going to be available on Amazon?

Great tip about the roti motor orientation. I would have probably missed that detail.

@Syzygies - while those are indeed some nice sippin' whiskeys, I would never waste it cooking. A more economical bourbon would work just as well and not waste "the good stuff." I typically use Old Crow or similar for cooking.

@Shuley - well done! What's in the herbed butter? I am partial to tarragon on my fresh corn.

More gorgeous pics of your great food, MacKenzie! Ken's right, you should be a food stylist.

@Bruce Pearson - My cold smoker has shipped. 1st use will be to cold smoke some Alaskan King salmon! Better get some alder pellets to be ready when it arrives.

Is it for the upper grate or the main grate?

More great tips. Thanks!!

Yes, there is a break-in process for the elastomeric layer under the tiles before you cook at very high temps (you can do low & slow cooks forever without doing it.) Folks sweat doing it, but it's not that complicated, just long - takes a few hours. It will be described in your Owner's Manual when you buy your KK.