tony b

Last night was bacon-wrapped shrimp. Seasoned the shrimp with cajun seasoning. I par-cooked the bacon first, so that the shrimp wouldn't be overcooked waiting for the bacon to finish. Started out on the main grate, but wasn't getting the bacon to finish up quickly enough, so I dropped down to the lower grate for the final few minutes. Slathered on a little BBQ sauce, too. Sides of pasta puttanesca and salad.

While I don't cook chili with beans, I often make a side pot of "chili beans" to have with the actual chili. Pinto beans with chili seasoning, Rotel tomatoes & green chiles, onions and usually a splash of tequila to make them "drunken beans."

And, Yes, I've had the authentic Skyline chili. Interesting, for sure. I even did 5 way (with beans!)

I grew up in the Piedmont (Greenville) and lived a few other places in the area (Asheville, Hendersonville), I have to say I've never seen or eaten this stew before? Brunswick stew - yes. I've even had Burgoo when I lived in eastern KY. Both cooked over open fires in big cast iron pots. But never anything that's this milk-based, except for oyster stew or clam chowder (NE - of course!)

While not "proven" - there's a lot of folks out there that claim Cowboy uses "treated" lumber scraps.

Says a lot! 🤣 Coney sauce (aka - "Greek" chili down south where I come from) is a totally different dish from TX chili. I've judged CASI sanctioned chili cook-offs, so I know the difference. I like both - and I make both - but don't confuse the two.

Catching up on some recent cooks. Sunday - chicken thighs with Uncle Dougie's wing marinade - my "go-to." Started out on the main grate at 325F, but then dropped down to the lower grate, skin side down, for the last 15 minutes. Plated with orzo pasta and coleslaw (I mixed some clean Uncle Dougie's into the dressing for the slaw instead of the usual vinegar - it's a "keeper!") Monday night was a bit of a quandry as to what to make? Quickly thawed out some thinly cut beef and made some suya skewers. I did add a bit of Gunpowder to the suya mix. I liked it. Lower grate, 400F. Mesquite chunks. Plated with a nice salt-crusted baked potato and some of the leftover coleslaw. Last night was lamb chops. Main grate, 350F, coffee wood chunks. Rubbed with my "house" lamb seasoning, with a bit of extra rosemary. Plated with roasted spuds and a salad. This is "faux" green crack - Trader Joe's Jalapeno Sauce with fresh chopped cilantro and parsley. Works great in a pinch!

While the brisket is gorgeous, and the pot of chili looked great, you lost me on the beans! I'm a "purist" when it comes to TX chili. I did like the fact that you roasted the other ingredients though.

When I use a foil pouch, it's usually with chips over chunks (I have a cast iron smoker pot for those). I keep the pouch "loose," and use a toothpick to punch a couple of small holes in the bottom. I only use the pouch method on shorter cooks, as the smoke production is short (relative to the smoker pot). Best example - jerk chicken. I have pimento wood chunks, leaves and berries (aka - allspice) that I put into a foil pouch. Works great.

Cowboy is total sh!t charcoal. I don't recommend it to anyone, regardless of how cheap it is - you get what you pay for - in this case, half carbonized scrap lumber.

Especially on a windy day! You get "vacuum drag" across the top vent, which will pull excess air into the KK even when the fan is not running. I never have my Guru fan output damper more than 1/2 open.

You really should give wood pellets a try in the cold smoker - over chips & chunks.

Weekend Warrior used to be my go-to. Can't get it here anymore. 😢

Told ya!

I'd give it a go. What do you have to lose?

Indeed!

Firefighters scoured an Australian neighborhood looking for a gas leak. They found a durian instead. (msn.com)

Color is one thing, crispy skin is another - the Holy Grail of grilled chicken. The latter requires higher temps - above 375F. Direct heat helps, too.

Nothing wrong with hot & fast cooks.

Excellent looking birds from both of you!

Ain't that the truth!!

I'd ask them what the dimensions of that plate are first, as it would need to be big enough to cover up the half-moon opening in the draft door?

Those parts of the bird have more fat under the skin - hence, crispy. Never tried this, but I bet if you injected some butter under the skin of the legs, you might get better results?

Cool, but would it be possible to come up with a "bolt on" retrofit so those of us (who've upgraded to the dual dial door) with old single-dial draft doors gathering dust could repurpose them? I was thinking we could remove the wooden knob and bolt on, in the existing hole, a cover plate that has the tube bracket welded to it for the fan? If we needed to seal it up tighter, we could just put some Permatex around the edges of the new cover plate.

My best guess is that the legs aren't as thick as the rest of the bird and they don't have much fat, especially at the ends, so they will have a tendency to darken (burn) more so than the rest of the bird. One of the reason that you see folks putting AL foil on the ends of the legs of their Thanksgiving turkeys in the oven. If it's something that bothers you, you can always truss the legs together with butcher's twine, which will keep them closer to the body and not sticking out in the heat like antennae!