tony b

Don't leave out the rosemary sprigs!

Unfortunately, my "go-to" guy closed his deli/meat market today. His sausage business (another location) will be closing at the end to October. Classic pandemic trifecta: Delivery costs (Chomp, Door Dash, Uber Eats, etc.) cutting into slim margins, skyrocketing meat prices this summer, and hard to get/retain employees. Sad days indeed! 😢

On your longer cooks, like ribs, butts and brisket, you can try spraying them periodically with apple juice/cider vinegar/water/bourbon/beer - whatever strikes your fancy. Smoke likes a damp surface to stick to, so by lightly spritzing the meat during the cook after the bark sets (several hours in), say every 30 mins to an hour, you will pick up some more smoke flavor. Just be careful and don't overdo the spraying each time, as you don't want to wash off that lovely bark that you've worked so hard to create.

You mean like this?? Picked these over the weekend. That's a 3 gallon bucket. Maybe 25% of what's on the plant?

Was in a bit of a rush for dinner last night, so I bopped on over to the supermarket to grab something in the butcher counter to toss on the KK, when I spotted this - Flamin' Hot Cheetos crusted, stuffed & bacon-wrapped chicken breasts (stuffing is cream cheese & jalapenos). Just had to hit it! Direct, main grate, 325F, apple wood chunk. Plated with melting potatoes and a side salad (yummy yellow tomato!)

I have a jar of filets in my fridge. They keep like forever if you keep them covered in oil. The paste comes in a tube, like toothpaste, so it might be easier to use than filets. Look for it in the supermarket where they sell the canned sardines. However, the filets are very tender and are easy to smash into a paste.

Yeah, that pic was taken a long time ago, right after I got it, so it was pretty "brand new." I called it "KK at Sunrise."

WOW! Gorgeous! Welcome to the Obsession! You're off to a running start with your new KK with that rib cook!

Sorry to hear that you missed out on that opportunity, but you'll be just as happy (maybe more so) with the one that you pick out for yourself, despite the delay! (Hint, Hint - Dark Autumn Nebula tiles cook best!) 😄

@tekobo - what I was referring to was, back in the day, Dennis had a much broader color palette of choices to pick from. I think that he still has access to some of those, even though he doesn't routinely use them due to lack of demand. Also, if you want a specific pattern - multi-color zig-zag or "racing stripe." He can do those, too. It just means waiting longer for them to schedule the production, plus I'm sure that there's a surcharge for the extra labor?

Yep, windy days can do that. That's why I keep my Guru fan exhaust port at least 1/2 closed.

You should have a bag of "spare plugs" in your repair kit that came with your KK. Yep, I've had troubles in the past with the rotisserie expanding and being difficult to remove once the cook is finished - a PITA sometimes. I trimmed my rotisserie rod down and one of the end pieces on the basket, too. One piece of advice, as I made this mistake - the pointy end on the rod unscrews and you should remove it after skewering your food, which shortens the rod about 1/4". It will help with the expansion issue, without trimming. Now, I have to leave the pointy end on, otherwise the rod is too short to reach the holes inside the KK. Doesn't make for the best fit.

Suya Pepper porkchops. Direct, main grate, 325F, apple wood chunks. Plated with polenta with parm & chives, green beans and a nice rose.

Congrats and Welcome to the Obsession. You won't be disappointed. Keep posting - we're all into food porn here! 🤣

It's been done, but as Robert says, you need to discuss it with Dennis to see if he can make it work.

I thought that I was catching a glimpse of heaven in those pictures! AWESOME!

Love all the crazy good looking cooks! @remi for a 1st rib cook - you nailed that one! Nicely done! @C6Bill - damn, that's a big bird! @Poochie Sureshot Sids line of rubs have become some of my fav's. I got turned on 1st to the Gunpowder and have tried several of the others now. All pretty good. https://smile.amazon.com/Sure-Shot-Sids-Gunpowder-Seasoning/dp/B00N276QL0 @mguerra Happy to see you back posting cooks again, Doc!

Doc might be the lone holdout on using the thick deflector stone! 😄

Been watching some YouTube vids from some respected BBQ dudes and they all say to wrap and hold for at least an hour or more. Some say with a full packer cut brisket - it should be 8 - 12 hours. Haven't gone that long yet to see if it does make a difference? I'm typically 2 - 3 hours on butts & briskets. They say the meat fibers relax as it sits and the meat becomes more tender.

Lovely tablescape! Magazine worthy!

First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to both of you! 🍾 🎂 Second, @Troble - you're effing killing me with all those lovely pictures! The scenery, as well as all that awesome looking food, is just stunning! ENJOY my friend - I'm soooo jealous!!

Just another steak night. Prime grade ribeye cap marinated in Shio Koji & Sureshot Sid's gunpowder (my go-to!), lower grate, direct, 400F, mesquite chunks. Twice baked spud with cheddar cheese, sautéed shrooms with the smoked wagyu beef tallow, simple salad & crusty bread. Decent TJ red.

Have you considered one of the Crowdfunding sites - Kickstarter, IndieGoGo?

My challenge with places like this so close by, would be "why am I cooking??" I'd never be able to replicate these meals and I consider myself a pretty damn good home chef! Same for brewing if I lived in SD - too many outstanding breweries in the area - so why would I even try myself - even for the "fun of it?"