tony b

From my SV cookbook tables for Flank Steak: Medium Rare: 131F for 2 - 12 hours Medium Rare (tender): 131F for 1 - 2 days Medium; 140F for 2 - 12 hours Medium (tender): 140F for 1 - 2 days So, based upon the above, it seems clear that the extra time is to alter texture and not doneness.

Another cookbook quality picture spread, MacKenzie. You have serious photog talents!

Your theory is spot on. That's why it's important to heat soak the KK, especially for cooks on the upper grate, like pizza. Heat Transfer 101: Conduction is the most efficient means of heat transfer. Occurs when an object (food in our case) is placed in physical contact with a hot solid object (grates) (or a water bath in Sous Vide). Next comes convection, the heat transfer to the food from the flowing hot gases (or steam). Finally, is radiative heat transfer. Least efficient of the three. Requires a very large temperature differential between heat source and object (food). Think the broiler in your oven. Believe it or not, color/reflectivitiy is important here, too. Shiny and/or light colored surfaces reflect heat, conversely, dark/dull surfaces absorb heat. No suprises there, we wear light colored clothes in the summer, and darker colors in the winter. Works exactly the same for cooking. That's why aluminum foil has a shiny side and a dull side.

Yummy looking salmon and I'm a sucker for crispy salmon skin! I'll give the coal stirring thing a try on my next high temp cook.

Well there goes my diet!

Hey, they don't call burnt ends, Meat Candy, for nothing!! Doesn't get much better than that. Your IT finishing temps seem OK to me, especially since you were grinding up into burgers. I always shoot for 200F - 205F for briskets, chuck roasts, etc. I've always thought that at 195F they are a tad chewy. YMMV. Interesting looking cocktail.

My pancreas already hates you! You folks are gonna have me on Metformin before long!!

Nothing particularly tricky about making tandoori chicken, other than it cooks at a higher temp than you'd normally roast chicken at (550F vs 375F), so it cooks faster (20 minutes vs an hour). Good posts in the Chicken section of the Forum. Don't be afraid to jump into the deep end of the pool!

Nice job, sir! Yeah, 150F is like for cold smoking salmon and cheese. Need higher temps to BBQ meats.

Gotta make a batch of wings soon. These posts are kiling me!!

Great job, MacKenzie. Nice rare beef, nothing better!! Did you sear it first or reverse sear? What was the seasoning?

Nice job, Wilbur!! I'd take that smoke ring any day, son!

Just a word of caution. What Tinyfish says is true - for lower temperature cooks. If you crank the dome temperature up over 400F, the outside of the dome WILL get hot after it heat soaks (>30 minutes). I did tandoori chicken on Friday at a dome temperature of 550F. Trust me, the outside of the dome was damned hot!!

Did some tandoori chicken on Friday, but let the time slip up on me and I didn't have time to try to make Naan. There are a couple of good threads in the "Bread" section of the Forum. I was going to use the Cookina mat, but this sounds intriguing. But, like he said, if you don't have a good zip saw (and I don't), this can be a PITA.

How ironic - I am putting a chuck roast on the KK in about an hour! One of my favs, as it has all the beefy qualities that I like in brisket, but doesn't take nearly as long to smoke and I don't end up with a shit-ton of leftovers to freeze.

Gorgeous! That's what I'm talking about! Puree the bulbs in the processor (or blender) with just a bit of the oil to make a paste that looks like peanut butter. Put into a jar and keep in the fridge. Will keep for weeks (IF it lasts that long!) Bottle up the rest of that beautiful garlic oil and you've got something special in your pantry! Enjoy!!!

Great advice from Robert, It's super easy to hold temperature in a KK, but really hard to bring it back down, if you overshoot too far.

As the song goes, "I like big butts and I cannot lie!"

Welcome to the obsession! Trust me, after your first couple of cooks, you'll completely understand what I'm saying! The Forum is a wealth of great info, but don't be afraid to ask any and all questions. That's why the Forum exists - to share this great love of Kamado cooking!!! Don't forget to post pics of the grand unveiling and that all important virgin cook! Since you said that you weren't a fan of pork butt, I'd suggest a whole chicken (intact or spatchcocked, either way). You will be simply amazed at how great it comes out. I think they're the single cook that sets ceramic grills, in general, apart from the rest of the BBQ grill community - charcoal or gas. Have fun with your new toy. Don't be intimidated, just takes a bit of practice to get the hang of adjusting the upper and lower dampers to control the temperature. You'll be very surprised to learn how little they need to be open to reach most cooking temperatures. But, the nice thing about BBQing is that precise temperatures aren't critical to outstanding results. So, if you're off by 25F or so, in either direction, no worries. Biggest mistake rookies make is what I call "chasing the temperature," constantly tweaking the vents open and closed trying to hit an exact temperature. A lot of frustration over nothing. Relax, fire that baby up, have an adult beverage, and get ready for a great adventure!

Not tried onions before. Let me know how it works out, MacKenzie.

OMG, you're as anal retentive as I am - ROFLMAO!! I used to do big charity dinners and would set up timelines like that to keep everyone on track. It does work, even though it looks super nerdy! Hat's Off to a successful dinner!

HURRAY!!! Awesome news! Please post some pics of Tatay back home and his (her?) first cook!!

I get the 3# bags of whole garlic bulbs at CostCo. Great deal, even if I don't make it through the whole bag before they start drying out.

One of the nicer things about living in Iowa - It's good to live where the piggies are!!

My thougths exactly! Best part of summer is grilled fresh corn on the cob (and homegrown tomatoes!)