tony b

There's always Oriental Trading for those umbrellas if you can't find them locally. I like these with the straws built in - clever. http://www.orientaltrading.com/hibiscus-parasol-straws-a2-34_1268.fltr?prodCatId=551218+1297 They used to have real coconut shell cups, too. But now all they have are plastic ones.

TY to all for the compliments.

Did a Cuban dinner tonight – Mojo porkchops done Sous Vide, finished on the KK, with grilled pineapple, blood orange reduction, drunken black beans & Caribbean rice, and a nice sourdough baggette. Chardonnay was the beverage of choice tonight. Boneless pork loin chop, in the SV bag, with a slice of blood orange on each side, which was dusted with Badia Saison Complete and a splash of Badia Mojo marinade. Sous Vide for 4 hours @ 132F (55.6C). Out of the SV bath and onto the KK, lower grate, basket splitter, no wood, 350Fdome. Grill 3-4 minutes each side, just to crust the outside of the porkchop. Fresh pineapple slice was dusted with Dizzy Pig Pineapple Head. Sides – Drunken Black Beans and Caribbean rice. 1 can of Goya Black Beans, drained and rinsed. Start with coconut oil in the pot, saute ½ of a white onion, diced, with a couple of cloves of chopped garlic. Add the beans, a shot of dark rum, ¼ cup of chicken stock, ½ tsp Adobo seasoning, and 3-4 dashes of a good habanero hot sauce. Saute ¼ white onion (diced) in coconut oil, add ½ cup rice and saute pilaf style. Add a ½ tsp of Badia Tropicale rice seasoning. Add a cup of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook rice for 20 minutes. Sauce was a reduction of fresh blood orange juice (1 orange), juices from the pork chop SV pouch, and 1 tbl of the Badia Mojo marinade. Bring to a boil and reduce by ¾, add a splash of dark rum. Finish with a Tbl of butter. Money shot.

AWESOME looking burger!! Funky idea to slather the mushrooms in mayo!

Great adaptation! I guess you could conceivably substitute it for butter in sauteing just about anything???

Gotta go with real coconut shell cocktail glasses!

Stunning pics, as usual, Mackenzie!

Excellent. Love me some Greek lamb!! Best way to cook it IMHO! I did a small boneless leg last Sunday, too!

I'd eat that! The dessert is restaurant worthy! Well Done!

Swiss and Havarti, with bacon, mayo and tomato. Tried a new trick from an Internet story about Nat'l Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day - instead of butter on the outside, use mayo! Works pretty good and was just as tasty.

I hope to Hell that they don't - would be an abomination before all that is Holy in the foodie world!!

Double Thumbs Up on the Brandy! I use Bourbon in my baked beans, dark rum in my black beans (Cuban), and tequila in my chili beans!

Love me some hushpuppies. Will have to try yours. But, be careful posting about dropping puppies into hot oil or you'll have the ASPCA on your back!! Believe it or not, these commercial ones are pretty damned good. Unfortunately, my local market stopped carrying them! http://www.savannahclassics.com/products/retail-hushpuppies-original.html

Me, too!

Just one of the side benefits, Eggary! Tinyfish, you will find that three small (3/32") holes will work just fine. The key is sealing the lid on with the flour/water paste. As Dennis noted, the pressure will build up and the smoke is forced out the holes into the fire to burn off the volatile components. With the small holes, it chokes the airflow into the DO, so the burn is very slow, which causes the wood to burn in an oxygen-deficient environment; hence, charcoal as a by-product. ckreef, here's a 1 quart cast iron DO. Only 5.5" dia (internal) and 3.5" tall. http://www.amazon.com/Cajun-Cookware-Dutch-Ovens-Seasoned/dp/B0000E2RWW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428810837&sr=8-1&keywords=1+quart+cast+iron Lodge makes a 1 pint DO (5" dia, 2.5" tall), but it doesn't come with the lid. You can buy the lid for it for another $9 - Total cost about $35. http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-HCK-Enhanced-Seasoned-Country/dp/B00LJSEU08/ref=dp_ob_title_kitchen

Gives a nice perspective on the size. The bird takes up most of the main grill space. On a 23", it wouldn't take up that much space on the upper grate.

Girl, you just keep knocking it out of the park with the food porn! Crazy good pictures - so good, you can almost taste it!

I KNOW you'll love it. Everyone that I know that has one swears by it. I think it rates right up there with the microwave as a game changer in the food prep world!

Didn't have a lick of problem drilling mine with a standard metal bit. No oil, nothing. Cast iron is about as soft a metal as it gets, except maybe next to lead. Dennis, curious as to the tube idea - how were you addressing the structural issues with bending, crimping, unless you were keeping them very short, like nipples or a nozzle? Longer tubes would have to be fairly robust, given the small internal diameters were talking about. Good engineering problem!

“All I can say is that I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me.†- Winston Churchill

None this time. Maybe next time.

OK, I jumped into the pool. Bought the Cookina Xtra Reusable version (cheaper and higher quality) from Amazon (free shipping). Won't be here until next week, so won't get to play with it this weekend. Will feedback later after I get a chance to use it a couple of times.

Here's another version, has a slightly higher heat rating (600F). AND, can be put into the dishwasher! Lots of 5 star reviews on Amazon, too. This is a 2 pack, so you could experiment with putting holes in one to solve the drainage issue. http://www.amazon.com/Kona-C2-AE-BEST-BBQ-GRILL-MAT/dp/B00KJVTB96/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

The only true test would be to make both versions and compare them.

No, but I have some pulled pork in the freezer from my last butt.