tony b

Despite Wilburpan's trepidation, many of us here in the Forum (including Dennis) have bent our temperature probes enough to snake through the port. Just like good BBQ - go low & slow and everything will be OK, even on a cheaper unit like a Maverick. Just apply even pressure and slowing straighten the probe. It doesn't have to be completely straightened out to fit through the hole, only to like a 45 degree angle. http://komodokamado.com/forum/topic/4481-thermoworks-probes/#entry42553

Nice looking first cook. My suggestion for cook number 2 is to go for a whole chicken. You'll be blown away by how juicy it comes out. Look on the right side of the lower body, just a couple of inches below the lip. You'll see a small black rubber plug. That's where you run your wires through for your temperature probes, so you don't crush them between the lid and the body. The plug has a split in it to wrap around the wires and you put it back into the grill during the cook, or you'll throw off your air control. Yeah, the KK is that sensitive! Welcome to the addiction!

Thanks, especially coming from the man that did a whole suckling pig stuffed with pork butts! Hats off, dude!

I use parchment paper with my homemade pies, too. A whole lot easier than cornmeal (IMO). Cheated and did Papa Murphy pizzas last night on the KK (upper grill @ 550F on the KK stone, with a chunk of red oak). (Sorry, no pics as they were "commerical.") But, I did amp them up with lardon made from the leftovers from the porchetta cook, with more added cheese (Grana) and a liberal sprinkling of dried red chile flakes. Tasty!

Hardcore, man! Cooking a whole turkey just to make gumbo!! Love it!

Porchetta by any other name! Just wish my cracklings had come out that well! Props, dude!!!

Yes, it was a whole belly (13.5 lbs). I did cut it down to fit (leftover pieces slated to become bacon soon). It fully covered the loin initially, but it shrank a bit during cooking to expose the top of the loin. No harm, gave it a bit of crust on the top. It might not look that way in the photo, as I didn't "square up" the ends of the belly first, so the skin doesn't completely envelope the loin, but the belly did. Plus, I didn't do such a great job tieing it up; it was a little loose. Details to correct the next time.

Here are the "leftover" pieces of pork belly from the porchetta cook. They are slated to become bacon soon!

You mean like this one?? Sorry, no logo in view, but the shape of the grill should give it away. But, I'll remember that going forward.

Got a nice break from the cold weather (it was actually above freezing and in the 40s this weekend!), and I was tired of looking at that whole pork belly in my freezer, so I finally broke down and made the porchetta. OMG! I don't know how I'm going to eat this without have a major coronary! And now, the food porn! First, you need a large piece of pork belly, skin on, fresh (not brined). This one is a whole belly (13.5 lbs) that I scored from a local butcher before the holidays. Here it is trimmed to fit the pork loin roast. The rest went back into the freezer to become bacon down the road. Smeared with boursin cheese w/garlic & herbs, homemade pesto w/pistachios, and sprinkled with dried sage. All dressed up and no where to go. The shot for Dennis. Onto the KK, indirect, with Guru set to 250F, with hickory and peach wood in the smoking pot. Alright Mr. De Mille, I'm ready for my close-up. Exterior was dusted with Hawaiian red salt, fresh black pepper and garlic powder. Done. Internal temperature 180F. And, finally the money shot. Insanely rich. Unctuous. A heart attack on a plate. My only disappointment was that the skin didn't crisp up enough (chicharon), more like pork taffy - it was very soft and chewy, literally sticking to my teeth! So, I cut the skin off and cubed it. Will try deep frying it to see if I can achieve chicaron bliss!

Hang in there, buddy! Nice job on the Canadian Bacon. Tell us about the cure you did on it?

I've always been a fan of using cornstarch on fried chicken (learned it in a chinese cooking class), but will give the baking powder trick a try. Nice weather tomorrow (by that I mean it's above freezing!), so I was planning to fire up the KK anyway.

Yeah, what he said. My only add would be that if it's a windy day, I don't open the Guru damper all the way, maybe 1/2. Don't sweat small differences in cooking temperature (+/- 25F), all that matters is the internal temp of your meat in the end. That's the fun part of this adventure, learning all the techniques and tricks to add to your culinary tool box - low & slow, hot & fast, Texas crutch, reverse sear, etc. It's all good! BTW - nice looking roast there! Looks like you're well on your way!

Craig, did you get the ANOVA? Great tool for both the kitchen and the brew room in my case. I use it to get my strike water to the exact temperature that I need.

I'll probably be a lazy putz, too! Been too damned cold to stay outside to fire up the KK. Maybe tomorrow, warming up to the mid-20s - Woo, Hoo!

If you don't post pictures, we might have to "raid your dormatorium."

Welcome to the KK family. I'll try and refrain from oblique references to that Frank Zappa tune (one of my favs! I refer to the dogs as my "pigmy pooches.") Sounds like we'll be learning more from you than vice versa! Don't forget to post pics of the virgin cook. It's a "rule" here (No Pic, It Didn't Happen!) My vote for 1st cook is to roast a whole chicken. Ceramics do an outstanding job on whole/spatchcocked birds.

Thirty Below Zero wind chills right now and I have a dentist appointment in an hour! Was rather "brisk" this morning taking out the trash (It's garbage day, too!) At least I wasn't the poor guy on the garbage truck! Can't wait to see the utility bills for this month!

Won't be doing any KK-ing for the next few days. After an exceedingly mild December, January has hit full force. 8 inches of the white stuff last night and the high temp tomorrow is only going to be MINUS 7F (wind chills in the 25F BELOW ZERO range). Winter's Here!! On the bright side, my Yellow Jackets thumped poor Miss St. on NYE. Enjoyed that one after the heartbreaker to the SemiHoles in the ACC Championship game. High hopes for 2015!!

Welcome. Don't forget to post pictures of the virgin cook. It's a tradition on this site. Jump right in and start cooking.

Understand the science, and as a fan of molecular gastronomy, I applaud OTB thinking, but this one's still a "crutch" in my book. Lots of tools in the box to get a good crusted steak that is uniformly rare - sous vide and frozen. Both have worked well for me. Here's a reverse sous vide steak (sear first, then into the bath) that I did back in October. Also back in October, I did the frozen steak cook - straight out of the freezer and onto the grill. I think the frozen steak has almost none of that "well done zone" under the crust and the sous vide one is pretty small, too! I know that Doc's another fan of "roasting" his steaks, so I will try it sometime, just to compare. That's the beauty and the fun of this adventure, trying new things (OTB, baby!!)

Dude, seriously, I was going to say the exact same thing in yesterday's post! Crazy minds think alike!

Thanks, but it was all the KK's doing, with an "assist" from the Guru. The only secret to a great pork butt is patience. Let the smoker do its thing. Rubs/injections are secondary.