tony b

Have to update my earlier post. Just scored a nice tri-tip (grass fed) at our farmers market. Now waiting for the weather to cooperate. Will try to remember to post pictures.

One question at a time. Yes, with a good fire in your basket, opening up the top vent all the way and pulling out the drawer on the bottom vent, you'll be amazed at how fast the temp screams up. We're talking a matter of a minute. You can actually watch the dial on the dome thermometer moving. One tip - take out the dome thermometer before it goes offscale high. You can affect the calibration if it ranges too far; and while easy to recalibrate, it's just better not to have to. On that steak cook above, I ran back into the house for just a moment (I'd forgotten the plate) only to come back out and see my dial reading 200F - but it wasn't 200F, but 1000F as it had over ranged that far!!! To Robert's point, it's a matter of control and trying not to over/under cook the steak. When it's down in that roaring flame, it's really hard to stick a meat thermometer in there and check the temps. Otherwise, you're just guessing cooking solely by time. With the reverse sear, you know where you are after the initial roast. And, as long as you are careful with the sear, you're going to be pretty close on your final meat temps. I'm using this technique almost exclusively now that I'm doing sous vide, but was already a convert before that. YMMV.

Looks like Grasshopper has snatched the pebble. Go forth and cook tasty food!!

As another owner of a previous komado style grill known for its flaws (POSK), I know exactly how you felt when you saw the KK sitting on your patio/deck. I just stared at mine forever. Amazing. You will be sooooo much happier with it than your previous one and will not regret for one second the price paid - quality is never cheap, but cheap is almost never quality! Like Hector said, pictures, my man, pictures, especially your first cook. Forum Rule #1: no pictures, it didn't happen.

Look up the post on doing the "reverse sear" on steaks. That's where you first roast them, lid down at around 400F, on the main grill until close to done (use a temperature probe to verify). Pull them about 10 -15F below your target final temperature. Then, open the vents up wide open, scream up to about 800F, and finish them on the sear grate (the grate with the side rails upside down on top of the charcoal basket handles) for about 30 seconds on each side. Here's a picture of my first steak cook.

Big fan of Wicked Good. It's my "everyday" charcoal. Of all the brands that I've tried, I like it the best (except for Coco Char, of course)!

Remember Forum Rule #1 - no pictures, it didn't happen. So, remember to take pics of that first (virgin) cook!

Second getting the longer cables. I'll definitely order longer ones when I need replacements. Might have to put extensions on the blower.

Fruita wood sells red oak. That's where I got mine. Also, picked up some Santa Maria steak rub (lemon pepper). Have done several nice steaks that way. Tri-tip is not common here in IA. Must export it all to Cali!

Another trick that's just simple, use parchment paper. Pizza (and bread) just slide right off the peel and you don't compromise the crust that much. And, you can always wait a few minutes, slide the peel back under and pull the paper out from under the pizza. It should have enough body by this point to slide off the peel without the paper.

Second Susan on the temp range. If you want crispy skin you need to shoot for 375-425F. As Doc tells us, precise grill temp is not the goal, it's the internal meat temp! All a slightly higher (or lower) temp off "ideal" target just adjusts the cooking times slightly. Don't sweat it and just roll with it. Basic rule of KK cooking - don't chase the temperature. Worst thing you can do is mother the vents trying to hit an exact temperature. As they say, "Close enough for government work!"

I'd be up for it. I guess it's up to Dennis if he wants to create a new topic in the forum just for this?

Sirloin came out perfect medium rare, just like the first steak, except it was a better cut of meat (angus). Again, pan seared because of bad weather. Did 2 boneless turkey tenderloins yesterday. One in Uncle Dougie's wing marinade and the other one with curry powder and coconut oil (quickly becoming one of my new favorite things to cook with!!) Didn't even bother to pan sear them. Moist, tender and full of the flavors from both treatments. Used the leftover hot bath water to cook my broccoli in - no bag or circulator, just tossed it into the bath. Worked great. Can't wait to try a nice piece of fish in this thing! Have some nice salmon in the freezer to play around with.

Nice looking bird! How did you like it? I think whole chicken is the best thing on the KK! Love me some pork and beef, but the cluck wins for me hands down!

I'm a huge fan of Dizzy Pig rubs. Hopefully you can get them down under, too.

Crazy that you know about and can get Plowboys Yardbird down under!! One of my favorite rubs - have the beef (bovine bold) and the chicken (fin & feather and yardbird) in my pantry right now.

The best thing about sous vide is knowing that you can't overcook it! You set the water bath temp for medium rare (55C/131F) and that's exactly what you get, all the way through. The quick sear doesn't have a chance to penetrate very far into the meat. Unfortunately, the weather here has been frightful (wind chills in the minus 20F range and it's snowing again right now!), so I haven't had a chance to use the KK to finish off a sous vide cook yet. Did a stuffed porkchop the other night, but had to pan sear it on the cooktop. Wonderful - is all I can say. The porkchop was a perfect medium, succulent; and the sage/bread stuffing was nice and moist, just popping with flavor! Planning on a sous vide sirloin today, but as noted, won't likely be using the KK to finish it off. Spring can't get here soon enough!!!

Awesome. I wish that I had a good local supply for the clams. Closest Whole Foods to me is 150 miles!

First, thanks for sharing the pics. All I can say is "we told you so!" This thing is amazing. Wait til you do your first whole chicken. No better way to cook one than on a ceramic - IMHO.

And don't forget the pictures!!! Forum Rule #1 - No pictures, it didn't happen!

The KK will rocket temps offscale on your thermometer. Just have to have a lot of charcoal in the basket and both the bottom and top vents wide open! For the bottom vent, pull the cover out a couple of inches and don't use the dial - too small. Here's a pic of my first super high temp steak on the KK.

Pictures, man! Where are the pictures??? We expect to see photos of the virgin cook! No pictures, it didn't happen (Forum Rule #1).

Nice pic of the grill, but remember to post pics of the virgin cook! No pictures, it didn't happen.

That Porterhouse looks awesome!

Looked at this crockpot sous vide set up before I discovered the Anova. While a bit more expensive, the Anova does have the advantage of having the circulating pump to ensure even temperature distribution.