tony b

This is exactly why we've missed you, Porkchop. Welcome back to the Forum!

It sounds like for the amount of cooking that you do at any one time, that the 23" is plenty big enough for you. But, I'm curious, what draws you to the KK (or any ceramic cooker) if almost all of your cooking is direct high temp grilling? While it does a very good job of that, that's not what it's famous for - low and slow smoking (actual barbequing) is what makes the KK stand out in the crowd (plus, how well built and beautiful it is, too!) I recently added the basket splitter and second charcoal basket to my arsenal of toys for my 23" KK. It just gives you more flexibility in cooking arrangements and isn't a necessity - imo. I don't know the date on those YouTube vids from Larry you were watching, but they are probably before the basket splitter was available as an accessory. Larry's vids are great info for how to cook on the KK, but be careful about extrapolating some of your conclusions based on them. Dennis, as well as the Forum members, are ready to answer just about any question you might have about the KK. So don't be shy or embarrassed; fire away!

Butter is great for lo & slo as the temperature is below the smoke point. Margarine, eewww!

I'm partial to apple and cherry, in addition to peach for fruit woods. Hard wood is usually hickory, pecan, or oak, some mesquite, bourbon and alder. Check out Fruita woods.

Great pics!!! Only been 2 years for me, but it seems much longer; my how time flies! Love my KK and can't imagine grilling/smoking on anything else!

Looks tasty, focused or not!

I have a Guru and love it. Like Susan said, "set it and forget it." There's a lot of piece of mind with that, especially if you have lots of other food to prep for, guests to entertain, etc. I only use it on butts and briskets, rarely on ribs (beef ones being the exception), never on chicken.

Welcome! Don't forget to post those pics of the first (virgin) cook. You will find a wealth of information here. If you can't find it in a previous thread, just ask. Forum members are glad to help.

Great pics! Love me some Dizzy Dust!

While I generally stick to the classics - ABTs with cream cheese and pre-cooked breakfast sausage, wrapped in bacon with Dizzy Pig Dizzy Dust or chorizo with queso fresco, wrapped in bacon dusted with chili powder; I have experimented with different stuffings, in particular seafood. Try chopped raw oysters with Old Bay and crumbled Ritz crackers, no cheese, but still bacon wrapped dusted with more Old Bay. Chopped raw shrimp, with cocktail sauce, bacon wrapped with Dizzy Pig Tsunami Spin. Langoustine (lobster and crab work, too) with parsley garlic butter, crumbled Ritz crackers, bacon wrapped dusted with lemon pepper (think ABT meets Lobster Roll).

That's what you get for living out in the middle of the desert! So, you can image how much EC I have to go through when mine is sitting at -20F in the winters here in Iowa!! Glad to see that you got your old avatar back, too!

Hey, Porkchop's back!!! Long time indeed, brother! Glad to have you back. Learned a lot from you over the years! Thanks for sharing. I miss a lot of the folks from the old Forum. Let's hope that Dennis can coax them back.

Well, at least your POSK is being useful! Mine was addicted to crack and finally OD (top hat assembly fell off where the bolts entered the lid)! I still get emails from them, hilarious!! But, there were positives - the old Forum (back in the day) was great and I learned tons there (from folks like Porkchop, among others) and it got me started on ceramic cooking. So for all that, I'm grateful. And even though my "lifetime" grill only lasted 7 years, it was a good run compared to many others - and best of all, it lead me here!

Nice pics, daveco!

Go for it! Load'er up! Like Robert said, "what are you hoarding it for?"

Photos, dude, where are the food pix?? You know the Forum rules - "No pix, it didn't happen!"

First off, great food porn! See you've found Fruita woods already. Great Stuff!!! Try the OakRidge rubs; they are pretty good, too! Love the Santa Maria on tri-tip over their Cali Red Oak splits. No dilemma there - cook your briskets like TX and your pork butts like NC and all will be right with the world!!!

Looks like you could roast chiles with it, too! As far as roasting coffee beans, I'd think that you'd pick up too much smoky flavors that would overwhelm some of the milder coffee flavors, unless you're going for a really dark roast/espresso. The pictures are using a gas grill, which would probably make more sense for a lighter roast. But, having never done it, I'm just guessing.

Pictures, dude, where is the food porn?? Forum Rule #1 - no pictures of the cook, it didn't happen! You will love the Guru. It's not really training wheels at all - IMO. It's so nice to set it up for a long lo & slo cook and just walk away (or go to bed) and not worry about the temperature fluctuating.

Then it didn't happen! Hearsay, fiction, myth!

First off, gorgeous outdoor kitchen. I am so jealous. Not practical here in Iowa. I have granite countertops in my indoor kitchen (about 1 1/2 inches thick). They were put in over 6 years ago. I put pots straight off the stove on them with no issues at all. I wouldn't worry about it at all.

Hey Firemonkey, have you tried Frogmats for doing your fatties? They work great. www.frogmats.com

Huzzah!!

The interstitial gap is a great idea. Will add to the overall expense, but look at what we're cooking on - LOL! I would use the pan drippings more, but they often burn and are unusable. This would likely solve that problem.

Yes, I generally foil the cast iron skillet for the Hasselback spuds and take it off with about 30 mins to go to reduce the liquid a bit and get a touch more smokiness on them. While Susan's recipe doesn't call for it, I like to finish off the sauce with half-n-half. Take the potatoes out of the skillet, add just enough half-n-half to form a sauce. The residual heat in the pan is enough. I've even used my immersion blender to cream it up a bit more, but leave some chunks.