tony b

Broke out the EZKabob yesterday - beef & lamb kabobs with serious garlic and onions. Corn was a must. (No phallic ones this time - ha, ha! I just did a baby kabob with the leftover bits.) Plated with orzo sauced with Boursin and Parm cheeses, basil and cherry tomatoes from the garden and a bit of parsley. Too damned hot/muggy to eat outside last night!

That's interesting @tekobo - I've never heard of using Saltpeter in cooking either, just for making gunpowder! For preserving meat to prevent spoilage or worse - botulism, one normally uses Sodium Nitrate. So, NO, you cannot replace Pink Salt #1, (Sodium Nitrate) or Saltpeter with kosher salt. How to Use Pink Salt for Curing Meat (thespruceeats.com)

Contrary to @MacKenzie - we usually tell newbies to just go out and buy the bigger belt size now - you're going to need it sooner than you think! 🤣

@remi - lovely! You're well on your way.

I usually rub briskets and butts with CYM (classic yellow mustard) to make my "paste." Works well. I usually don't wear gloves for it though. @tekobo off to a great start! If not too late, put some of that cut fat into a pan to collect the rendering and let it absorb smoke. Baste it onto the brisket just before you wrap it in the pink butcher paper. I'm liking this new twist on the standard Franklin brisket.

I'm similar. Gloves in the kitchen only when chopping a bunch of chili peppers or mixing up that crazy staining annatto paste. For everything else, I have a big bottle of hand sanitizer (thanks to COVID) after washing my hands after handling raw meat and a spray bottle of StarSan for the knives/tongs/scissors, countertops, and cutting boards. I have insulated gloves for handling the grates and meats on the grill.

Serious pies!

Dennis is probably the only one who can tell us the key differences between models. He's constantly improving/upgrading the design, often without changing the model #, so it's hard for me to say.

I have the cheaper plastic version. It works just fine. A bit of a PITA to clean, but I see your kit came with a nice brush, so hopefully that will make clean up go easier.

Close enough for Government work! Don't sweat being off a little and definitely don't "chase the temperature" by constantly fiddling with the top vent.

A Happy Ending to this initially sad tale!

Everyone has their own style! It's what makes this so much fun! Many of us use Syz's smoker pot and are very happy with it. YMMV A good source for wood chunks is Fruita Woods. Lots of variety in both types of wood and sizes of chunks. My "go to." One thing about your method that will change with your KK - dump the water pan - won't need it. The KK is so efficient in airflow that your foods don't dry out. If you still like to spritz your ribs/butts/briskets, etc., you can, just to impart some flavor and get a bit more smoky flavor, but you won't need it to keep the meat moist.

So tonight's dinner has cooking pics, for the skeptical among you! 😝 Smoked wings, with another ear of corn for elotes, and a nice slab of grilling cheese for an app! And because it was National French Fry day (I bet you didn't know that?), I did a nice batch in the air fryer, with a nice side of jalapeno mayo. Beer is from a local brewery run by one of my homebrewing club buddies.

Yeah, what @Jadeite said!

Looks like they came out just fine. As we've all learned on our BBQ journey, there's more than one way to smoke a cat! LOL!

$172 - WOW!

Pics of the pizza look good. My only thought was to 2nd what you said about making sure the stone is well heated before you cook. Do you have an IR thermometer? It's a great way to check the stone's temperature.

Nicely done! I'm on the other end of the scale. No grill pics, just one plated one. Grilled chicken breasts for tostada's. Grilled the poblano for the salsa. The corn that I got at the market the other day was Meh, so tonight I grilled an ear for Elotes. Nailed it! A couple of margaritas to go with it sealed the deal! Gorgeous evening to eat outside, too!

HURRAY!! Now if England can pull off the upset and beat Italy today in the Euro - what an amazing weekend it would be!

I have a 23" so I can't help with the setup question, but as far as cooking goes - chicken indirect heat on the main grate level at 350F to roast, when almost done, ramp up the KK to 400F to help crisp up the skin. Then, grill the flanken ribs direct on a lower grate about 90 secs on each side should do it. You just want to get a nice char on the outside, as they will cook very quickly and get tough. Good Luck!