tony b

Nice. Believe it or not, you're not the first owner who had theirs delivered via crane! A bit nerve-wracking seeing it swinging in the air, but you landed it safe and sound. Now for the uncrating and the grand reveal pics!!

Welcome to the Obsession. If you think that you're head-over-heels now, just wait until you cook on it!! Prepared to be blown away! Easiest virgin cooks - spatchcocked chicken or a pork butt. Almost impossible to screw those up on a KK.

One of the first "rules" that we try to impart to newbies is - DON'T CHASE THE TEMPERATURE. Once heated, you are not going to easily bring the temperature back down if you overshoot and, as you learned, run the risk of putting out your fire. A good practice is to light the charcoal in just one tennis ball sized spot for low & slows, maybe 2 spots for higher temp cooks (over 400F). Open the top vent a full 2 turns and the bottom vent open enough for plenty of air. Once you see the dome temps start to get about 50F below your target temp, then close down the top vent to the corresponding position for your target and maybe slightly adjust the lower vent - but this isn't critical. Let the KK coast up to your target (don't sweat if you miss by a bit - again, repeat after me - DON'T CHASE THE TEMPERATURE!) You should now be ready to Rock-n-Roll.

You're asking the wrong person here about tableware - 2 full sets of china (one set for 8, one set for 4), 3 sets of everyday (ya'll see the "real everyday" ones with the green leaf in my pics) - one set is just for the patio (blue tile pattern to match the old grill). Five sets of flatware to match. Plus, all the Pink Flamingo plates and gear for that annual dinner party. Do I have a problem - maybe?

Looking forward to seeing the new grill in your new home!

Looked into this. I was thinking about backing it, but the Campaign just closed, so I was shut out. The only thing that concerned me is the upper limit on the internal meat temperature is only 185F. That's good enough for poultry cooks, it's a bit on the low side for pork butts and beef briskets/chuck roasts.

Like ckreef, I was an original Kickstarter backer. I've had better experiences with Kickstarter campaigns, and a couple that have been much, much worse. They eventually produced a product. Granted the original version wasn't very good (had lots of connection problems), but they solved that with the + model. They offered us a cheap upgrade and I took it. I consider it just another tool in the box. Great for what I bought it for (roti cooks). Rarely use it for anything else, as the Maverick and Guru work just fine on static cooks.

Very Nice!

I have a variety of ways to measure temps - MEATER+, Guru digiQ-II, and Maverick XR50 for continuous monitoring and a Thermapen MK4 for instant read. (I have a cheapo instant read, too, off of Amazon - Lavatools PT12 Javelin) MEATER+ was the only thing on the market for doing rotisserie cooks - totally wireless**. It recharges in its base when not in use (single AAA battery). You can easily get a 20 hour cook out of a full charge. There's a scored line on the probe that must be inserted into the meat to that depth to protect the internals. Plus, there's an alarm function in the app if the probe starts to get too hot. From their website: The internal sensor max is 212°F (100°C). Temps above the maximum may potentially damage MEATER+. The ambient sensor max is 527°F (275°C). Temps above the maximum may potentially damage MEATER+. With its efficient charging block, the probe can be charged up to 100 times with a single AAA battery. ** It used to be the only thing on the market. Maverick now has a similar unit (STAKE). I just learned about it. It's only downside is that the probe is only good for a 4 hour cook before needing to be recharged. Would work for most rotisserie cooks. Probe temp limits are similar to MEATER. Charging base is USB powered. App looks similar to MEATER's. Price is a skoosh cheaper. Guru has to be plugged into a power source, even if you aren't running the fan, but just want to monitor temps with it. Originally, I got one of those car battery jump starters that had a "cigarette lighter" style plug in the side. The Guru has a 12V adapter unit that can plug into it. I could get several long cooks out of it before needing to recharge the jump starter unit (overnight). Now, I have a power cord run to the grill so I can plug the Guru power transformer in directly into a 120V outlet. I ran the power cord for the rotisserie motor and the cold smoker aquarium pump. The new Maverick model (XR50) is a HUGE improvement over their older models, which were flimsy and the probes burned out quickly. The unit is solidly built, waterproof, and can run up to 4 probes at once. The transmitter and receiver both run on AAA batteries (2 each.) Probes are good to 570F. My recommendation, if you don't need true wireless (i.e., MEATER), go with the Maverick XR50. YMMV

Indeed. It was so long ago, it was in Black & White. 😄

What "extra work"?? It's taking a pair of kitchen shears and cutting out the backbone, flip it over and press down hard with your hands to break the breast bone. Start to finish in under a minute. It probably took you longer than that to drink 3/4 of the beer before shoving the can up the chicken's butt! Just sayin' 😄

DUDE, your own light show for the concert!

The last of the rainy weather from Cristobal ended just in time to cook dinner on the KK last night. Kept the Cajun theme going with Cajun spiced pork tenderloins - both rubbed with my "house" Cajun rub - one was also hit with cherry rub and the other with peach rub. Then at the end both were sauced with their respective fruit based sauce. Plus, a chunk of peach and cherry wood were tossed on the coals to keep it all going. Direct, main grate, 325F. Those are peach quarters with the Cajun spices for the side salad, which had dried cherries, as well. A total fruit bonanza! Plated with my homemade ravioli I had stashed in the freezer, sauce was "kicked up" with some of the Cajun spices. Nice French Rose to go with it.

Ditch the beer can chicken when you get your KK. It cooks the most moist and flavorful chicken without any gimmicks* that you've ever had. FOOLPROOF! (Folks have intentionally tried to screw up a roast chicken on a KK - almost impossible!!) * https://amazingribs.com/bbq-techniques-and-science/beer-can-chicken

I hear ya, gurlfriend!

OMG, now THAT'S a remodeling project! No wonder it's taken 10 years!

As you can see, I made a lot, so I'm having leftovers for lunch today and put up 2 containers in the freezer for later! Sorry to hear that your travel plans to NOLA got nixed. I had planned a trip back home (SC) in April that I cancelled, so I know what you're going through. But, I'm going to try again in July. Fingers Crossed!

Nope, frozen - Savannah Classics. Best that I've ever found. I have to bootleg them from the South. I load up with 6 bags, as well as 6 qts of Dukes Mayo.

DUDE, I'm soooooo jealous of that setup! AMAZING!

Welcome to the Obsession! You're already up and running hot, straight and normal! Nice lamb ribs. Don't fret overfilling the basket - just means less to add for the next cook. As you found out, being a tad off on target temps is no catastrophe. As we tell newbs here - DON'T CHASE THE TEMPERATURES! Take some time (with more of that yummy looking IPA) and learn your vent settings. Start just barely off the seat (should be around 225F - 250F), let it stabilize, then give about an 1/8 of a turn, see where it ends up. Keep doing that until you start to get a feel for how the KK responds to airflow. This is very repeatable. Don't worry too much about the lower vent. Just make sure it's open enough to supply the combustion air (not very sensitive). Next, you'll be ready for the burn-in.

@Basher - that steak looks AMAZING!! Aussie, King of the Beefies! Got hit by a drive-by from Cristobal yesterday (still raining today), so no grilling. Took the opportunity to whip up some seafood jambalaya - crawfish, shrimp, with andouille. Plated with a nice side salad and hushpuppies in the airfryer.

OK, you folks set the hook! Just ordered his Bible from Amazon. Will be here tomorrow! (Does that rock or what??)

I put in an order for 4 bags on Monday. On its way. Yeah, their packaging is the best that I've run across, next to Dennis'.

Never enough trees!