tony b

Last night was Indian - kofta kebabs. Mix of ground beef and lamb, with lots of onions, garlic and parsley, with my house lamb seasoning with extra berbere spice tossed in. Direct, @ 300F, on the Frog Mat (they sometime get a bit crumbly), with coffee wood chunks. Plated with an herbed basmati and side salad. I wanted to make a raita to go with it, but when I pulled the cuke out of the veggie bin it had gone bad. Oh well!

Ja, wir würden! 😄

And not a beet in sight!

Once it's cooled, check the handles on your lower grate to see if they are vertical and not slightly bent toward the center. I had that problem with my upper grate and trying to get the pizza stone on it. Per Dennis, I just gently bent the handles outward until the interference was cleared.

Nicely done! Fretting over the burn-in is a rite of passage as a KK owner! You, and your KK, are now broken it!

As a mechanical engineer (PE ret.), trust me on this one, Doc. It works well. Just wrap the aluminum foil around the grate rods on each end to hold it in place. You're not really trying to block airflow, but the infrared radiation coming directly off the hot coals.

Been there, done that! It was so sought after, more precious than gold at the time. Napoleon had a set of flatware made of it to show off at his state dinners. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/11/aluminum-was-once-one-of-the-most-expensive-metals-in-the-world/382447/

Doc, I just copied your link and pasted it into this post. There's an option at the bottom of the screen that asks if you want to embed it or just post it as a link. The default is to embed, so I didn't change it.

Lucky you! I was just curious and hadn't planned on getting one, so I'm not disappointed.

Yeah, Doc. No one, not even Dennis, uses that big heavy ceramic heat deflector any more. Just wastes too much charcoal trying to heat it up and really slows down the heat up time. Most of us use the drip pan that came with the KK or just a layer of aluminum foil on the lower grate, if you're not expecting a lot of drippings. Main purpose is to block the infrared from directly hitting the food, letting the convection air do the low & slow. The foil does that and makes clean up a snap - no goo or burnt drippings on the stone to contend with on the next cook.

Unfortunately, Amazon shows it as being "Currently Unavailable" with no anticipated return date. 😪

Looking happy in its new home! Now get to cooking!

Shawarma pork steaks last night, with grilled red onion and zucchini. Roasted red potatoes in the indoor convection oven. Everything direct @ 325F, with apple wood chunks.

I have a Donabe rick cooker. Love it. The only issue is it take a bit more attention than a regular rice cooker. You turn off the heat right after you see steam exiting the hole in the lid.

Korean Pork Tenderloins - direct, main grate @ 325F, with peach wood chunks. Marinade was Bulgogi with some pineapple hot sauce. Basted the tenderloins a couple of times during the cook. A bundle of asparagus for good measure. Plated with some pineapple fried rice (see the connection with the marinade hot sauce!) Did the fried rice in the paella pan to get a nice crust.

I normally use the MAPP torch followed up with FiAir blower for 99% of my cooks on the KK, but I have used these starter cubes in a chimney to light the heavy binto charcoal for the yakitori grill. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C3KO7X0

That one snuck by Naked Whiz. No mention of it in his database. I used to like Weekend Warriors briquettes in my smaller Grill Dome, until they basically went out of business.

Nice Birthday gift, Grill Sergeant!

Same as the other post - Hi Doc! Missed your posts! Hope all is well with you and the family!

Hi Doc! Where you been lately?? Hope all is well with you and the family!

It's not like you're trying to dock with the International Space Station. Once you get the hang of vent settings, it's pretty damn easy!

That's crazy, kinda makes me think of Pad Thai? Well, tonight was another steak night. A skirt steak from Trader Joes rubbed with Gunpowder and Dizzy Pig Red Eye Express, direct on the lower grate with post oak and mesquite chunks. Plated with sautéed mushrooms and asparagus, with roasted potatoes, and chimichurri sauce. I have to say that I nailed this one top to bottom!

This is where the basket splitter comes in handy - to have 2 Zone cooking. Forward sear over the coals, then move your steak off to the other side to roast indirect until target temperature. If you don't have a basket splitter, take note of where the hot spots are in the charcoal basket and move the steak over to a lower area.