Don’t wait four years like I did...

[benobas]

I live in the UK and four years ago was poised to upgrade my barbecue to a Green Egg.  A US colleague said I should get a KK instead.  I probed and upon learning of the weight, cost and need to import, I said he was crazy.

As it turns out I didn’t get the Green Egg but also never forgot the KK.  This year I bit the bullet and got in touch with Dennis.  He was always available and helpful as I was making my decision.  He was patient when I was freaking out about having wired $7k to Indonesia while my beautiful cobalt blue KK was sailing the seas to the UK.  He set me up with a customs agent and transporter who delivered to my door.  THANK YOU DENNIS!

Taking the KK through the house I cracked a glass door and cratered two floorboards.  (BTW I manoeuvred the KK 23” Ultimate alone including up and down steps so it’s possible in case anyone is wondering...and I am sure it’s possible to do so without damaging your house if you don’t have rotten floorboards, etc!)  Witnessing this, my wife demanded we change the outdoor decking for flagstones as she thought the KK would collapse the decking (I suspect she always wanted the flagstones).

Because of work I can only barbecue on week-ends but I spend every day thinking about what I am going to barbecue, how I am going to do it, what tweaks or tricks I’ll try, which tips from the Forum I’ll use....Come the week-end I’ll fire up the blue octopus as my kids call it and have the best time whether it’s an overnight low & slow or a quick blast grill.  I do it whether it’s sunny or raining, warm or cold.  I do it whether it’s for one person , two, five, nine or fourteen.  Heck, I look forward to doing it when it’s snowing.  

I do not do social media (no Facebook, Twitter, instagram, etc) but some of the UK KK community got in touch to welcome me.  The warmth and the passionate, friendly community are amazing.  So I now do social media, but only on the KK Forum.

The KK is by far the best gift I have ever bought for myself or for anyone in fact.  Even my wife reluctantly admits it’s enhanced our weekend meals.  The exciting thing is I have so far only experimented with a few cuts of beef and pork plus a duck.  Lamb, goat, venison, chicken, pheasant, partridge, goose, the worlds of fish, vegetables, pizzas, bread and so forth are still waiting.

I cannot believe that I waited four years.  That was really crazy.

I’m still a beginner but if anyone in the UK (or anywhere) is hesitating in their choice or has questions please drop me a line.

 

 

[tekobo]

You've caught the bug really bad, I can tell!  I sometimes think that the wait makes getting a KK all the sweeter.  In @tony b's absence (off drinking beer somewhere) I will say: welcome to the OBSESSION!.  

[Basher]

Welcome Benobas.

Your story is very similar to mine where I wrestled with the commitment to buy for about 4 years for exactly the same reasons.

Very pleased to have purchased a couple of months ago and I'm still having a lot of fun trying different cooks.

I see that rib on the bone looked pretty tasty.

Keep posting your cooks and I'll share what I can on this same journey.

Where in England are you?

[Bruce Pearson]

5welcome to the KK family Benobas! 

[Tyrus]

Those floor boards were a hazard, tell the wife you were lucky to expose them and had saved the family from a disaster waiting to happen. It's a great hobby and pastime that all enjoy the benefits of. Don't forget to keep it covered in that British weather you have or maybe you can use those old floor boards and incorporate them into this.

[Bruce Pearson]

Nice setup Tyrus.

[MacKenzie]

Benobas, first, welcome, You have brought back memories about when I sent my check to Indonesia.  Glad to hear you are fitting right in and soon you'll forget you even have a kitchen stove. 

 

[Stile88]

Welcome to the KK family cobalt blue cooks the best btw stunning color choice looking forward to many pics of your cooks

[Tyrus]

4 hours ago, MacKenzie said:

Benobas, first, welcome, You have brought back memories about when I sent my check to Indonesia.  Glad to hear you are fitting right in and soon you'll forget you even have a kitchen stove. 

 

Mac, I remember it well also, the bank official I was dealing with looked at me as if I was walking into a trap when I requested to send that amount of money by wire transfer over seas.  Boom Boom Red Flag   All's well that ends well.

[tony b]

28 minutes ago, Tyrus said:

Mac, I remember it well also, the bank official I was dealing with looked at me as if I was walking into a trap when I requested to send that amount of money by wire transfer over seas.  Boom Boom Red Flag   All's well that ends well.

Same story here. 

21 hours ago, tekobo said:

In @tony b's absence (off drinking beer somewhere) I will say: welcome to the OBSESSION!.  

How did you know?? Just got home from buying ingredients at the local homebrew store, then stopped and had a couple of pints at a local brewpub. 

OK, let's make this official - Welcome to the Obsession, benobas!

[Braai-Q]

On 12/3/2019 at 10:23 PM, benobas said:

I live in the UK and four years ago was poised to upgrade my barbecue to a Green Egg.  A US colleague said I should get a KK instead.  I probed and upon learning of the weight, cost and need to import, I said he was crazy.

As it turns out I didn’t get the Green Egg but also never forgot the KK.  This year I bit the bullet and got in touch with Dennis.  He was always available and helpful as I was making my decision.  He was patient when I was freaking out about having wired $7k to Indonesia while my beautiful cobalt blue KK was sailing the seas to the UK.  He set me up with a customs agent and transporter who delivered to my door.  THANK YOU DENNIS!

Taking the KK through the house I cracked a glass door and cratered two floorboards.  (BTW I manoeuvred the KK 23” Ultimate alone including up and down steps so it’s possible in case anyone is wondering...and I am sure it’s possible to do so without damaging your house if you don’t have rotten floorboards, etc!)  Witnessing this, my wife demanded we change the outdoor decking for flagstones as she thought the KK would collapse the decking (I suspect she always wanted the flagstones).

Because of work I can only barbecue on week-ends but I spend every day thinking about what I am going to barbecue, how I am going to do it, what tweaks or tricks I’ll try, which tips from the Forum I’ll use....Come the week-end I’ll fire up the blue octopus as my kids call it and have the best time whether it’s an overnight low & slow or a quick blast grill.  I do it whether it’s sunny or raining, warm or cold.  I do it whether it’s for one person , two, five, nine or fourteen.  Heck, I look forward to doing it when it’s snowing.  

I do not do social media (no Facebook, Twitter, instagram, etc) but some of the UK KK community got in touch to welcome me.  The warmth and the passionate, friendly community are amazing.  So I now do social media, but only on the KK Forum.

The KK is by far the best gift I have ever bought for myself or for anyone in fact.  Even my wife reluctantly admits it’s enhanced our weekend meals.  The exciting thing is I have so far only experimented with a few cuts of beef and pork plus a duck.  Lamb, goat, venison, chicken, pheasant, partridge, goose, the worlds of fish, vegetables, pizzas, bread and so forth are still waiting.

I cannot believe that I waited four years.  That was really crazy.

I’m still a beginner but if anyone in the UK (or anywhere) is hesitating in their choice or has questions please drop me a line.

 

 

Welcome to KKUK benobas. Whenever I go near a garden centre or BBQ place, I idly have a look at what they have and whenever I see a Green Egg or Kamado Joe, they're really primitive and crude in comparison. I invariably remark 'why would anyone spend so much on one of these'. My wife then comments that you could buy a very good brand new car for the price of the 32" and 19" which we have. I then remark on what a wonderful wife she is before she starts on my other expensive habits. She loves them and while she questioned my sanity with the first, when she saw it, she was impressed.

Out of interest, what part of the UK are you in? 

Watch out for that @tekobo though. Real trouble. 😘 Got a message from her this week and I now find myself buying half a cow and giving direction on cuts via text message. I had to mention this to my wife who mentioned what she has to put up with being married to me to her colleagues who I gather overhead the conversation we were having about it. Apparently I'm now called 'BBQ cow guy'. I've been called worse.

If I can aid and abet or offer recommendations and advice on UK suppliers or anything, hit me up. 

Edited December 6, 2019 by Braai-Q

[tekobo]

14 hours ago, Braai-Q said:

If I can aid and abet or offer recommendations and advice on UK suppliers or anything, hit me up. 

That's the name of the game! It's great to be able to share local advice and where else but on the KK forum would you meet someone who would say "yes" to a random incoming email asking if they would like a (big) fraction of a cow?  

[Braai-Q]

1 hour ago, tekobo said:

That's the name of the game! It's great to be able to share local advice and where else but on the KK forum would you meet someone who would say "yes" to a random incoming email asking if they would like a (big) fraction of a cow?  

Sssh, you'll scare the newbie! 🤨

[Pequod]

"fraction of a cow"? Wimps! Go big or go home. Get a whole cow! 🐄

[tekobo]

First off. What is with that new profile photo of yours @Pequod?  Worried about the amount of chest hair on show on a family forum!

When I talk about a fraction of cow I am talking in quarters and halves here.  i am picking up my forequarter of Dexter in the morning having, finally, fessed up to The Husband about the purchase on the same day as I also agreed on the delivery date for the hindquarter of a dairy cow.  We will be eating beef three ways and more for quite a while. I will take a look at @Braai-Q's haul while I am there but his will be going by courier next week.  I am hoping he likes it!!!

[Pequod]

2 minutes ago, tekobo said:

First off. What is with that new profile photo of yours @Pequod?  Worried about the amount of chest hair on show on a family forum!

When I talk about a fraction of cow I am talking in quarters and halves here.  i am picking up my forequarter of Dexter in the morning having, finally, fessed up to The Husband about the purchase on the same day as I also agreed on the delivery date for the hindquarter of a dairy cow.  We will be eating beef three ways and more for quite a while. I will take a look at @Braai-Q's haul while I am there but his will be going by courier next week.  I am hoping he likes it!!!

Dexter? Well thank goodness you know the name! 😂

The profile photo is Cousin Eddie from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation -- a classic Christmas movie in these parts. Highly recommended as it captures a large part of American culture...and explains a lot all at once.

[Braai-Q]

14 hours ago, Pequod said:

"fraction of a cow"? Wimps! Go big or go home. Get a whole cow! 🐄

I have come to realise that you have to be careful with @tekobo and define your unit of measurement as she normally works in 'herds'. 🐄 🐄 🐄 🐄 🐄 🐄 🐄 🐄 🐄 🐄 🐄 🐄 🐄 🐄 

 

[Bruce Pearson]

When I was young they used to advertise on tv buying a whole or half or quarter of a cow and they throw in a freezer to keep it frozen. In fact I think my parents bought in to it. 

[tony b]

My dad often bought quarters of a cow, and sometimes a half, when I was a kid. I was hoping for lots of steaks and roasts, but at least half of it ended up as ground beef! 

@Pequod - I praised you in another thread for the avatar change and now you go and get the movie wrong - that's Ralphie from A Christmas Story, with the bar of soap in his mouth as punishment for cussing when he dropped the lug nuts while helping his Dad change the flat tire! 

[Bruce Pearson]

You’ll shoot your eye out with that BB gun LOL that’s a great movie