Firemonkey Posted May 7, 2007 Report Share Posted May 7, 2007 Pink-headed step brother, in need of some serious portland cement-collagen to fill in the cracks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted May 10, 2007 Report Share Posted May 10, 2007 What? No ultrasound??? Do you know its gender? How to know what color to paint the nursery? My Doctor is remiss in sending these items I went with the Terra blue, so it will have some brown in it...that way it will at least compliment its step-brother from Mexico! Your doctor sent you the images the morning of the 8th.. To your MSN account.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jehlinger Posted May 10, 2007 Report Share Posted May 10, 2007 Re: adding more wood chips How do you all go about adding more wood chips during a cook? Even if you can move the food around a little to open the hinged part of the main grill' date=' you still have the HD in the way.[/quote'] I bought one of those cast-iron smoking chip boxes (can't remember where) that holds a good amount of chips. I throw that right on top of the coals on my Mexi-K. Works as a fair heat deflector as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krusty K Posted July 25, 2007 Report Share Posted July 25, 2007 No the hardest thing is having a 7 year old K7 that is whole, working and aside for band adjustment problem, not looking to need replacement anytime soon, and see these beauties. Don't really like the non-round shape, but maybe that is what it took to help solve the band problem and go to the single spring. For low and slow I just mix wood in with the lump. Depending on the load and if I'm catering, I just take the meat out because if its butts I'm doing a second or third series of injections, and add wood or lump as required then. If you're not going low and slow or indirect, I don't think its an issue, and if you're in such a hurry that you don't want to take the meat out or even open the lid -then IMHO you need to chill, have another brown mumbler, or buy your barbecue pre-cooked - maybe a McRib. Also, after hundreds of cooks on my K7 and a dozen or so other smokers and cookers, I'm not sure I believe that the meat stops taking the smoke either at a specific temperature or after an certain time. I like to have the physics of it explained - this would be a good one for Alton Brown on "Good Eats" to explore. A smoke ring would seem to indicate that the is something finite working, some cause and affect, but I just don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted July 25, 2007 Report Share Posted July 25, 2007 No the hardest thing is having a 7 year old K7 that is whole' date=' working and aside for band adjustment problem, not looking to need replacement anytime soon, and see these beauties. Don't really like the non-round shape, but maybe that is what it took to help solve the band problem and go to the single spring...[/quote'] Actually, Mr. Krusty, Dennis does make a round cooker. He calls it the Classic. It doesn't have bands, and has a single spring in back. My understanding, which is admittedly incomplete, is that the not round shape of the OTB and Supreme helps with heat distribution inside the cooker. No, don't ask me how. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krusty K Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 No, don't ask me how. Since this is a fun forum allow me to retort with a little reductio ad absurdum.... The implication could be then that you can somehow measure heat distribution that measurement was somehow independent of the amount, placement and type of charcoal, type of (chunk, chip, pellet) and amount of wood, ratio of wood to charcoal, how many and where you placed the couple dozen probes to measure the "heat", and God knows how many other variables. Then there is the factor that you sometimes want uneven heat distribution for differing meats/vegetables, etc. With all those variables, the shape of the cooker might become beside the point with regard to heat distribution. And lastly if the heat distribution is so superior in the non-circular shape, why make anything but circular cookers. And lastly, if this shape did indeed have demonstrably superior heat distribution, and thereby demonstrated superior cooking and superior taste, I guess we'd see KK's lined up and in use a Memphis in May. All kidding aside...IMHO this odd shape does not cook any better or worse than any other shape, ceramic doesn't cook appreciably better than cement, or tin or steel or an old 55 gallon drum if you know what you're doing. But there is no question in my mind that a kamado style cooker makes it easier for the average person to approach if not equal the best barbecue being cooked anywhere on any cooker. KK's look cool, and you don't have to adjust the bands. It remains to be seen since the KK's are so new, how long the will last, whether the tiles will start to come off, etc., but so far so good. The sales pitch sounds really reasonable and the design makes sense. But proving a lot of this stuff is a whole 'nother thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curly Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 ... It remains to be seen since the KK's are so new, how long the will last, whether the tiles will start to come off, etc., but so far so good. The sales pitch sounds really reasonable and the design makes sense. But proving a lot of this stuff is a whole 'nother thing. A bit of healthy skepticism is...well, a bit healthy. All of us K owners came over here with "a bit of healthy" or "a whole lot of paranoid" skepticism. I have the weird shaped KK. I have no idea if the heat actually is more even on a larger part of the grilling area than on a round grill. But I bet cha Dennis could debate you on the subject and tear ya to pieces...he has all the data on that issue, filed away in his head. But this forum is like America...not many of us are actually from here, but we still think it's a better country and wanna be here. But ya gotta contribute in order to get your green card. And contributing involves photos...we love em don't we Sanny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krusty K Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 No doubt. As Ms. Hynde says, "Its a thin line between love and hate." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 I came over with all the skepticism I could muster! Now, I have a OTB sitting next to a #5 POSK that has cracks all over it. In my experience, the OTB shape doesnt distribute heat better or worse than the classic shape. It can still achieve hot spots in one area. I do find that it is easier to maneuver the food on, possibly because of the larger straight area in the front. Maybe its an illusion....just my experience. I can also see that the OTB really is the only way to fly with the KK because it fully integrates the spring into the shape and body of the grill. If for no other reason than this, I prefer the OTB over the classic. The classic shape has the spring encased in a housing that hangs off the back of the grill. Doesnt looks nearly as refined...more like an afterthought than an integrated piece of the grill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 All kidding aside...IMHO this odd shape does not cook any better or worse than any other shape, ceramic doesn't cook appreciably better than cement, or tin or steel or an old 55 gallon drum if you know what you're doing. I will disagree on the opinion of ceramic not cooking better than metal! While I have often said, if you know what you are doing, you can cook on anything, that doesn't mean the cookers are equal by any means. Metal cookers are nowhere close to retaining the heat and burning with the efficiency of ceramics. So why does make the cook better? More thermal loss means more charcoal consumption to maintain the same temps which in turn leads to hotter fires and more moisture loss (along with more work too). A good cook can cook on anything, but ceramics make everyone a good cook. I have cooked on ceramic, concrete, thin metal, thick metal, pellet feed, gassers/charcoal/wood and open pit grills/smokers and all of them bring something to the table. But I have found NONE better at ALL cooking tasks than ceramics. I believe the reason the OBT is supposed to better is with heat distribution. The Classic, with it's concentric shape, creates a laminar air flow pattern around it's sides which creates a low flow area in the center causing an area of lower heat (though you still get plenty of radiant heat). With the OBT and it's eccentric shape, you break up the laminar airflow reducing the dead center cool spot. Naturally using a heat deflector in a grill with the food directly above the fire, your going to get an area of reduced heat verses not using one and getting an area of increased heat. But the OBT is supposed to reduce (not eliminate) that fact and unless you have 20 or more temp probes, there is no way your going to accurately depict the differences between shapes. -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 ... And contributing involves photos...we love em don't we Sanny Yes please. 'Cause some of us don't read so good, and likes to look at the pixtures. I hate those books with all the words and not pixtures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetzervalve Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 If I may.. I believe the claim of more even heat is referring to the radiant from above, not the heat from below. The OTB shape has a more consistent spacing of the lid-to-grill over a greater percentage of the grill area than the classic shape. Certainly passes the logic test: sounds reasonable. I've never used a round style (of any brand) and I don't plan to temp test this one. I used to like the round shape myself, and even thought the POSK was good looking, now when I see a POSK all I see are the legs... and then I can't stop thinking about several types of bird that have REAL skinny legs. bleh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krusty K Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 All kidding aside...IMHO this odd shape does not cook any better or worse than any other shape, ceramic doesn't cook appreciably better than cement, or tin or steel or an old 55 gallon drum if you know what you're doing. I will disagree on the opinion of ceramic not cooking better than metal! I believe the reason the OBT is supposed to better is with heat distribution. ....... The Classic, with it's concentric shape, creates a laminar air flow pattern around it's sides which creates a low flow area in the center causing an area of lower heat (though you still get plenty of radiant heat). With the OBT and it's eccentric shape, you break up the laminar airflow reducing the dead center cool spot. -=Jasen=-[/quote:28cwooc5] Yes you got me there on that first part- caught me making rash statements for the sake of discussion. Anything but a kamado style grill makes good results harder and much more infrequent. I'm not sure I understand the second part. But I guess if you can measure the Reynolds number of both shapes then one could establish that objectively. On my K7 there is so much goo and ash and wood chips stuck on the sides (see below) - that alone might break up the laminar flow. What the OBT really needs is a modified Tornado Fuel Saver inside the lower door to really break up that laminar flow. Who'd have thought you really could learn about physics and increase your vocabulary discussing barbecue. You all like pictures and pictures of failed K's, here's mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curly Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 Mine don't really have legs...just a walker or wheel chair or some sorta aide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trish Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 Firemonkey wrote: The classic shape has the spring encased in a housing that hangs off the back of the grill. Doesnt looks nearly as refined...more like an afterthought than an integrated piece of the grill. Aesthetically speaking then, the symmetrical design is a trade-off for an integrated hinge ?... The hinge cover on the classic is in the back and can be situated so that it is not noticeable. It is far superior to the mexi design with the tubes on the side with manual sets. Its function is far superior as well. I have not had mine long enough to weigh in on the heat distribution question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krusty K Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 If I may.. I believe the claim of more even heat is referring to the radiant from above, not the heat from below. The OTB shape has a more consistent spacing of the lid-to-grill over a greater percentage of the grill area than the classic shape. Certainly passes the logic test: sounds reasonable. I've never used a round style (of any brand) and I don't plan to temp test this one. I used to like the round shape myself, and even thought the POSK was good looking, now when I see a POSK all I see are the legs... and then I can't stop thinking about several types of bird that have REAL skinny legs. bleh Where in Iowa if you don't mind. Just over the border in Geneseo, IL here. What you say while still a little subjective, does make sense. A logical extension of the argument if you needed a really large cooker, and I do since I have been doing a limited amount of off-the-grid catering, would be a ceramic cooker shaped like a long box. If I understand your logic, that might maximize the "consistent spacing of the lid-to-grill over a greater percentage of the grill area". Might take more than one spring. Until I get my signature/avatar my thoughts (with appologies to HJS) on having a POSK when you can't afford a KK: "Well of course, everything looks bad if you remember it. Now where are my barbeque boots? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetzervalve Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 Where in Iowa if you don't mind. Just over the border in Geneseo' date=' IL here. [/quote'] Southeast (Fairfield) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porkchop Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 i am not a physics guy, but here's what I have to say: 1) tornado on the KK; this is a necessary experiment. someone needs to be brave enough to do this, hook it up to a blower, and smelt some ore! 2) ceramic cooker shaped like a big ol box??? how bout those big outdoor clay ovens the quebec'ers build? those are for bread, sure, but there are plenty of firebrick-type do-it-yerself bbq's in backyards for sure... maybe thats the next step for me; build a brick pit in my backyard... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetzervalve Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 maybe thats the next step for me; build a brick pit in my backyard... Just don't, under any circumstance, remove the firebox, or your warranty will be void!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curly Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 maybe thats the next step for me; build a brick pit in my backyard... Just don't, under any circumstance, remove the firebox, or your warranty will be void!! What do ya do with it when it splinters into a zillion pieces? Just leave it where it lays? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
