Hello from Fountain Hills Arizona

[Dirtman62801]

I am a new winter resident of Fountain Hills, Arizona.   I reside in Centralia, IL for much of the year and plan on bouncing back and forth.  I have been avid on the grill and smoker for over 15 years and have quite a few different smokers, grills, flat tops, pizza ovens and various other cooking toys.  Most of my cooking in Centralia is on a MAK grill which is a pellet grill/smoker.  I cook a lot, over a thousand pounds of meat annually as I regularly cook for charities and fundraisers.  I regularly follow Amazing Ribs and the Pit Master Forum reading more than posting.  I have read about Komodo Kamado’s on AR and decided that Arizona was the opportunity to jump into the Ceramic Cooker and jump into the best of the best.

I researched on this forum for quite awhile prior to ordering my BB32 and have learned a lot but have a lot more to learn.  I purchased the BB32 based on research here that it gives much more grilling space.  I am going to attempt to make the BB32 my grill, smoker, pizza oven, flat top and plan to learn to make bread on it.  The original intent was to put it in our backyard which has several levels and only the lowest level has the room.  The backyard is about to be demoed and redone.  I mentioned keeping in the front of the house temporarily and surprisingly our interior designer is encouraging me to put it in between our casita and house in a small courtyard.  This might be as she had volunteered her team to get it around back and realized a crane might be the only way to get it there.  We were all thinking of some type of art or water feature in the courtyard and as a testament to its beautify she is recommending the courtyard.  It is much closer to the kitchen and on the same level would be advantageous.

I read how hard it is to get the CoCo Charcoal so I ordered a pallet.  Feel free to reach out to me if you are in the Phoenix area and if your in need I’ll hook you up at my cost.  Otherwise I have lifetime supply!

 

[Tyrus]

Welcome, it appears you don't like running low on coal, can't say I blame you, it's always a comfort to know you have literally a ton in the shed. We have Thanksgiving almost upon us, turkey is a great cook on the KK for a start, it will certainly please you. Good luck

[MacKenzie]

Gorgeous KK. You are going to have so much fun playing with it not to mention the over the top good eats you will have. 👍👍 

[Cheesehead_Griller]

Very nice! Welcome to the community. Good luck with finding a perfect resting spot. Once you do, you will enjoy using it. I have had my BB32 for about 8 months now. Absolutely love it. We cook on it numerous times a week. Regardless of weather. 

[CaptMorg82]

Nice color choice! Congrats on your purchase. You'll really enjoy smoking/grilling/baking on something with as much thermal mass as these have. It really keeps things stable. 

[tony b]

Welcome to the Obsession! Can't wait to see it in its final resting place, especially if you make it the centerpiece of your courtyard with a water feature for accent. Will be stunning! 

[Dirtman62801]

Thanks all!

Yesterday, I seasoned to about 300 degrees to burn off the stainless steel.  I had only one side with charcoal as I had the two zones set .  When I came out this am about 5, it was still smoldering and warm.   I removed the charcoal divider this morning am and added charcoal to the entire basket.  Today I am going to run about 5 hours at 500 unless someone suggests otherwise.   I didn’t have the FireBoard charged until after it “got going” about two hours later.  I brought temperature up gradually.

I plan to cook steaks on Monday so wanted to be prepared.

 

Once seasoned, what should I cook tonight for the first cook?  Should I used Coffee split as my smoking wood?  I’d have to source other woods as that is all I have right now. I’d think mesquite is aplenty in the desert.

 

 

 

[Wobster]

Welcome to the area (I am near Tucson). I am curious as to how many cases you get on a pallet? I did get some with my grill but thinking I should have gotten more! 

[Dirtman62801]

My daughter goes to U of and I’ll be coming for her birthday on March 29th.  I’d be happy to bring you several boxes for free.  I have more than I’ll ever use.  Dennis suggested to load up so I did.  Sorry for late reply well over a year ago.  

The outdoor kitchen is getting closer and the 32 Big Bad KK is still awaiting a crane to move to the backyard.  I ordered two cabinets from Dennis KK Teakworks.  They are beautiful.  I am awaiting countertops to be installed as well as a LeGriddle flat top and sink.  The other cabinet will be a bar.  The quality and price of these units are the equivalent to his Smokers.  The drawers are high quality and lined with stainless steel.

[MacKenzie]

Chicken and ribs are always impressive cooks. 

Edited March 3 by MacKenzie

[Dirtman62801]

On 11/20/2022 at 4:32 PM, Wobster said:

Welcome to the area (I am near Tucson). I am curious as to how many cases you get on a pallet? I did get some with my grill but thinking I should have gotten more! 

I bought 60 boxes.

[Dirtman62801]

On 11/20/2022 at 5:32 PM, Wobster said:

Welcome to the area (I am near Tucson). I am curious as to how many cases you get on a pallet? I did get some with my grill but thinking I should have gotten more! 

Searching for Turkey recipes came across this old post of mine.  My daughter is a senior at U of A.  We spend much of fall and winter there.  I'd be happy to bring you a few boxes of CocO Char.  Text me any time at 618-918-8065. We come back October 20th and should be in Tucson sometime in October or November. 

[jdbower]

I'll often resort to searching for the Mad Max method, but really the key (IMHO) is a bag of ice over the breast for a while before cooking. It causes the white meat to cook more slowly and be more juicy while the dark meat comes up to temp.