Stewsan Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Hello and many thanks to everyone for all the information I've read on this forum over the past few months. I just received my KK here in Pattaya and I'm having a great time cooking and feeding all the neighbors. When I was in the USA I was able to order a Guru from Bob and that works great for a first timer. However, the wife doesn't think I really need to sleep on the balcony to listen for the beep! I had the opportunity to meet Dennis in Surabaya a couple months ago and was very impressed with his operation. It's pretty incredible and he's an incredible guy. Thanks again and bare with me as I have a lot of questions and I'm having a hard time finding all the answers using the search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNakedWhiz Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Welcome! Don't worry too much about asking questions. This is a pretty loose bunch of folks here. Glad to see you are enjoying your cooker and it's good to get first hand eye-witness accounts of Dennis and his facilities! You can keep him honest, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetzervalve Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Indeed, bring on the questions. Sometimes we can even answer them and it make us feel smart. BTW, welcome to the club! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Dunno... What if Stewsan grills BUGS the way Dennis did? Probably best not to mention that... (welcome! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewsan Posted October 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Thanks Guys! This is really a blast. The word has gotten out and the locals are lining up. I'm doing pizza's tonight and have a half a dozen hanging, drinking "my" beer and waiting to see what comes out. This is a new thing here in Thailand and the word gets out pretty fast. The hardest time I have so far is keeping the heat down. I did a 4 kg butt last night and stayed up for hours waiting for the temp to drop.... I'm sure there is a learning curve but I must be doing something wrong. Also, I can't seem to find those little propane tanks to use for starting the charcoals so I'm using a little bit of wood shaving like in the Cub Scouts.... Anyway, I'm sure you know the kick when you first get that big guy going. I've got 8 kg of Butt ( weird but I really thought it was from the butt ) marinating in the fridge for an all nighter with the KK. The staff here at the condo are planning another day of "Stew's trying to learn to cook" meals. I love it, thanks y'all and thanks Dennis.... I'm havin' fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewsan Posted October 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Sanny..... You're not living until you're relaxing on the patio and one of those bad boys fly's in.... the next thing you know they are scooped up and on the grill. They taste just like they look! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 They taste just like they look! Yah, that woulda been my guess. Bleh... You just keep tellin those Thai folks what GOOD food is! BBQ pork shoulder, pizza... unbug stuff. As for your temps soaring and not coming down, sounds like your damper and/or top hat were too wide open. Takes just a bit of top hat and some daisy wheel to maintain. No wheel if you have your guru going. My experience? Better to creep UP on the temps, rather than overshoot and wait to come down. Of course, your mileage may vary - I have a different manufacturer's product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porkchop Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 howdy stewsan!! you will defo get the hang of lows n slows with this contraption. easy as fallin off a log. don't mess with that propane; don't need it! good luck on the butt. nothing like the smell of slow roastin pork in the morning! smells like BREAKFAST! (now cue the surfers and the "flight of the valkiries"!) best breakfast in the world is a pulled pork sammich with vinegar sauce, and a side of... pulled pork sammich with vinegar sauce! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trish Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 NakedWhiz wrote: This is a pretty loose bunch of folks here Ok Whiz one peak at your avatar conveys that! Stewsan....better get out the camera....I can't believe anyone didn't tell you that without pictures it didn't happen!.....what model did you pick? color?....and look out for Curly, he can't seem to drive a new tractor without tearing it up....he is the color cop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Stewsan....better get out the camera.... Yeah, would actually be nice to see some pics from that side of the world. Especially since a certain other person from those parts has not taken an new pics for us in a long time!!! Local recipes would be killer too! -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 ...Local recipes would be killer too! -=Jasen=- Yahright. You want maggot marinade? Bug bouillabaisse? Roach ratatouille? Shrimp, crab and lobster are close enough to 'bugs' for me. Don't need to get any closer. Any more would be "killer," indeed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porkchop Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 something to serve on crackers, just for my Sanny... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casu_marzu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkline01 Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 something to serve on crackers, just for my Sanny... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casu_marzu That is nasty!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewsan Posted October 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2007 Ok, pictures are on the way as soon as I can figure out to attach them to the replies.... plan on lot's of pictures as Thailand has much more exotic "meats" than Dennis has shown....... I think I've figured out the high temp issue. I think the lump charcoal is a very low grade soft wood. I have everything almost shutdown completely and the temp still runs up to about 350F... Fortunately the USA has come to Thailand in the form of True Value Hardware stores and they sell an excellent selection of BBQ items including hardwood lump. I'm going to give that a try tomorrow.... good thing i can buy a whole pig here for less than $20 otherwise this might be an expensive hobby.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted October 20, 2007 Report Share Posted October 20, 2007 I think I've figured out the high temp issue. I think the lump charcoal is a very low grade soft wood. I have everything almost shutdown completely and the temp still runs up to about 350F... Couple questions; how much (or how long) charcoal are you initially lighting up and are you getting any smoke leakage (and maybe need and adjustment)? For a low and slow you only need a couple pieces of lit charcoal, bottom slide closed with very small crack in low airflow knob and top damper just unseated from gasket (less than 1/2 turn). If there is a lot of smoke leakage (or you can do a paper test), then you may need to adjust your latch and/or rear hinge. Let me know if you need any help posting those pics. BTW, I highly recommend image shack (there is a browse button below the window when you type a post). They also have tools on their website you can install to allow resizing of pics too. Oh yeah, and a pig for $20 - argh - you make me sick!!! I bet $20 can go a long way there. -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted October 20, 2007 Report Share Posted October 20, 2007 NO leakage in current production He has a Gen II OTB from our most current production. All the bugs have been fixed and his cooker is absolutely airtight and needs no latch or hinge adjustments. There was some gasket/adjustment problems with that were unforeseeable that have been discovered and corrected. No new Komodos need the "after a while adjustments".. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewsan Posted October 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 I've been filling the charcoal basket but I'm just lighting a couple of pieces on the side near the Guru. I then keep the upper damper unscrewed about a quarter turn at the most and then once it starts to warm up, I adjust it until I can just feel the heat coming out an no more. There are no leaks around the gasket. The only place I see smoke coming out is around the upper damper and through the hole where I put the Guru temperature probes. I'm thinking of making a little plug for that. I'm going down to pick up some commercial lump this morning as I have 10kgs of pork ribs to cook up for a pool party and I'm hoping that will help. I will take some picture.... I'll check out the Image shack today and see how that works. Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewsan Posted October 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 our first Pizza attempt Ok, I'm not sure if this will work but here's a shot of our first Pizza attempt. It turned out pretty good and ended up making 6 for a few of the neighbors. I used the Wolf Gangpuck dough recipe and went with "local" and imported toppings.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted October 21, 2007 Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 That is a fine looking pizza! Are you saying that you are getting these higher than expected temps with the guru attached? Maybe its a fan/guru issue and not the draft settings on the cooker? Have you tried it without the guru? I dont have a Guru, but isn't there a damper on the fan, to choke the amount of air it allows in? Might be worth a check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewsan Posted October 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2007 Good idea! I'm just firing it up now with some different lump and if it starts to get too hot again, I'll just disconnect and try it manually.. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
