mguerra Posted October 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 Mesquite Could be from all the mesquite I use, but I'm not stopping that! The stainless band around the damper boss is totally covered in brown drippage, as well. I'm thinking about getting a piece of silicone mat, and cutting a small hole in it for the damper stud, and placing it between the damper and its' mating surface each cook upon shutdown. That should provide less stiction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted October 29, 2009 Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 That's a lot of tar... I can't say I've ever heard of the type or volume of buildup your talking about. I'm guessing it's basically creosote and grease. The outside of my boiler in the factory is coated in thick tar from the oil in the teak we burn. I can't think of anything besides the ceramic gasket that would work. I'd start with a grease remover.. and then slowly step up to light solvents. When it's hot you might be able to remove some by adding some silica sand and scrubbing.. Maybe it will pick up some of the deposited material like you use kitty litter to pick up oil under cars.. Silicone can only handle about 520ºf so that's not going to work long term. Kudos on burning your first 2 tons of charcoal and half ton of wood your KK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primeats Posted October 29, 2009 Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 Doc, are you burning mesquite instead of charcoal? You may be the first person to ever achieve Super Smoker status! A few times a year I use the Magic Eraser to clean up the tar build up, but you may have to use denatured alcohol to strip off a large deposit of tar. Unless Dennis thinks it may damage the tiles or grout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted October 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 lump, not wood! I use Royal Oak with a couple fist size hunks of mesquite for most cooks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted October 29, 2009 Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 I use Cowboy with just a few twigs of oak or pecan that has the bark removed. I have not had any residue (as described). I only smoke until the product reaches 140 internal and the woods never catch on fire. (I have never had a wood fire in my KK.) I'm thinking a "Smoke Daddy" might eliminate the problem. Soon the outdoor temp will be right for cold smoking. That is some good looking Stew! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curly Posted October 29, 2009 Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 I've never had that kinda build up either. But I'd scrape off the gasket and try some of the silicon from an auto parts...at least it's non-pourice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted October 29, 2009 Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 I just wanted to make note it's very easy and common mistake to overtighten the damper when shutting down. With the draft door closed tight it shouldn't require much pressure (IF ANY) between mating surfaces of the hat to stop the fire. I screw down only enough to where the surfaces barely touch. No force whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted October 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 Light pressure Yes, I just screw it shut lightly. I do throw the mesquite in there right in the fire, I'll have to use a smoker box, see if it cuts down on the tar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primeats Posted October 29, 2009 Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 Forgot to mention, that is one hellofa good looking stew, gotta try the olives next time. After all I did marry into an Italian family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted October 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 Foil/ Stew It's as good a stew as I've ever had. When I did the round roasts, I used the Weber trick, smoked for a while and then foiled. The foiling caught a ton of juice, which I threw in the stew. Like you, Dave, I felt there was no need to foil anything in a KK. And as far as the KK not flowing a lot of air, that is true. I tried the foil trick out of curiosity, on the high temp brisket, just to see how it worked. I think the foiling has a tenderizing effect on the brisket that goes beyond simple moisture retention. I encourage you to give the high temp/ foiling method a try! And, as you know, competition Q'ers do it, Finney won Grand Champion with foil. It may not be all that useful on ribs, I have not tried foiling ribs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted October 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 Last post on this,....maybe Well, I guess we (I) have just about beat this to death, but I did another Weber method brisket last night to give to a couple of golf buddies. I did not inject, don't have the injector yet. After cooking and resting, I caught about 2 plus cups of juice, which I'll save for something. Then I separated the point from the flat and cleaned off ALL the fat. I cut both pieces in half across the grain to give my buds a starting slicing point. Of course, I had to sample it! An absolutely luscious 5 hour brisket. If you think this is a crazy technique, try it. I thought it was just a way the Weber guys compensated for having high air flow steel cookers, but it's not. OK, next topic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanwiley Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 How long did you rest it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted October 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 About an hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Re: Last post on this,....maybe Well' date=' I guess we (I) have just about beat this to death, ...[/quote'] Ha! When you said Game On you meant it!!!! Been a great thread as far as I can tell. I've definitely learned from it!! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted November 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2009 high temp fast pork butt Here's a couple of items. I've got a high temp brisket going, which I injected with FAB B injection, per Finney's recommendation. They have a rub, too, so I put that on as well. It's out there chugging along at 300. Since I got the injector, I decided to do a couple of pork butts also. Those I injected with Goya Mojo Criollo, and rubbed with some Weber Hamburger rub, just because it was laying around. A guy over at the Primo forums tried to do a high temp, quick pork butt, after having good success with the brisket. And this guy was LOATHE to try the high temp/ fast brisket! But, he tried it once, and voila, a convert. So he did a pork butt same way out of curiosity. Well, he did not foil it at 160 and cook til tender, brisket style. He just cooked at 300 plus til the meat hit 190. Said it was the best pork butt he has ever cooked! So, my pork butts are out there keeping the brisket company at 300. I think I'll kick it up to 325 or 350. Later today I should have something to report... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted November 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2009 Quickie Pork butts are done! I don't think they were on for four hours. After a little rest, I'll pull them and do a taste/texture/doneness test. If these can also be done quickly, like the brisket, I may never do another overnight cook! Except maybe for the ambience of hanging out on the porch late into the night, drinking adult beverages and smoking cigars; watching and smelling the KK smoke waft around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted November 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2009 Results I'm going to have to report on the pork butts another time. I pulled them off the fire a little early, and although they are done and VERY tasty, the texture is not quite right. However I cannot attribute this to the cooking method versus pulling them off too soon. Next time I will allow them to fully finish, and then report on the fast/hot cook results. The brisket, however, was a smashing success, partly due to the injection, and then of course the new method. I do need to make a correction here. I used Butcher BBQ Brisket Injection and Butcher BBQ Brisket Rub, not the FAB products. http://www.butcherbbq.com/ Experienced Q'ers likely know this already, but you probably don't need to inject the point, just the flat. Or, inject the point only a little. This refers to injections that include a tenderizer. If it's a pure flavor injection, probably it's fine to inject the point. The tenderizer in the point, combined with the tenderizing effect of the foil, does not turn it to mush, but it does cause the muscle fibers to basically fall apart, so you can't slice it very well. But, you can definitely make chopped beef from it! And if that is your plan for your point anyway, inject away! I like the injector from turkey-frying .com It is stainless, high capacity, made in the USA, and has two needles. DO NOT use the needle with the side perforations for any injection that includes particles! Only use the straight bore needle for that. If you clog your side perforation needle, you may not be able to clear it! To easily fill your syringe with the side perf needle, take it off. Fill the syringe, put the needle back on. Some dumb asses over at Amazon were complaining they couldn't fill the syringe with this needle! http://www.turkey-frying.com/PSI_1_meat_injectors.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted November 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2009 Addendum Here's an addendum to the pork butt story. I finished them by foiling them and putting them back on the fire till they hit 190. This did the trick, as far as fixing the fact that I originally took them off too early. They were done, tender, pulled apart perfectly. And I must say, the Goya Mojo Criollo injection is a fantastic Caribbean flavor! http://www.goya.com/english/products/pr ... CatID=3#78 So I'm quite confident that a hot fast cook will work. The method would be to cook them indirect at 300ish til they are 190 internal, no foil. Next time I do it correctly, I'll report to verify. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted November 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 hot fast butt I have a hot fast pork butt going. Temp is running 330ish. I will cook it to full finish this time, and give a report. This one I'm just cooking indirect til done at 190. Next time, I might experiment with foiling it at 160 or so, just like the fast brisket method, just to see what happens. This better be good because it is the main course at a late afternoon lunch party! Probably it will be fine, because the last ones I did were pulled off the fire too soon, sat on the counter for a couple hours, cooled off some , and then went back on the fire; they were excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted November 15, 2009 Report Share Posted November 15, 2009 What KK set-up are you using for this one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
