salamander Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 I had been following the KK forum for a long, long time before finally making the purchase. I went with the matte black and think it looks awesome. Dennis has been great--particularly answering my many, many pre-sale questions. I'm not sure if I am the first vegetarian KK owner, but I imagine there are not many of us. Before I get flamed (pardon the pun) by the masses, rest assured that the KK will see plenty of meat cooks for family and friends. As for myself, I primarily purchased it for use as a pizza oven, although even as vegetarians, we are finding more and more uses each day. I have attached a few photos, although I need to get some better pictures of the KK and the 'za. That was actually my first attempt ever and I certainly did plenty wrong. Even so, it turned out. Anyway, the KK, and Dennis's service have both been awesome. Edit: I don't think it'll let me post the photos as a new user! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdbower Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 Heretic! Uh, I mean welcome to the forum. We don't discriminate based on your, um, "lifestyle choice" but we may ask that you only gradually introduce green things into your pictures - some of us haven't seen them before So what kind of vegetarian are you? I've known some that don't include seafood, some that don't go for eggs or milk, and one that even knew enough to stay away from marshmallows (they have gelatin which is a bone meal byproduct). I'll have to dig through my recipe stash to see if I can find any that you can try out. I'm glad to see that Dennis' sense of taste extends beyond the carnivore genre, you've made quite an investment in quality and looks for someone who won't be sampling the animal-based meals. One of my favorite vegetarian conversations (from a British sit-com): Jane: Never mind about your brain, Oliver, brains are overrated. Many plants don't have brains. Have you thought about that? Oliver: Many plants? Jane: What? Oliver: Many plants don't have brains? Jane: Exactly. Oliver: Jane, no plants have brains. Jane: Yet they have their own wisdom. Oliver: What wisdom? Jane: The wisdom of plants. Oliver: What wisdom is that? Jane: It's very deep, Oliver, it's very spiritual. It's so typically planty. Oliver: You are making this up. Jane: No, I'm not. It's a philosophy. I follow a lot of philosophies. It's one of the things people really notice about me. Oliver: So, you follow the philosophy of plants? Jane: I'm a committed vegetarian. Yes. Oliver: Really? Jane: It's a life choice. Oliver: So let me get this straight, you believe in a wisdom and a philosophy of plants? Jane: Yes I do, Oliver, I absolutely do. Oliver: So you eat them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salamander Posted May 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 ..No meat, poultry, or seafood, but I'm quite certain our favorite Mexican joint has lard in the beans..... and my baseball mitt is real leather... so definitely no soap box going on here. I'd love to see any good recipes you may have... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyboy Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 Welcome to the KK family...We'll be interested to hear about all your discoveries for the KK... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanesmith Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 Bring on the recipes! One of my big concerns with spending the major bucks to purchase my soon to be delivered KK is that I am trying to give my heart a break and eat more fish and veggies. Love to hear what can be done with other than meat using the KK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 You can make naan, with uh, cake flour... http://www.komodokamado.com/forum/viewt ... c&start=15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetzervalve Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 Come on in the water is fine! I caught some grief here for a pizza lacking meat, however, I think things have calmed some 'round here since then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linuxwrangler Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 Re: Bring on the recipes! One of my big concerns with spending the major bucks to purchase my soon to be delivered KK is that I am trying to give my heart a break and eat more fish and veggies. Love to hear what can be done with other than meat using the KK. Cedar-plank salmon. Yum. Deep-dish pizza. Yum, again (but perhaps not low fat). All sorts of chicken dishes. Thanksgiving turkey. Don't worry - you'll find plenty to cook. And don't forget pork. A lot of modern pork cuts are pretty lean. It's unreal how many people you can serve from an inexpensive pork-loin from Costco and from my reading, the fat content is way lower than in most beef servings. Just do yourself a favor - you've shelled out the big bucks, now shell out a small amount more for a Thermapen. Modern pork should not be cooked till dry and a good thermometer lets you pull it as soon as possible. I target a center temperature of 137 since I have read that that is the temperature where trichinosis is killed. The temperature rises a few degrees while settling for a margin of safety (not including the margin provided by the fact that trichinosis is pretty much a non-issue anymore). There is one conundrum. Tasty food is more satisfying than bland food so you can do with less. But when the food is tasty, you may want to eat more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salamander Posted May 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 Sanesmith, I have seen several posts regarding veggies on the KK. I need to go back and find them again, but that is another thing I am looking forward to. In particular grilling veggies / making kabobs / and especially grilled corn on the cob. The KK may be a decent investment, but it really is great for so many things. My girlfriend is a pastry chef--so we might even try a few things on the KK I'm not sure have been done before. It's also quite a conversation piece. When I mention having a cooker that can cook a pizza at 750 degrees, often people ask if it's a green egg which sets the aesthetic bar very, very low. So everyone is pretty much wowed once they see the KK. Which I'm sure would be the case even without the low aesthetic expectation! It really is beautiful, yet the matte black rings true to old school grilling. I'm pretty sure you'll love it and be able to easily stick to your goal of eating healthy. Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanesmith Posted May 11, 2009 Report Share Posted May 11, 2009 Grilling Veggies Salamander et al, I'll certainly be experimenting with grilling of veggies. I've had nice results with my old weber kettle using corn, asparagus, mushrooms among other things. Hope to take this to a new level with the KK. Anyone with experience... please post those techniques and recipes!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted May 11, 2009 Report Share Posted May 11, 2009 Best Baked Potatos in the world!!! Do a baked potato and you'll wonder where has KK been all your life!!! Stab potato profusely with fork. Coat with fresh ground sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, and EVOO. 350 F. Direct or indirect (indirect more forgiving on the skin). Add topings. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salamander Posted May 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 Johnnyboy, Took your advice--the potato was great. Out of curiosity, how long does it typically take? I was maybe a bit higher than 350 (375?), but it took probably 50 minutes (and maybe could have gone a bit longer).... Was certainly delicious, though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 Good taters eehh.... Glad you tried it. If you like potato skin; KK makes the best ever in my opinion. I typically go an hour or so. 50 minutes is close. Kinda depends on the size of potato too. I usually pull baked potato off when I can sink a fork into it with a little resistance. Oh yea; 350-375 F. "Macht Niche" as a German would say; meaning not so important. KK's are very forgiving. I'll probably take a hit for that as I know some like to dial temps in to a tee! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salamander Posted May 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 I agree with you on the forgiveness of the KK. That is one of the things I learned early on. I was also using indirect heat (which may add a bit to the time? not sure on that), but was basically running the same test as you. The fork test showed it was soft enough to eat, but I definitely would have left it on for a few more minutes if I would have, you know, started dinner before 9:30. Can't wait for the second go round... Another question: Is it normal a 400 degree top temp cook still holds a ~200 degree temperature about 8 hours after closing down both dampers? I know the retention is good, but is it really that good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdbower Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 Another question: Is it normal a 400 degree top temp cook still holds a ~200 degree temperature about 8 hours after closing down both dampers? I know the retention is good' date=' but is it really that good?[/quote'] It's not unheard of, especially with KK extruded coconut fuel. You may get a faster shutdown if you check to make sure everything is sealed up tight - a wad of aluminum foil or a silicone plug in the temperature probe and guru ports, make sure the lid is fully closed (there's also a "cracked" setting on the latch), check the front and rear draft doors to make sure they're clean, etc. If things get really bad you can also put some papers along the rim and then close the lid. If any papers feel especially loose you may need to adjust the lid slightly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salamander Posted May 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 JD, Thanks for the info.. I am using the Extruded Coconut Charcoal, but a few experiments may be in order.... I appreciate the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted May 13, 2009 Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 Salamander, If I use indirect. My heat deflector has approx. 2-3" of space between the edge and wall of K which is where I place the potatos. I like the skin crusty, and dark. I also make sure the fork I use for testing doneness has long enough tines or what ever they're called to reach the middle of potato. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 KK grilled baked potatoes are my favorite. You can find plenty of pictures of the finished product in my posts, but I usually go a little hotter, like somewhere near 425, and I do them direct. I have found that using direct heat on the upper rack works well, or even the lower rack if thats what I will e using to cook my main dish. With the higher temps you will need to flip the potato a few times during the cook to keep it evenly cooking. BTW, I dont pierce mine with a fork, just oil them and sprinkle with kosker salt. They are done when they are soft enough for me to squeeze. My last weeklong visitors actually declared their baked potatoes as the best they have ever had. As for other vegetables to cook, grilled eggplant ranks rightup there as another favorite. Just peel and slice into 3/4 to 1" slices. Lightly spray them with oil, salt and pepper and grill them direct until golden brown on each side. There are proabably some pics of them too if you search. Squash is also great on the grill, as are roasted tomatoes, peppers and onions. You will have plenty of options to keep that KK in use! I would encourage you to get a bag of regular lump to try as well, especially for the higher temp grilling. I tend to reserve the KKEC for longer cooks. Lump comes up to temp so much faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salamander Posted May 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Johnnyboy / Firemonkey, Thanks for the tips on the potatoes and charcoal. I may experiment with some different charcoals as well. It does seem that the ECC takes a long time to get to temp. I thought maybe I didn't have it properly lit a few times... If you have any favorite brands, please let me know. I suppose I should search the forums--I seem to recall some discussions on charcoal back when I was doing research on the KK pre-purchase. I will be doing quite a bit of grilling next week--will post some results. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 With charcoal, its usually a matter of what is readily available in your area. I dont have too many choices on my local retail shelves, so I have been using royal oak, which is always available at Walmart for $5/bag. You will find that it will come up to temp much faster, you will have your potatoes roasting within 15 minutes of lighting it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
