Paswesley Posted July 13, 2010 Report Posted July 13, 2010 Well, after a restless night, tossing with the anticipation of receiving my new kooker today- alas, it's not to be. I could have received it today, but I was told by YRC's local terminal that no one with a lift gate on their truck is coming this way today. They say they are going to try to get it to me tomorrow. I pleaded my case, citing the upcoming cook on Friday/Saturday. But, I still could not get a firm commitment for delivery tomorrow. The agent went out to check it and said it was, "very interesting looking. Is it some kind of stove?" If there was a way to make it happen, I would go get my kooker! As it is, all I can do is twiddle my thumbs and wait... You know, when I think about how I almost got swindled by those other kamado folks, I am so glad about something called a search engine. Thank God I found Dennis! Three weeks before I ordered my kooker from Dennis, before I found komodokamado.com, I requested a sales quote for a #9 kamado from a competitor. I still have not received a response! This is one of the few times in my life that I thank God for being ignored!
T Rex Posted July 13, 2010 Report Posted July 13, 2010 Hey Paswesley, I think pretty much every Komodo owner on this site knows exactly what you are going through........ The wait and anticipation is a killer! I came within a few hours of buying a POSK myself......... Mrs. T Rex and I had decided to make the purchase in the morning, I went to bed and she continued doing research for a couple of hours. In the morning she told me that she thought that we had a problem with the POSK given the feedback she found on the Web. However, she also told me about an real nice unit she found while doing research............. We contacted Dennis and bought a KK the next day. Too close for comfort.......... T Rex
Paswesley Posted July 13, 2010 Author Report Posted July 13, 2010 Rain a factor? T-Rex: It has been fair and hot in the Baltimore area for the past three weeks, leading up to the arrival of my kooker. Now, of course, we are getting a lot of rain. Do I need to be concerned about using the kooker in the rain? Dennis sent some info that mentions the possiblity of moisture bubbling out from uncured grout in the first twenty-four hours of high temp kooking. Need I be concerned about water at all? I would ask Dennis, but he is still in New Guinea. Thanks.
T Rex Posted July 13, 2010 Report Posted July 13, 2010 Re: Rain a factor? T-Rex: It has been fair and hot in the Baltimore area for the past three weeks, leading up to the arrival of my kooker. Now, of course, we are getting a lot of rain. Do I need to be concerned about using the kooker in the rain? Dennis sent some info that mentions the possiblity of moisture bubbling out from uncured grout in the first twenty-four hours of high temp kooking. Need I be concerned about water at all? I would ask Dennis, but he is still in New Guinea. Thanks. I am no expert but I doubt you need to be concerned about rain. It is recommened however that your first few cooks be "low and slow" as you would do for ribs or butts. The only bubbling that I noticed was on the top hat and only recently at that after doing a long hot cook and that was only around one tile. T Rex
Paswesley Posted July 13, 2010 Author Report Posted July 13, 2010 Erring on the safe side You know Dennis. He just wants to be sure that he has given us the best info available. BTW, what type of lump do you use, and where do you get it from? I have some that I got from Lowe's, that has done okay in a Weber. But, a Weber is not in the same league as a KK. I am looking for high heat, low ash, with lightability a distant third. Well, cost is also a factor.
tcoliver Posted July 13, 2010 Report Posted July 13, 2010 Dennis heats up the cookers before they ship to get the moisture out, plus I don't think the new elastomeric grout has any problems with moisture. I live in Georgia and don't worry about the rain. Never heard of any issues arrising from rain either. I've done several cooks under an umbrella.
JeffB Posted July 13, 2010 Report Posted July 13, 2010 Re: Erring on the safe side BTW' date=' what type of lump do you use, and where do you get it from? I have some that I got from Lowe's, that has done okay in a Weber. But, a Weber is not in the same league as a KK. I am looking for high heat, low ash, with lightability a distant third. Well, cost is also a factor.[/quote'] Check out the post by Loquitur here regarding DoItBest.com. There is an affiliate in Columbia (Kendall Hardware) you can ship to.
Paswesley Posted July 14, 2010 Author Report Posted July 14, 2010 Maple Lump Charcoal, and many other species of hardwood Hey JeffB: Thanks for the tip. I am going to try some. I am also going to try a brand of hardwood lump called Real Montana Lump Charcoal. The NWhiz site gives them a highly recommended rating. They call the company "The Paul Potts of charcoal." I guess they mean this charcoal is as surprisingly good as Paul Potts singing was, when he auditioned on Britain's talent contest back in 2007. They make many different types of lump charcoal, including many fruitwoods and even some exotic species, such as mahogany. According to the NW, the maple that they tested has a long burn, low ash, and attained a temperature of 1200 degrees, the highest that they have ever tested. Needless to say, if it is as good as they say, it sounds like just what I am looking for. They say that it puts out a good deal of smoke until it stabilizes at a given temp. I don't mind this. I like a pronounced smoky flavor for most of my cooking. Cost is about 25.00 + shipping for 20#, which is a bit pricey. I am going to give it a try, though. It may be well worth the cost. Have you, or anyone else, ever tried this charcoal?
JeffB Posted July 14, 2010 Report Posted July 14, 2010 I have never tried Real Montana Lump although it certainly sounds like it is worth a try. It is a little expensive as an everyday charcoal especially when you factor in shipping which tends to be high for charcoal. The nice thing about the doitbest.com deal is shipping is free if you ship it to a local affiliate store. And they have Royal Oak which is generally considered the standard by which other charcoals are measured. NW has a review on Royal Oak so check it out. I also use a 100% hardwood briquette sold at Trader Joe's (search for it to find some previous discussions here) which is good although it tends to be a little ashy. Either way, it doesn't hurt to try them all and see what you like. Good luck.
Paswesley Posted July 14, 2010 Author Report Posted July 14, 2010 Whoa!!! I have spoken with the east of the Mississippi distributor of Real Montana Charcoal. The cost for a 20# bag is $40.00, shipping included. That is a bit too premium for my wallet, especially since the difference between RMC and Royal Oak, in NW's rating, is not significant. Since I can buy 4 18# bags of RO for $63.00, tax included, I ordered that. RMC @ $2.00 per pound, or RO @ $0.87 per pound? That's a no-brainer!
mguerra Posted July 14, 2010 Report Posted July 14, 2010 nuanced flavor I use Royal Oak exclusively. It is a great base charcoal. Add any other kind of wood you like for smoke flavor.
T Rex Posted July 14, 2010 Report Posted July 14, 2010 Re: nuanced flavor I use Royal Oak exclusively. It is a great base charcoal. Add any other kind of wood you like for smoke flavor. X2 T Rex
