YemYam Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Hello all! Proud new owner here from North Carolina. I recently took delivery of this beautiful 19 hi cap. When I confirmed delivery on the phone I asked if it would be ok to place the KK on my outdoor countertop and they said it would be ok. I was only referring to the weight at the time. I think that will be fine, it's cinder blocks underneath capped in cemented stone work with a 1in granite countertop. Also, it's at the corner so it should be very stable. However, somebody mentioned that the granite will crack (not soon but eventually) because of the heat transfer from the bottom. I know that the KK is super insulated and even at extreme internal temperatures the external is not nearly as hot. How does that apply to the base of the KK? Looking at the pics do you guys think it's safe? Been browsing the forums for a couple of weeks now and have already learned so much from all of you so thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I have a bone in boston butt, a chuck roast, and some baby back ribs prepped for her first low & slow voyage! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 I'm new to the countertop game..but I Googled this and all sits say heat from your pots and pans or burning liquids will not affect granite.. That being said a lot of granite is treated with a sealer or jell coat. These are applied to both protect the stone from stains but also to allow many stones to be polished. These coatings can be quite sensitive to heat and abrasion and once damaged are hard if not impossible to fix. So you might want to check with the store where you bought it to be safe.. Also oil can change stone's color..Is the plan to cook on the grill from the high side standing on the pebbles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YemYam Posted June 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Yes, from the high side, there are stairs just to the left that go down to the open end of the kitchen. I decided on this for a few reasons: - I will be doing 80% low and slow in the KK so I will not need to be hovering over it much, just loading and unloading mostly. - There's not much room in the rest of the kitchen floor space so I didn't want to clutter up more walkway space. - In addition to being an amazing cooking device it's extremely beautiful and I love how it anchors the look of the cooking area. If I'm grilling quick n easy on the gas grill I love having it close by so I can keep an eye on it. I'm not super concerned about a little discoloration, it is a fully open kitchen so I anticipate some weathering. However, I will keep a close eye on it and if it doesn't seem to be working out or it turns out to be too much of a pain to access from that side I will definitely buy the stand and find a home for it close by. Thanks for the quick response! I'm prepping to do my first cook today and am very excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstr8 Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 FWIW when I built our former outdoor island our granite company advised to use 30mm thick granite to insure a crack free life in the outdoors; they wouldn't guarantee 19mm to remain crack free however. We were then located in Reno at about 5,000'...with a seasonal ambient temperature range of 10-110*F. For the 3-years I used the island it performed without issue...including countless times getting the 75kbtu bbq crazy hot (~650*F +). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 First off, gorgeous outdoor kitchen. I am so jealous. Not practical here in Iowa. I have granite countertops in my indoor kitchen (about 1 1/2 inches thick). They were put in over 6 years ago. I put pots straight off the stove on them with no issues at all. I wouldn't worry about it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LK BBQ Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 For what it's worth, I have the 19" as well and I love it. I got the stand and it is over engineered and beautiful like the KK itself. If you have the floor space, it works well. You can easily roll it around and lock the wheels whenever you need to move it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YemYam Posted June 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 Thanks for the feedback everybody! And thanks for the compliment on the kitchen Tony, I spend a lot more time in the backyard since it was completed. I think for now I am going to leave it as is and keep an eye on the heat it produces. I investigated getting a custom granite base and Dennis suggested maybe a thermal hard board insulation. I've only taken it up to 350 so far but the base was super cool. Once I do the first high temp "burn in" I'll know how much heat the base produces. We don't have that extreme weather here in NC and the kitchen has been completed for 2 years with no issues so hopefully it will be fine. If there's a lilttle discoloration or slight crack I'm not going to cry over it. The first two cooks went great. First was a large chuck roast and pork ribs, I stumbled a lil and over cooked em a tad so I turned them into beef chili and pork ragu and they tasted awesome. Second day I did a bone in boston butt and was much more comfortable/confident and it came out great. I just got my bbq guru in the mail yesterday so that will be my training wheels until I get more experienced with the process. Loving the KK very much, it's nice to be cooking with fire again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 Pictures, dude, where is the food porn?? Forum Rule #1 - no pictures of the cook, it didn't happen! You will love the Guru. It's not really training wheels at all - IMO. It's so nice to set it up for a long lo & slo cook and just walk away (or go to bed) and not worry about the temperature fluctuating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 Which guru did you get? They all work, it's like autopilot! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YemYam Posted June 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2014 Yes, food pics! Third day cooking on it, definitely getting the hang of things! I did not use the guru yet as the weather was forcasted to rain on and off and I know the guru is not fully waterproof. 5698k, I got the CyberQ wifi with the Pit Viper fan. Looking forward to doing an overnight smoke with it once I get a clear weather window. For this cook I did bone in boston butt and beef briskett. Cooked for a party and maybe it's the amount of beverages consumed but everybody was all over it like zombies to brains. Everybody loved it and said it was some of the best bbq they have had in their life (again, maybe from the beverages, drunk hungry people say the darndest things). Other notes on this cook: Fogo lump charcoal Peach and Plum wood for smoking from Fruita Wood site Kosmos Dirty Bird rub on the briskett and Kosmos Killer Bee on the pork butt (also from Fruita Wood site) Smoked at just under 250 from 10-6 then tin foil wrapped for another two hours Made sure I let the temp come up super slow so I didn't slip past 250 like I did on my first two attempts. Thanks for the comments all! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstr8 Posted July 1, 2014 Report Share Posted July 1, 2014 Nice looking roasts YemYam! Ditto on the 'luxe outdoor kitchen set-up! You've inspired me...so I'll be off to see the pork wizard tomorrow...and get back to low and slow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YemYam Posted July 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2014 Thanks dstr8! I spent twenty years in Texas before logging a little over 10 now in North Carolina so I have feuding bbq states in my blood now. Trying to do them both justice and with the KK you can't go wrong no matter what style you go with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted July 2, 2014 Report Share Posted July 2, 2014 First off, great food porn! See you've found Fruita woods already. Great Stuff!!! Try the OakRidge rubs; they are pretty good, too! Love the Santa Maria on tri-tip over their Cali Red Oak splits. No dilemma there - cook your briskets like TX and your pork butts like NC and all will be right with the world!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
