cschaaf Posted February 16, 2016 Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 Hello everyone I am eagerly awaiting my Speckled Black 23" KK. It's quite possibly the most famous un-owned KK in the history of KKs! http://komodokamadoforum.com/topic/6016-crazy-bent-what-happened-here/ A long story about how this all came to be below if you are interested. This wasn't something I ever expected I'd do. I did a ton of research on every kamado I could find on the Internet before jumping in and buying a Kamado Joe Classic. I wanted the Big Joe, but when I saw it in person, I thought it was too big for my family (me, my wife, and her 3 young adult daughters - all of whom will be leaving the nest in the next 3 years or so). That entire process was probably 6 - 8 months. I was never really a fan of the way the KKs looked, and, when I saw the price, I backed away. Not that I didn't think they were 'worth' it, it was just more than I wanted to spend. I really thought that KJ would be the last grill I ever owned, and never would have believed that I would jump up to a KK. That all changed a few weeks ago due to an odd series of events. Bosco had posted the Project Smoke pictures over on the Guru and I noticed that the wheel was bent on one of the units. It was clearly from being manhandled across grass and rough terrain on the set. I made a quick post (tongue-in-cheek) asking if it would be sold as 'scratch and dent'. I never indented to suggest that I wanted it. ckreef saw my post and PMd me and said if I was interested, to call Dennis as he was probably selling the 2 KKs as demo units and deals are rare, so this is a good chance to get one. I replied that I wasn't really that interested... and I wasn't... but said I might give Dennis a call just to see what deal could be made. About a week later, I realized that I had clicked on those pictures and the KK site over and over and over... I was devouring all of the information about KKs that I could find. So, I sent Dennis a quick email asking if those grills were available and, if so, what was the price - particularly of the 19" Table Top with the bent leg - figuring that would be the best to deal on. And I told myself, "If I can get a good deal, I'll take it. If not, I'm perfectly fine with what I have. I have nothing to lose by asking." About 10 minutes later, I was outside cleaning my KJ and my wife came out with my phone and said I was getting a call from Los Angeles. It's my work phone and I get a lot of random calls, I don't know anyone in LA, so I said to just ignore it. When I looked later, there was a voicemail from Dennis! He said I should give him a call. This was on Saturday afternoon. He also replied in an email that the 32" was sold, but that the other two hadn't been sold yet. He also tried calling me on Sunday, but I missed that call. I called him Monday morning when I got to work. He told me that the other two grills had been spoken for, so I figured that was the end of that... but no! He said he might be able to do something for me. He said he had a 23" Speckled Black KK that was in Georgia somewhere that had a minor issue that needed repaired. And he explained everything that the thread linked above talked about. After a few minutes, he said that it was ckreef that was fixing up the grill. Again, at this point, I wasn't really sure this was what I wanted to do - it's a lot of money for something that I don't really need (I know, I know... "Need" isn't really the point here;) ). I said I'd have to talk to my wife and I'd get back to him. I reached out to ckreef to tell him about that conversation and ask more about the repaired KK. He assured me that the grill was as good as new and even graciously offered to open up the Bistro so I could come look at it - and check out his KKs. We were in the process of trying to find a day that worked best for us. We are about 3 hours away from each other. He also said, and get this, that he would deliver the KK and help me get it set up! chreef took some extra pictures of the grill to send me and answered any questions I had. I also talked a bosco for a while one night and he was very helpful answering my questions - it was a good perspective to hear from someone new in the KK game. I talked to my wife, who is always super supportive, and after a few days of some back and forth, she said to go for it. I'm the one that has the issues spending the money, she's always fine with me spending on things I want to do. I'm the one that has to go to 10 stores to find a belt that I like... then when I get it, I say, "I probably shoulda got that other one instead..." lol I have to admit that a part of me wanted her to say "No" so that I didn't have to worry about making the decision. I called Dennis the next morning to grab up the grill. 5 days had elapsed from when I sent that initial email to Dennis. Do I also have the title of Fastest Decision to Buy? Now I am just waiting to find a date that works for me, ckreef, and a few helpers so that we can drag this thing to my back yard. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosco Posted February 16, 2016 Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 Awesome intro buddy!!! Welcome to team KK I want you to cook your favourite meal for your first cook to see just how much better things are on a KK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted February 16, 2016 Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 Welcome to the forum.. and congrats on your purchase! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cschaaf Posted February 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 Yeah, I have to figure out what to cook and still be relatively low temp before a burn in. I probably won't have a chance to do that until the following weekend. We eat a lot of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, so that might be the first cook. I have some cedar planks waiting to be used, but I usually do cedar planked salmon up around 400-degrees, so that might have to wait for the burn in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rak Posted February 16, 2016 Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 Don't let the burn in stop you! You'll have lots of great heat and it would be a shame to waste it. The venting (while smelling awful) doesnt impact the food in any way as its on the outside of the grill. Great intro and story! Welcome again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted February 16, 2016 Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 You're fine at 400°, that's actually a good starting point for a burn in. For venting to occur, you need to be there for a couple of hours, and then usually hotter. For the time it would take to cook a piece of fish, I really doubt you'd get any venting. <br /> <br /> Beautiful grill BTW, I love the speckled black!!<br /> <br /> <br /> Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted February 16, 2016 Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 Welcome to the wonderful world of KK grills and you won't be saying,"I probably shoulda got that other one instead..." lol. this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted February 16, 2016 Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 I am eagerly awaiting my Speckled Black 23" KK. It's quite possibly the most famous un-owned KK in the history of KKs! That cracks me up. You are right it is a very famous KK. A lot of people have talked about it on the forum and on the phone with Dennis. That is a really great story you posted. I'm glad it's going to you. You're a great kamado chef and I'm confident you will put it to good use. More than happy to deliver it and help you set it up. Will be a fun day trip for me and Mrs skreef. On a side note: it really needed to leave my yard. If it would have sat there long enough I would have been tempted to buy it and I really don't need a third KK. You're basically doing me a favor. Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjs Posted February 16, 2016 Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 Welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted February 16, 2016 Report Share Posted February 16, 2016 Welcome and I loved the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRippley Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Cschaaf welcome to the KK forum, and send us some pictures of your new speckled black in its setting, of course we have seen pictures of it before, due to its "story" but we want to see it in its new home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cschaaf Posted February 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Welcome to the wonderful world of KK grills and you won't be saying,"I probably shoulda got that other one instead..." lol. this time. LOL! I'm pretty sure of that, too! That cracks me up. You are right it is a very famous KK. A lot of people have talked about it on the forum and on the phone with Dennis. That is a really great story you posted. I'm glad it's going to you. You're a great kamado chef and I'm confident you will put it to good use. More than happy to deliver it and help you set it up. Will be a fun day trip for me and Mrs skreef. On a side note: it really needed to leave my yard. If it would have sat there long enough I would have been tempted to buy it and I really don't need a third KK. You're basically doing me a favor. I knew there was some interest in it, so I had to act quick. It'll be great to meet you two! I'll cook us up something good for lunch... on the KJ. Welcome to the forum. Thank you, kjs. Excited to be here. Welcome and I loved the story. Thanks, tiny! Good to see so many familiar names over here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cschaaf Posted February 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Cschaaf welcome to the KK forum, and send us some pictures of your new speckled black in its setting, of course we have seen pictures of it before, due to its "story" but we want to see it in its new home! Thanks PRippley! I'll definitely snap some pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilburpan Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Welcome to the KK family! I think you're going to be both pleased and surprised cooking on your new KK grill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Welcome to the Obsession! You'll quickly find out that you've gotten the BEST ceramic grill out there! We're all eager to see the "broken" KK in its final home. We all have confidence in Charles' repairs on it, so no worries there, mate! Chicken turns out amazing on the KK, because of the moisture retention. Can't go wrong there. But wait until you do a traditional "lo & slo" pork butt, brisket or ribs. That's when you'll go WOW. Then do your break-in heat up and char some great steaks. Follow that up with a pizza cook and be blown away! But, regardless of what's on the grill - Pictures, man, pictures!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon B. Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Great story!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cschaaf Posted February 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Welcome to the KK family! I think you're going to be both pleased and surprised cooking on your new KK grill. Thanks, Wilbur! I can't wait to see those quick startup times you've talked about! Welcome to the Obsession! You'll quickly find out that you've gotten the BEST ceramic grill out there! We're all eager to see the "broken" KK in its final home. We all have confidence in Charles' repairs on it, so no worries there, mate! Chicken turns out amazing on the KK, because of the moisture retention. Can't go wrong there. But wait until you do a traditional "lo & slo" pork butt, brisket or ribs. That's when you'll go WOW. Then do your break-in heat up and char some great steaks. Follow that up with a pizza cook and be blown away! But, regardless of what's on the grill - Pictures, man, pictures!! Sounds like a great lineup of cooks - chicken, butt, brisket, steak, pizza! I still struggle getting cook pics, but I'm getting better. And my family rolls their eyes a little less each time I start snapping away. Great story!!!!! Thanks for reading it, Jon! I was a bit worried about rambling on too much, but when I saw the attention that this wounded KK drew, I figured the story fit right in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon B. Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Thanks for reading it, Jon! I was a bit worried about rambling on too much, but when I saw the attention that this wounded KK drew, I figured the story fit right in. I "blame" Bosco and MacKenzie for my KK purchase................I mean "credit" them !!!!!!! Ha!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 I blame CC (ceramic chef) for mine. Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosco Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 I blame Robert 5698k for all of this!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
