quiet kiwi Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 HI All, just a quick intro as have been lurking for a while and finally took delivery of my new KK 23 a couple of weeks ago. This one didn't have far to go as I am living in Jakarta (hence title of post), so Dennis was kind enough to drop one on a truck and run it up the road from Surabaya. Arrived a few days after order placed so was lucky not to have to go through the agony of the wait that some of you guys have been through. Bit of back story. Have always been a keen BBQér, Is part of the Kiwi male DNA to attempt to burn things over a raging hot grill. Also have smoked plenty of freshly caught fish as is also an important part of the kiwi way of life. But my interest in BBQ really took a turn when I spent 3 weeks in Dallas a few years ago for work and visited many of the smokehouse's there. From then on in I began researching what grill to buy next as my trusty 4 burner gas and my little Webber Kettle were coming to the end of their days. A popular TV chef in NZ was using BGE's for his show and that sparked my interest in Kamados. Some research later and it was clear that I could do better than BGE and fell in love with the KK. However living in New Zealand made this look a bit prohibitive from a cost and logistics perspective. Here is where fate intervened. This time last year I was offered a transfer to Jakarta and we arrived late last year. 6 months later, settled down and having convinced the wife that the spend on a KK would be worth it and would be like our souvenir of our time in Indo, I placed the order (with great support from Dennis). It arrived a couple of weeks ago,. Spent the last week or 2 in New Zealand for school holidays, so just got back and did my first firing and burn in last night. Like with many others, I was a little apprehensive, but went well. Some minor venting in various places, but no lifting of tiles etc. Took it up the various temp ranges using full basket of CoffeeChar. Managed to cook a couple of chickens through the mid-range temps, then seared off a sous-vide steak at raging hot temps. Got the KK up to 750deg and left it there to burn out the basket. Still have a lot to learn about temp control but was pretty happy with my first crack at it. Now just need to track down some smoking wood in Jakarta (which is much harder than you might think). That's it for now. Look forward to learning more from all of you as you continue to post you knowledge here. This is totally useful for newbies to the KK like me. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinD Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 I loved your post and especially the picture of your new grill. As much as I love the hue of that particular blue, I ended up choosing TerraBlue because of the beautiful color variations of the tile. As others will no doubt mention, you will love your grill and can look forward to many many years of adventures cooking with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Ora Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 Welcome kiwi that's awesome I would have been stoked to get it that quick maybe you can find some local wood for smoking nice grill Outback Kamado Bar and Grill♨ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 Welcome - great looking KK. Can't wait to see some cooks on it. Reef's Bistro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stile88 Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 Congrats love that color of tile looks stunning cant wait to see some more pics of your cooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosco Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 Awesome looking grill. Hope that you stick around. Congrats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 Welcome, what a beautiful KK you have. It will give you fantastic cooks for a very long long time and I'm sure you'll enjoy everyone of them.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve M Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 Beautiful grill and cool story. Been to Texas a few times myself but regretfully never did a BBQ tour. I look forward to your cooks, especially with fish. Living on the mid-Atlantic coast, we have lots of fresh seafood but nearly all of my grilling has been the usual beef, pork, and poultry. Welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 Glad to see you here on the forum Ben.. I hope you won't mind my sharing the text message you sent me after you received the grill.. Hi Dennis. Got home an hour ago to find the grill sitting in the garage. Within half an hour me, my security and a couple of locals had it unpacked and in position. Much easier than I thought it was going to be. Have to say that I am not easily impressed in general. I am an engineer and have worked my career in the food industry so have seen my share of high end, shiny stainless kit, but in terms of combination of artisan and pure engineering, this grill is peerless. Very impressed and can't wait to start using once I am back from holiday after idol fitri. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuley Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 You are going to love that grill. I am attending my cousins wedding near Austin in a few months so am looking forward to doing my own bbq tour. So far I know Franklin's is on the list (pre order to surpass the line with my 2 year old and 6 year old) and my cousin is having the salt lick as her rehersal dinner. Are there any other must tries? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xraydoc Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 Shuley, my wife grew up in Austin and Ft. Worth. We go back regularly just for the food. You have to hit Stubbs. Try to time it right and there are really great concerts in his "backyard". Franklins is also fantastic. The beauty of Texas bbq is the diversity. Everyone has their preference, but none of it is bad. Also, if you like Mexican, hit Trudy's Texas Star. It is one of my fave restaurants in all the US. My wife and I named our first child (a gorgeous springer spaniel) "Trudy Margarita" after this restaurant. Have a margarita but do it as a Mexican martini. Try Matt's El Rancho. Again, an Austin Mexican institution. The food trucks are fantastic. Haven't had a bad one yet. After all the margaritas, bbq, and Mexican, you will need to hit Kerbey lane. Great breakfast place. The gingerbread pancakes will erase the sins of the night before! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 Another fine looking KK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twharton Posted July 18, 2016 Report Share Posted July 18, 2016 On 7/16/2016 at 10:24 PM, quiet kiwi said: burn things over a raging hot grill. YESSSS! Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted July 20, 2016 Report Share Posted July 20, 2016 Welcome to the KK family. Stunning blue color. Can't wait to see pics of that first cook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Ora Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 I went to famous Dave's when I was in the U.S. does that count Outback Kamado Bar and Grill♨ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuley Posted July 25, 2016 Report Share Posted July 25, 2016 Shuley, my wife grew up in Austin and Ft. Worth. We go back regularly just for the food. You have to hit Stubbs. Try to time it right and there are really great concerts in his "backyard". Franklins is also fantastic. The beauty of Texas bbq is the diversity. Everyone has their preference, but none of it is bad. Also, if you like Mexican, hit Trudy's Texas Star. It is one of my fave restaurants in all the US. My wife and I named our first child (a gorgeous springer spaniel) "Trudy Margarita" after this restaurant. Have a margarita but do it as a Mexican martini. Try Matt's El Rancho. Again, an Austin Mexican institution. The food trucks are fantastic. Haven't had a bad one yet. After all the margaritas, bbq, and Mexican, you will need to hit Kerbey lane. Great breakfast place. The gingerbread pancakes will erase the sins of the night before! Thank you so much for the tips. We will be busy with wedding stuff but I'm really hoping I can sneak off to try your recommendations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
