tekobo Posted December 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 I feel like a kid at Christmas. I fell asleep at 1am and was awake again at 5am, running through what I will do today. And what a day it will be. I have already been out in the dark to loosen the vent and crack open the KK, thanks for the advice @MacKenzie. I've wandered round the house and located a sink to soak my grills in. Well, I haven't actually located it because it is in the greenhouse outside but I know where they will be going. No whole chickens in my near future @tony b. The capons that arrived yesterday are my Christmas present to my father-in-law who is set on cooking coq au vin. He wanted blood too (apparently it is part of the traditional recipe) but the supplier ignored my whole order completely when I asked last time. I didn't want to jeopardise my access to poultry over the holidays so no blood requested. Thank you all for your good wishes and advice. Today I will be playing with fire. I will fill(!) and light up the 23 and practice with the vents through the day as @Pequod suggested. Given the KK will be hot, I will get on and cook the pig cheek bourguignon that's been on my list all week. And take photos. And do all the other fun things there are to do at this time of year. I think I am getting to like Christmas again. I know some of you are getting KK signs for your Christmas presents. I don't think mine came with any but do say if they are secreted somewhere in/on the case and I have missed them. No matter, the KKs are great as they are. And no, I haven't forgotten about venting in my haste to get on. We have a new year's party planned and I have promised a bbq. Will keep temps within range until after the party and start the new year with a vent. And breathe. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tucker Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 Congratulations! Beautiful, the blue pebble looks terrific. years of satisfaction await - 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon B. Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 Great story and photos...thanks for posting!!! They look great in the "nook".......fill the space nicely. Love the look on the guys faces after they tried to lift the KK............"What did you get me into??????" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Pearson Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 Merry Christmas Tekobo and looking forward to your future cooks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 6 hours ago, tekobo said: I know some of you are getting KK signs for your Christmas presents. I don't think mine came with any but do say if they are secreted somewhere in/on the case and I have missed them. No matter, the KKs are great as they are. Oh no, looking at your crates it appears that the KOMODO KAMADO has turned into FRAGILE. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon B. Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 3 minutes ago, MacKenzie said: Oh no, looking at your crates it appears that the KOMODO KAMADO has turned into FRAGILE. The old signs are valuable collector items now!!!! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted December 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 2 hours ago, Jon B. said: Love the look on the guys faces after they tried to lift the KK............"What did you get me into??????" That was so funny. I had told them that it should take four people to lift it but they said they were fine. I said I didn't want to break them before they'd finished the job. Their response was that they had back up to fill in if they broke. Anyway, once they had tried a lift, they were sufficiently rattled to use the winch to make sure the 23 was steady in its descent. They then started fussing because they couldn't orient the 21 so the the winch could support them. At that point I had to tell them to man up and put their boy's toys away. They did and it went like a dream. They are going to advertise themselves as expert BBQ movers. To be fair, they were very careful and showed the KKs respect. They wanted to know if I'd seen one before I ordered them. I hadn't. It's hard to explain how Dennis' creations move you even when you have only seen them online. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 21 minutes ago, tekobo said: They then started fussing because they couldn't orient the 21 so the the winch could support them. At that point I had to tell them to man up and put their boy's toys away. They did and it went like a dream. I can just picture that, awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted December 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 (edited) I've made all the rookie mistakes possible today and now know why the guru users say it makes sense to be tech assisted. I also know what I did wrong and am hoping I will get the hang of it soon. I did buy one DigiQ but will hold off installing it while I make sense of the KKs. From getting to a steady 150 C, to turning the damper the wrong way and soaring to 250 C+, to bringing it down slowly by closing down the damper to falling asleep and waking to find the fire had actually gone out. Oh well, back on track. The bourguignon is a forgiving dish and will keep going through the evening and into the night. I don't know if you were all dead sure about the colour(s) you selected for your KKs. I wasn't and wondered if there would be some days when the cobalt blue would be just too cheerful. I have no such doubts now and will leave you with a picture of them from last night, not looking too "shouty". I think they are going to fit right in. Edited December 22, 2017 by tekobo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 You are having quite the day, love those BLACK pebbles. They look gorgeous even in the dark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pequod Posted December 22, 2017 Report Share Posted December 22, 2017 Stay the course! Learn the vents first, then we’ll still respect you even when you cheat and use a controller. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 23, 2017 Report Share Posted December 23, 2017 Nothing wrong with using a Guru "crutch." I use mine on almost all long cooks (>2 hours). My KK is on an elevated deck in a windy spot, so I don't fret temps getting away from me by using it. Peace of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted December 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2017 I'll get to the Guru and I am sure I will appreciate the help. In the meantime, my discovery of the year is the awesome propane torch. I can light a fire! Reliably and well. Hurrah. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 23, 2017 Report Share Posted December 23, 2017 For the ultimate rush, upgrade to MAPP gas. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted December 23, 2017 Report Share Posted December 23, 2017 For the ultimate rush, upgrade to MAPP gas. And a Milwaukee blower. We could have a stand off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted December 24, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2017 This toy is awesome: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001MU10GA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 You pull the trigger and out comes a jet of flame. I have not needed to use any sort of blower at all with it and the coals have come alight reliably and well with 1-2 minutes of attention. Could possibly do less, I will need to experiment. Having the kit to switch a KK on relatively quickly and the fact that you can kill the fire dead when you have finished cooking are great bonuses. It makes the world of outdoor cooking so much more accessible. Loving it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Ora Posted December 24, 2017 Report Share Posted December 24, 2017 This toy is awesome: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001MU10GA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 You pull the trigger and out comes a jet of flame. I have not needed to use any sort of blower at all with it and the coals have come alight reliably and well with 1-2 minutes of attention. Could possibly do less, I will need to experiment. Having the kit to switch a KK on relatively quickly and the fact that you can kill the fire dead when you have finished cooking are great bonuses. It makes the world of outdoor cooking so much more accessible. Loving it. I just use natural fire starters on a fresh baket it arks up nicley .if I need a rush only because I'm adding new lump to old I just use an old hair dryer if needed which is not many because of the kk's awesome airflowOutback kamado Bar and Grill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
