MsTwiggy has ordered her 23 Ultimate

[jfmorris]

MsTwiggy in response to the above about a cabinet not working well. What might be nice along side it is just one of those stainless tables that I see folks get from somewhere like webstaurantstore.com - upper table with a lower shelf, and you can use it for prep and as a work surface near/next to the grill, throw stuff underneath to get it off the work surface.

I feel I would HAVE to have some kind of table nearby, since the KK grills don't offer any form of side tables. I use my side tables on all my grills, the front shelf on my offset, and the patio tables out side when cooking.

[MsTwiggy]

jfmorris KK does offer side tables and they are beautiful and very nice. They have a few versions of teak wood, ones with stainless tops and ones that are just wood. They are around $300 each and not for me as I am not enthralled with rod and tube. They also overlap with the roti mount and the grill hanger. I will find something, for now I am using an old Ikea table that was by my weber kettle side for many years. 🔥🔥🐿

[ecowper]

So, I’m curious now who moved your KK? I bet it was not Mountain Moving or NW Safe though

[MsTwiggy]

ecowper, you are correct. I called Mountain Moving and they said that it would be too much because I would have to pay them for 1.5 of drive time each way. But they gave me two referrals. One guy was a single shingle who was booked a week out and specializes in piano's. The other outfit was Careful Movers a subsidiary of All Star Transfer. They were available today. While their equipment was not impressive, they took great care with the Kamado and their rate was very reasonable.🔥🔥🐿

[BBQandLove]

Congratulations on the stunning cooker. But even more importantly, congratulations on taking what was meant to destroy you, and beating it back, and coming out on the winning side. This gorgeous cooker will forever be your personal monument to remind you that you took what was meant to destroy you and turned it into your footstool to reach even higher. I absolutely love it when people turn personal hells into fuel for upward trajectory in their life.

On a side note: I am fascinated by the KK cookers… the beauty takes my breath away. There’s probably no other cooker that affects me emotionally like a KK. And yet, I have no desire to own one. It’s not who I am. But I recognize it for what it is, and will wildly cheer on anyone for whom it is the right thing.

[MsTwiggy]

Thank you!! BBQandLove this really cheers me. I will share all my exploits in the Pit 🔥🔥🐿️

[jfmorris]

Where are the burn in pictures? First cook? Crank out some bbq now, haha!

Hopefully KK gave you a manual or has online resources that offer guidance on setup of the vents for different temps ranges, as well as lighting guidelines. My vague guidance is as follows:

1. Fill the bowl with lump. If you want smoking wood, nestle a couple of chunks down UNDER the lump in random spots.
2. If lighting for low and slow (225-275), light ONE starter in the middle of the leveled out bowl of lump.
3. If lighting for hot and fast (325+), light THREE starts in 3 places around the bowl of lump.
4. After 15 minutes with the lid open and bottom vent wide open, set the grill up the way you want to cook, close the lid, and let it ride with all vents wide open until about 75 degrees below where you want it to be. THEN close the vents down to where you think they need to be for the expected cooking temp.
5. When done, shut all vents, and see how long it takes to snuff the fire. This will also let you know if you have leaks.

I would use your burn in run to sneak up on 225, maintain that a while, then open up more and see if you can sneak up on 350. Hold that a while. Then open her up and see how long it takes to get to something like 600, which is about as hot as I go, mostly for grilling pizza. Also, I would do that first run with the deflector in place. You can always direct grill - nothing to learn about that setup. You want to figure out the vents for reaching and maintaining different indirect cooking temps.

After shutdown, unless it was an 18+ hour cook, I usually have unburned or partially burned lump left. I rake it around with a little tool that came with my kamado, to get the ashes to drop down below the cast iron grate. Next time I cook, I just add new lump to that pile, but if the ashes are getting high below the cast iron grate at the bottom, I shovel any usable leftover lump into a galvanized steel bucket, then clean all the ashes out, and setup fresh. That is probably every 3-4 cooks.

Most of all, have FUN playing with your new toy!

[MsTwiggy]

jfmorris thank you for this. I am in the process of describing how it all went on a different post 🔥🔥🐿️

[KimO]

She's home in her nest. aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh...

[FireMan]

Have you named her yet?

[MsTwiggy]

FireMan 👨🚒 Yes! Did you see the post about armadillos invading Tennessee? Was it a coincidence? It felt apropos, like the universe was whispering to me. She is the Panzerschwein!!! Of course I will have other silly nicknames for her . . . But the official title stands 🔥🔥🐿️

[yakima]

I think it is a him.

[FireMan]

That is the only Panzerschwein I know, wow!

[ecowper]

Panzerschwein ..... literally Tank Pig!!!

[yakima]

we need some action here,