From Dream to Reality: Jim’s Outdoor Kitchen Journey

[DaveD]

Thanks for letting us ride along! Best of luck!

[smokenoob]

Good idea attaching the new roof higher up on the existing roof, more light and will feel more spacious with higher ceiling!

[jfmorris]

I hate to see that beautiful Kamado go away, but times change I guess! I guess you've done some trial runs by now on the Lone Star to see how smoking on that compares to the kamado? Wondering if you can do an 18 hour brisket smoke without adding fuel, the way you can on the kamado?

[Jim White]

It kills me that I haven’t uncrated the Lone Star yet, but I did get the big bin for lump charcoal and others report sufficient run time for a brisket.

[jfmorris]

Jim White I figured you had used it by now, on a table or something.

I think what you will find compared to your old kamado is that you will use more charcoal overall for the same cooks. The metal is not going to retain heat like the ceramic, and I doubt the burn will be as efficient, at least based on my experience using my offset with charcoal versus my kamado.

[Jim White]

Today was farmer day. Here is the “before” picture of a redbud tree, two camellias and several gardenias that have been growing around the back porch:

With John’s tractor, these all got transplanted in under five hours. The camellias are in front of the barn, the redbud is farther out that direction and the gardenias are along the same side of the house but farther toward the front.

Worked out well. A little cleanup left around the gardenias but a good day’s work.

[Jim White]

Oops. Forgot the “after” of the porch.

[Sid P]

A good day’s work indeed! What’s on tap for tomorrow 🏋️♀️💪😓?

[Jim White]

We have an hour in the morning with our online personal trainer and the late afternoon the grandbabies are coming to spend the night. I expect to sleep about twelve hours Sunday night trying to recover.

[Sid P]

I’d squeeze in a nap before they arrive…

[Clark]

I see the existing doggie door but I don't see one in the new plans. Better call your architect ASAP.

[Jim White]

The contractor knows. I’ll supply the doors—one on each end—and they will install.

By the way, note the windmill blade on the barn. It’s a tribute to my father, who worked at Braden Winch in Broken Arrow in the early 60s. They also owned Aermotor, and one of my favorite toys as a kid was the windmill model kit he got me from them. It was probably 18 inches high and went together like Erector Set pieces.

[Jim White]

Hooray! The demolition phase of the project is set to begin on Monday!

That, of course, means that the dogs can no longer have their crates on the back porch. I decided to start their move today, so that they have a chance to get used to it before the workers show up with their noisy equipment.

Can dogs and horses sleep close to each other? We will find out!


And tomorrow will be the end of an era. I will smoke a couple of pork butts on my old trusty Kamado. John, my friend who helps me out and did the bathroom remodel, will be learning its operation on this cook and then he will take it to his house Friday.

[ofelles]

Soon very soon.........at least hopefully.

[Skip]

Looking good Jim. I look forward to see your project as it develops some more.

[Steve B]

Definitely an exciting time. Hopefully you find no hitches in the demo.

[Jim White]

Farewell, old friend!

[fzxdoc]

Awwww, that's such a showpiece! What made you want to get rid of it?

Kathryn

[Jim White]

fzxdoc Several factors came together for me to move on from it. The lid is getting harder and harder for me to open due to its weight. The firebox sits at a great distance from the grill surface, so searing doesn’t work well. And its shape doesn’t lend itself to building in to a unified kitchen. The LSG Adjustable overcomes all of those problems.

[fzxdoc]

Function over form wins, Jim, especially in a built-in scenario. Perfectly understandable. But golly, those Komodo Kamados are works of art. I've always wanted one but never needed one.

Kathryn

[Bad Hat BBQ]

Nice project....spring is just around the corner!!

[RonB]

Well, here is another thread I lost track of.

I'm happy to see that things are going well, and I will try to keep uphere.

[Jim White]

In my quest for everything in the kitchen area to be either stainless steel or black, it may be time for an intervention. When I ordered the stainless table for the Pit Boss griddle to live on, I also added a stainless pull-out drawer to hide the propane tank. But that will only occupy half the space underneath, so there was room for something else.

Amazon just delivered this.



Yes, that is a stainless steel tall kitchen trash can. It will stash under the griddle. But while I’m doing prep work and cooking, I work with a trash can at my side. This will do quite nicely. It was not easy to find one that didn’t have a lid.

[Jim White]

Only a half day of work for the crew today. They removed the screen enclosure and the old hot tub.




The real fun starts tomorrow with removal of the old slab.

[Bob's BBQ]

Looking forward to more pictures and tracking your progress.

[DavidNorcross]

Happy for you Jim!