Fired up the Santa Maria attachment for my Kettle today.

[RonB]

rlozinak gifted me the SM attachment as a SS gift. I did a burn in the other day and cooked a boneless pork chop for me and a salmon filet for SWMBO today. They both turned out great.
As I got ready to start my wife asked how long it would take. I said I had no idea 'cause I have never cooked on one. She asked if I had read the directions and I said no - there were no directions. There was a note in the box that said to follow the assembly instructions carefully, but no instructions were in the box. Fortunately, it was easy to assemble.

I used red oak for the first cook - it was all I had. I have been offered a truckload of hickory for free. All I have to do is go get it.
As far as setting up for the cook, I bought a second charcoal grate and place that on top of two fire bricks left over from when we built the house in the late '80s. The base for the fire was some thin strips of oak with progressively larger pieces as I added more oak. The Performer Deluxe has the gas assist to light charcoal, and I used that to start the fire.
The pork chop went on first using the 13" ss grate I use for almost all my cooks. That was as close to the fire as I could get it. After getting the right amount of sear on the chop, I raised the grate and covered the chop with a small ss bowl to help retain heat on this cold day. The salmon went on at this time, but not covered. It cooked quickly and was ready before the chop. I pulled the chop at 140°.
My wife has some quinoa and we both had Brussels sprouts. Everything turned out great. I did notice a slight difference in the smoke profile - not a great difference, but pleasantly noticeable. It was more work than using charcoal but was a fun cook and I will do it again. Maybe steaks or chicken next time...

Thanks again to my SS!

You can see the fire bricks here. I need to cut them into smaller pieces so they don't take up so much room.


Wood stacked and fire lit.


Almost time for the meat.


Searing the chop. You can see the small grate I use. It',s small enough to fit in the sink.


Flattop style.

And the salmon.


Temp rose to 145°.

[Steve B]

You’re gonna love cooking on that SM attachment. Tons of fun.

[CaptainMike]

Looks great. Well, except for those devilish looking weeds on the plate. They look as if they've been blasted in the furnace of hell.

Keep playing with your setup, you're going to enjoy open fire cooking.

[Purc]

Agree about those vegetables from hell. The kettle can do almost anything with all the available accessories. Enjoy your new toy.

[Jfrosty27]

What’s the purpose of the 13” grate on top of the regular grate?

[RonB]

There is no way to remove the grate from the SM, but the 13" grate is small enough to fit in the sink. That makes it much easier to clean. I use it for every cook that the protein will fit on. I also use it with the chimney to sear chops and steaks, and to cook dogs and burgers on the chimney. If I make really thick burgers, I will sear on the chimney and then dump the charcoal into the Kettle and put the smaller grate on top of the regular grate and then put the lid on to finish the cook.

[Huskee]

RonB I do the double grate thing when I'm cooking over live fire, makes it super easy to move all the meat around.

[rlozinak]

I am very happy that you like the Santa Maria attachment. Great first cook!!! I will be using mine for a Tri-tip shortly

[captainlee]

Looking great, wish I could have one, sprouts not included.

[PGH_RAM]

I've been thinking about getting a Santa Maria attachment for my kettle. What brand is yours?

[RonB]

ashandemberoutdoors.com