Monkeybumcheeks

Just cracked a bag open 🥳

https://www.diy.com/departments/restaurant-smokeless-coal-12kg/5060098640071_BQ.prd Just ordered myself 120kg for £75.00...proper bargain 😉

12 hours ago, wolfylee said:

I have just ordered the 20" divide and conquer from YNNI - they are back in stock after months of being out of stock.

People here have already said the 20" only fits the 21 Aldi Kamado(which is what I have) - I'll report back once I get it. I'm an expert on nowt though so I'll only be letting you know about the fitment etc. 

It's due in the next couple of days so I'll take photos.

 

I also have the proq basket so I'll let you know if it plays nicely.

Just had a look at one of those and although I have read good things about them I don't think I can justify spending almost £150 on one! Hopefully prices will start to drop as more people purchase Kamados! Will keep an eye on your posts to see how it works out for you 👍🏻

So....as a starter for 10.....

Aldi Kamado compatible parts.

Aldi Kamado cooking times.

A.K cooking temps.

A.K cooking hints and tips.

Your A.K cooking triumphs.

Your A.K cooking failures! 

Or should they just be generic Kamado/green egg/Primo etc etc?

1 hour ago, Smokin Monkey said:

Yes folks, let’s start thinking about separate threads for Aldi Kamado cooks etc.

Agreed, although it's difficult to categorise everything!

As I've gone so horrendously off track and deviated far from the beaten track, I'm probably not the best person to make any suggestions though......soz 😆

It's probably just me being a dick or lazy and not using the search facility properly 🙃

Cheers.

1 hour ago, The Chairmaker said:

He's a Michelin-starred chef, so there's that.

He might also be a terrific BBQ cook too. However, he is doing an excellent impersonation of a terrible one! There's far better BBQ cooks to follow, IMHO. Malcolm Reed and AllthingsBBQ to name just a couple.

Cheers, I bow to your superior knowledge and will check your recommendations out 👍🏻

32 minutes ago, wolfylee said:

I've just pulled my 3 ribs out of the freezer.  I'm going to take them off the grill when the probe goes in like butter or hell freezes over, whichever comes first.  I don't care what time it is - they'll either turn to a carbon rock or they'll be butter-like.  Wish me luck. 😀

Good luck mate, what sort of rub are you going for and what wood to smoke with?

Patience is a virtue, so if you've got the time I'm sure they'll turn out well👍🏻

15 minutes ago, wolfylee said:

Wow they are dinosaur ribs, they look great!

Did they come out tender though and how were your temps?

Hi Wolfy, thanks!

They were pretty tender, not falling off the bone, but the texture was good. 

I managed to keep the dome temp between 240 and 265f throughout. The other probe was showing as 170f when I'd finished cooking them, but I wasn't too concerned with that reading due to others telling me to use the meat temperature as a guide and not to obsess over it.

Very pleased with the result, its the best thing I've cooked on the Kamado so far 😋

44 minutes ago, Smokin Monkey said:

Looks good to me!

Cheers monkey 🐒 👍🏻

Ok, so tonight's effort in pictures......

Well pleased with the results although could have gone another hour or so I think. Still too impatient!

Chucked some chili powder and garlic granules on top of the salt and pepper, tasted proper nice 😋

I apologise in advance if the pictures are mahoosive, I don't know how to resize them on here 🤯

Not wishing to defend him, but its more the recipes I bought it for....when I want bbq/smoking info etc I come on here and ask.

He's a good chef without question, he's made a tidy living from it.

1 hour ago, wolfylee said:

I'd definitley use a drip tray covered with foil(no water) to keep drippings off the heat deflector - mine broke and definitely don't pull the shortribs until your probe goes through them with no resistance - my probe read 205f but mine definitely werent ready for pulling(or eating)

They the only tips I have as mine weren't very good 😀

Cheers wolfy, I've wrapped my deflector in foil and am happy with that for now, I will put a tray on top of it though to prevent a flare up.

Will slather some hot sauce on the meat then cover in salt and pepper and see how that turns out.

Wish me luck!

Hi again helpful people! I will attempt some short ribs tomorrow, so will try to maintain around 260f for around 6/7 hours as that seems to be the general consensus. As the temperature is low, do I still require the heat deflector and should I use a drip tray (without water)?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

Currently £11.00 @ Amazon for the hardback or £10.45 for the Kindle version. I watched his program earlier and I'm fairly confident he's do e his research so 11 quid well spent I reckon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tom-Kerridges-Outdoor-Cooking-ultimate/dp/1526641429

2 hours ago, wolfylee said:

Oh wow, that's my next one then - shoulder of lamb with lashings of mint!

Am I crazy to think the drip pan, with water in it, would make a good gravy? 🤔

Well, don't do what I did! The wings were great, but the lamb was not so great (but still eatable). I went too hot at the start and struggled to get the temperature down, then I was worried I'd put the fire out, so I yoyo'd my way through the cook.

Lessons learned....1: Low means LOW! Stop being an impatient gorilla! 2: Stop looking at your meat 🍖 🤣 3: Cook more wings....coz you're good at them !

With regards to the drip tray....not sure to be honest....I put around 500ml of water in mine and topped up and there wasn't much in there at the end, so please let me know what happens with your effort 👍🏻

Cheers.

21 hours ago, Gigasonix said:

I smoked a shoulder of lamb last Sunday for 10 hours until it was falling off the bone and it was raining most of the day.

Soooo, I made a simple rub of salt pepper, garlic, oregano and rosemary....set the temp too high and so after 7 hours I thought it would be destroyed if I left it any longer......I was wrong!  On the plus side, I put some wings in to keep the lamb company for a couple of hours and once the lamb was removed, I cranked the heat up and they were lush 👌🏻😀

1 hour ago, Gigasonix said:

15 bags? I’ve used a full bag of BigK ach15 dura over about 1 month and about 1/4 of a bag of  CPL  and I think they are very similar in quality 

Yeah, 15 as you get a discount thru their website.....did I mention I was a tight  b@st........😁

This batch is the best Ive had from CPL....waterproof bags and huge chunks 👍🏻

49 minutes ago, Gigasonix said:

I marinated it over night in an anchovy, garlic, salt, rosemary and olive oil marinade that I blended myself but you could choose what ever flavours you like best. I didn't use any wood and I'm glad I didn't as I used CPL restaurant charcoal and the meat had a good smokey flavour and a noticeable smoke ring. I did two large whole chickens a few weeks ago, one with the same marinade and one with a Thai marinade, smoked with beech and the Thai one was great but the garlic, salt, rosemary and olive oil marinade chicken was overpowered by the smoke of the beech.

Hi there, was thinking of keeping it simple....salt, pepper  and some oregano, but some garlic for sure!

Just got 15 bags of CPL delivered and I'm impressed with the size of the chunks...better prices than BigK and Globaltic etc 👍🏻

Am new to this so keeping an eye on everything !

Hi there, I have a shoulder ready to go this weekend, do you have a preferred rub or any tips you could give me please? 😊

3 minutes ago, Gigasonix said:

I smoked a shoulder of lamb last Sunday for 10 hours until it was falling off the bone and it was raining most of the day.

Sounds good to me, did you use any rub or herbs? What about smoking wood?

Hi there, I'm thinking of doing a shoulder of lamb over the weekend if the weather holds out. Would appreciate any tips or recipes. Thanks in advance.

Hi Frankie, I'm in the same boat as you mate. I've just set up my temp monitor...an Inkbird IBT-2X and think this will be very handy 😉

7 minutes ago, Gigasonix said:

I use the ProQ ranger which fits easily but leaves a bit of a gap around the edge so you do lose a bit of space to fill the bowl with charcoal compared to just using the fire bowl without the basket. The Ynni basket might be a better fit and better quality but it costs a lot more.

Ok, that's great.....im trying to keep it as cheap as possible, so the Ranger it is! 

Thanks 😊

19 hours ago, Gigasonix said:

I use the ProQ charcoal basket so I can lift the basket out and shake it over a wheelie bin to get the ash off the big pieces of charcoal that are left and lose the tiny pieces then I clean the inside of the kamado with an ash hoover. Makes the job easy and takes a few minutes.

Hi there, that sounds like a good idea too....what size of basket would you recommend for the AK, I see there are three to choose from on the ProQ site?

Fair play, I think I'll be wrapping mine in foil too...shame I didn't think of that before TBH!

Thanks 😊