pittmab

Looks good to me, as long as the metal ring is seated correctly should be fine.

Nice one @vk2003 hope you enjoy, did you order early enough for Friday delivery? @AdamGTemptation resisted 😆 - if I didn't already have the Kamander then it would be an absolute no brainer! With some of the silly prices out there for all KJ models, is there a series 4 imminent 😲

Not sure if you have pulled the trigger yet but BBQ Land have the KJ2 on offer for £898 with the cover and you can use the discount code JACK10 to get an extra 10% off!!! Absolute steal, I'm almost tempted myself! https://bbqland.co.uk/collections/kamado-joe/products/kamado-joe-classic-ii-18-46-cm-ceramic-charcoal-barbecue-grill-cover

There are some great deals on KJs out there at the moment. I think the KJ is a bit bigger than the AK and the same size as the Monolith. https://www.appliancecentre.co.uk/p/kamado-joe-classic-kj23rhc-outdoor-cooking-ceramic-grill/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIneuN8c2i-AIV0IBQBh1M0AjCEAsYGSABEgLgAvD_BwE

I sold mine a few months ago. Didn’t get to use it again after the second cook. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it, just not for me.

It was just a simple brine, 4 litres of water, 1 cup of kosher salt, 1 cup of sugar - I halved the amount of water and salt and used a third cup of sugar. After that, I think you can pretty much add anything.

Yes, star anise and pink peppercorns. Not sure they added much but I was scared to add more! The salt and sugar definitely make a big difference. Think I will try it at a higher temp next time, try and avoid the rubbery skin or just stump up for a huge turkey breast. it's definitely worth a try, I think it gives it a lovely ham/gammon like flavour.

Simple brine overnight, rubbed with jerk seasoning and then on the Kamander and smoked with cherry wood for around 3.25 hours at 107C, give or take then finished it over the flame to try and crisp up the skin a little. Turned out pretty good for a first attempt. Tasted almost ham/gammon like, really tender and juicy and only a couple of quid from Tesco.

Welcome to the forum, you could definitely use the charcoal side for low and slow and I suspect even the gas side if you can have individual burners lit (someone with gas experience will be able to confirm). If using charcoal I think you would be better off using the minion method (Google it) to light the coals so you only have a small heat source that burns for a long time, water pan as you say, some smoking wood and away you go! Good luck.

I've had two full packers from Tom Hixson both Miguel Vergara, Abderdeen Angus, grass fed both around 5kg. I thought they were both excellent but had been very heavily trimmed. The Village Butchers do a full packer at a fairly sensible price, I've not had one but have had other meat from them which has been very good. - https://thevillagebutchers.co.uk/product/beef-brisket/

Simple cook for Saturday night, smash burgers on the cast iron griddle.

Cheers Adam 🙏

Welcome Ian, nice looking grill. Not very well placed to offer any advise on pellet grills, I bought and sold a Traeger having only cooked on it twice. Didn't get enough smoke flavour for my taste and found myself making excuses not to use it and fire up my kamado instead. Good luck.

Pork shoulder and ribs from my local butcher. Shoulder rubbed with Oakridge Black Ops and ribs with salt & pepper. Smoked over hickory, with Globaltic lump, monitored with my Thermoworks Signals on the Char Broil Kamander. Tried Chuds BBQ foil boat method with the shoulder when the bark had set nicely approx 74C and carried on cooking to around 95C, was probing nice and tender all over rested it for about an hour wrapped in butchers paper under a warm towel. The ribs went on for about four hours until the meat probe just dropped through the meat under its own weight. I then soaked them with a simple sugar syrup and wrapped them in foil for 20 minutes. They both came out exactly as I wanted, first time I have really enjoyed my own pulled pork for a while so can't ask for much more than that! My son claimed they were the best ribs he has ever had!!! Bad pics, as always!!!

Don’t think I’ve ever seen or heard of softwood charcoal, is it even a thing. I always thought pine was considered a terrible wood to cook with as it has such a high resin content.

Welcome and good luck!!! 🍀

Aargh, this post has now got me looking at KJ's again - Classic 3 currently available for £1699! I don't think you would regret either purchase. But the KJ is bigger, comes with a lifetime warranty on the ceramics and has so many accessories readily available. It probably just comes down to price and personal choice at the end of the day - not wanting to throw a spanner in the works, the Masterbuilt kamado is £200 less than the KJ and virtually identical.

Welcome Richard, In terms of fuel, i think general consensus would be Heat Beads if you can get them, Weber briquettes or the coconut shell briquettes are supposed to be very good. I suspect you could use a good quality lump wood as well which might help with air flow as briquettes tend to create a lot more ash. Smoking wood is easy enough to come by on eBay or Amazon - oak, cherry, apple are all readily available. If you go for wood chips try and get the larger chips as these will sit in amongst the coals a bit better. Rubs, sauces etc are so readily available now it's difficult to know where to start! I have used rubs from Angus & Oink, Norfolk smoke pit and Oakridge which have all been excellent. Sauces I tend not to use that much but do go back to Baby Rays original or some of the Bullseye ones. I think a lot of this is trial and error and finding out what works for you, good luck

That's a good looking plate of food, steaks look great!

They are some good looking ribs, Adam! I've cooked 3 times so far this weekend but not one pic!!! Sausage and chips for the kids on Friday as well as making a chicken stock on my Ecozoom charcoal stove. Chicken thighs with soy, ginger, garlic, chilli and sesame oil Saturday night. And last night I did some brisket burnt ends with half a cooked point end from the freezer and some wagyu burgers. Just finished the last of the burnt ends on my scrambled eggs this morning EPIC Apparently I did take one pic!!!

There are quite a few on the market - no idea how good they are. https://jdcateringequip.co.uk/rotisserie-kit-for-18-kamadouk-grill-71741-p.asp

Cooked this 4kg Miguel Vergara Angus brisket at the weekend. The brisket had been trimmed a little too heavy in some places and there was also a deep cut into the flat, hence the slightly odd shape. This was my second full brisket cook and I was really pleased with how it came out. Meat was very moist and tasty. The bark had set really nicely and had a lot of flavour. Cooked on the Char Broil Kamander with Globaltic charcoal and cherry wood. Around 110-120c for the unwrapped and 135 to 150c once wrapped. Probed nicely at around 94c after approximately 8.5 hours. Rubbed with my own blend of SPG - 2 part cracked black pepper, 1/2 part Diamond kosher salt, 1 part Lawry's seasoned salt and 1/2 part garlic powder. Wrapped once the bark had set, around 6 hours in and finished in craft/butchers paper.

It will need to be dried, “seasoned” anywhere from 6-18 months. No need to remove the bark.

This is for sale on eBay but if anyone is interested please contact me on this forum. This is collection only from Reading. Any questions feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer them. TRAEGER Pro 575 Pellet Grill - Black - COLLECTION ONLY | eBay

I made a cold smoke generator out of a sieve (burning pellets) and have smoked cheese, nuts, salt and bourbon in my 47cm Weber. Works great and much cheaper.