WispyWales

5 hours ago, AdamG said:

This was mainly a test to see how quick and slow water boils and simmers in different configurations and to gain an idea of vent settings for the wok stand at boiling, simmering and poaching.

Looks like you did a helluva good job there mate, haven't done suet myself but hard to beat a good suet pudding... not usually the low-calorie option, but eh, life's too short amiright? 😂

5 hours ago, AdamG said:

Judging by looks, I've had much worse in proper food pubs. Would have to try some first to give a proper opinion, of course... 😉

Cheers for sharing!!

Cheers guys, appreciate the warm welcome and all the tips - seems like this is a good place to be!

7 hours ago, Icefever said:

Hi Wispy & welcome.....smegging hell mate that was a moment of madness,  thinking about an Aldi kamado and ending up with a Kamado Joe Classic 2 

Well... in all honesty I may have been considering the Classic 2 beforehand... may have had something to do with that air hinge 🤔 May have been talked out of it by someone who's better with money than me...

I don't know, I can't remember, it was all so long ago... 😉

Yikes, looks like delivery is a flat-rate £35 fee unless you live in or very near Surrey - probably not worth it after all unless you're planning on buying tonnes of it!

Sorry folks.

No idea on quality or anything like that but I came across this price from Hill's Quality Coals - I'd be interested to hear if anyone has any xp with these guys:

https://hillsqualitycoals.co.uk/product/12kg-catering-charcoal/

The pretty generic-looking bag in the picture suggests it is 'restaurant charcoal' (perhaps notably, not 'restaurant grade charcoal') and the URL calls it 'catering charcoal' - but it's running at £12.95 per 12kg bag, clocking in at just over a quid per KG. Looks like the business has been around a while but this seems like the sort of thing they might've bought in a hurry due to running out of other stock - no reviews of the product and the Supagrill lump they seem to stock as normal is all gone.

Might be worth a punt but definitely a risk of buyer's remorse as they're looking for a £60 minimum order... will let folks know if I bite the bullet...

1 hour ago, Robdan said:

Looking good - I’ve just ordered some timber for a big BBQ table, going to base it on this design with a few tweaks to maximise the space. It’s going to be mounted on big castors so I can move it around my deck 👍

Cheers for sharing the link Robdan, looks interesting - will be keen to see how your project comes on!

33 minutes ago, Ams1987 said:

Just done a 2nd varnish on the shack. The oak tops have come up lovely with a good sanding back. 

Chuffed all the wood came off a mates fire pile. Only cost me 20 for polycarbonate roof and some screws

Looks like you've got some good DIY skills there and sounds like you got a bargain too - that grill area is looking great! Roof probably a very good idea given how unreliable the weather is round these parts... may have to do something similar when my kamado gets here... 🤔

Cheers guys, really appreciate the steers! Looks like chicken for a first go then, hopefully with all this lockdown biz I should be able to get my cooks in pretty regularly (read as: every day 😂)

Is it worth getting one of those ceramic chicken stand things? I've read that spatchcock is the best way to go for a chicken, never done that before but doesn't sound difficult!

Just spotted there's a home brew forum on here too... planning to bottle some homemade cider this evening, my first batch using fresh cold-pressed Russet apple juice instead of AJ from concentrate - will post up some pics if I remember 🍏🥃

Pulled pork looking good there @AdamG! I was planning on brisket for a first kamado cook but based on the post above it sounds like that might be a bit ambitious?! Done my reading etc but no substitute for xp!

On 4/13/2020 at 6:39 PM, AdamG said:

I want to try beef brisket one day....but I dont want to end up with shoe leather🤔 

Might be worth going for a bit of pork belly then I guess if there's a big risk of the brisket turning out bad... looking at £60 for the beef I was going to buy so might be better off with an easier cook to start with 🤔

Looks amazing man, guessing it's not your first time on a brisket eh!

Still waiting on my kamado but probably looking to break it in with a brisket cook 😎 Just wish I could get down the butchers, thankfully there are a few online that look alright.

Cheers for the tip Adam, I'll look into it - been learning what I can off the web but I am a big fan of a good old-fashioned book when I can find one 🙂

Afternoon all,

Just a quick message to say hello really! Have seen quite a few posts from other folks in Wales over the last few days so to all of them I say, shwmae!

I'm in South Wales, keeping my fingers crossed we get some good weather this summer as it looks like I won't be leaving the garden much. No real barbecue experience as of yet except for the odd burger or sausage on a kettle grill, but in a moment of total boredom/madness after missing the cheap ALDI kamado sale this year I shelled out for a Kamado Joe Classic 2 - should be arriving in about a week and I can't wait 😁

Meanwhile I've been reading up on BBQ in general to get ready for the big day. Enjoying Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling (some great facts and explanations for the science buffs) but interested in any recommendations for kamado-specific books - let me know if anything comes to mind!

Thanks to Wade and the other admins/mods for launching and running the site as I've been looking for a UK-based BBQ board for a while - been lurking for a few hours and this one looks awesome.

Happy grilling, everyone! 😎

Wispy