Smokin_Bee Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 You can see from the remaining charcoal how high I had the basket full. I lighted the charcoal in the middle. Pretty impressed with how much is left after 7 hours. Plus the down time after closing the vents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gigasonix Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 12 minutes ago, Smokin_Bee said: You can see from the remaining charcoal how high I had the basket full. I lighted the charcoal in the middle. Pretty impressed with how much is left after 7 hours. Plus the down time after closing the vents. Which charcoal did you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin_Bee Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 Big K Restaurant grade in the light brown bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackerel Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 11 minutes ago, Smokin_Bee said: Big K Restaurant grade in the light brown bag. Agree (or the smaller plasticised red bags). If anyone can recommend a cheaper alternative we're all ears but you can get decent deals on big bags of Big K if you shop around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff C Posted June 9, 2021 Share Posted June 9, 2021 FYI The Aldi Mini Kamado is currently available online at £80 - I just bought one as a grill for when its cooking on a small scale. So impressed with my AK that arrived last Saturday. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guinnessaddick Posted June 9, 2021 Share Posted June 9, 2021 Done a half leg of lamb smoked with apple wood. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBeardedDan Posted June 9, 2021 Share Posted June 9, 2021 1 hour ago, guinnessaddick said: Done a half leg of lamb smoked with apple wood. looks great. how long did that take? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guinnessaddick Posted June 9, 2021 Share Posted June 9, 2021 Smoked for 2 1/2 hrs, then wrapped it in foil for another 1 1/2hr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grue666 Posted June 10, 2021 Share Posted June 10, 2021 First attempt at beer can chicken yesterday. Amazing flavour and very moist but disappointed that the skin wasn’t crisp and ABSOLUTELY no beer flavour. Waste of good beer IMHO but I like the upright cooking position and will probably try again with a ceramic stand instead of a beer can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisah1 Posted June 10, 2021 Share Posted June 10, 2021 9 minutes ago, Grue666 said: First attempt at beer can chicken yesterday. Amazing flavour and very moist but disappointed that the skin wasn’t crisp and ABSOLUTELY no beer flavour. Waste of good beer IMHO but I like the upright cooking position and will probably try again with a ceramic stand instead of a beer can. For crispy chicken skin you need high heat to render and crisp the fats in the skin, but you also need to seperate the skin off the meat to create an air gap. This will stop the flesh from boiling mositure into the skin. The skin should still remain on. YouTube is your friend. Also of course you need an oil and salt based marinade. I'm sure you should re apply marinade mid cook but I don't. The beer itself does not impart any real flavour. It's about keeping the inside moist and keeping the chicken upright to ensure good even indirect cooking on all sides. Your friends are heat, salt, fat. Your enemy is mositure boiling off the meat. You don't want the skin to steam! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulinportsmouth Posted June 10, 2021 Share Posted June 10, 2021 On 6/6/2021 at 3:21 PM, Callmestevie said: Happy Sunday folks - looking for some help. The temp gauge on my Kamado is not “resting” at zero, is there a way to reset the needle? I had a look at mine but doesn't appear that there is a way to do this, if anyone has any suggestions for replacements that are a bit more reliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulinportsmouth Posted June 10, 2021 Share Posted June 10, 2021 On 6/5/2021 at 3:38 PM, Basbbq said: Hi I replaced mine with a KJ style gasket from gumtree. Really happy with the finish. Hated removing the old gasket though. something like that? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284289786938?hash=item4230fde43a:g:k2EAAOSwDUpgmSE0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin_Bee Posted June 10, 2021 Share Posted June 10, 2021 3 minutes ago, paulinportsmouth said: I had a look at mine but doesn't appear that there is a way to do this, if anyone has any suggestions for replacements that are a bit more reliable. Mine doesn’t rest at zero if the sun is out. I understand it’s annoying when something isn’t as it should be, but try not to worry too much. You want an internal temp probe if you don’t have one that rests at the grate level to get a more accurate idea anyway. I use the dome one at a glance when setting up. Then it’s all managed via the inkbird temps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulinportsmouth Posted June 10, 2021 Share Posted June 10, 2021 mine is just knackered tbh, it barely rises above anything unless it's about 250c inside! I've got an inkbird for the meat, but want something to give me an idea of where it is as it comes up to temp or for my lazy cooks to make sure it's up to temp before I finish food off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callmestevie Posted June 10, 2021 Share Posted June 10, 2021 20 minutes ago, paulinportsmouth said: I had a look at mine but doesn't appear that there is a way to do this, if anyone has any suggestions for replacements that are a bit more reliable. Thanks Paul i tinkered with it after the cook and took it out, held the nut with a spanner to the rear and the housing moved around allowing the needle to rest on zero. It then went back in no issues. It’s just handy to have for a glance when cooking pizzas as I have learnt to my cost that the inkbird probes don’t like temps of 350c!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basbbq Posted June 10, 2021 Share Posted June 10, 2021 1 hour ago, paulinportsmouth said: something like that? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284289786938?hash=item4230fde43a:g:k2EAAOSwDUpgmSE0 Yes that’s the same one. Also being sold on gumtree slightly cheaper. Same pictures in both listings (including mine). Kamado Gasket Mesh Tape 3.8m https://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/kamado-gasket-mesh-tape-38m/1404674187?utm_campaign=socialbuttons&utm_campaign=socialbuttons&utm_content=app_ios&utm_medium=social&utm_source=sms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisah1 Posted June 10, 2021 Share Posted June 10, 2021 2 hours ago, Callmestevie said: Thanks Paul i tinkered with it after the cook and took it out, held the nut with a spanner to the rear and the housing moved around allowing the needle to rest on zero. It then went back in no issues. It’s just handy to have for a glance when cooking pizzas as I have learnt to my cost that the inkbird probes don’t like temps of 350c!! Yes, you can't use any of those sorts of pit probes at 350/375 for an extended period even if they claim it will be ok as that is the upper limit. Dome thermometers are easy to change. You can even get digital dome thermometers too. You can also calibrate them in ice water and boiling water. Pit temp will generally be higher than dome temp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty1968 Posted June 11, 2021 Share Posted June 11, 2021 (edited) First cook tonight, Scalloped Potatoes and Pork Chops. Cooked the scalloped potatoes at 200c for 20 minutes uncovered then 30 minutes covered then final 10 minutes uncovered, could have used a few more minutes uncovered at the end but we were hungry so the Pork chops went on. I just used some Everglades Seasoning which I got while in Florida a couple years ago on the Pork chops. The pork chops were too thin to reverse sear so just cooked them hot on the grill. It was all delicious and it got the fear of the first cook out of the way. Edited June 11, 2021 by Mighty1968 typo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty1968 Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 (edited) So I decided as I started down the skinflint road with the AK I would continue down the same path with accessories. I purchased the AppliancesDirect Divide and Conquer style grill which sells for £39.97 but does not come with the deflector plates. I plan on cutting the deflector plate that came with the AK in half. They had a Grade A option which was £5 less so I got that as I don't care if there are scratches on the grill, its going to be worse than scratches after the first cook on it. Anyway, I thought I would let anyone who is considering buying this that it is smaller than the advertised 41.5 cmx 41.5 cm. The grill itself is 39cm in diameter and the widest part of the unit is 40.3cm. This is about 1.5cm smaller than the grill that comes with the AK. I am happy enough with this but there is a lot of wasted space that could be used if you buy one of the Ynni or equivalents. Edited June 14, 2021 by Mighty1968 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gigasonix Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 I’ve bought the same from appliance direct but instead of cutting my original deflector I’ve cut a pizza stone that I bought from Asda for £8 and kept my original deflector plate intact. There is also one available on Amazon for the same price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty1968 Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 @GigasonixThat's a good idea, I will do that instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toucs Posted June 15, 2021 Share Posted June 15, 2021 On 6/10/2021 at 10:17 AM, paulinportsmouth said: I had a look at mine but doesn't appear that there is a way to do this, if anyone has any suggestions for replacements that are a bit more reliable. I’m very happy with the Prosmoke 3” temp gauge. You can calibrate it also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty1968 Posted June 15, 2021 Share Posted June 15, 2021 23 hours ago, Gigasonix said: I’ve bought the same from appliance direct but instead of cutting my original deflector I’ve cut a pizza stone that I bought from Asda for £8 and kept my original deflector plate intact. There is also one available on Amazon for the same price Did you find the grill on the Appliances Direct is a little too big for the lower level? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gigasonix Posted June 15, 2021 Share Posted June 15, 2021 Its tight but they do just fit on 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty1968 Posted June 16, 2021 Share Posted June 16, 2021 On 6/14/2021 at 5:56 PM, Gigasonix said: I’ve cut a pizza stone that I bought from Asda for £8 and kept my original deflector plate intact. I've bought the Pizza Stone from Asda but it is too big "33cm" for the D&C so I will use it for a Pizza stone and cut the original deflector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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