Brick Pig

I haven't been following this site very closely over the last few months due to my life turning topsy-turvy after I was (entirely unexpectedly) laid off. It wasn't until sometime last week I discovered this whole scenario about the site dying or not dying. This is by far one of most important sites I've ever discovered online, and is the only forum I have ever considered to be important enough to contribute money to. I would truly hate to see it fold. I'm currently deep in the process of relocating for my new job, but as soon as I'm back on my feet and get some stability back in my life, I will be contributing again. Long live Kamado Guru!

In 1998 we had a 2-year-old bullmastiff. We took her with us when we went to bring home our new bloodhound puppy. We thought we'd let her "find" the puppy in the breeder's yard, so maybe she'd feel like we were bringing home a friend for her. Well, she "found" him, but wanted nothing to do with him. Anyway, my wife drove on the way home, which meant I held the puppy. Of course Mabel (the bullmastiff) saw this. When we got home, she would not look at me for two full weeks. If I wasn't positioned between her and the door, she would even leave the room.

For probably 20 years I had only ScanPan cookware, but last year I replaced all my skillets with cast iron. I kept my ScanPan pots, and my wife insisted on keeping one particular ScanPan skillet she likes for scrambling eggs. But I do love me some cast iron. Seems like it would be mighty hard to sleep with 24 hours of sunlight.

...And my new firebox arrived yesterday. Four business days (six days total). Outstanding.

I know most everyone here is aware of how great KJ’s customer care is. But since it’s so easy to go online with a complaint, and because it happens here from time to time, I thought I’d make a point to share my most recent positive experience. A couple weeks ago I noticed my firebox had finally developed a crack. Forgot about it for awhile, actually, but on Saturday I photographed it and filed my claim on the KJ website. Today at lunchtime I received notice that my claim was underway, and at 5pm I received my shipment notification and tracking number. What else could a person ask for? And over Easter weekend, no less. Could not be more pleased.

My go-to salmon method is to hit it with kosher salt, black pepper, and a fairly good drizzle of molasses or honey. Before grilling the salmon, heat a little oil in a frying pan over medium heat and sauté about a cup of frozen corn just until it's thawed and heated through. Then stir the corn into a jar of your favorite salsa. Grill the salmon to your desired doneness, and spoon the corn salsa over it when you plate it. We usually serve it with wild rice and steamed broccoli. It’s pretty to look at, tastes delicious, and looks like you went to a lot of trouble. Lots of bang for your cooking buck.

Couple o’ chops, right out of the KJBJ.

I use my cast iron on the grill all the time with no noticeable problems. Given that a pan sits directly in the flame on a gas stovetop, I’m not understanding why sitting it on a grill grate would be any harder on the pan’s surface? (I’m asking, not arguing.)

Like CentralTexBBQ said, you will definitely want help moving the Big Joe. I had two neighbors help me get mine out of the Element. All three of us are fairly stout boys, and we’d have been awfully glad to have had a fourth person if one had been available. I’ll say too, if I had it to do over, I’d rent a small truck from Home Depot. I didn’t really have any trouble with mine, but I’m 100% sure sliding it off the truck bed would have been a lot easier than getting it out the back of the car.

It's been so long I can't remember the exact dimensions of the box, but it just barely did fit through the rear door of my Honda Element. Of course there was a little more clearance once it was actually inside the vehicle*, but there was only about 1/2" or 3/4" leeway getting it through the hatch. I don't know how the Element compares to the MKC, sizewise. *Probably goes without saying, but I had to completely remove the rear seats. Here's a link to a diagram showing all the dimensions of the Big Joe. I suppose you could add a few inches in each direction to get rough estimate of how big the box would be. http://www.kamadojoe.com/downloads_public/KJ_SPECS_BIGJOE.pdf

Happy to share. No secrets in my kitchen. (BTW, sometimes if the cabbage seems a little more bitter than normal, I'll throw in a pinch of sugar as well.)

That is one seriously gorgeous cook!

Yep, the purple stuff is red cabbage slaw. Just cabbage, cider vinegar, salt & pepper.

My neighborhood this morning.

Thanks, I'm very pleased with how the beef turned out. I don't often cook that type of cut, but the last two times they've turned out really well.