Rip

What else do viruses do?

So do you think the virus will be a non-issue for those who have lost loved ones or have life-long chronic conditions due to this virus? Will those "conditions" disappear overnight in November?

The best, most simple, advice I have heard is to "assume" you have the virus and do all you can to prevent spreading it. That's how I'm looking at it.

I grew up in a family of modest means. We always set aside a little for hard times and believed it was a sin to waste food. Those were good lessons I have taken to heart. The Boy Scouts hammered home the message to "Be Prepared" and my love of backpacking has left me with the gear and experience to take care of myself in most situations. Buying food and necessities in bulk, when it's on sale, is the smart thing for me to do - it's not necessarily a preparedness or survival idea. It's just what I do. I'm good for a month of groceries at any given time. I'm not a highly social person. I hit my favorite beer joint about twice a week to hang out with my geezer buddies. I trust them to have good common sense and that they would avoid situations that would put them at risk - and certainly wouldn't expose the rest of us - if they thought they had. Most of the rest of my social interactions are incidental that come with the every day "cost of doing business". I'll probably hang out at the house a little more than usual and wash my hands every chance I get when I am out. Most of all, I have trustworthy friends and family close by. We will take care of each other. ***Years ago, I learned a lot about improvisation in "sanitary" matters. The guy who used up the roll of TP we kept in the dash of the truck didn't always remember to tell the rest of the crew the next morning before we got out on the right-of-way.....

Nope, you just let your fire get ahead of you. Slow it down a little and monitor your settings a little closer next time. It happens to everyone at one time or another.

I've had a keg for about 10 years now. From what I read here, I don't think they're a whole lot different to operate than the ceramics. Personally, I don't start making adjustments to the vents (fully opened - screen too) until I'm ~ 75 degrees under my target temp. That's when I completely close the screen I figure that cuts air intake by about half. I'll give the fire a few minutes to settle and then close both my top and bottom vents by about 50%. A few more minutes to settle and I close both vents another 50%. After that I start closing the vents slowly, little by little, until I'm just shy of my desired temp and let the fire settle. There are many methods of controlling the temp that you can read about here. Some control it with the top vent - others with the bottom. When I get to my desired temp, both of my vents are about the same and most of the time that's just barely cracked open - like 1/8". It's what works for *me*. But give your fire a little time in between adjustments to settle down. Sometimes it takes me a couple of beers - or about an hour. Start a small fire, they're easier to manage. It's much easier to raise temps than to lower them. Patience and time on your keg will produce amazing results. Good luck!

Being the Hillbilly that I am, I'd use a jigsaw to cut off the rusted bottom so that the smoker would sit level without the legs. Then I'd get a flat concrete paver to sit it on. I'm sure it could be made more airtight with some felt on the bottom edge - or even throw some sand around the edges that sit on the paver. If you wanted it to sit higher, put a couple of concrete blocks under the paver. This way is probably not gonna be much to look at, but I'll bet it will still smoke. There's plenty of instructions/videos on the 'net of people who use cardboard boxes for smokers - with an indirect or no flame heat source, of course. That's how I'd fix it for +/- $20.

In my opinion, if one has the patience and the taste for it, making cornbread is one of the easiest, most sure-fire and rewarding ways to put the finishing touches on a CI skillet.

Too big? https://www.amazon.com/PFC-080-050-023-5SF-Plastic-Carrying-Black/dp/B013UCNT8E/ref=sr_1_54?keywords=8+inch+plastic+case&qid=1573073170&sr=8-54

I've been using a round. stainless steel, cake baking pan and sand for years as a deflector. I put a couple of inches of clean playground sand (sold in 50 lb. bags at my local Lowes for less than $5.00) in the cake pan. The sand also absorbs the fat drippings and I just toss it out when I'm done. I've never used a store bought deflector, so I can't compare... It works for me.

I used to work on a transmission line construction crew with a bunch of guys from eastern NC. These guys hauled their pig cooker with them when we'd go on jobs for extended periods. We'd chip in and buy a half or whole hog for them to cook for the crew on regular occasions. They were my heroes... They would buy the white vinegar in the glass gallon jugs (back in the '70's), put a healthy dose of red pepper flakes in each jug on the day before the cook and let it blend overnight with a good shake once in a while. They poked holes in the jug lids and shook the sauce onto the hog every couple of hours while it cooked. When it was done we cut our own serving from the hog and had the option to use the leftover sauce on our meat. It was plain and simple - a sauce they'd been using for generations - and some of the best pork I've ever eaten. Those were good times.

I recently gave one of these to an about-to-be newlywed couple as a housewarming gift. It's a solid skillet that should last for generations and they loved it. At this price, it was a no-brainer to order one to hold onto for another gift. Thanks for the head's up!

The National Park Service has banned campers and picnickers from bringing in their own firewood. They contract vendors to supply wood that has been heat treated at 160*F for 60 minutes to kill insects and critters that they don't want in the parks. Last time I was in The GSMNP I picked up several bundles of beautiful, clean, split (2"-4" dia.) White Oak to bring home for smoking. I was allowed to "cherry pick" the stack of bundled firewood for my camp fire. If you're near a National Park you might want to check them out from time to time to see what they're offering....maybe even get to know their supplier to get a head's up on good smoking wood. It's not completely seasoned, but it shouldn't take as long as fresh cut wood. As I recall, the prices were reasonable.

I have one of these hats. It's sturdy and lightweight. They have a good selection of other styles, too. I spent the first 20 years of my working career outside as long as it wasn't pouring rain or too icy to stand up. So far - no problems - and I'm gonna try to keep it that way. https://bigbendsaddlery.com/product/two-dot/

How about a mop or a basting brush?

Hanging out in cool mountain streams...

My opinion...I think we expect too much from these grills - especially new out-of-the box. Ten years ago when I got my Bubba Keg, information was not as plentiful on Kamado Cookers as it is now. Fortunately there was a forum for Bubba Keg Grills and I gleaned what I could from them. My Bubba had some shut down, temp holding and smoke leaking issues when it was new. The advice was to seal up around both vents, which helped a great deal. The next step - as I was advised - was to go to the butcher and get some unsellable Pork scraps and cook them to seal up any other small leaks during the cooking process.. Cooking the Pork scraps did help some more but ultimately it took several months of semi-reglar bugers, butts and steaks before I considered it "really close" to leak proof. During that break in period I learned a lot about the grill. I don't keep my grill squeaky clean. I need the "seasoning" to prevent leaks. When I do a cleaning - usually when the pressure washer is nearby - I give it a short blast to knock of the bigger stuff, but try not to disturb the areas around the gasket and the vents. These grills are built to tolerances as close as can be attained with ceramic or steel within reason($) - but they aren't rocket ships. The best advice I got from that forum was "learn YOUR grill" they're all "individuals". Have patience - don't worry if your grill doesn't shut down as quickly as someone else - even if it's the same grill. Charcoal, weather, the length of the cook and other factors might influence your cool down. Have fun - eat good...your grill takes time to develop its own personality. Edit to add: I'm only relaying the advice I was given and my experience - not suggesting there's not different or better ways...except for the "Have fun - eat good" part.

Collard Sandwiches are a "thing" in Eastern NC. But they're good anywhere and even in the very local area where they're popular there are several variations. However you like them - eat more of them - Collards are one of the most nutritious foods in the world! https://myhome.unctv.org/the-original-collard-sandwich/

All the advantages of an Akorn, but more better... https://broilkingbbq.com/grills/keg/

That looks much better than the conglomeration I came up with years ago....an old pot lid bolted to a colander....

Depending on how much space you have, you could get a metal table, a piece of "yard art" or a length of heavy steel pipe - something clunky and heavy to padlock a chain to...Anything that would make the grill and weight undesirable to pick up and run with. Crooks are lazy, I don't think they're going to steal anything that's gonna be noisy and/or heavy or hard to carry.

I keep a can of cooking oil spray by the grill. I try to remember to spray the CI grate lightly before each cook and again after it cools off if I've gone into "high" range. When I brush the grate down, I spray it. I've only "formally" seasoned it a couple of times in the 8-9 years I've used it. In my opinion, A CI grill grate doesn't need the care that one would want to give a fine old cast iron skillet. Keep it clean, spray it and cook on it. That's what I do...

I own both. Like Lunchman, I bought a Bubba Keg about the same time he did from Home Depot. About 2 years ago I bought an Akorn to use at my camper. Comparing the two is difficult for me because I've obviously not used the Akorn as much as the Keg. I've kept both grills covered and/or under a shelter the entire time. My Keg has been well used and is showing its age - cosmetically. I haven't had any problems with rust or anything else for that matter. It's still going strong and is used weekly. I still have all the original grates and accessories. The Akorn is a good grill, although as you mention, it lacks the fit and finish of the Keg. I can't make it cook like I can on my Keg. I attribute that to not having the years of experience on the Akorn that I have on my Keg. I will say that because of the quality of the fit and finish on the Keg vs. the Akorn it's easier for me to use. I suspect the Keg is better insulated than the Akorn. I've never owned a ceramic Kamado style grill. Maybe I will some day. But if I had to replace my Keg, I'd be hard pressed not to replace it with a newer version BKK based on my experience and satisfaction with my Bubba Keg. Good Luck.

This is my biggest problem with many local eating establishments. There's little - to no - consistency in the products they offer. It's like whoever is running the kitchen, at any given time, brings their own recipes. Another thing that I notice, is when a new restaurant opens locally ( a big deal in a small town), they appear to use the best quality ingredients initially and eventually start settling for lower quality. That's why I do more and more cooking at home...