DWFII

First time I ever had Macallan 18 I was out to an Easter buffet/brunch with my wife and grown daughters....perfect whisky for breakfast. The best thing about single malts is that they 'teach' you to appreciate them for the taste and not for the alcohol. And that in turn teaches you to savour--to sip rather than gulp. And at those prices you need to...but that's a good thing. slainte mhath

Single malt Scotch whisky is the way to go, IMO. Blended is never one thing or the other, never really distinctive or memorable. And at the prices for premium whisky these days it better be memorable...at least. . The Ardbeg Araigh nam Beist pictured above was a birthday present from a client and was one of the finest, smoothest most delicious drams I have ever tasted. Unfortunately, it is near-as-nevermind impossible to find anymore. I like the Island malts--Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, etc. But they are almost an acquired taste, being heavy on 'peat reek' (smoke). But very few distilleries in Scotland still make whisky the way it was once done, and as a consequence that distinctive smoke character (that virtually defines Scotch) is all but non-existent in Lowland and Speyside malts....even Highland malts are lacking. Only the Island malts still make whisky the old, Traditional way (over open peat fires) and for many...esp. neophytes... the 'iodine', from the kelp in the island peat bogs, is too much. Most people looking to get into single malts are better off starting with Glenlivet or Craggenmore or (if feeling flush) Macallan (the 18 is a joy) or at best Glenmorangie. Each one has a distinctive taste from caramel to raisins to flowers ...yet none of them 'sweet' the way an Irish or a bourbon might be. Then too, anything younger than 12 years old tends to be a little too 'hot' for the more sophisticated palates much less the novice palate. And, FWIW, it is worth noting that most Scots and every single malt Scotch whiskey aficionado int the world will tell you that drinking Scotch on ice ruins the natural, intended flavour. But that adding a wee bit of water (preferentially distilled or from the same spring that the whiskey was made from) 'opens' the taste and aroma. My all tyme favourite, ever-day single malt is Highland Park 12 but the 15 is very smooth. It's an island malt but not as robust as the the others. Highland Park owns their own beat bogs and expect to be drawing from it for the next 300 years. YMMV

Without handle.

My Walmart has 30# bags of RO lump for $9.97..right now. Also Western Lump, 30# for the same price. I doubt the prices will go back up going forward--end of the season, is my guess.

Ended up doing the pork on the Weber kettle...turned out very good--one of my all time favourite cuts for grilling. Thank's for taking the time.

I am late in asking this question...only a couple hours til this cook. But on the off chance... Our Samsung gas stove is on the fritz and pork steaks and cornbread is on the menu. My wife like to cook cornbread in a skillet at about 425° for about a half hour. My question really is how do i manage both the pork and the cornbread. I am thinking using the plate setter and perhaps cooking the cornbread up in the done at about the same level as a pizza. When it is done, pulling the second level hardware, inserting a drip pan on top of the plate setter and cooking the steaks on the gasket level cooking grid. Kind of wondering if it is possible to grill the meat direct getting flare-ups or should I just stick to indirect? Any thoughts or advice would be welcome...

I was 71 (?) when I put mine together...by myself in less than one day. Looked terrific until I tried to lift it into the shed At which point, the 'connectors that held the bottom shelf on, and which are made of plastic, broke. It was no easy fix. I had to re-engineer the whole attachment and shelf support using really large washers and a bit of aluminum tubing and long bolts. Did that right before winter. Come spring the connection on the other end sheared away as well and I had to repeat the whole process. But by gum, it's solid now and won't ever break again. And I am happy with my Akorn...I'd even buy another one despite knowing that I would have to go through that all over again. And FWIW, I called Chargriller and gave them he**, sent photos, etc. . But you know how that goes. I doubt they'd really pay attention--once something is designed and implemented like that it costs too much to change. Bottom line, whoever designed that rinky-dink bit was no engineer or materials specialist, that I can guarantee.

I've spatchcocked chickens (used to beercan them) and turkeys, but as good as they turn out both my wife and I like the looks of a whole bird for presentation on the table. Is there any reason a person can't just roast poultry (whole) in a kamado? Are there any tricks to make it come out better or cook more evenly?

I have a stainless steel Amazn smoker tube...is there any reason I can't fill it with chips or pellets and place it on my plate setter or smoking stone? Will the chips smolder?without catching fire? Anyone tried this?

How do you do that?

So, have you stopped using chips and pellets too? Or do you handle them some other way?

I have a lot of smoking pellets. When I had my WSM, I used to make up foil packets of these pellets to create and add smoke flavour. Sometimes though, when the cook was done, I noticed that the foil was burnt through...almost as if it had oxidized. With all the talk about galvanized steel being toxic, I wondered what happened to the aluminum and whether it created harmful fumes. Anyone know anything about this?

Well, I'm interested but an internet search for "rotisserie for Akorn" brought up several mentions of gaps of an inch or so when using the Joetisserie on the Akorn. Can anyone confirm the fit?

I have always brined chicken and turkeys. I think it makes them significantly more moist and tastier than if unbrined. Of course, I don't buy injected anything. I'm not all that fond of the skin...even so, a brined and spatched chik will get crispy skin if that's what you're looking for. I brined a pork shoulder last summer and I liked it. My wife thought it was a little too "hammy" but that's exactly what i was looking for. There's certainly enough fat and connective tissue in a shoulder to keep it moist without brining. FWIW & YMMV

That's the one I have too. Love it.