pmillen

IDK if that's advisable. I think my unpacking instructions specifically warned against it. I assumed that the strap isn't designed to hold that weight and might slip.

You probably don't have time to build one of the Kamado chariots that tjv (a member here) posted in his video - Maybe you can rent a flower pot lifter.

I may like this unit a lot. I hope to find an unbiased review.

Please report back with your thoughts. I'm surprised that more people aren't making their own.

How hot were the coals? Lid open the whole time? Any other important instructions? I'm going to take a run at this. Thanks for turning me on to it.

I've been using the Rock's Stoker for years on a drum and about a year on my kamado. It's manufacturer discontinued. I've not used any others but I read about all of them. If I had to buy one today, I'd buy the FireBoard.

I read, "A cack on the inside" to mean in the fire box, which may not be significant. If you buy it, be sure to insist they include the bellows.

I bake calzones in my pellet pit for 20 to 25 minutes at 400°F, or until the crusts are golden brown. I also brush them with an egg wash (2 eggs beaten with 2 tablespoons water) to aid with browning. EDIT: In my pit the heat and smoke in the smoking zone comes from the top down. I don't use a stone, nor do I turn them.

I have a KJ Big Joe and a Cookshack Fast Eddy PG500 pellet pit (plus some other stuff). I prefer to smoke on the kamado. I can get more of the smoke taste. I don't want it so strong that I burp it, but the pellet pit is a little too mild for me. Adding an ancillary smoke generating device (like the A-MAZE-N-SMOKER) to the PG500 was a horrible mistake. It made skunky white smoke that never improved. I gave the A-MAZE-N-SMOKERs away (I bought two sizes). I use a stoker to control the kamado temperature. I can get fantastic temperature control and all the thin blue smoke flavor I want by adjusting the weight of the smoke wood chunks I add. My pellet pit has an area where I can grill directly over pellet flames. I don't use it. We prefer to grill over charcoal. Kamado Joe has a rotisserie attachment. It's kinda' impressive (but probably doesn't cook any better than using the grates). I've not seen a pellet pit with a rotisserie from the factory. The heavy ceramic kamado retains heat so opening the unit to spritz or whatever doesn't appreciably affect the temperature. I don't know of a pellet pit that can match that, although the Yoder comes close. Even though the Fast Eddy series of pits incorporates a design that makes grease or hopper fires extremely unlikely, the number of reported pit fires in other brands have made me reluctant to leave my pellet pit unattended for any period. I don't worry about my kamado causing a structure fire. Pellet pits require electricity. Users should be cautions in rain or snow. Not so with the kamados. Many pellet pits blow ash and unburned pellet dust around the cooking area. I don't want that stuff on my food.

Did you lay the wood splits on top of lit briquettes? About how long did it take the splits to burn down to cooking coals? Mine has shipped. Yay!

Yep. There are a zillion recipes on the Internet. Just do an Internet search on brisket flat. Pick the one you like best. I'd smoke the other two pieces that are point and flat in the same way I'd smoke a whole packer.

I need to avoid breakfast wine.

I didn't know that. Again, thanks.

Duh! You're right, of course. Pine has needles. It was a tytpo. Thanks.

We will want to be cautious when dealing with the definition of hardwood. It's any tree that doesn't have needles. So pine is a hardwood and I've been told to not grill or smoke with it. The supplier lists cherry, beech, maple and ash woods. Assuming that's correct, cherry, maple, and ash are fine to cook over or use for smoke. IDK about beech.