pmillen

So those "large chunks" burn in the chute and finally fall into the ash bin when they're small enough to pass through the openings? Do you notice if any ash migrates into the cooking chamber?

@chalukthis makes sense to me. I may opt for the 1050 for the occasional capacity requirement.

Into the charcoal chute or into the ash box?

Rubbed with Worcestershire sauce and my favorite brisket rub. Smoke-roasted at 250°, indirect with a bit of hickory smoke wood and a pan on the X-bracket to catch the renderings. I figured six hours. It took about seven to get to 205° IT. I kept telling Marcia, "It's done when it"s done." It was quite good. We're not a fan of bark. We consider it just overcooked meat. But it was tolerable. Not our favorite but we'd do it again. We may try it without the rub.

Eric, please share this recipe. It looks perfect.

I looked and looked and couldn't locate the food safe text. I'm not very bright, so I obviously missed it. Please point it out to me.

Here are the thoughts that readily come to mind. It’s all related to difficulties in getting the results I want when I reverse sear– I get a more controllable sear (better sear) when searing raw meat as opposed to cooked meat. When I’m trying to reach a specific IT for serving, it’s much easier for me to do that by searing first and then finishing the steak with indirect heat. I think that searing after smoking burns off the smoke flavor that is only on the meats surface. Meathead Goldwyn writes (apparently quoting Dr. Blonder), “Smoke includes as many as 100 compounds in the form of microscopic solids including char, creosote, ash, and phenols, as well as combustion gases that include carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitric oxide, syringol, and liquids such as water vapor and syringol, an oil.” What happens to them when they’re exposed to searing heat in the direct-zone? One at a time– Char . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It’s what’s left behind if wood is burned without adequate oxygen. Wood char is charcoal. Searing the meat will burn off the char. Creosote. . . . . . . . . . . It burns as anyone who’s had a chimney fire will tell you. So, it burns off during searing. Ash. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It’s not combustible. It stays behind after searing. Phenols . . . . . . . . . . . Phenols will sublimate and boil off at searing temperatures. Carbon monoxide. . . . It’s a gas. If it hangs around the meat, it’ll burn and become carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide. . . . . . It’s a gas. I doubt that it stays with the meat but if it does, it’s without odor or taste. Nitric oxide . . . . . . . . It’s a gas. It’ll burn and become nitrogen dioxide. Syringol. . . . . . . . . . . It ignites at about 285°. Searing will burn it. Syringol oil . . . . . . . . It's a mix of syringol and water. The water evaporates and the syringol burns. So, smoke flavor sitting on the meat’s surface is hit with our searing heat and all but ash boils or burns off.

@Donnie_Brasco_9 , on this site the search engine can be your friend. Search on sear, reverse sear, lighting charcoal or anything that you think might show you some previous discussion(s) on your topic of interest. Having said that, here's John's take on steak searing. Like him, I'm not a fan of the reverse sear.

Welcome to kamadoguru. I hope that you build your cart with oiled Teak. I want to see one before I try.

Agree. I am somewhat enamored with the Internet of things but I don't see the usefulness in having my water oven connected. I'm not going to change it when I'm not nearby (in fact, I'm not going to change it when I am nearby). So I use my Anova in manual mode.

I'm smiling because when I got my new KJ a year ago or so, I also thought that my firebox didn't fit. Of course it does. It took some adjusting and technique but it fits as though it was made for it. Duh! I don't want you to think that I'm assuming you're wrong. But to install the the fire box is almost Zen-like. Here's my suggestion – set the pieces in place around the base. Let them lean back against the wall. One by one, put your finger in the hole and pull them into position and clamp the rim down to hold them. Move to the next... Like everything that's worthwhile, it won't be easy. But you'll be pleased with the results. On the other hand, you have an old Classic 1. Perhaps you have a firebox that varies from the original. Best of luck to you.

Please help me find a citation for that.

I'm not convinced that he wants the wood to smolder. He probably wants it to burn. From what I've seen, smoldering wood makes rather bad smoke. Sweet smoke is produced in a stick burner with high air flow producing a visible flame and sweet blue smoke that’s sometimes almost invisible. In his low airflow situation his best solution is to let the pellets burn. If they're "peppered throughout the charcoal" the burning charcoal may purify the smoke somewhat, much like what Harry Soo recommends or what the KBQ C-60 pit does. If he soaks the pellets in water he'll have mush that'll not burn for quite a while. It's as hard as concrete when it dries. IMO, soaking chips or chunks in water is generally a poor idea. Nothing happens until the wood dries out. Then you get poor smoke. The above is based on my experience. Others may have done something a bit different and had better luck. It's hard to tell.

Generally considered one-time use.