AJS390

@keeperovdeflame has it exactly right. No reason to worry about those at all, they're just small imperfections that won't have any impact. If for some reason they crack in the future (which I doubt would have anything to do with those spots), they'll be covered anyway and you can get replacements then.

Turned out really good. Only took a little more than 5 hours to cook, which was a little surprising. But, no harm no foul. Tasted great, and just right on the tenderness. Great flavor, I love the rub I use, and as always no sauce to desecrate the great meat....

Spare ribs are on the menu for today. Not sure what the deal is, but for some reason they're cooking super fast. Seem pretty close to done after just 3.5 hours on the grill at 240°. We'll see what happens, may have the opposite of my usual problem and have the food done too soon....

They had it marked down to $21 a bag at my home depot a few weeks ago, but they sold out before it got any lower. They appear to be clearing out their inventory for the season, actually had it outside in the garden center (it was at least under the roofed part)

I prefer to sear using my soapstone, but also have just done direct over the fire on a low grate. On the soapstone, my favorite fat to use for searing is fat from whatever I'm cooking. Say I'm cooking a strip steak or ribeye, there's plenty of fat in the cap that can be trimmed back. Toss a couple pieces on the searing surface when you're ready and you're good to go. I like to do the same thing when I'm using cast iron on the stove top, I'll cook down a couple pieces of fat before adding the meat. I suppose you could save fat/tallow from something like a brisket and freeze it until you need it too, but that just seems likes more work to me.

The crack wouldn't worry me at all, but the misformed petal could be a problem. It's hard to tell, it depends on how big of a gap that is. It looks like the ring fit on, so at least that seemed ok. If you decide that it is an issue, that should be covered for a replacement due to defect through either KJ or the seller where you got it.

There's a rainstorm and flash flooding going through where I live, so the weather channel app on my phone has some pretty cutting edge advice:

This turned out amazing, although it took a lot longer than expected. I figured around 1.5 hours per pound, but it ended up taking 2 hours per pound (finished after almost 13 hours). I even raised the heat up to 250 while it was wrapped to try and hurry it along. No big deal though since it was just for me and me wife. This may have been my best brisket cook ever. Super tender and juicy, and great flavor. I won't hesitate at all in the future to cook just a flat, as it is much more manageable portions (still ended up with at least 6 servings leftover). Only thing left to improve is to convince my wife that putting bbq sauce on it should be a crime...

Stalled at 155° for a while, so I wrapped it at 4:30.

Going to try and cook a brisket flat today. I'm pretty hopeful, but I've never cooked just a flat before. I think it'll still turn out good, and in a much more manageable amount of food/leftovers for just two people. 6.5 lbs @ 225 degrees, seasoned with just salt and black pepper. I did do a dry brine overnight, which is something I haven't done with a brisket before (mainly due to lack of preparedness on my part), but figured it couldn't hurt.

I can't tell for sure by the photo, but I'm guessing they were yellow jackets? They're nature's resident assholes, would just as soon sting you as look at you. Glad you're coming out on top, and no bee sting allergies to worry about!

I am a big fan of pizza from my KJ, but I have always had a constant struggle to get the top browned as much as I would like before burning the bottom. I use a DoJoe, and have always liked it better since you can watch what's happening and in general does a better job of bringing heat down from the top. But still, I would have trouble getting the results just the way I wanted, mostly because I usually want to use more toppings than is probably ideal. After thinking on it a while, I decided that getting the bottom off the stone would give it just that little more time to cook the top. So, enter the pizza screen. In general, a pizza screen is actually supposed to help the bottom cook faster instead of being on a pan. But in this setting, I thought just that little extra space would slow it down just enough. Gave it a try tonight for the first time, and it worked great. Even cooking across the top, and not a sign of burning on the bottom. Just perfectly crisp crust. So, if anybody else has the same struggle as me, maybe give a pizza screen a try. I picked up 6 12" aluminum screens for $15 on Amazon. Used parchment paper under them because I made the pizzas up a little ahead of when the grill was ready and didn't want them to stick. Worked so good I'll probably just continue that way.

Cooked another batch but this time on the joetisserie, definitely turned out even better (although it's entirely possible I'm just better at cooking them on the rotisserie since it's more forgiving). Not the most visually appealing as they come apart some while tumbling, but that's not much of a concern for me.

I would do it with exactly the setup you describe on my KJC2. Simple and easy that way. No need to have the extra space between the firebox and the heat deflectors because you're not going to a high temperature. The drip tray and accessory rack are technically optional as well, but I personally would use them with something as messy as a pork butt. Just build your fire, let it go a few minutes to make sure it is established, then place in the whole D&C rack already assembled with heat deflectors and all. Wait for your fire to mature and temps to stabilize, and you're good to go

Turned out good. Tender and nice flavor. Still on team pork ribs though