Boater

Evacuation is no fun. Staying can be even less fun.

Don't know if it's the mildest, but I don't get much flavor from any of the B&B that I've used. There's some, but really need to add some wood chunk of you want a pronounced smoke favor.

Yeah, that does make a difference. But a zip-lock freezer bag can be used more effectively than most folk do. You don't want the fish dry, so a (very little) bit of water added to the bag. Then submerge all of the bag but the zipper in a container of cold water (like a Dutch oven loaf pan, etc). That will get nearly all the air out of the bag, the meat stays fresher longer. Vacuum sealers are better, but not always available.

Great view you have there. Took me a minute to quit admiring the view and look for the new wheels.

Check out @John Setzler's Kamado 101 book in the Intro section. My only suggestion would be to first do a "cook" with no food, to figure out some of the basics of fire management and temperature control. Once you understand that, it's easier to feel more comfortable with a real cook. Welcome!

Your problem got me curious. No experience with one of those grills, but they seem to be a good grill overall, so that lack of stability puzzled me. I did find a pretty old review of the grill (https://www.nibblemethis.com/2014/05/review-of-vision-grills-classic-b.html?m=1) where the reviewer had an issue with the fit of the lower vent, and did a mod on the vent to tighten it up. If yours is similar, small movements in the lower vent could actually make a big difference as you'd be changing the leakage in unpredictable ways. I bring this up as this might not show up in a smoke test, like a gasket leak would. Maybe this issue has been fixed in more recent grills, but just throwing it out there in case. Good luck!

If you're thinking of another thermometer already, you might take a look at the TP 09 https://buythermopro.com/product/tp-09/ Currently very similar price to the TP16, and has an RF remote. I used a similar unit for quite a while before biting the bullet on a controller. And you can check this one from away from the grill - claim is 300 ft., my experience (different unit, same claimed distance) was about 30-50 ft. on a good day. But it was enough that I could stay inside rather than walking out to check the meat temp. Nice shape for that grill! Good find

I went to 4 stores today looking for the decaf diet ginseng green tea Mrs. Boater prefers. Found 1 gallon total. But in compensation, one store had a sign, apologizing that their advertised price for baby back ribs ($2.99/lb.) was wrong. They were $2.49. I told them that I accepted their apology, and grabbed some Made up (in my mind,at least) for the lack of tea. And they had a bunch of other tea jugs. Just not the one I was looking for.

Does anyone here have experience with a Meater probe with a metal grill? My thought is that at best, it would have issues with communication, and fail that entirely at worst. As @kappclark has an Akorn, this would make me hesitant to go in that direction, but that's not based on any real-world experience with that combo.

Yep, that sounds like a variation on the original New Orleans dish. Very tasty, very messy. The second was what I was trying to avoid. But I used more pans, just changed where the mess was. And you don't have those tasty juices to sop up. One of the best parts.

New Orleans has a dish called barbeque shrimp, that's not done on a barbeque, but in a.sauce pan. Different restaurants have different versions of it, and it can vary widely. Check it out at Deany's in the French Quarter for a really good version. I like it, but it's messy to eat (shrimp are served head-on, shell-on in the best places. And, it's spicier than my family likes. So for Labor Day, I did a grilled shrimp that borrows from the New Orleans recipe, but isn't. And it can be done on a grill (Kamado in this case). I've simplified the list of ingredients and processes from the original concepts (no wine, no reduction, fewer spices), but this is definitely a dish to make your own way. I wanted to be sure that the fresh shrimp flavor came through, which is easy to lose (for me, at least) with too much spice heat. Some spices bring that out, though, so bay leaf and lemon juice are kept here. Fresh shrimp is a huge benefit, if you can get them. Well-taken-care-of frozen shrimp will also work ok, but not all frozen are well-taken-care-of. I wouldn't try this with low quality shrimp, just wouldn't be worth the effort. Ingredients 1 lb whole, fresh shrimp (see below) per person Worcestershire sauce Lemon juice Butter Olive or other mild cooking oil Bay leaf Salt Minced garlic I didn't measure much of anything in this cook, pretty much done by eye and taste. But it's pretty straightforward, and flexible. 1 pound whole shrimp is equivalent to ⅔ pound of peeled. So adjust to the appetites you're feeding. Also consider shrimp salad or a grilled shrimp poboy as leftovers, so a bit extra don't hurt. Head, peel, and de-vein the shrimp; put the heads and peelings in a stock pot with about 1 pint water per pound of whole shrimp. Add salt (other spices you like, Louisiana Shrimp Boil, Tony Cacherie's, Old Bay,etc., or at least a couple bay leaves), and boil about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. If you use one of the premixed spice blends, check to see if they include salt. Don't want to over salt! The water is not enough to submerge all the shrimp peels, stirring helps get it all cooked, and all the goodies extracted from the heads and peels. (You can make a larger quantity of stock, for this I want it pretty dense). Using 2 bowls, add some ice to the larger, pour a small amount of the stock into the smaller bowl (sitting in the larger). Let it chill. You want it cold, not warm, so you're not warming the shrimp. Add enough Worcestershire sauce to make it look like dirty water, medium dark brown. About ¼ to ⅓ of the volume of stock (yes, that's a lot). Add the shrimp to the mixture, let it soak at least 10 minutes, up to half an hour or so. The longer you go, though, the vinegar in the Worcestershire sauce will begin to denature the proteins (think ceviche, but vinegar instead of citrus). You can see some of that going on in the thinnest parts of the shrimp in the second pic. In this photo, I've made up too much marinade, which is a waste of good shrimp stock (liquid gold). Worcestershire sauce is a primary flavor in the classic dish, and the classic style has the shrimp cooked in a reduction of that, wine, and stock in a skillet. In this version, it's being used as a marinade, so not as strong a contributor. But again, trying to let the fresh shrimp shine through. The baste here is a combination of butter, oil, bay leaf and salt, warmed until the.butter sizzles, then add minced garlic and.remove from heat. Add lemon juice. Reserve some for dipping at the table, or pouring over the skewers then. The rest is used as a baste before putting on the grill, and supplementing that initial baste while it cooks. Skewer the shrimp, baste, cook to 130F minimum. Kamado in the 350-375F range, grill in upper position. Once the shrimp go on, it's an open-dome cook, turning the shrimp every couple minutes and moving them around to get an even cook along the skewers and between them. In this example, I ran final temp for the shrimp higher, around 155, as that's the preference of my consumers, but there's a trade-off in texture and flavor. Had a side of an eggplant with this, and some potato salad (not shown). Eggplant was just rubbed with oil, salted, and a little of Simon and Garfunkel rub from Amazing ribs.com. Started the eggplant a bit before the shrimp - they're pretty quick. It's a nice, quick cook with delish leftovers (including the extra shrimp stock - did I say I like that stuff?). Suggestioms for leftovers: grilled shrimp po-boy, shrimp salad....

Yeah, makes you wonder if KJ is having issues with broken deflectors, not training new CS staff, beginning a redesign of the basket, or what. That aspect of the KJ basket was one reason I went with it over the Kick Ash basket. Curious as to how this story develops.

Good looking cook! I didn't.see that photo with the sauce, tho.... I'm with you on dividing a full brisket. We can manage about 1/3 of one for the 2 of us with enough leftovers to work with, but not too much at a time. Rather than removing flat and point muscles, I split the outstanding flat from the point+flat part, then divide that part into 2. Ends up with a thinner piece and 2 thicker pieces. As long as you pay attention to the directions of the muscles, and cut across both grains (as you would with a full brisket) it comes out nice. As the old saying goes, lots of ways to skin a cat (or divide a brisket). All good.

I wouldn't put a thermometer on the searing surface, if that's what you mean. Use an IR thermometer. Tons available, but John S. just posted a first look at a combo IR + meat probe that looks pretty attractive at that price point. I use an IR thermometer with my cast iron griddle, and it will be above 500F with a dome temp of anywhere between 350 and 450F. So, not a good indication of what's going on at that cooking surface. I also find that temps can be quite uneven across the surface, depending on the fire under it. I don't obsess over an even coal bed, and can have some really hot spots and some relatively cool ones. That geography is good to know before you put the food on the grill, so you don't over-do something. For a reverse sear, I've used the grate handler that comes with the Joe to move the deflector without an issue (other than where to put that really hot stone safely).

The other benefit of the Joetisserie this time of year is the reduced time in the heat of the day doing the cook. Looking forward to autumn.