Berty

Hopefully tomorrow! I'll report back when it rocks up.

The Aldi Kamado is a 16" Medium Kamado from La Hacienda, they are good quality but the main problem with these is the size means nothing standard fits and you can't get spares, e.g. grates, deflectors etc. The wild Goose is an exact copy of the KJ classic, c/w/ divide & conquer. It's built in the same factory as KJ, same ceramics, cart, D&Q etc. Over £300.00 cheaper, everything KJ is compatible, including joetisserie. I'm now pulling the trigger on a WG after cancelling a Aldi order.

I've done the taters twice now (again last night) bogh times I've cheated and partially cooked in the microwave and just finished on the kamado. Once the chicken is done, I take it off to rest, open up the vents and throw the spuds on, I let the temperature get up to 220 Celsius or 428 Fahrenheit or there abouts, and take them off when the skins are crispy. About 15-20 minutes I guess. Before I put the spuds on the grill, I rub the skins with a bit of olive oil and grind some sea salt and black pepper on them, they taste loads better than conventional oven cooked!

Thanks guys, not sure what happened with the post getting split into two? I've updated the one with the picture!

Thanks for the replies gents, sorry for my delayed reply, I've been overseas on business, first chance to get back on line. I'm going for attempt no 2 this weekend, I've got another chicken which im going to try a citrus rub this time and a pork shoulder (not a boston butt, I think you guys call this cut a picnic?)

I finally had a break in the weather last weekend so did my initial burn to season the grates and to try and get a handle on temperature control. I also wanted to make use of the charcoal and take advantage of the dry day to actually cook something. I wanted to do something simple as a first attempt as I've only grilled direct previously so decided to go for a beer can chicken. I also did some baked potatoes as well, I was really pleased with how it turned out and how easy to control the temperature the Akorn is. I did tighten up the latches on the dome and ashman and resealed the bottom vent before this cook. Temperature was monitored with the newer model maverick.

I finally had a break in the weather last weekend so did my initial burn to season the grates and to try and get a handle on temperature control. I also wanted to make use of the charcoal and take advantage of the dry day to actually cook something. I wanted to do something simple as a first attempt as I've only grilled direct previously so decided to go for a beer can chicken. I also did some baked potatoes as well, I was really pleased with how it turned out and how easy to control the temperature the Akorn is. I did tighten up the latches on the dome and ashman and resealed the bottom vent before this cook. Temperature was monitored with the newer model maverick.

Thanks to everyone who's replied to my intro thread, I've got to say I've joined many forums over the years for my many interests, this is by far the warmest welcome I've ever had. Overwhelming! In reply to Jeffieboy, that's a very kind offer of help, I'm about 6 hours from Yorkshire so you would have to have travelled a little out of your way! We actually have a few decent barbecue places opened up in Norwich (which is our nearest city) Harbeque is a pop-up that is pretty awesome http://harbercue.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/Harbercue and Dray Yard smokehouse http://www.drayyardsmokehouse.co.uk/index.html which is also supposed to be good (haven't tried this one yet). My cover has turned up from amazon USA, tonight

Hi Rak73, I'm raring to go but we have -4 degrees Celsius temperatures at the minute, forecast till the weekend, so don't hold your breath! Not sure about the shepherds pie, chicken tikka masala is the national dish nowadays! , how about eel, pie and mash if your a Londoner, that would be a challenge

Hope I can live up to the expectations, traditional English tends to be pretty tame, that's why I look to other countries cuisine, for inspiration! Anyway, I'll give it a go!

Thanks for the warm welcome guys!

Hello everyone, My name is Brett and I'm from Norfolk, England. I've just bought my first Kamado and luckily found this place . A bit of background, I've been barbecuing for quite a few years now, I'm sure you're aware but UK BBQ is a million miles away from what you guys stateside are used to! My first experience of barbecuing was blackened, raw in the middle sausages and nasty frozen burgers, probably over 30 years ago. Things have moved on a bit since then & proper barbecue is becoming more popular here, although it is a bit of an underground scene at present. I've been direct grilling (over lump charcoal) for quite a few years now. I've tended to do home made souvlaki, middle eastern style kebabs, marinated chicken, prawns, steaks etc. rather than the old UK favourites of bangers and burgers, making my own marinades, rubs and sauces etc. About a year ago, my brother bought a WSM bullet, and started to tell me about this mysterious low and slow style of cooking. He invited us all over one Sunday and he'd cooked up a brisket, pork butt, beer can chicken and some smoked (quality) sausages. To say my family and me were impressed was an understatement, so since then, I've been determined to get into low and slow myself. Fast forward to Christmas this year and my wife bought me the Pitt Cue Co. cookbook, http://www.amazon.com/Pitt-Cue-Co-Cookbook/dp/184533907X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422823647&sr=1-1&keywords=pitt+cue+co.+the+cookbook which is an English restaurants take on classic American Q. Reading through that made me more determined to get sorted and start smoking. Last weekend, I went to our local outdoors shop to check out the WSM bullets, and I came across the Akorn. The manager had two left in stock and had reduced £200.00 off list to clear (they are more expensive in the UK than you guys seem to pay in the States. I'd always discounted the Kamado style of cookers as I had only read about the BGE's and they were more money than I wanted to spend initially. I'd never heard of, or seen the Akorn before, so after doing a quick bit of online research in the store and seeing it was well regarded, I ditched the original WSM plan and snapped up the Akorn! I've assembled the Kamado, we can't get the Smokin Stone accessory over here, so I've bought an extra Weber grate and ordered a Kamado Joe Classic, Divide and Conquer heat deflector. I've also bought a Cadac pizza stone which is rated to 500F on a barbecue. I've ordered from Amazon US, the Akorn factory cover and just had delivered a Maverick 733. I've also picked up 15Kg's of restaurant grade lump and a bag of pecan chunks. Can't wait to get started once there's a break in the weather, it's freezing (literally) and been chucking it down with rain and sleet all weekend That's enough for now, glad to be on-board!