UTVol

Welcome aboard!

I do the same as Bucky and split my kick ash basket and push the coals to the back and stack them high. I put a banana bread pan in the front to catch drippings.

I have the same KJ you do as I bought my in 2015 and I have a joetisserie, no prob! Best accessory they sell, you'll enjoy it and Merry Christmas!!

We had a guy on here and I can't remember his name. He used to do duck on his KK and would constantly post his cooks. Let me see if I can dig it up as a reference for you guys.

Agree as well. My first brisket cook was strange also. My full box of charcoal went out....has never happened any other time...ever...and its been 5 1/2 yrs and...the brisket was just about done in 7 hrs. Same as yours, Costco but maybe 18lbs trimmed to something less. At the end of the day, briskets are tough to nail but it sounds like you got pretty close.

+1...leave it in longer

Congrats!! You didnt go overboard, its all part of the process That Kamado is pretty clean, get to cooking and looking forward to seeing your cooks!! Swing by the intro section and tell us a bit about yourself. Welcome aboard!!

Headlamp

Im with everyone else and glad you'r considering how to manage in the dark. Go with a headlamp and if you want to hook up a light that's fine but honestly, the headlamp is the best tool for cooking during the coming months. Cheers!!

I've been contemplating this myself. When i do it, I'll be putting mine on the dome as there's less change of BBQ sauce or my grill brush damaging the gasket. If you decide to do it, please update us and let us know how it went, especially with the Joetisserie.

Looks awesome!!

Thats awesome and congrats on 25 years! Its a beautiful place to visit!

Looks fantastic, great cook!! You didn't "cause" anything or do anything wrong. Any fat that is going to render, will have rendered by the time you hit 205. Like KK said, that internal fat/gristle is going to be there.

Nice video John! I know you've mentioned this somewhere else before but where did you get that motor/what brand and model is it? Also, do you have additional rotisserie forks? I've been looking for a second set and have been having a hard time finding some that fit. Thanks in advance!

I agree with everyone that is recommending you leave the wood chunks out based on your wife's feedback. To touch on the timing of when to put the wood chucks on. I put mine in first and the charcoal on top, then light a spot. Once temp stabilizes, I put the meat on and 9/10 times, the white smoke is gone and i have a blue smoke. Good luck!