After doing a warm up burn in before the weekend when we were away I was excited to get home and do my first cook on my new kamado Joe 3. 
 
I reverse seared the tomahawk with the SloRoller at 250 until the IT hit 114 and then set it aside under foil while I change the setup for searing the steak and cast iron frying the shrimp. 
 
couldn’t be happier with the cook, it was also my first time using one of the two bags I picked up on the weekend of KJ charcoal, not sure how much of the awesome is the coal vs the grill but it all worked together to make a meal our guests will remember. Can’t wait to try more cooks. 
 
Posting a sneak peek before this hits my instagram page https://www.instagram.com/smokingdadbbq/

Been vacant for awhile had to make some poppers today. Used some Cattlemens tri-tip rub in the cream cheese...
 
 

King Crab, Smoked Salmon, Lobster, Lobster Tail, Shrimp (grilled and pan seared), Sweet Corn and Red Potato
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
A very bad pic ofspicy shrimp...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favourite pizza combos.  
 
I used the John Lanzafame base recipe, which for one pizza is listed below but please note, I usually multiply by 4 to make two pizzas today and freeze the other two for another time:
 
1 teaspoon dried active yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
100ml (3 1/2 fl oz) warm water
2 teaspoons oil, plus extra for greasing
160g (5 1/2oz) all purpose flour (I used pizza flour)
 
1. Place first four ingredients in a bowl and whisk until just combined.
2. Slowly whisk in olive oil
3. Leave in a warm spot for ten minutes until it's all thick and bubbly
4. Add the flour and knead for 15 mins.  (with my usual MO of making 4 at a time, I start the kneading on the kitchenmaid on speed 2 until just combined and then continue on speed 1 for 15 mins).
5. Rub the inside of a large pot or bowl with a bit of oil, place the dough inside and cover with a clean tea towel and leave for 1 to 1 1/2 hrs or until doubled in size.
6. Give it a good punch to expel the trapped air.
7. At this stage, it can be wrapped and refrigerated or frozen.  (I usually put in an additional freezer bag because it really likes to expand and will pop a whole and blow out of regular plastic wrap).  If making from frozen, bring to room temp and place nice and cosy inside a clean tea towel until risen by half again.
 
8.  If going from
 
Toppings:
 
I used :
 
- one can of whole Italian tomatoes, blended and cooked down with a little water, salt and Italian herbs.  (this does me for 4 pizzas - I usually put half in - a small sealy bag so it's ready to defrost next time I pull out the two frozen doughs)
- fresh mozzarella which you get in the tub of whey and which you tear apart
- 12 lovely Aussie prawns (shrimp) which are peeled but not cooked prior to placing not the pizza
- relatively thinly sliced zucchini
- cherry tomatoes halved
- some little chunks of home made pesto which I shaved off from a block I keep in the freezer
- rind of one lemon microplaned
- a couple of tablespoons of panko crumbs
- a good dash of olive oil to get the panko and lemon combined and so it isn't dry. 
 
I cranked the kamado up to 550F

 
 
When assembling, i put a little bit of semolina on some greaseproof paper before rolling out the dough onto it.    
I am in the  camp of sauce first, followed by cheese and then the toppings, pretty much in the order they're listed above.
 

 
To cook it, I had the steel grates in position and then the deflectors on top and then used some terracotta pot plant feet as a spacer between the deflectors and the pizza stone. (a great tip from Kismet Kamado)
 

 
It was pretty much done after 10 mins with a nice crispy bottom ... no soggy bottoms at Chez Lydia! :-)
 
 

Got some steak on clearance at Walmart. They had put some seasoning on the NY strip steaks that tastes like fajita meat. I cooked them up to 135 degrees using my indirect heat shield I designed and had a friend build for me. I finished the sear on the steaks using a piece of 1/4" plate steel I had custom cut at a fabrication shop. I bought the shrimp at Sams already on the skewers. I seasoned them with Slap Ya Momma Cajun seasoning and cooked them 4 minutes, 2 on each side, on the same plate steel. The steak came out medium to well (my smoking hot wife doesnt like medium rare) and the shrimp was on target.