Just ordered new KK

[gofit]

Thanks. Dennis tells me it is shipping today! So Friday could be the day! Going with the Vibrant Blue was tough call. My wife calls it a Faberge Egg! Not looking forward to uncrating it. Has anyone ever dropped one of these? I will definately be using lump charcoal and KK's coconut. And (cpwebb) I do want to split a pallet of coconut with you. I just don't know when I will need it yet...probably be sooner than I think! I'm sure I have a big learning curve coming up. I suspect it will be looking like Barbecue Pitmasters in my backyard starting this weekend!

[Cook_Shack]

The learning curve is not bad if you will take good time orientated notes. You will get better fast. Its all in the two dampers.If you over shoot shut everything down and re-start. Go for 20 Deg under then bump up. It is easy going up rough to come down. KK does not want to give up the heat set in its walls.
The method simple. (You will be doing heat control like your ancestors did it) Just keep the faith and you will be fine.
And don't forget we all like to help.
Welcome to the group. Looking forward to some new ideas.

[gofit]

Thanks everyone! I have my first official question. What is recommended for a meat temp probe? And should I get a BBQ guru? And if I get the guru which model? Does that seem like 3 official questions? I'm afraid I may gain 20 pounds after I get started!

[EGGARY]

Definitely get an Instant Read Thermometer. The one that is most popular is the Thermopen. Depending on your experience with Low and Slow cooking, why not get used to your new KK. The KK is very good at retaining heat.
You may want to get a Remote Thermometer. That is one of my favorite tools.

As to gaining weight, just watch yourself. It should be no different before the KK.
Enjoy the journey.

[mguerra]

You will get mixed replies on the Guru question (or Stoker). I have good uses for them but most of my cooks are without. Peruse the forum, you will see the various schools of thought.
A remote thermometer is another story, I would say it is almost a necessity. It prevents you from constantly opening and closing the lid to check. I like the Oregon Scientific AW-131 because it has good range and good penetration in to the house, and has lasted longer than any Maverick product. The Maverick products are hit or miss on their QC. Their latest product, which several of us really wanted to love, was a POS. The ET 732. It got some good hype and glowing youtube reports, but our results here were awful. Maybe they have fixed the bugs on it by now, do an internet search and find out. And please report back to us what you find out!

[fcnich]

I have a Maverick ET-732, had it about 8 months or so, i have not had a problem with it at all to this point.

[mguerra]

I might try another one. If I recall, Loquitr had one that went belly up like mine did, and maybe Slu? If yours works well, it kind of supports the notion that their QC is spotty. On mine, the front clear cover over the display popped off, the digital display numerals went dark on the top half, and the temp probes went off by nearly 100 degrees! Yes I had good fresh batteries.

[Loquitur]

Good memory, Doc. Both my ET-732 temp probes starting reading 100 deg off after the 3rd or 4th use. I did some
research online and found it was a common problem identified as the probes "shorting out" and that Maverick's position was that it was user error from the probes becoming wet or exposed to too high a heat. Most of the owners with the problem including myself were quite sure we didn't get them wet or expose them to high heat. I didn't bother replacing them.

[mguerra]

I threw mine in the trash and never even bothered to try to get satisfaction from the seller.
Now, get this...
I just bought another one. But if this one goes belly up, I will ask for a refund.
My probes never got wet nor were exposed to excessive fire.

[Loquitur]

I'm waiting on your report after a few months. I would really like it for cooks where I'm not bothering with hooking up my Stoker. I thought the range was very good - much better than the earlier models. If the probes are now more reliable, I'll sign up for a second one too. I since bought the Oregon Scientific single probe model but its still in the unopened package. Now that outdoor cooking season is getting into full swing, I'll break it out soon.

[mguerra]

Yeah, I go on and on about the Oregon Scientific here. But that's because it works; it's a go to product. The single probe means you need one for each thing you are measuring, so you could wind up buying several. My Stoker finally crapped out so I will send it back and see what John will do, maybe upgrade to the new wireless.

[Paswesley]

Been using my Maverick single probe with no problems for 18 months now.

[Loquitur]

Doc: What happened to your Stoker?

[mguerra]

The display periodically blanks out, or jumps from one mode to another sporadically, or resets itself at random intervals. I have not been 100% attentive to keeping it totally moisture free. I speculate that's the problem.

[cpwebb]

Hey Gofit, I just got home with a trunk full of boneless stuffed chickens from Herbert's and a nice 3 bone prime rib from Natural Farms - both in Tulsa. I have the Maverick Dual Probe remote thermometer and it works well for me, except for the remote part - my KK sits on the deck about 12 ft from the glass door, I can set the remote on the table inside the door so the distance is about 15 ft and the remote will lose connection. I will have to take it outside and reinitialize the communication to get it to work, I have found if I leave it outside by the sending unit that it will stay connected and I can hear it easily enough in the house when the alarm sounds - I am usually aware of when it is getting close so I stay out of the basement. I have been contemplating the Guru, but the KK keeps the heat so well I have not been able to justify the purchase. I have recently built a device to use for sous vide cooking that I intend to try to attach a guru fan to and see how it works, my device controls a standard 110V outlet that I can plug a heating element, crock pot, or even an AC/DC adapter to run a fan in to.