Beer can chicken on the Kamado Kooker

Recently, I've made this twice. I bought a steel holder for the beer can for < $4 at a local BigLots.

 Previously, I had done this on my Weber without the holder. The holder makes it much more stable. The Kamado makes it about the most moist chicken ever. First, I used Miller Genuine Draft. I really couldn't taste the beer. 

The second time, I filled the can with some oatmeal stout. I still couldn't taste the brew.
I didn't use any wood, just lump charcoal. We rubbed the outside with Montreal Chicken Rub.
It took less than 1 hour 30 minutes for the 1st bird which was about 3 1/2 #s and 1 hour 45 minutes for the 2nd bird which was just over 5#s. I cooked them to 170 degrees F internal temperature and tried to keep the Kamado temperature at 350 F. Both were cooked indirectly over a metal heat diffuser.

My wife found a great book at the library: Beer Can Chicken by
Steve Raichlen. It is full of great sounding can recipes as well as non-can recipes.

Pork Belly

3+ # pork belly from Aldi

Mustard to help rub adhere

GRILL MATES Mojito Lime Rub

Apply rub

Smoke at 225F for 3 hours to internal temp of 165F

Wrap in foil and place in insulated "cooler"

When ready to serve, sear both sides of gas grill preheated to 500F.

Smoked Buffalo Wings

Shake Chicken wings in McCormick buffalo spice mix.

Let set for 45 minutes.

Smoke with hickory chunks indirectly at 275-300degrees F for about 60 to 75 minutes to meat temp of 165.

Serve with blue cheese dressing. 

Pulled Pork on the Char-Griller Akorn steel kamado

Recently I smoked an 8 pound boneless pork shoulder (pork butt).
After rinsing the butt with cold water and applying a coating of vegetable oil, I rubbed it with Pensey's BBQ 3000 rub and let it chill overnight in the refrigerator.
The next morning, I started the Char-Griller Akorn with Royal Oak lump charcoal lit in a charcoal chimney.
I used several chunks of cherry wood ( some soaked in water for 45 minutes and some dry). I planned on an oven temperature of around 250F and an estimated 8 hour cook time.
With some experience, it is easy to maintain the temperature with adjustment of the top and bottom drafts. Bear in mind that it is always easier to heat up than to cool down. I usually check the temperature hourly while cooking. Even after using this cooker for a few years, I lack the confidence to cook overnight while sleeping!
The roast was placed on the smoking grill over a water pan.

A dual thermometer probe ( CDN DSP1 Dual Sensing Probe Thermometer and Timer) to monitor internal meat temperature and oven temperature was used.

With smoke still pouring out, after 6 1/2 hours (a little sooner than I expected on a beautiful windless late July day in northern NY), the internal temperature hit 200F.

Then I double wrapped the butt in aluminum foil and placed it in an insulated cooler to rest for two hours. It then pulled very easily with Beast Clawz.

Topped with Carolina Gold Bar-B-Que sauce

and coleslaw on a kaiser or ciabatta roll

it makes a mighty fine sandwich!

Yet another pork spare rib recipe!

Recently I've used the system of cooking described below to do pork ribs several times with great results.
Using the Akorn Kamado Kooker setup for indirect smoking over water, bring the temperature to about 212F.
Using cherry, maple and/or hickory wood, apply your favorite rub and smoke the ribs for 3 hours. The meat will retract from the ends of the bones. 

"The Crunch" Then wrap the ribs in foil drizzling on a mixture of tea or coffee, bourbon whiskey,  chives or green onions and brown sugar( 1 oz. Tea: 1 oz. whiskey:1 tablespoon brown sugar: your preferred amount of the greens). 

Continue  cooking the foil wrapped rib bundle for 2 hours at the same temperature. 

Then open the bundle and cook the ribs on the grill (still indirect over water) for 30 minutes to lightly caramelize your choice of BBQ sauce applied at that point.

Yesterday, I did this applying Trader Joe's Carolina Gold Sauce (a mustard based sauce) with a very tasty result.

Direct charcoal

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/01/dining/steak-on-charcoal-cooking.html?_r=0

Another Kamado Rib Recipe

I spent time in the Denver, Colorado area in the 1960's and early 1970's.
Locally famous was Daddy Bruce's BBQ.

We found his sauce recipe in the Denver Post in the 70's. Here is a link to the recipe:
http://www.cooks.com/recipe/ku94s3l7/daddy-bruce-barbecue-sauce.html
Daddy Bruce was renowned for feeding the homeless and specifically for cooking many turkeys for them at Thanksgiving.
From that now lost Denver Post article, I devised a method of cooking ribs. I dredged that up from my memory and tried to duplicate it on the kamado.
At 230-240 F oven temperature I set up for indirect smoking over water. 

I used cherry wood .

I smoked 3 1/2 pounds of pork spare ribs for 2 1/2 hours. Simultaneously I cooked a corned beef.

The beef got to an internal temperature of 145F . I left it on and put the ribs in a stainless steel pot (with half of the above recipe for the sauce in the pot) on the grill.

 I turned the ribs every 15 minutes in the pot as the sauce only partially covered them.

After another half hour, the corned beef was up to 165F and I took it off.

 I let the oven temp rise to 350-400F to try to thicken the sauce. That wasn't completely successful as I had diluted it somewhat in a futile attempt to cover the ribs. Despite that, the result was delicious. The rib bones came right off the meat with no cutting required. A nice smoke ring was noted. I was cooking on a very windy night at an ambient temperature of 15-20F.

I was pretty chilled by the time I brought the ribs in the house. I was so chilled that I forgot to take a picture of the finished product! Maybe next time with thicker sauce!