Now get yourself some cabbage fermenting (sauerkraut) and that reuben gets even
more heavenly!
What did you buy today?
- Thread starter Mike
- Start date
more heavenly!
Well I spent some hard earned money. My very old and outdated Thermoworks finally gave up on me so I went big and bought the Singals from Thermoworks..And man what a beautiful piece of equipment..can wait to give it a run
Most of this thread seems aimed at hardware; supporting goodies for the cooking box. Today we made a trip to Sam's and invaded the meat department to stock up on some protein for future cooks. In our area the Sam's have upped their game in the past year or so stocking more Prime and Choice cuts of beef, better grades of pork, and higher quality seafood products. Perhaps as a rejoinder to what Costco has done for some time, though we don't have a Costco within 40ish miles of here.
When we moved from Seattle I was concerned that we wouldn't be able to get decent salmon. I detest the farm raised Atlantic stuff.........it may be fish, but it just ain't real salmon as we've known it. Turns out the modern transportation system works in our favor, as even in Podunk Central Texas wild caught sockeye salmon is available. We picked up just under 5 pounds which I portioned out and repackaged for the freezer. We also picked up a couple 9+ lb pork shoulders. We thought about getting a case of eight pieces, but that would probably outlast prudent time frame considerations. Then the nicest item was a near 17 pound Prime boneless ribeye. Again I portioned it out into near two inch steaks and packaged for freezing. I'm not a big fan of large amounts of fat, other than marbling, on my steaks, so I went after the beautiful hunks of fat on the edges. This "log" yielded about two pounds of usable fat that I'll mix in with some chuck roasts somewhere down the road when I again grind my own "hamburger" meat. I find that grocery store 80/20 usually is a bit light on fat content and thus flavor. I suspect it's because in the higher production environment the butchers eyeball the ratios, if they really care at all. I do mine by weight and keep it pretty close and burgers/meat loaves/and other ground beef dishes yield more liquid fat than store ground but also have much more satisfying flavor. Life is good...…...
When we moved from Seattle I was concerned that we wouldn't be able to get decent salmon. I detest the farm raised Atlantic stuff.........it may be fish, but it just ain't real salmon as we've known it. Turns out the modern transportation system works in our favor, as even in Podunk Central Texas wild caught sockeye salmon is available. We picked up just under 5 pounds which I portioned out and repackaged for the freezer. We also picked up a couple 9+ lb pork shoulders. We thought about getting a case of eight pieces, but that would probably outlast prudent time frame considerations. Then the nicest item was a near 17 pound Prime boneless ribeye. Again I portioned it out into near two inch steaks and packaged for freezing. I'm not a big fan of large amounts of fat, other than marbling, on my steaks, so I went after the beautiful hunks of fat on the edges. This "log" yielded about two pounds of usable fat that I'll mix in with some chuck roasts somewhere down the road when I again grind my own "hamburger" meat. I find that grocery store 80/20 usually is a bit light on fat content and thus flavor. I suspect it's because in the higher production environment the butchers eyeball the ratios, if they really care at all. I do mine by weight and keep it pretty close and burgers/meat loaves/and other ground beef dishes yield more liquid fat than store ground but also have much more satisfying flavor. Life is good...…...
dsandersus
Well-known member
Fine looking piece of meat you got there @Uncle Bob ?
Your looking at his meat?!?! PERV
dsandersus
Well-known member
Oh don't think you are innocent. mister but "I covered my eyes".. Yeah but you peaked through the slits of your fingers and drooled... You know you did...Your looking at his meat?!?! PERV
Yeahhhh and what of it....LOLOh don't think you are innocent. mister but "I covered my eyes".. Yeah but you peaked through the slits of your fingers and drooled... You know you did...
Despite the title of this thread I'm going to give my impressions of something I bought awhile ago. I tend not to talk about hardware experiences until I've had an opportunity to use it for awhile. Like most of you probably do I read online reviews and find many of them worthless. Beside the whiners who complain about color not matching the ad, or the item being too big/small despite the description having accurate measurements (don't these people know how to use a tape measure...……….forget I asked that, it answers itself), and so on, I don't find the "I just got it and it LOOKS great." comments useful either. Yeah...……………...but does it work?! Breathe deeply Bob....
I've got three or four other items I'm still working with and withholding judgement for later reports, but tonight I want to talk about an ice chest/cooler. It's getting late in the season for these so you may not be interested right now, but check it out anyway...………...you never know what your future holds in store.
In recent years there's been a fad/wave/trend for roto mold, high end coolers. Yeti is probably the near definitive brand name that would come to mind first, though there are other known brands that attempt to compete. My bride bought a smaller size (35 qt I think) a couple years ago and while it feels a solid piece, I wasn't impressed with the ice hold time, and those rope handles I find very annoying. And quite frankly for all that 35 quart capacity sounds good sized, it doesn't feel like it would hold more than a six pack (okay, sometimes that's all you need). Anyway, after experiencing that one I pretty much felt like "meh".
Our long time "larger" chest was an Igloo of typical construction from "the old days". It had wheels and an extension handle so had good mobility, and it would hold a full load with ice for 2-3 days before only turning to a water bath. It was good for a quick road trip, but that was it's best. Then I got more into the outdoor cooking stuff that found a cooler more useful as a faux Cambro keep warm chest. If you're prepping for a party/larger gathering and want to make sure your pulled pork, brisket, or ribs are done in time you've probably played that game. Plus, the pork and ribs respond texturally especially well to some extended hold over time. The ol' Igloo did okay, but I'm one of those that finds it difficult to settle for "okay". A 10 to 20 degree drop off over 2-3 hours of hold just wasn't to my satisfaction. My search began and research led me to a Kong Cooler, www.kongcoolers.com . These are a roto mold that appear much like the others, but when you get to the details they are just that little bit better on each point. First off, if you're one of those who believes "Made in America/USA" automatically means you get a better product then this is your solution. I don't hold that belief, but find it nice to embrace if the quality and serviceability are actually there. Not only does the Kong have the thick insulated body, but it has sturdy, solid handles (yahoo) which for me makes it easier to carry (they don't have a wheel kit yet, and are too new for aftermarket support). They've got some innovations for attaching cutting boards on the side that don't seem all that neat until you use them...…….then they're really appreciated. The latching system is very solid, not that stretch, Chinese rubber that needs replacement every few years. They are sturdy enough to be used for sitting on (read carefully on some of the competitors and you find that not all can do that). They even have a nifty little bottle opener attachment option...…….again, a nice to have once you use it thing. But the best thing is temperature retention. They have several videos and write up on the site that thoroughly enumerate ice retention performance, but for our purposes here on a food/outdoor cooking site I'm here to tell you that it works equally as well in holding heat in the food. I placed some ribs and butts in it and over a 2-3 hour hold they only lost 2-4 degrees. Compared to the Igloo it's outstanding.
So, there ya go. If some of the things I find important are in your wheel house too, then there's a lot to like with a Kong. And hey, it's a kool name too. The bonus of Made in the USA, and high quality build features, it's a winner. And, since they market direct as the manufacturer, they are, size for size, better priced than most of the alternatives on the market. Kinda reminds me of the RecTec vs Traeger dynamic. Kong vs Yeti......….one offering the latest innovations at a reasonable price vs the longer standing market dominator riding on it's reputation rather than value.
I've got three or four other items I'm still working with and withholding judgement for later reports, but tonight I want to talk about an ice chest/cooler. It's getting late in the season for these so you may not be interested right now, but check it out anyway...………...you never know what your future holds in store.
In recent years there's been a fad/wave/trend for roto mold, high end coolers. Yeti is probably the near definitive brand name that would come to mind first, though there are other known brands that attempt to compete. My bride bought a smaller size (35 qt I think) a couple years ago and while it feels a solid piece, I wasn't impressed with the ice hold time, and those rope handles I find very annoying. And quite frankly for all that 35 quart capacity sounds good sized, it doesn't feel like it would hold more than a six pack (okay, sometimes that's all you need). Anyway, after experiencing that one I pretty much felt like "meh".
Our long time "larger" chest was an Igloo of typical construction from "the old days". It had wheels and an extension handle so had good mobility, and it would hold a full load with ice for 2-3 days before only turning to a water bath. It was good for a quick road trip, but that was it's best. Then I got more into the outdoor cooking stuff that found a cooler more useful as a faux Cambro keep warm chest. If you're prepping for a party/larger gathering and want to make sure your pulled pork, brisket, or ribs are done in time you've probably played that game. Plus, the pork and ribs respond texturally especially well to some extended hold over time. The ol' Igloo did okay, but I'm one of those that finds it difficult to settle for "okay". A 10 to 20 degree drop off over 2-3 hours of hold just wasn't to my satisfaction. My search began and research led me to a Kong Cooler, www.kongcoolers.com . These are a roto mold that appear much like the others, but when you get to the details they are just that little bit better on each point. First off, if you're one of those who believes "Made in America/USA" automatically means you get a better product then this is your solution. I don't hold that belief, but find it nice to embrace if the quality and serviceability are actually there. Not only does the Kong have the thick insulated body, but it has sturdy, solid handles (yahoo) which for me makes it easier to carry (they don't have a wheel kit yet, and are too new for aftermarket support). They've got some innovations for attaching cutting boards on the side that don't seem all that neat until you use them...…….then they're really appreciated. The latching system is very solid, not that stretch, Chinese rubber that needs replacement every few years. They are sturdy enough to be used for sitting on (read carefully on some of the competitors and you find that not all can do that). They even have a nifty little bottle opener attachment option...…….again, a nice to have once you use it thing. But the best thing is temperature retention. They have several videos and write up on the site that thoroughly enumerate ice retention performance, but for our purposes here on a food/outdoor cooking site I'm here to tell you that it works equally as well in holding heat in the food. I placed some ribs and butts in it and over a 2-3 hour hold they only lost 2-4 degrees. Compared to the Igloo it's outstanding.
So, there ya go. If some of the things I find important are in your wheel house too, then there's a lot to like with a Kong. And hey, it's a kool name too. The bonus of Made in the USA, and high quality build features, it's a winner. And, since they market direct as the manufacturer, they are, size for size, better priced than most of the alternatives on the market. Kinda reminds me of the RecTec vs Traeger dynamic. Kong vs Yeti......….one offering the latest innovations at a reasonable price vs the longer standing market dominator riding on it's reputation rather than value.
Would a Kong 50 suffice for ‘resting’ purposes for a towel-wrapped 16lb brisket @Uncle Bob, or should I go with a 70?
Also, *love* my ThermoWorks Signals, @ndfan6464!
Also, *love* my ThermoWorks Signals, @ndfan6464!
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For the 40 dollar diff I would go with the larger one. Persnally
The short answer is yes, the 50 is the one I got, and the fit would be fine. Of course the rest of the decision making is/are factor too. I also got the 50 because it fits well under the tonneau on my pickup, so I also use it when we go on the larger shopping trips and buy a stock of meats or other refrigerated goods. Another consideration is packing the box around. In my mid 70s I don't handle weight as well as I used to so the 50 is a comfortable carry, at least for now. The 70 would be a bit much, especially loaded, so weigh all of that. More space will give you more flexibility, for additional tasks should they arise, but only if it doesn't impose other consequences that could be less desirable.
I use Pit Mits and love them. I have a set of the rubber ones but find them hard to get in and out of.
Thanks for the thoughtful guidance, @Uncle Bob. I went with the 50. There's only two of us here, and we've been using an Igloo that's a bit smaller than the 50 for quite some time now. The exterior size was a factor for me as well, as it will be used on some vacation trips in a mid-sized SUV, so I wanted to make sure the cooler didn't monopolize the available cargo space for the rest of our gear. Wheels would sure be nice, though... maybe someday.
I'll look forward to your impressions. I suspect you'll be impressed. One feature I forgot to address was the non-skid foot pads. They REALLY work, almost annoyingly too well. I store mine on top of the upright freezer in the shop and it makes me work to drag it down.
For the wheel thing, there may be an aftermarket kit for a Yeti or other that could be adapted, I haven't investigated that. It wouldn't surprise me if the Kong folk are working on their own design (though I've not seen any confirmation of that), and in fashion with the rest of their "improvements" it would be a high quality kit that does more than the minimum. For now I get by with a small, foldable dolly that was intended for luggage. Not very elegant, but functional.
It appears that Sherpa Hunting has two wheel kits that work with the Kong 50 and 70 but they seem quite expensive ($175). I am looking at getting a Kong 50 or 70, so have been looking for any wheel kits that would work
dsandersus
Well-known member
These arrived today
I received the Kong 50 in record time, and it's a beast of a cooler. Thanks for the recommendation, @Uncle Bob! Started a 16lb (before trim) brisket at Midnight last night, and wouldn't ya know it, it reached 200* waay to soon, even with a low 225* cook. As you said it would, the brisket fits fine in the 50 (towel-wrapped, it fits like a glove), so let's see how it does in the 50 with a 6 hour rest.
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6 hours!?! Well, it'll be tender, and probably gelatinous, hope it doesn't go to crumbly...….had that happen once...……….a little tough to carve neatly, though the taste was good.
Where did you get those?
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