Thanks Rick for the redhead! With Pr0n.

[funTRD]

Thanks to Rick for the georgeous redhead 

This kettle is perfect, I thought, since my wife is a redhead.  She even got excited about the prospect (which was a challenge since I'd be cluttering up the beautiful backyard with yet another grilling/cooking appliance).  Since I learned to cook on a Weber growing up, and they seem the most versatile, this one that Rick had seemed to be perfect for me.

Rick did an amzing job cleaning her up!  Sure, she's got some blemishes, but it adds character, right?  All I really need to do is get some new wood handles and maybe a new cast iron grate.  Still, I got her running this weekend - grilling some fish Saturday night and smoking some pork on Sunday.  How much had I forgotten about grilling with charcoal over the past 20 years of grilling with gas?  Tons.  I'm also now using lump rather than briquettes, so maybe that's quite a bit different too.

On with the pr0n:

My redhead's new home with smoke and a homebrew:


First time - grilled fish:


And smoking some pork with the "ring of fire" method (somewhat unsuccessfully)... and I'm not even sure what cut of pork this is - it was probably too lean to smoke, but should serve well as sandwich meat for lunches:


As a first real post, I hope the links to the images work that are in my blog.  If not, for the anxious, here is the blog posting:
http://jasonmansfield.blogspot.com/2013/08/shes-redhead.html

[Chasing_smoke]

Well done and welcome aboard! Hello from Nashville!


"my kettle is more powerful it will do almost anything."

[Craig]

Very cool! What year/letter redhead is it? Looks to be early-mid 80s. 

[Duke]

Welcome FUntrd, I take it you live in the Bay Area? Rick did a really nice job.

[dazzo]

Man, what a nice looking grill!     

Thanks for the pics, looks good in your yard - right where it belongs.

[G$]

Zandles would really complete that grill.........

[funTRD]

Very cool! What year/letter redhead is it? Looks to be early-mid 80s. 

Good eye.  It's a C (1981)... really close (if not the same) as the grill I learned to cook on.  Now if only I could cook on it as well (and as often) today as I could 25 years ago!

-Jason

[funTRD]

Welcome FUntrd, I take it you live in the Bay Area? Rick did a really nice job.

Yeah - I'm in San Carlos... representing the peninsula?

-Jason

[Duke]

You get some good finds at the estate sales in that area. Keep your eyes open.

[Heyjude]

Nice looking grill Jason. Red is the only way to go! Don;t give up on the ring of fire,ti meant for long slow cooks. Way to represent the Pesnisnula. Pretty soon we'll have a big enough group to have a West Coast Meet up. Go Team Cali!
AJ 

[pbe gummi bear]

Welcome, Jason. I'm in Berkeley. Are you a Toyota guy?

[funTRD]

Welcome, Jason. I'm in Berkeley. Are you a Toyota guy?

Thanks for the welcome.  How'd you guess I have a Toyota?    I'm just a Car Guy in general, but have a fun TRD (4wd Tacoma pickup).

Meanwhile, I sliced up some of that pork this morning to make a sandwich for the wife and just naked slices for me for lunches.  It smelled fantastic, tasted great, and was plenty juicy.  I could get the essence of the charcoal (or at least I'd like to think so).  Even though I struggled to even get the ring of fire to 175 degrees (sometimes at 225) for about 5 hours, and finally just piled the lump all together for a 300 degree burn for about an hour, the pork turned out perfectly.  The LilliesQ Carolina Dirt rub (my last little bit) is a bit spicier than I recall... darn good and not too salty or sweet.  I gotta get more.

[dazzo]

Nice looking grill Jason. Red is the only way to go! Don;t give up on the ring of fire,ti meant for long slow cooks. Way to represent the Pesnisnula. Pretty soon we'll have a big enough group to have a West Coast Meet up. Go Team Cali!
AJ 

Capitola     

[Heyjude]

Go Team Cali! 

[G$]

Even though I struggled to even get the ring of fire to 175 degrees (sometimes at 225) for about 5 hours, and finally just piled the lump all together for a 300 degree burn for about an hour, the pork turned out perfectly.   

Are you sing the lid thermometer to measure that temperature?  175 should be a walk in the park.  how many briquettes "thick" was your ring?