Our new Kamado Joe barbecue arrived yesterday. The kamado is an egg-shaped charcoal-fired outdoor cooker that can be used for roasting, smoking and baking (notably pizza) as well as grilling. For us, it is definitely an insane luxury, but my book contract and giving up (because of COVID-19) all the expensive fun things we like to do in summer provided enough excess capital to allow it. Besides, after 20 years of chickens and ribs, the old gas barbecue had become tricky and unpredictable.

After a trip to Crappy Tire for charcoal, which is much more expensive these days than I remember, I took the Kamado Joe for a spin last night with a pair of chicken legs. They came out delicious, which encouraged me no end. But I can see that the Big Thing about kamado cooking is managing the flow of air through the top and bottom vents, which is how one controls the internal temperature.

YouTube is full of helpful (and not very helpful) videos, so I'm learning fast. For my next trick, I shall smoke some beef ribs, a dish that Himself loves beyond all measure, which will require something like five hours of cooking at about 250 degrees Fahrenheit. I wonder if I can resist constantly running out the back door to check the thermometer on the Dome of the Beast.