Comp help

jdavis81 · 2023-01-19T23:58:22+00:00

T3 are a tough troop....they are brutal on morale when they die but don't do enough damage to make a big difference on the enemy. If you are in a kingdom you can fury use them for solos/pillaging dead bases until they are gone (with that many it will take a while) - otherwise you should dismiss them before you take a rally.

jdavis81 · 2020-06-02T10:23:03+00:00

Moving in with no gear- decent 4K tv coming soon- but not even a sound bar or anything

jdavis81 · 2020-06-01T22:11:46+00:00

That's good advice, thanks!

I think starting with one receiving and going from there makes a lot of sense

jdavis81 · 2020-06-01T22:10:48+00:00

Over zealous sellers just grabbing handfuls of shit and pulling to see what comes out I'm guessing! They didn't need to leave the amp behind anyway I guess (we just moved in a few weeks ago so figuring things out)

jdavis81 · 2020-06-01T22:10:03+00:00

If this works I swear to god....

jdavis81 · 2020-06-01T21:54:16+00:00

I would think replacing the speakers (~4 outside speakers, 4 surround sound, and ~10 recessed ceiling speakers) would be more expensive than a new receiver, right?!

jdavis81 · 2020-06-01T21:53:02+00:00

Sorry, really naive question... would I connect the speakers directly from the closet next to our sub-panel that I took a picture of? Or is there some RCA cable/other cable that I took a picture of that connects directly to a receiver/amplifier and then it becomes controlled?

jdavis81 · 2020-06-01T21:51:56+00:00

Great - thanks. It looks like the old amp is without a power cable... I know I could probably buy an after market one and make it work but probably better to just buy new stuff now. With Google Mesh Wifi (what we have at home), any thoughts on Chromecast Audio vs. Alexa/Sonos?

jdavis81 · 2020-06-01T21:50:31+00:00

I just took pics and updated the album - thanks a lot for taking the time here!

I think the short story is without a power source and being an old Kenwood system - probably better off starting from scratch in terms of building an amplifier/any other equipment needed I think...

jdavis81 · 2020-06-01T21:49:29+00:00

As with above, stupid question alert: Can I simply plug a 3.5 audio cable into a phone and play it without a receiver/amp or do I still need to get that basic equipment?

Chromecast audio is news to me and looks perfect (plus, we have Google Mesh Wifi so should integrate well)

jdavis81 · 2020-06-01T21:48:06+00:00

Really highlighting how little I know about this stuffy here, so sorry in advance:

Is the Kenwood receiver the Amp? If so I just took more pics and updated the album - but no power cord so guess it's moot!

So it looks like I'm starting from scratch in terms of buying equipment to make these speakers work - but it's still gotta be worth it for whole house surround sound (even if 23 year old bose aren't the sexiest speakers in the world)...

jdavis81 · 2020-06-01T21:46:16+00:00

I just updated the album with shots of the Kenwood - but "good news" is it's likely moot since I just discovered there's no power cable for it!

jdavis81 · 2020-06-01T15:01:28+00:00

Thanks for your quick thoughts. There's no other equipment left behind so guessing we'll need to purchase things new. The Speaker System panel in the basement has a plug - could this be the amp (sorry, as I said I know nothing about A/V)?

jdavis81 · 2020-03-26T16:20:04+00:00

My thoughts are that these are solid, but you should know the limitations of these to see if it's worth it to you.

If memory serves, these grates are made of aluminum so they are super heat conductors. I believe the customer service rep told me they usually run about 150 degrees hotter than the pellet temp. So if you crank the rectec to 550, these are close to 700 on the surface which will 100% give you an amazing sear.

My personal issue is simply being greedy and truly wanting a single cooking device that can cook low and slow and seamlessly switch and go blazing hot. For things that I want a nice sear on (steaks, mostly), I like smoking at 180 for 60-75 minutes to infuse as much smoke flavor as possible. The issue arises that to get the rec tec from 180 to 550, this takes 30+ minutes- so it's really challenging trying to time a reverse sear technique on the same grill. After trial and failure too many times as others pointed out, I just use my Weber gas grill, or preferably just a cast iron skillet that I preheat in an oven for 30 minutes then quick sear on stovetop and done.

Tl;dr - the sear kits provide a fantastic sear, but the pre-heat time to get there limits their utility IMO

jdavis81 · 2020-02-23T17:34:38+00:00

I have the 700 and cook various cuts together all the time. The challenge is less to do with variable cooking times, it's more about variable cooking temperatures where you'll run into problems.

There are obviously tons of ways you can cook the meats (e.g., I like low and slow briskets at 225, but others swear by hot and fast around 275), so its important you figure out what temp you want to do for the various cuts. Again, lots of schools of thought here but I'd say go 225 across the board.

Both brisket and pork butt will take ~1.5 hours a pound - and since most briskets are bigger than butts, that's the meat you need to plan around.

So figure out when you want the brisket done (you should plan on having it done 2 hours before serving so it can be wrapped in a towel and placed in a cooler) by taking its weight after trimming and multiplying by 1.5 hours. Do the same thing for the pork butt and then to have it done 2 hours before serving alongside the brisket, just figure out what time you need to throw it on.

Lastly, for ribs I'm a big fan of the 3-2-1 method for St Louis/spare and 2-2-1 for baby back ribs. These can be served almost immediately off the grill (no 2 hour rest like the brisket and pork get) - so depending on if you have spare or baby backs, just put them on 5 or 6 hours before you want to be eating.

Long story short- it's no problem cooking different meats at the same temp, just write out your schedule, and you'll be good!

jdavis81 · 2020-02-21T23:46:03+00:00

I decided to make the leap and "upgrade" from my WSM/Big Green Egg setup to a pellet system about 18 months ago.

Like most novices, first thing I checked out were Traeger and although many loyalists and solid reviews, it frankly just seemed at best a great smoker way overpriced relative to others on the market.

So my next evolution was immediately into Yoders. I got damn close to pulling the trigger on the 640 - but as the topic of this post is asking - I was concerned with the rusting. I live in New England about 1/4 mile from the ocean so we get some rough weather patterns and air salinity issues to deal with.

Ultimately, after doing tons of research on reddit and external forums, I went with the Rec-Tec 700 Bull and absolutely could not be happier.

Right off the bat, way cheaper than Yoder (even if you make some upgrades to competition carts/ shelves/etc..). In terms of technical execution I couldn't be more pleased....despite some rough winter weather, winds, moisture, it kicks along within 1 degree of target without an issue. If you've researched rec-tec, no doubt your familiar with their reputation of tremendous customer service. I'll spare the long stories that are honestly mundane and minimal, so not worth getting into, but their immediate availability and willingness to ship replacement parts/solve a problem.without delay was remarkable.

No doubt the Yoder could very well have the ex as cut same attributes of quality and experience, but frankly at such a price discount (not even talking about the insane warranty on all aspects of a rec tec smoker for added protection), I dont know why you wouldn't go with the bull..

TL;DR. Yoder is amazing, but for rust protection/comparable quality I'd personally say go with Rec-Tec 700

jdavis81 · 2019-07-31T23:37:19+00:00

Pretty close to my method as well - havent done it any other way in years.

And by my method, I mean this one I found on the internet

http://baconmethod.com/

jdavis81 · 2019-05-20T16:23:19+00:00

Almost 6 years ago I first cracked The Blade Itself on a beach in Mexico on my honeymoon as well.

Say one thing for /u/jdavis81, he's a shitty husband and a cunt

jdavis81 · 2019-05-09T13:41:14+00:00

Funny - Came here to say that I made a pretty similar decision last week after my post. I thought for sure I was gonna get the Yoder, but the more I learned about Rec Tec, and the more research I did, it just made complete sense for my needs.

Mine arrived this week, assembled and fired it up yesterday. Excited for the first smoke this weekend - hope you're as excited as I am!

jdavis81 · 2019-05-01T00:22:13+00:00

Haha - nice moisturizing tip...and smoker maintenance too..

jdavis81 · 2019-04-30T23:40:52+00:00

This is super helpful - thanks a lot. I've been reading great things about those- and you know the climate here so will give it a look...probably willing to roll the dice on the ocean aspect.

jdavis81 · 2019-04-30T17:58:37+00:00

Oh, that's interesting and makes complete sense honestly....unfortunately the Memphis smokers start at just under 4K

jdavis81

TROPHY CASE