# smoker (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 2 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover smoker. Page: Feed: --- ## [Reverse Engineering the Gravity 800 Smoker Controller](https://www.prbs23.com/blog/posts/reverse-engineering-gravity-800/) _2026-08-14 · prbs23@prbs23.com (prbs23) · PRBS23_ I recently released FreeFall 800, open source firmware for the Gravity 800 smoker/grill from Masterbuilt. The project started because I needed to open the controller to fix a broken wire. That is when I noticed that inside was a standard ESP32 module, with a plainly visible programming header. This made me very surprised to find that there were little to no details online about the… ## [Announcement: FreeFall 800 (v0.1.0)](https://www.prbs23.com/blog/posts/announcement-freefall-800/) _2026-07-25 · prbs23@prbs23.com (prbs23) · PRBS23_ Today I’m publicly releasing a project I’ve been working on for a while: FreeFall 800. FreeFall 800 is a local first, open source firmware project, that replaces the factory firmware that comes on the Masterbuilt Gravity 800 smoker grill. A year ago I was in the market for a new grill, and ended up purchasing a Masterbuilt Gravity 800 charcoal smoker grill. The grill itself has been… ## [Qualia - Worry](https://blog.notmet.net/2026/06/qualia-worry/) _2026-06-04 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ My earlier post about qualia and LLM consciousness is on my mind again because of an Atlantic opinion piece that I have complicated opinions about . The point I reached in my earlier post is that, with current techniques, we will be unable to determine whether LLMs are conscious. It is not a helpful question. That’s because questions of consciousness come down to whether an entity… ## [Qualia All The Way Down](https://blog.notmet.net/2026/05/qualia-all-the-way-down/) _2026-05-20 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ I find myself regularly asking myself, “are LLMs conscious?” I have concluded that this question is unanswerable. To think about it, consciousness must first be defined, and then it must be possible to relate it between different entities. If that is impossible then some method of extrapolating must be found. Defining Consciousness Consciousness is not well-defined. There… ## [Innovation in the Department](https://blog.notmet.net/2026/04/innovation-in-the-department/) _2026-04-30 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ When I started with the Air Force, I was told to push for change where it was needed-to move faster and enable the organization to move faster. The Air Force is a massive bureaucracy designed, in part, to slow change. It was frustrating to push my leadership and senior members to change things, get their pushback, and then be told by those same people to keep pushing. ## [The Hidden Cost of Playing It Safe](https://blog.notmet.net/2026/03/the-hidden-cost-of-playing-it-safe/) _2026-03-20 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ We rarely make opportunity cost explicit in the military. Because we never think about opportunity cost, risk aversion seems safe. Opportunity cost - the lost potential gain from an alternative, when a different one is chosen. Common sources: Failure to delegate authority Bureaucratic processes Delay Failure to innovate Recently the… ## [An AI S-Curve](https://blog.notmet.net/2026/03/an-ai-s-curve/) _2026-03-17 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ I find it fascinating to see how quickly, and in how many directions, practical AI ideas are multiplying right now. I installed OpenClaw recently and set up some daily prompts - show me interesting information, mine some RSS feeds I like - it has helped me learn new things each day… But I did not expect the breadth of different agent orchestration and LLM architectures it would present to… ## [Loonshots, Shadow Warriors, and Why Structure Beats Vibes](https://blog.notmet.net/2026/03/loonshots-shadow-warriors-and-why-structure-beats-vibes/) _2026-03-11 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ I just finished listening to Safi Bahcall’s Loonshots (thank you Libby ) because friends kept telling me it was fantastic, and was fundamental to how they think about the innovation we’re all striving towards. They weren’t kidding. The book gave me language for dynamics I’d been managing by intuition, especially during my time with the Shadow Warriors, and showed me how… ## [Spec-Driven Development Might Be the Process Reset AI Needs](https://blog.notmet.net/2026/03/spec-driven-development-might-be-the-process-reset-ai-needs/) _2026-03-02 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ A recent Red Hat post about “specification-driven development” caught my interest. I’ve tried bolting AI onto my personal development practices. It doesn’t look like whispering an idea into an LLM then compiling the response… I can’t give the LLM my brain and have it replace all my work beyond the idea. I have had success when providing a description of the end… ## [Brisket Recipe](https://blog.notmet.net/2025/11/brisket-recipe/) _2025-11-07 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ Based on this recipe . Meat: get a full brisket, a packer brisket, with both point and flat. Seasoning: 1/4 Tbsp per pound salt, 1/4 Tbsp per pound black pepper, 1/8 Tbsp per pound garlic powder. Starting smoker temp: 225℉ Desired end temp: 203℉ Start the smoker. Trim up the brisket so there’s about 1/4 inch of fat, max, on surfaces. Maybe cut the brisket in… ## [Pirate.io on Google Play (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/MBPIp5zs7oan) _2025-11-07 · **Sponsored**_ Open the Pirate.io listing on Google Play to view the app’s details. ## [Meathead's Memphis Dust](https://blog.notmet.net/2025/11/meatheads-memphis-dust/) _2025-11-07 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ This is a rub that I commonly use for pulled pork and ribs, but it’s good on poultry too. Original recipe: Meathead’s Memphis Dust Ingredients: 3/4 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup white sugar 1/2 cup paprika (smoked, I prefer, but any) 1/4 cup garlic powder 2 Tbsp black pepper 2 Tbsp ground ginger powder 2 Tbsp onion powder (I usually… ## [Pulled Pork Recipe](https://blog.notmet.net/2025/11/pulled-pork-recipe/) _2025-11-07 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ Based on this recipe . Salt: .5 tsp per pound Rub: About 1/2 cup per 5 pounds Meathead’s Memphis Dust Starting smoker temp: 225℉ Desired end temp: 203℉ Start the smoker. Salt and rub into a shaker, shake it onto every exposed surface of the butt. Put the butt in the smoker and let it go for a long time. Check it at least 12 hours before you want to eat, you may… ## [Smoked Salmon Recipe](https://blog.notmet.net/2025/11/smoked-salmon-recipe/) _2025-11-07 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ Based on this recipe Meat: two approx. 2.5 lbs filets of of salmon (totalling 5 lbs), skin off. Brine: 1 quart cool water, 1/3 cup sea salt, 1 cup brown sugar Baste: maple syrup Starting smoker temp: 120℉ Desired end temp: 130-140℉ The night before, slice each filet into thirds, and distribute between two ziploc bags of brine (half the brine in each bag). Place… ## [Pork Butt November 2025](https://blog.notmet.net/2025/11/pork-butt-november-2025/) _2025-11-07 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ 11.19 lbs pork butt from the commissary, $2.02 per pound. I’ll use 2.75 Tbsp salt and 1.25 cups Memphis dust. Smoking it at 225℉ until it hits about 203℉. 6 Nov, 2310: meat is on the smoker. 7 Nov, 1330: meat is at 170℉. I’m turning the smoker up to 275℉. 1750: 201℉ - I’ll take it off soon. 1810: 203℉, perfect! Pork butt was fantastic. Perhaps a… ## [In Memory of Clapton](https://blog.notmet.net/2025/11/in-memory-of-clapton/) _2025-11-05 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ I remember finding Clapton at the animal shelter near the San Antonio zoo. He was pacing around his small area, it looked like he had a lot of energy. I was looking for a dog who would be, in part, a running buddy. I took a couple dogs out for a walk that first day, but out of all of them Clapton struck me as “the one”. I came back the following two days and took different dogs… ## [Brisket October 2025](https://blog.notmet.net/2025/10/brisket-october-2025/) _2025-10-18 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ 16 lbs brisket from the Commissary, $4.55 per lb, 4 Tbsp salt, 4 Tbsp pepper, 2 Tbsp garlic powder. 17 Oct, 1025: brisket is on at 225℉. 18 Oct, 0800: brisket is to about 188℉. 1000: brisket is to about 188℉ still. 1145: still about 188℉, and I’d rather leave the smoker at 225℉ still, so I wrapped both. 1330: now it’s at 185℉!? I turned the temperature up… ## [My International Relations Belief Framework](https://blog.notmet.net/2025/10/my-international-relations-belief-framework/) _2025-10-02 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ Working through a course on “International Security Studies”, I got absorbed in some reading about methods of analyzing international relations. I dove into a rabbit hole and am now able to put my own beliefs and worldview on this into concrete terms. ## [Ribs and Butts](https://blog.notmet.net/2025/08/ribs-and-butts/) _2025-08-31 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ I haven’t made ribs since 2018, apparently. Let’s do ribs again! And a pork butt later. I have been wanting ribs for a while, but haven’t done em. The wife isn’t a fan of ribs. And - last time I did them it didn’t go so great . But I have learned from that time. This time I only bought one package of ribs from Costco, 3 racks. St Louis style, 11.41 lbs, $2.89 per… ## [Turkey Day!](https://blog.notmet.net/2024/11/turkey-day/) _2024-11-28 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ Turkey Day! 22 lbs turkey (that’s crazy). I spatchcocked it then took out the breastbone so it’s fully split in half. I brined each half in a gallon of water with a cup of salt and 3/4 cup brown sugar. My herb butter was very roughly inspired by this site . My cooking plan was inspired by this site . 27 Nov 1930 - turkey is in the brine. I struggled to get this to… ## [Meet Claude, an AI assistant (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/heSp2nkouoa5) _2024-11-28 · **Sponsored**_ Chat with Claude at claude.ai — a conversational AI assistant. ## [Brisket! Salmon!](https://blog.notmet.net/2024/11/brisket-salmon/) _2024-11-16 · kc0bfv@notmet.net (Karl Sickendick) · Karl's Blog_ 16 lbs brisket, 4 tbsp salt, 4 tbsp pepper, 2 tbsp garlic powder. 15 Nov 2200 - started the brisket at 225℉. 16 Nov 1220 - brisket is at about 180℉, turned it up to 260℉. 1220 - fish is drying after brining overnight. 1520 - brisket point is done at 208℉ (oops) so I took it off. Flat is only at 192℉, so I upped the temp to 275℉.