A Moment Like This

Spent the weekend out of town with The Wife and some friends of ours that have a 9-month-old baby. What a workout! That kid is exhaustingly cute. And exhausting.

As always, we ate well...stuffed ourselves, really. Everyone had to unbutton their pants after dinner each night.....Ooof!



We had ribs, chicken, brisket, pancakes, eggs, tacos/taco salad, pizza, macaroni and cheese, roasted sweet potatoes, cupcakes and more....! The bread was probably the best I've ever made-- I don't bake that often and find it frustrating. This was a dough with just flour, yeast, salt, water and a little olive oil. Kind of a pizza dough that I let rise and punched down a bunch of times. I let it sit in the fridge overnight, then come up to room temp on the counter before I put it on a baking sheet and let it go. Great crust, silky inside.

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Strange: Countdown to 'Cue-- 2 days to go....

The Marvelettes: Strange I Know

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Woke Up New: 8 Hour Charcoal Basket Burn

It was a chilly day with lots of errands and chores, so it seemed like a perfect time to try out the Klose charcoal basket. I loaded it up about 1/2 to 2/3 full with Rancher charcoal, leaving a small space at the end closest to the smoke chamber free, because I would be adding more charcoal in just a minute. I lit about a 1/2 chimney's worth in a charcoal chimney and once those coals were burning nicely, I poured them into the empty space in the basket. Pack the coals nice and tight, the goal is to limit air gaps that will make the fire burn faster. I used a piece of wood as a placeholder for the spot where I wanted the lit coals-- at the last minute, I removed the log and just poured in the coals.



Once the lit coals were poured in, I closed the air inlet on the firebox to almost a finger in width and we went about our business. In an hour the pit was about 215 Fahrenheit. Perfect. I put on the brisket and ribs and threw 3 pieces of cherry wood on to the fire. I split the logs and cut them down to a good size for the basket.


At that point, with a few tweaks of the chimney and throwing on about that same amount of wood every so often for flavor, I was able to maintain the pit at 225 for 8 hours without touching the fire at all. If I had opened the lid to add wood less frequently, and had not had to glaze and watch the ribs, etc...I probably could have gotten an even longer burn. It was a really different cooking experience. Definitely easier on the body and, possibly, because of the reduced airflow, even moister. Most importantly though, it left more time to sit around and do this.


Today's song is a personal favorite and one that touches a very delicate nerve.
The Mountain Goats: Woke Up New

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Unchain My Heart: BBQ Dreams and Smoke Memories

Every picture tells a story....

The Jayhawks: Over My Shoulder from Tomorrow The Green Grass

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Lost in a Supermarket

Hickory smoke/grilled burger and chicken sandwich. Double fried onion/garlic french fries. Below is smoked duckling w/ a sweet red wine glaze. The picture of the embers shows enough fuel to hold the Klose pit at 250.


















Slim Harpo (Live): Hold Me Tenderly

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