Brisket Part II

Pat called around 11:30 and said the brisket was at 185 degrees, just what we were aiming for. It had a nice mahogany color with a good crust.









It was falling apart as we started carving it. We separated the flat from the point and sliced it across the grain. You can see the nice smoke ring that developed. We shredded the point and sprinkled a little of the rub on it. There was enough to fill two pans with tasty cow.







Some beans from Lisa, cheese potatoes from Amy and a cold brew from the fridge made for one delicious meal.









Everybody seemed happy with how the brisket turned out.










Turbo showed up after along day at the zoo and settled in for some BBQ too.

Brisket Smoke

Tonight we started the brisket smoke. This is a full "packer-cut" beef brisket. 13.8 lbs of meaty goodness. ;-> We are planning on a 12-18 hour slow smoke at 225-250 degrees.








Shane got the starter coals going while Pat & I got the meat ready.













All rubbed up and ready to go.











We used the Minion method of firing the smoker. The charcoal bowl is filled up with smoke wood mixed throughout. About 20 lit coals are placed on top and it slowly lights and burns down through the night. This gives 18 hours or so of constant slow heat and smoke.







The brisket is on.










So we go hang in the bar and enjoy some tasty beverages.









Around 1:30am the meat looks good and the smoker has stabilized so we call it a night.

Poker Night

Pat, Jaimo & James came over for poker night. We haven't played in a long time. Mostly because life just keeps getting in the way but I think we also needed a little break. We've been playing a monthly game for about 7 years now. Chaz & Bill are both out of town and could not make it. Chaz hosts next though so maybe we can get little Ella to play. ;->

Turkey Day

Since Vanessa had to work Chaz came and picked me so we could spend the day together.









Ella helped get the turkey fryer set up.










Rene made these super tasty bacon wrapped asparagus appetizers. Bacon makes everything awesome.








Chaz & I talked cameras for bit.











Ella was very helpful!























Hello? I need turkey in my belly!





















The oil is hot so in goes in the bird.


































Aunt Vanessa joined us after a long day at the zoo and little Ella was very happy to snuggle with her aunt.



















The turkey turned out golden brown & delicious!






















Vanessa made homemade pies for dessert.

I'm Making a Comeback Baby!

Don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years
I'm rocking my peers, Puttin' suckers in fear
Makin' the tears rain down like a monsoon










Georgie's back, Dollar bill 10x.

Lazy Sunday

Pat and I are planning on smoking our first full packer-cut brisket next weekend. Today we went out and bought the brisket. 13.8 pounds of tasty beef! We could have gone all the way up to 20 pounds but it is just going to be us, the Madigans & the Larkins for dinner on Sunday. We planned out our timetable, the spice rub, slather & smoke wood. We are going for a 12-15 hour cook starting around 9pm Saturday night, a mix of oak, hickory & mesquite for the smoke & a simple rub of mostly Hungarian paprika, salt, black pepper, garlic, dry mustard & cumin. It's going to be interesting!




We got sandwiches at this Vietnamese sandwich joint that Pat likes.










I had the BBQ pork sandwich. It was loaded with pork, onion, carrots & cilantro. Very tasty indeed. The new Michelob pale ale was fairly good too. A little on the light side, it could use a different yeast and maybe a warmer fermentation, but very good on the whole.








Shane came over and hung out for a bit.

Katie looks more & more grown up every time I see her.











It was a good day.

Puppy

Wylie.

None sleep more soundly or more content than babies and dogs.

Bond, James Bond

Jenny & JT came over for movie night. I smoked a few racks of baby back ribs & Vanessa made some really tasty potato salad to go with it.

Jenny & JT hadn't seen Casino Royale yet and with the new 007 out it seemed like a good time for it. In keeping with Bond theme martinis were the drink of the night.





Jenny almost came close to sort of kinda getting a little bit intoxicated. ;-> Next time we are going to get that girl drunk even if it takes all night.

Sunday Night

We went out to dinner with the Larkins & the Madigans. Vanessa & I haven't been to Oggis in a long time. The food was much better than it has been in the past. I had a really tasty pesto tortellini dish that was covered in sun dried tomatoes. Super tasty.

Vanessa was really angry at her plate.








We weren't drunk at all. I promise.

The beer lineup hasn't changed. The Stout was good, the "Hop Juice" ale was not very good. It was nice and hoppy but had too high of a starting gravity. It was almost like a super hoppy barleywine.









Amy can't go anywhere without her teddy bear. ;->














Lisa took a little nap at the table but Shane woke her up.

Family Visit

Aunt Kathy, Shanon, Alana & Cael came down for a visit. Eileen hosted at her place. Chaz, Rene & Ella came over too. It was crazy with Ella & Alana running around playing! They were super cute. Ella trained me to help her get up on the couches. I played a bunch of silly games with Alana too.










We went down to the beach to watch the sunset but ended up just watching the kids play.

At one point there were four cameras all pointed at Ella so I decided to take a picture of people taking pictures. Kind of a meta-picture thing.

Farewell Dinner

Since Elsa is moving up north we all got together for a farewell
dinner for her. It was really nice to be out with the family.

Pic-A-Nic

Hey Boo Boo, lets go on a pic-a-nic with our pic-a-nic basket!

We went to our favorite park (which is always deserted) for a nice afternoon picnic to celebrate the close of fall and the last of the golden light for the year. The change is coming, the year is dying away and summer is behind us. The first faint whispers of winter are on the air and the world is waiting for the cold dark nights and the contented feelings they bring for us snug and warm in our homes.