We survived, and I'm back

That was a long hard weekend.

Thank God for good friends who knew how to calm me down when I was ready to give up.

My friend Derek and I did a KCBS barbeque contest this weekend about an hour from my home.

Late Friday night/early Saturday morning I started working on our turn in boxes. I have done these before and I know that I can do them. Of course, I decided to do a different style of box than I have done in the past. In my previous comps, I did what was called a "putting green" box, which is simply a bed of tightly packed parsley sprigs. This year I was going to do leaf lettuce boxes.

Mistake.

I had no clue what I was doing, and I had no parsley to fall back on. Thankfully some friends on competing teams heard of my plight, and came over and lent me a hand. One even went so far as to secure parsley from another team that allowed me to complete all of my boxes. So, let me give a big blog shout-out to a group of people who are the best people in the world - the BBQ Brethren. Pimpsmoke, Pete and Jeff, Divemaster, Walt and Tonto: You guys are the best, and I am proud to call you friends.

Once the turn in box dilemma was out of the way, we were able to focus on cooking. We got our pork and brisket cookers going at 10:00 and 11:00 and got the meat on. We were right on schedule, and ready to put our heads down for some sleep. The cookers I use can be left unattended for a long time, and I wasn't worried. The brisket cooker was not to the temp I wanted it at, but there was 2 gallons of cold water in the pan, and I figured it just needed a little while to heat up. I tried to nap in my lawn chair at about 12:30.

As luck would have it, we were close to a team that did not shut off their stereo (contest rules say they have to be shut off at 11:00pm) and I could not get to sleep. I think around 2:15 or 2:30 I was able to actually sleep. At 3:00 my son Joseph woke me up and said "Dad, the brisket WSM isn't up to 200 degrees."

That was not good. It should have been at 250 by that time, so I got up and fiddled with the cooker some, and was able to get the temps up where I wanted them. I laid back down and was able to sleep until about 5:30.

So my 12 yo son was the hero of the weekend and I was not afraid to tell folks that. You'll find out why later.

At 5:30 we got up, started a fire for the ribs, and got the ribs prepped. Ribs went on right at 6:00, right on schedule, and we were able to start on our chicken.

We had decided long before the comp we were going to do something not frequently tried at a comp: we were going to do sliced breast. We had done a test cook Friday night, tried it on some of the fellow competitors we know, and asked for unvarnished opinion on it. They liked it, and were interested in seeing how it played with the judges. We knew that the judges were either going to love it, or they were going to hate it. We had peace with our decision, and knew it was going to do well.

We were right. Here is a pic of the 10th place chicken. It earned us a ribbon from the contest organizers, but more importantly it earned us praise from the folks we cooked against.


Last year we thought we got "robbed" on our ribs, placing 14th. This year we did everything the same except for the sauce. We opted to use a sauce made by friends of mine in Michigan. I really liked the smokey/molasses/vinegary taste of their sauce.

This year the results were more to our liking. Feast your eyes on these 10th place ribs!



I did not care for our pork this year, and I don't know why. It was OK, but I have cooked better, and I think we placed roughly where we should have. I just was not excited about it. 'Nuff said. Here it is, 24th place pork:


And here is the big winner for us on the weekend, our beef brisket which my 12 yo helped us save. I thought it was slightly overcooked and a little dry, but the judges must have thought differently! And now I give you the 5th place beef brisket (turned in with a mere 18 seconds to spare):



Look at that smoke ring!

Yes, all of those were taken before I was finished with the entry and some of the flaws were cleaned up before the lid was closed.

Overall we finished in 10th, our best ever. We were very excited about it, and to have all of my family there for the awards was icing on the cake.

Best of all though, was seeing people I really, really like and care about. So Derek, Bryan, Joseph, Walt & Theresa, Jeff & Kathy, Pete & Jeff, Ron & Amie, John & Brenda, Matt, Aubrey & Pete, John & Karen, thanks for being there, helping, and just for being you.

And today? Well today was really special too, because I had the greatest honor a dad can have I think. I got to baptize all three of my sons. More on that later

Well that worked out OK

I have a BBQ comp coming up this weekend and decided I might want to try something a little different when I cook my brisket.

Mind you, the two previous times I have cooked this comp, I have done well with my brisket. In 2008 I placed 5th out of 39, and in 2009 I placed 7th out of 37 - earning a 'walk' both times. (For those unfamiliar with BBQ contests, if you place in the top 10 your name gets called and you 'walk' to the stage to claim you reward. a.k.a. a 'call'.) So I know my brisket recipe is basically good, I just want to see if I can take it up a notch.

I bought a bag of an injectable brisket marinade and figured I had better test it before I used it at a comp. Frankly I was pleased with the result. The Brisket had a more intense beef flavor, and the marinade itself brought nothing to the party. I used a commercially available rub on it that I had laying around and had forgotten about. It has a flavor profile similar to my own rub, but it's not quite as good. My wife said it was the juiciest brisket I have ever cooked.

I cook two briskets at a comp, and have decided to do one with the injection and one without, and will turn in the best tasting one.

Pics of the comp will get posted, I promise.

We learned that the SoDT and I can NOT go shopping together

The SoDT (Secretary of Domestic Tranquility, aka my wife) decided the other day that today she, and I, and the kids would all run to Madison to look for a new bed, run some errands, and look around for a deal on a minivan.

Mattress shopping first. Tried a bunch out. Really liked the TempurPedics the most. Tried one with the base that allows you to raise and lower the head and feet. Yeah, I know what you're thinking: "DON'T DO IT!! IT'S A TRAP!!"

It was. Loved it. We have not slept well for years. Either of us. Hopefully this will take care of it. Never thought I would drop that kind of coin on a mattress. I hope it does the trick.

Stopped and had lunch after that. Went to Cracker Barrel (right next door). You know, if you can get past the stigma of it being an old folks place, the food is actually quite good. I had meatloaf with mac and cheese, pintos, and hashbrown casserole. Other than everything needing salt, it was really quite good. SoDT had a Reuben and said it was one of the best she has had. The kids just wolfed theirs down like animals, so there's no telling how good it was.

From there it was van shopping, er... browsing. I have done a lot of research trying to determine which vehicle was going to be the best bet. We pretty much had decided on a Toyota Sienna, but didn't want to buy a new one if we could help it.

(Now I should tell you that we have three vehicles: a 98, a 99, and a 2000. The 99 is our current minivan, and is pretty much junk at 122K. It will become my "truck". The 2000 is a station wagon that my wife never really liked. It was a good deal at the time, and we needed something reliable since the van was getting bad. Now, the A/C needs work, it needed tires, and possibly some other repairs. It was time to start looking.)

Instead of driving to the biggest Toyota dealer in town (all the way across Madison) we went to a smaller one right near where we bought our mattress. We looked at the 2011 Siennas, and asked a sales guy if they had any used. They did. Three. Three used minivans. A 2004 Toyota with 140K on it, a 2008 Nissan Quest with about 26K, and a 2008 Sienna with 41K.

For some reason I was pretty sure the 2008 Sienna was the one we wanted, even before driving it.

As we looked at it the sales guy told us it was the dealership shuttle vehicle. The only owner of the vehicle had been the dealer, and it just went on the lot that morning. That's was a good thing. Parked inside every night. Spot on maintenance. Very, very clean. Clean Car-Fax, and good service records. It was an obviously well cared for vehicle.

We drove it (well, I did). Sales guy (Rudy) had me take it out on one of the freeways. Before I got to the top of the ramp, I was doing 65. Fast. Smooth. Quiet. Incredible.

After the test drive I was sold. So was the wife. Problem was we had a car to trade that we didn't think we would get much for. Saw what the blue book was and wasn't expecting much, but everything hinged on the trade in.

Well, they drove it, and while they were gone my wife (as she later told me) prayed that if they offer us $2500 as trade in, we were meant to have the van.

God is good.

We pick up the van Monday.

My wife is a pretty good manager of our money, and had enough squirreled away to pay cash for the car, but we financed it (a little over 1/2 of the purchase price) anyway. We like having that money available. I'm never confident (in this economy) that I am going to have my current job. One just never knows. And we talked about that. We trust that God will help us take care of things if something happens to my employ. And there is no job that is beneath me. My role as a Christian man is to provide for my family. And I will, no matter what I have to do.

So you see, if we had gone alone, neither of us would have made either of the purchases we made today.

Maybe I should have stayed home and cut the grass.

A Good Trip

Two days is not nearly enough to see all there is to see in Springfield. We hit the Lincoln Museum, the Old State Capitol, and Lincoln's Tomb on Saturday. All of the were very cool. We wanted to go to the Korean War Museum too, but it was just to hot, and we quite frankly ran out of time.

On Sunday we went to Lincoln's New Salem, a reconstructed 1830's era village where Lincoln actually lived for a few years. All of the structures were correct for the period, but were built in the 1930's by the CCC. 

It was amazing to see how people lived in those days. My sons are too young to get it. I tried to explain that families larger than ours would have all lived in that one room. They ate there, slept there, studied there. No bathroom. No shower. No stove. And they were probably happier and more content than we are.

Frankly, I would not have a problem living like that. I know I could do it.

One thing I took away from all of the Lincoln history is that I am still undecided on what I think of the man. Freeing the slaves was the right thing to do. But a war to reestablish the union is something else altogether. The way I read the Constitution, membership in the Union is voluntary, and there is nothing in it to prevent a state from seceding. Nothing. But I suppose one would have to be an "originalist" to see it that way. In a sense, Lincoln was the President who ushered in the Imperial Federal Government we have today, and it's not what the Framers intended.

The Lincoln Museum itself is very well done, though I thought it was sparse. I expected many more original artifacts and many more displays. Essentially there was one area that focused on his early adulthood, and one section that focused on his presidency.

It was interesting to see all of the newspaper editorial cartoons from the era that painted Lincoln as a bumbling backwoods dolt. (Sound familiar?) Then to read the words of the Gettysburg Address, and the very fundamental ideas of liberty conveyed in that 3 minute speech was very...ironic I guess.

When was the last time (in our lifetime) that a politician made a 3 minute speech that has been revered by all for the concepts it conveyed? Yea, me neither.

So, that's the trip in a nutshell. We'll see how the pics turn out and I'll see about putting some on here.

Have a blessed week y'all.

Taking a break

We decided that before the boys go back to school in a couple of weeks that we would take a short family trip together.

The SoDT had wanted to take the boys to Springfield, IL to see some of the historic Lincoln sites so that's where were headed. Hopefully she knows where were going!

A friend of mine just took a job in Springfield, so we will have a place to stay while there. Their son and my oldest have a great time together so I'm sure my boy is excited.

In other news, The "lake" behind the house (it's really a pond) is finally back after a 2 year absence. The village was able to effect a repair on one of the dams and began filling last week. The shoreline restoration we did looks great. It'll look even better when all of the weeds die off.

Why didn't I take pics?

I got up late today, had my coffee and then went about my Saturday constitutional of mowing lawn. I sent the oldest out to do the trimming and he came back in the house. Never said anything to me. Talked to his mom though.

I asked why wasn't he cutting grass. The wife answers "Because it's out of gas and the gas can is empty.

Naturally I wanted to know (from my son) why he told his mom this.

Has she ever put gas in the mower?

Has she ever run to the gas station to fill up the gas can?

Then why didn't you tell me?

It's a wonder.

The wife had a pork roast in the fridge and told me she would like me to cook it on the grill. So I fired up a chimney of Rancher briquettes and some lump charcoal I had. Went in the house and seasoned the roast with my award winning butt rub, a little bit of Petey's seasoning, and a light application of Todd's Dirt.

I threw it on one of my old pre-79 Weber Bar-B-Q-Kettles (it has the three seperate vents on the bottom. Better for indirect cooking). Piled the lit coals on one side behind some bricks, directly over a vent, with some pecan wood for smoke. I cooked the roast indirect until it hit an internal temp of about 140 degrees. Then I wrapped it in foil and rested it until the potatoes were done.

Let me tell you folks, it was a beautifully cooked piece of meat with a nice smoke ring. Very juicy and the rub made for an excellent bark. The boys ate it with garlic mashed potatoes, and the wife and I had it with the spuds and sliced tomato with sea salt and pepper. I added a little Dirt and some Tabasco Chipotle to my tomatoes. A very good meal if I do say so myself.

So why didn't I take pictures?

Because I forgot I started a blog to post them on!

Sometimes I'm not so bright.

In other news, I got my permanent crown done on Thursday. It's still feels weird to chew on that side of my mouth. I am so afraid that I am going to continue to have pain when I chew there. It does feel different, and there could be a little discomfort. Maybe I'm imagining it. Either way, it hasn't been painful, and I'm sure I'll get used to the new feel.

Our pastor (actually, teaching elder) will be back tomorrow. I'm looking forward to his being back.

Israel?

Really?!?

I was just playing around with the stats functionality of blogger, you know, just to see if anyone has been here.

They haven't really.

But there was a site visit from Japan (probably my cousin while on a business trip) and one from Israel.

I don't know about you, but I can not figure out why someone from Israel would be checking out a blog that predominantly centers on slow smoked pig meat and Jesus the Christ.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that person was here. As a biblical Christian I support Israel. The Israelites are God's chosen people, and He will bless those who bless His people.

But I still can't figure it out.

We went to a wedding on Saturday...

...no, it wasn't Chelsea's.

My cousin Ben got married to a lovely young woman. It was the first time in many years that I have been inside an ELCA church.

I don't want to be negative because there are a lot of ELCA Lutherans out there that truly love Jesus. The problem is that the ELCA at large has lost it's way, and that's too bad.

The bride's brother performed the ceremony, her dad played piano and her uncle played violin. It was a beautiful Christ centered wedding.

I had to limit what I drank at the reception because I had to teach at my church Sunday morning. I reckon I need to have my planner with me when I accept such assignments.

My sermon went well, I made the points I wanted to make and managed to inject a little humor as well. I used my sons as visual aids and also used an easel and a white board to use math to prove the Trinity. You should have heard the congregation giggle when I asked if anyone was familiar with the multiplicative rule of equality. They giggled even harder when I defined it!

I haven't uttered the words "multiplicative rule of equality" in over 30 years. Why would I remember that? Do you think God had it in my head because someday he was going to use me and that term to help explain a concept that mere human beings can not understand?

I don't know, but I'm glad I remembered it because some in my congregation thought it was a very innovative way to explain what I did.

Mission accomplished.

The rest of my summer gets really busy now. One more weekend of nothing really going on and then we plan on taking the kids on an educational vacation. The next week I plan on assisting a friend at a BBQ competition. The following week my team does a BBQ competition. Over labor day I will be cooking 200 lbs of pork for the annual local festival. And after that I will be the emcee at that same festival. Whew, I'm already tired.

Hopefully this week I get some time to practice some cooking for our comp.

Have a great God filled week everyone.