Char-Griller Professional Smoker

Yeah Buddy!!! The long awaited moment came this afternoon with the arrival of the new smoker grill. Out of the box and assembled in just under 2 hours. Tomorrow morning it get's fired up to cure the cooking grids and by noon, the first ribs of the season will be underway! Life is good!

A Tragedy . . .

99 Bottles of Beer . . . # 23

Stella Artois Lager . . . product of Begium and the best selling beer in the UK. I missed this one growing up or growing into the world of "better beers" . . . until my buddy Mark and I split cases of Newcastle Brown and Stella last week.

This stuff is bitter, bitter, bitter . . . but finishes smooth enough to keep the invitation for another one fresh on the tongue. My buddy agrees with the assessment . . . it was an interesting beer to try and we're not sorry we we did . . . although it is a highly flavorful brew, we're spoiled on the taste of darker ales. It reminded me of a good German lager . . . not sure I'd buy it again, but would drink it again if offered . . . Rating - Strong 3

Another Trip To New Jersey . . .

GREAT NEWS!!!

Rendezous Rib House in Memphis, TN now offers it's world famous dry rub on line at: http://www.hogsfly.com/

This stuff is the best rub around!

About to take the plunge . . .

Char-Griller 830 Pro . . . I'm gonna order one this week! Did the research, compared smokers and prices, and this is my choice! Retiring my old Weber and old Sunbeam charcoal "smokies" is long overdue. I figure this one is easy enough to lug on camping trips and adequate for patio use on off camping weeks and weekends. My neighbor got one last year and he loves it . . . it's time to take the plunge!

It's Grillin' Season

OK . . . enough with the cold temperatures! It's grillin' season and we need some warm weekends folks! As much as I enjoy drilling in any weather condition, it's so much more fun if it can be done in shorts and a tee shirt! Well, under present conditions, no need to worry about the beer getting warm.

Last year, I invested in a moderately priced UniFlame Wellington 5 burner gas grill. Candidly, there wer some problems with it early on. After some tweaks and adjustments to the burner set up, I got her cranking! Like I said, it was a modest investment . . . under $300 and for a few weeks there, I thought I'd made a huge mistake in purchasing it. Several friends and neighbors purchased new "gassers" during the same time frame . . . mostly Webers.

After one full season of grilling with the new Uniflame, I've made 2 observations . . . 1) with the exception of 3 friends who share the same "grill philosophy", all the other folks use their grills as outdoor frying devices as evidenced by all the flames and flare ups during their grilling events, and, 2) with the exception of my aforementioned buddies who also own "moderately priced gas grills", we avoid the nasty flare ups and charred meat results by utilizing "the offset placement and indirect heat method" after initially searing steaks, chops, and burgers. So I'm convinced that if you know what you're doing with an inexpensive grill, you'll not only "look like a pro griller" but turn out a far better BBQ than the guys with the $700+ grills who have no clue how to use them.

Footnote . . . In the tiny circle of "grill buddies" who I like to hang out with, running 2 grills (a gasser and a charcoal smoker) at the same time is a pretty common sight. When talking charcoal grills . . . Webers shine . . . as do many other grills with lesser pedegrees. Nothing like the taste of smoked meat, slow roasted or grilled on a charcoal smoker!

Find the man's face in the coffee beans . . .

Miss Olivia as a pup 10 years ago

Another sign generator

Contary to popular belief . . .

I do not own an orange shirt and would never be a party to something like this . . . the resemblance, however, is amazing! Gitter done boys!

Mattie and Olivia

Some equal time . . .

Abby, our standard Poodle, tends to enjoy more lense time and subsquently is more often posted in my blog or other areas. Featured today are two of the original "gangsters" in the household (standing, Miss Olivia and "sleeping", Mr. Mattie), both miniature Poodles and totally spoiled beyond any hope of "dog normalcy". I read somewhere that you never own a cat, that a cat owns you . . . I'm here to testify that the same is true of miniature Poodles.

test

To drink my weight, I would have to chug 260 bottles of beer!
How big is your beer belly?
Powered by the mighty Rum and Monkey.

Archive Photo LRT Museum 1972

Cindy and Jessie

"Stupidity Squared"

Sunrise and Moon in March 2006

The Falls In Winter, Illuminated

Trying some stuff . . .

The Colonel and The Commander-In-Chief

Scheduled for completion and release on 17 APRIL 2006, a color print commemorating JFK's trip to the Gettysburg Battlefield just a few months prior to his assassination in Dallas, TX. My Dad had the honor of being Kennedy's tour guide. The above photo shows the artist at work on the project. My Dad would have been 96 years old on 17 APR 06 . . . so the timing of the release of these prints is pretty cool.

What are the odds . . .

E is 2 eleven as D is 2 twelve . . . I can't figure it out either.

Teachers & Educators

According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington recently was faced with a unique problem........

A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints.

Every night, the maintenance man would remove them and the next day, the girls would put them back.

Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had toclean the mirrors every night.

To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required.

He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it.

Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

THE MORAL OF THIS STORY..There are teachers, and then there are Educators

Reminder to self

. . . and, some smiles put a dream in your heart.

Reminder to self

Some dreams put a smile in your heart.

The Old Sergeant Major . . .

A crusty old Sergeant Major found himself at a gala event, hosted by a local liberal arts college. There was no shortage of extremely young, idealistic ladies in attendance, one of whom approached the Sergeant Major for conversation.

She said, "Excuse me, Sergeant Major, but you seem to be a very serious man. Is something bothering you?"

"Negative, ma'am," the Sergeant Major said, "Just serious by nature."

"The young lady looked at his awards and decorations and said, "It looks like you have seen a lot of action."

The Sergeant Major's short reply was, "Yes, ma'am, a lot of action."

The young lady, tiring of trying to start up a conversation, said, "You know, you should lighten up a little. Relax and enjoy yourself."

The Sergeant Major just stared at her in his serious manner.

Finally the young lady said, "You know, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but when is the last time you had sex?"

The Sergeant Major looked at her and replied, "1955."

She said, "Well, there you are. You really need to chill out and quit taking everything so seriously! I mean, no sex since 1955!

She took his hand and led him to a private room, where she proceeded to "relax" him several times.

Afterwards, and panting for breath, she leaned against his bare chest and said, "Wow, you sure didn't forget much since 1955!"

The Sergeant Major, glancing at his watch, said in his matter-of-fact voice, "I hope not, it's only 2130 now."

Oooo Baby Baby, Miracles

Easily, Smokey Robinson's finest recording . . .

Oooh La La La La

I did you wrong

my heart went out to play

& in the gameI lost you

what a price to pay

I'm cryin'

Oooh Baby,Baby Oooh Baby, Baby

Mistakes I know I've made a few

But I'm only human

You've made mistakes too

I'm cryin'

Oooh BabyBaby Oooh Baby Baby

Ooo Baby Baby

Oooh Baby Baby

I'm just about at the end of my rope

But I can't stop tryin'

I can't give up hope

'Cause I'll be here

And someday I'll hold you near

Whisper I still love you

Until that day is here

I'm cryin'

Oooh Baby Baby

Oooh Baby Baby

Oooh Baby Baby

Oooooooooooh OoooooooohBaby Baby

Ooooooooooohoooooooooooooo

A Bitter Beer Face

Lyrics . . . It's Magic by Pilot

I call this song a "roadie", i.e., one of the FM radio "pop radio" songs of the the 70's or 80's that I'd actually listen to without changing the dial. Spending hours on the road travelling back and forth to military installations in those days, I would on occassion listen to something other than DooWop, R&B, or Soul. This one I always thought was pretty cool . . .

Ho, ho, ho
It's magic, you know
Never believe it's not so
It's magic, you know
Never believe, it's not so
Never been awake
Never seen a day break
Leaning on my pillow in the morning
Lazy day in bed
Music in my head
Crazy music playing in the morning light

Ho, ho, ho
It's magic, you know
Never believe it's not so
It's magic, you know
Never believe, it's not soI love my sunny day
Dream of far away
Dreaming on my pillow in the morning
Never been awake
Never seen a day break
Leaning on my pillow in the morning light

Ho, ho, ho
It's magic, you know
Never believe it's not so
It's magic, you know
Never believe, it's not so
[Musical Interlude]
Ho, ho, hoIt's magic, you know
Never believe it's not so
It's magic, you know
Never believe, it's not so

'em boys got the right idea . . .

It's gotta be an OSU or PSU grad's car . . .

Cherry wood smoked beef brisket

This weekend?s BBQ was an experiment in preparing and grilling a beef brisket. The absence of leftovers following the Saturday evening meal is a pretty indication the mission was successful.

Prep-to-table time was a little under 6 hours. I used Cattleman?s brand ?Smokehouse Marinade? as the primary ingredient, adding a liberal amount of Worchestershire sauce and Stubb?s brand dry rub into the marinade mix. Using an industrial-grade marinade injector, the brisket was pumped full of the marinade mix. I place the brisket on a bed of onion and green peppers, poured the remaining marinade over the top of the roast and wrapped the roast in a triple layer of foil.

The brisket was slow roasted over indirect heat on the gas grill for about 4 hours. I use the top shelf of the grill to prevent uneven heat distribution around the roast. Temperature range was 275-300 degrees.

At the 5 hour mark, it was time to transfer the brisket to the smoking grill. I used a small bed of coals and added cherry wood chips throughout the next 2 hours of the process. No idea what the temperature range was during this phase, but I did keep the brisket on the top shelf of the smoker and used the indirect heat technique. The brisket began turning a beautiful shade of red-brown as the smoke did its job. I kept the brisket partially submerged in the foil pocket, turning it regularly to flavor the entire surface. There was about an inch of sauce in the foil pocket and there was very little evaporation after opening the foil pouch. To my delight, the brisket remained extremely moist and cut effortlessly for serving.

File this one away under ?yep, we?ll do this again?.

Top 5 Male Motown Groups

I saw the 4 Tops and Temptations perform live at The Faba and The Rooster Tail in the late-1960's. Virtually unknown to most Motown fans is the group called The Originals - but easily one of the best groups to record on the Motown label (many of their songs were written by Marvin Gaye). These 5 groups recorded some of the best R&B and Soul sounds ever cut.

Top 5 Male Solo Singers of the 60's

My Dream . . . The Platters

My Dream,
Is a wondrous dream
It's the answer to,
Wanting only you

My Dream,
Is a true delight
My escape at night
From a world that's blue

The world we know
Seems so far away
And where we go
Is for us to say

My Dream,
Is a wealth of joy
No one can destroy
When I dream my dream
It's no common dream

It's a wondrous dream
Dream...

Lyrics - "My Prayer" by the Platters

When the twilight is gone and no songbirds are singing

When the twilight is gone you come into my heart

And here in my heart you will stay while I pray

My prayer is to linger with you

At the end of the day in a dream that's divine

My prayer is a rapture in blue

With the world far away and your lips close to mine

Tonight while our hearts are aglow

Oh tell me the words that I'm longing to know

My prayer and the answer you give

May they still be the same for as long as we live

That you'll always be there at the end of my prayer

Abby . . . March 2006

Newcastle Brown Ale . . .

Yeah buddy . . . this is a near perfect weekend . . . grillin' and some John Courage Ale and Newcastle Brown Ale . . . what's not to like?

Fun in the sun . . . damn, it's great!!!

First BBQ of 2006

Actually . . . it's the fourth, but who's counting? Today temps hit the low 70's and this was the first BBQ of 2006 that was enjoyable. I love to prepare food on the grill . . . slow roasting and then smoking beef and pork roasts . . . yeah buddy!!!

Abby . . . March 2006

Abby . . . March 2006