solamente73

Life is short; drink what you like. Apparently, I like a something close to a Vesper. -Pre-chill a martini glass with ice water -Fill shaker with ice -Add 3 parts gin -Add 1 part vodka -Shake until cold and cloudy -Strain and serve with a twist of lemon I've been drinking those for over 20 years. When done right... oh, yeah.

Yeah, everything I’ve ever read says that the meat takes the smoke (flavor) at the start of the cook. Don’t care; would still supersmash that steak.

Consensus seems to be that BGE is the gold standard while Primo and Vision also produce quality cookers. IIRC Kamado Joe has been spoken well of, too. Accessory edge to BGE. Some like Primo’s oval shape for large cuts of meat. Probably couldn’t go wrong with any of the four, so up to personal tastes and budget. Full disclosure: I’ve had a large BGE for 8 years and have loved it. It’s totally exposed to the elements and has weathered them well. Can vouch for its quality.

Prime eyes over mesquite:

Yeah, all I've seen so far is $2.99/lb choice packers at Tom Thumb/Albertsons (DFW). I think those usually run ~$2.79/lb at Costco/Sam's anyway. No screaming deals anywhere I've seen.

I have the X-Sight II HD 5-20x. I bought it right before ATN announced the 4K Pro. Had I known, I would have waited - those look slick and hopefully wouldn’t make the rig so top-heavy.

No, I haven’t needed to add fuel. On the 22 hour cook, it burned a lot of fuel, but I’m confident I could have gotten 24 hours. Of course, I load up on coal to begin with.

I usually cook smaller (<11lb) briskets because it’s usually just me, the wife (no pics), and our 3yo that eat it. Treat it just like you would a larger brisket. For both small and large, I use foil and a water pan. I cook mine at 225*, and to dcbc’s point, the little ones can take a loooong time for some reason. This one was 8lbs and took almost 16 hours. It was fantastic. In contrast, the last 16lb’er I cooked took like 22 hours, so faster in hr/lb.

I read Buzz to be asking if the "Seiko Diver Watch" is a specific model or just any dive watch made by Seiko? Baba, I'd add water resistant to minimum 100M and a bezel. I prefer metal bands.

Tailgate, I've been cooking on my large going on 8 years. Whether cooking dinner for a few friends or for 40 people at a pool party, I've never needed more than my large.

Try posting in the Hunting thread. A lot of those guys have property, or might be able to point you in the right direction.

grantorino.gif but that’s just me and it’s Father’s Day so do what you do. That said, is that a thing? I’m Texan, lived all over Texas, and the only sides I know that go with CFS are mashed potatoes and/or fries. Maybe green beans. Am I missing something?

So that’s who that was. Lulz. Then you saw me. I was the handsome guy sitting next to the hottest chick in the place (11/10, yes, my wife, but I totally understand if you might take issue with that if you were with your wife (obligatory)).

Happy Father’s Day, y’all. A lot of good dads on here, and y’all deserve a good one.

Wasn’t sure if serious. Apparently serious. Babysitter got held up at work and was late, so we didn’t have a chance to visit the bar first. Really liked the atmosphere, though it got loud as the night went on. I asked for a booth when I made the reservation, but we think they sat us at the wrong one - it was ‘Reserved,’ set for 5, and the waiter (who was average) didn’t have the table cleared for a long time because he thought we were waiting for the other 3 guests. Didn’t matter, it was a great table. People watching was interesting - everything from Dallas Old Money blue hairs in coats/ties and church dresses/pearls to chicks dressed to go clubbing to characters dressed and acting like flamboyant celebs. Hell, there was a guy there in shorts and a fishing shirt. We’ve been in baby jail in the ‘burbs for too long. Drinks: I have a particular martini I’ve been drinking for the last 20 years, they made it to order, it was the 3rd best I’ve had at a steak house, and that’s a complement to their bartender. Wife (still no pics, though I should have taken some, the way she dressed up for this) had the watermelon basil martini and it was the perfect balance between fruit and crisp/refreshing (didn’t ruin it by making it too sweet). Wines by the glass were unappealing, so we got a bottle. This is where we got in trouble. As opposed to Ubering, wife wanted to drive us, I assumed because she wanted to be sober for the kids when we got home (she hardly drinks more than 1/2 glass wine/time since we started a family) and wanted to save ~$75-$100. Buying a bottle kept our glasses full all night and she drank too much to drive, so I cut back to be able to drive. So, no Al’s Coffee or customary cognac for me. Appetizer: the escargot and tortellini is incredible. Period. My wife is not the type to like escargot and she even thought it was amazing. I’m tempted to go back and just have 2-3 orders for dinner. Great rec. Repeat: order this if you go there. Salad: we split the wedge and... it was a wedge. Entrees: I had the Air, Land, and Sea. The buffalo fillet with demi was really good. The quail was a little dry but well seasoned. The prawn was way over cooked. The scallops... one of the two was the literally best I’ve ever had at a restaurant - high quality, perfectly cooked, perfect accent sauce. Very happy choosing this entree. Wife ordered a petite fillet. Meat quality was high and it was perfectly cooked; however, it wasn’t seasoned well and was devoid of flavor. Also, wife found the plating incredibly underwhelming - they threw a fillet on a plate along with a haphazardly applied dollop of whipped sweet potatoes. Sides: We went with au gratin, mac n’ cheese, and creamed spinach. Lando clued us in to half-order sides, so we asked about that. Au gratin and mac available only in full orders (pre-portioned in the kitchen) but the spinach was available in half order. All three were good, but none stood out. That’s not a bad thing; just not our all-time faves. Au gratin was the best of the three. Desserts: Wife got the creme brûlée and said it was really good. Got the pecan pie for the babysitter and she liked it. We saw another table get some sort of a la mode desert that we’ll get next time. Yup, next time. Great rec, y’all. Overall, Bob’s - Grapevine is still our favorite and most convenient steakhouse, but we had a great time at Al’s. I really want to go back and try more of the non-traditional / stereotypical steakhouse fare - my sense is that is where the place will stand out.

Hey take that shit to the All Things Brisket thread ->

Lando, thanks for the great write-up. It happened to hit on a lot of things that the wife (no pics) and I were discussing. We're excited for tomorrow night. I could type a long response, but quick hits: a Martini is a must; I love escargot but was confused about the tortellini part but will definitely try now; great tip about half portions of sides - we'll get 'em all; wife (still no pics) says no chance in hell she's backing out, so you're safe to make other plans.

Newest member of the family: 2018 F150 Lariat 4x4 V-8 502A FX4 Magnetic ext. /Medium Earth Gray int. My first Ford; it impressed me and made me switch from GM. I'm looking at retractable tonneau covers - Roll N Lock and Retrax. Which would y'all recommend of the two, or others? TIA.

j/k that pasta dish will be inspiration for whatever I cook tonight. I had to google that. That looks like a ton of work that turned out awesomely. That was said several times on TOS and it's holding true here. Real people cooking real food that they eat themselves. I love this thread. Thanks to all who post here and provide such inspiration.

The Mason Jar on the Katy Freeway. Their CFS was one of my all-time favorites. Epic.

That photo looks ‘shopped to me but apparently the catch is legit : https://www.startournament.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-Leader-Board-6-04-18-correct.pdf

Posted a reply earlier but it doesn’t show now? We’re doing Al’s Oak Lawn on Friday night. We’ll do TH for a ‘date night’ as we continue to emerge from baby jail. My SOP with new (to us) steak houses is to try the wedges, fillets, lobster tail, au gratin... basically looking to baseline. But the Air, Land, & Sea has caught my eye. What say y’all who know Al’s... keep it traditional for a traditional guy, or go ‘exotic?’ What’s the ‘can’t miss’ on their menu?