solamente73

All y'all's moms sure liked the look (and feel) of my traditional 20" pipe last night.

@Buzzrock

(hope this works; photo host has been screwy lately) This 17.74lb-er jumped into my cart one day. I just liked it's shape. Had to get a bit creative to get it to fit on the large BGE. Found a new use for the v-rack. Over hickory at 235*. After about 6 hours, the brisket had shrunk enough that I could remove the rack. Was "done" when it was probing like hot butter around 203* internal. Then I let it rest for an hour. We were having an impromptu pool party, and I was only able to take one pic sliced before the guests super smashed it to bolivia. Total cook time was nearly 24 hours. This was the biggest brisket I had done. It was fun, but I'm really narrowing in on the 11-13lb primes as my go-to.

Family trip to Key Largo coming up. My BIL wants to catch fish with which he can "feed his family." The two guides I know down there seem to be out of the business (more on this in a future post), and I've primarily only sight-fished for bones/permit/tarpon down there. Looking for recs for guides and also for the type of fishing we should go for. We're up for anything except for trolling offshore; dorado or wahoo would be awesome of course, but trolling isn't very interesting to us. Casting plugs or dropping bait offshore would be fine, as would anything inshore. TIA!

Texas represent! Texas claims 37.5% of the winners. Awesome!

Lack of a heavy smoke flavor, smoke ring, etc. is a common ‘complaint’ around ceramic cookers, and I believe that it is a result of the high fuel efficiency of ceramic cookers - you’re just not going to burn a lot of wood in a low-and-slow cook like you would in a stick burner. That said, I don’t believe in the no-win scenario, so... ...tell us more. I assume you put the log on top of lit lump and under the diffuser? How do you get it to burn/smoke effectively? I ask because I’ve noticed I need to run my Large BGE at 250* or higher to get chunks, placed directly on hot coals, to ignite and burn correctly, but I prefer to cook at 225*, so it’s a tad annoying. Many years ago I bought a bag of wood chunks and followed the instructions on how to make my own lump charcoal buy filling the BGE with chunks (no other lump charcoal added), igniting them, letting them burn for a period of time, and then killing the fire. Result was ‘lump’ that I used to cook some ribs, and the smoke flavor was strong IIRC. I need to try that again. Anyone else try that method?

Mrs. Sola (no pics) wanted a brisket for Mother's Day, so I obliged. Prime. 11.73lbs before trimming. Put it on Saturday night for dinner on Sunday. 18 hours at 240* over hickory, pulled at 205 internal when it was probing like alllsomeness. Rested it for 1 hour. Not pictured is the insane cheesy jalapeno hash brown casserole she made to go with it. This one turned out beautifully. Was really, really pleased with how moist the flat was and how well the fat rendered in the point. My 2 and 4 year old boys ate the hell out of it. They will grow up and eat more. A lot more. I'm gonna need a bigger smoker.

Long weekend at a Galveston Bay rental. Seafood galore with a little turf thrown in. Limited with what I had to work with, but loved the results.

Sorry it took so long to reply; I was traveling and wanted to post with a pic taken after I got home. Yup, it survived and continues to kick ass. All we did was cut off all the dead fronds and it did the rest. As you can see below, this year’s winter got it a bit, but it’s doing well.

Roast it on the BGE; perfect blend of roasting and smoking, and an underrated use of the BGE IMO. Prep the roast as you like (I like a simple rub of Bolner’s Uncle Chris’ Gourmet Steak Seasoning). Get your fire going. I like lump plus dry hickory chunks for flavor. Set up for indirect cooking. Close dome and get your egg up to 550 or so. Open dome, put the roast on, close dome. After a minute or two for the pit to get back to ~550, close the vents to kill the fire. The roast will sear as temp drops to 350, at which point you crack open the vents and keep the temp at 350 until internal reaches 120 (should take 1.5-2.0 hrs). Remove the roast, tent it very loosely, and rest it for 30 minutes before slicing. Carryover will take the roast to medium rare. Pro tip: smoked au ju. Place an aluminum pan, filled with 1-2 cans beef broth (or chicken stock if you prefer a less ‘tinny’ taste) and 32oz. water, between the platesetter and grill to catch drippings from the roast. After cooking and while the roast rests, strain the liquid and transfer it to a pot on the stove and reduce. Serve in a ramekin for dipping at dinner. Takes the roast to 11. Good luck, and looking forward to the pics.

up to 6 adults, so could split "near shore" with another boat, figure all 6 on a sportfisher for offshore....

Looking for recs on charters out of Galveston area. Asking for a friend and his extended, adult family members. The group wants to go ‘deep sea’ fishing as well as ‘near shore,’ defined as boat fishing the bays, jetties, and within a couple of miles of the shore. Trip is in early June. On a completely unrelated note, my family and I rented a bay house in Galveston for this weekend. The house is at the mouth of a canal, has a pier, and has lights. Reports are the fishing can be good. Get to teach my BIL and my nieces how to fish. Hope they tear into some trout. Will report back.

No wife and kids last night, so I figured I’d do a pork chop. Over hickory. With golden mashed. I may or may not have been inspired by Perry’s.

^^^Please post pics in Shit I've Cooked Lately thread^^^ ------------------------------------ I haven’t had to buy gear in ages, much less for the applications I’ll go into here. What’s on the market these days that y’all would recommend for the following applications? Looking for quality on a budget. 1) Rods and reels (2) for ages 5-10 suitable for bay fishing and freshwater. Kids will learn fishing on these. Assume using live/dead bait with some artificials as they get older and more capable. Bay fishing for trout and freshwater for anything that bites. 2) Rod and reel for adults for live/dead bait bay fishing for trout and reds. Needs to double for freshwater river fishing (likely catfish). Beginners need to be able to use this rig, so I assume spinning? 3) Light spinning rig for an adult for freshwater river fishing with artificials TIA!

Fillet, grilled over mesquite. With some asparagus for HouTex.

Hey, CenTx, welcome back! Been missing your food porn. Nice entry for your return.

Not leftover pot roast, but see below Here ya go. Breakfast taco: wild hog chorizo, egg, crispy cowns, bell pepper, onion, cheese, salsa. Texas Fight mug, coffee, Maker's Mark. Laser sighted Ruger LCP 380 pocket carry (and placemat) for Dutch.

Breakfast yesterday. Texas red leftover from Texas Independence Day, fried eggs, cheese, japs. Didn’t bother with carbs; was perfect for the hankerin’.

7.5lb prime over hickory. ~14 hours at 225*. This was a very good eatin’ brisket. I’m getting to where I can consistently get the tenderness I’m going for, but still chasing the consistent kamado smoke ring (yeah, yeah, doesn’t add to flavor but I like the look). The slice below is ~pencil width. That’s the bend/pull I like.

youregoddamnright.gif Dinner last night:

Is this going to happen at your home? Because no one but me would be cooking for a party at my home. Wife (no pics) may assist with setting out stuff, but outdoor cooking is my domain. 1. Buy proper gear (see suggestions above) 2. Get quality bugs 3. Drink 4. Boil 5. Drink 6. Eat 7. Drink 8. ????? 9. Profit If your wife is insistent, tell her you will have to trade in your man card of you have it catered, but you are willing to consider it for a bj w/ swallow on the front end. After receipt, proceed to step 1 above.

Cooked lunch for my office staff. Had to get an early start.

Came home to this last week:

Something’s wrong. Pics aren’t showing up for me.