AustinMT

I understood that. I agree with you completely -- you can screw up any grade of beef on any type of smoker if you don't know how to use it. And you can make (almost) any grade of beef great on any type of smoker if you know how to use it

You don't have to. It just makes my life easier. One way is not better, just different.

Understood. The difference is he was the head coach, and was supposed to have a backup plan and be able to get on with it

This. His plan was to walk off into the sunset after winning a second championship and, when that happened, he had no Plan B.

Nothing wrong with BGE -- it's a great smoker and, like you say, pretty low-maintenance

1) I'm lazy. I can turn it on a 4 am and go back to bed. Then I can get up and drink after a good night's sleep. Hell, I can leave it and go buy more booze without having to worry about it 2) It keeps consistent temperature. I don't have to worry about it getting too hot or too cold. 3) The end result looks and tastes great. I spent my time manning a regular offset, and decided to make my bbq experience easier.

I would not stay on East 6th

OK: 1. Agree with the post above that Stubb's is not a place to eat BBQ. The suggestions for La Barbeque and Micklethwait are spot-on. Stiles Switch is also very good, and probably less crowded 2. Hotels: you mentioned Omni and HIlton. Nothing wrong with those, though they are kind of cookie-cutter. For downtown, think about the Kimpton Van Zandt or Driskill for something different. Places like the San Jose are cool, but a bit too hipster for my age. Have not been to the new Fairmount, so can't say what it is like. 3. If it' s not too cold, check out the view from Mt. Bonnell, esp. near sunset. Pretty awesome. 4. High end dining: so many great places in Austin now, and you will get a lot of different recommendations. Look at Fixe -- downtown, great food, great atmosphere. Prices are reasonable as well, and they have a good wine list.

Agree on B & B lump charcoal. I have a Traeger now, but when I had an offset I used B & B lump a lot.

In order to frame a response: 1) How old are you? 2) What type of food do you like? 3) What type of hotel are you looking for (i.e. what does your wife like for a hotel, which is pretty much the determining factor on this one)?

What is “grilling?” Thought this was a brisket thread

Put the probe in the thickest part of the flat, near the point.

Completely agree. There is drinkable whisky, but the price point does not give the quality you expect for the price. Texas wine is just a hot mess. I have found a glass here or there that isn’t OK (and yes, I’ve tried the “good” Texas wines everyone recommends), but the wine here just isn’t good.

Is it like Waiting for Godot?

Blue Duck Tavern -- Michelin star restaurant

I think they are giving him whatever he needs (unless the team gets worse). Issue is whether he was a good hire or the result of a flawed process and lack of leadership in the athletic department/university

Sorry — Dodds, not Dodd. Too slow to edit.

Going back a few years... The admin let Dodd run his fiefdom without interference. Dodd allowed Mack to do whatever he wanted to do, and Mack’s last few years were a total shit show, both in terms of hiring and on-field performances. He screwed up on coaching hires (and decisions like not letting Harsin actually run the offense). When things finally hit bottom, the admin allowed the circus that was Patterson’s hiring and Mack’s firing (he deserved the firing, but as you recall it was handled poorly). Patterson was an awful hire who created more issues, including making a bad decision hiring Strong. Nice guy, in over his head, and another run like Mack’s last few years of hiring bad assistants. Then the admin fired Patterson, and put in Perrin. Perrin would have been fine for a 3-4 month stopgap but, instead, they let someone who had no clue of how to run a large, modern athletic department stay on as AD. We would up with the embarrassing trip to try to convince a second-level OC to come to Texas, a poorly-run baseball coaching search (from which we somehow, with pure luck, wound up with a good coach), and a complete lack of a true coaching search, winding up with someone who, like his predecessor, seems to be in over his head. Hopefully CDC can get this moving in the right direction. If the admin allows it.

“Tom, we’re putting you in concussion protocol”

Free -> Bad Company

Herman’s Hermits

I did the same- also had never had it. Went through the bottle with friends last night and everyone really liked it BTW— I checked Total Wine and their regular price is $50

No, honest take. You complain about the quality of the brisket and your equipment but don’t want to pay for better quality on either.

OK, then buy shitty beef and shitty equipment and wind up with shitty product. Have fun with that.

Buy the iGrill. Connects to phone app, I always get great connection. As for the brisket, go to Costco (or HEB) and buy prime. It does make a difference.