As a cook, what would the current you say to the old you?

Theirs a 100 Year old bar located in the high California desert. Same family has operated it for the past 70.

Thursday’s has been their bring-A-dish to share day for ever. “Pot luck” to the locals.

Once a month I bring my home made chili and smoked back ribs.
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The pink glow on the ribs is from the pecan smoke. These ribs were smoked 2.5 hours at 225F and slow cooked an additional 4 hours at 185F.

Next visit I’ll add my cornbread to the visit.
A simple off the shelf box recipe but I add yellow cake mix, butter and agave syrup to the mix.

People say I’m a kitchen genius. Nope not at all - just a few tricky recipes and a love of socializing.

In front of the bar we sit and eat and listen to tunes played on my Can Ams sound system.
Wonderful people to meet from all over the world who stop by in their travels.



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Impressive! Cooking history, created and being created! Wow, look at that colour and the glaze looks absolutely delicious! What a cool way to socialize! I love socializing! It speaks volumes that they get you to bring your dish, to a place of such history, splendid! You can be sure I will show these pictures of yours to my boyfriend! He loooooves BBQ! I mean, you could even perhaps get me to try some of these, as a vegetarian ! The bread definitely, sounds great!
 
Impressive! Cooking history, created and being created! Wow, look at that colour and the glaze looks absolutely delicious! What a cool way to socialize! I love socializing! It speaks volumes that they get you to bring your dish, to a place of such history, splendid! You can be sure I will show these pictures of yours to my boyfriend! He loooooves BBQ! I mean, you could even perhaps get me to try some of these, as a vegetarian ! The bread definitely, sounds great!
My wife became vegetarian the week I started smoking meats.
She encounters injured animals and treats them, even rescues them so she’s in no mind set to eat them.
But I have caught her sneaking a rib.

More women into off road motorsports now. In for the Pot Luck:
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Rescued cat Joella. As a kitten had her throat slit and thrown from a car:
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Injured Wild Burro in the desert. Coyotes try and take down the small ones and go for the throat and face:
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BBQ in the US is interesting, as it is regional. Tri-tip is a California thing. In the Carolinas, it is pulled pork and whole hog. In Tennessee, it is ribs. Here in Texas, it's all about the beef brisket.

I didn't start smoking meats until I was in my 40s. So, I would also tell my young self to start sooner.

CD
Well said and spot on.

The brisket is the most tricky of all meats to smoke. It's takes skill and experience.

I suspect Franklin, the holy grail of briskets in Austin, injects and marinates his brisket but keeps that a secret. We suspect a combination of Lawry's Au Jus w/beef stock and spike seasoning. Some talk it's chicken stock.

@ $100+ US per customer average with an 8 hour wait he's doing it all so perfect ya walk away thinking he invented it.

I learned about Chili in Texas, don't forget about that. Beans are a four letter word.

And THE most unique fudge you can't find anyplace else. A marvelous, gritty, yet not too sweet so it doesn't over-power the flavor. I've tried to make it Texas style and failed miserably.

It requires some special finesse' with a cast iron pan - temp control and Pearl Sugar that isn’t over mixed I'm suspecting is the key to pulling it off. A trick passed down from great grandma.

I have stood there sober and watched it being made from scratch,, copied it 100%, no evidently 90% and can't get it right.

Texas kitchen phenomenon.
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My wife became vegetarian the week I started smoking meats.
She encounters injured animals and treats them, even rescues them so she’s in no mind set to eat them.
But I have caught her sneaking a rib.

More women into off road motorsports now. In for the Pot Luck:
View attachment 58887
Rescued cat Joella. As a kitten had her throat slit and thrown from a car:
View attachment 58888
Injured Wild Burro in the desert. Coyotes try and take down the small ones and go for the throat and face:
View attachment 58889
Did she? oh...well I can understand that... you know to each his or her own, you are fine with the smoked meats, she is fine with the veggies, and you work together as a team...I can never stop wondering who in the f gets the idea of injuring an animal ON purpose?? That's really beyond my brain to grasp...she is doing excellent rescue work then. The cat is totally cute, lucky one you found her and rescued her...the burros are adorable, coyotes sounds terribly dangerous... I assume coyotes are faster than the burros...poor things, they are so sweet. This summer my daughter and I went to an animal rescue center as volunteers, an hour away from our place. Mainly dogs, I think they had about 80 dogs at the moment, and some cats, but we did not see the cats. The stories we heard from the workers there were various, from a dead owner and dog straying around and being hit by a car and left there, to people giving dogs back as they can't or will not handle them any longer...to neglected dogs...it is an important work that these people do, and your wife does...well done!
 
I saw these photos only now as I had some work to do. Very cool. I like the donkey a lot :-D it seems like a relaxed place to chill and have a drink and a bite. Awesome. Also melancholic to some pre-covid situations when one is not stressed standing close to other people... what were those red drinks pictured?
Bloody Marys, a Vodka and tomato juice concoction with excessive and delightful seasoning.

In the past year wifie has arranged exactly 100 German Shepard Adoptions and 14 wild burro placements.
Radical animal rights groups are opposing birth control measures to help keep the brutally large wild burro and Mustang populations down so that's making the job much harder - and sadly tragic.

Brutally strict requirements to get one of the Shepard's. 20%+ applicants are rejected and they don't walk away happy.
gdm23bT.jpg
 
Bloody Marys, a Vodka and tomato juice concoction with excessive and delightful seasoning.

In the past year wifie has arranged exactly 100 German Shepard Adoptions and 14 wild burro placements.
Radical animal rights groups are opposing birth control measures to help keep the brutally large wild burro and Mustang populations down so that's making the job much harder - and sadly tragic.

Brutally strict requirements to get one of the Shepard's. 20%+ applicants are rejected and they don't walk away happy.
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Bloody Marys, I never had those, sound tempting to try though! I like the looks of them, tomato juice is great and when you say seasoning, it sounds it could be very tasty! I had my first gin and tonics just this summer, so bear with me ...I am strongly legging behind on alcohol delicacies ...
Awwwww, look at the dog! He is sooo nice, and cool with the goggles ...now that IS an achievement to manage 100 adoptions! Congratulations!!! The rules should be strict, I do agree. it makes it somewhat more certain that the dog will have a good home.

Well, radical is never good, so I would say get it controlled, I mean, if I were asked...it does not make sense, of course I do not have all the data, and there must be balance, but if the biologists and vets say under control, then...I did not een know there were wild burros and that they present such a problem, thank you so much for sharing!
 
Mod.comment: The last few posts are off topic. Please start a new thread if you wish to pursue animal welfare issues or other off-topic subjects.
 
You should have learned to cook earlier in life. My mother was an absolute horrible cook. My grandmothers, one was respected for her baking. I can’t say, I don’t like pies or cakes. My other grandmother was a great cook. But she would have had a heart attack if I had told her I wanted her to teach me how to cook. In her mind the only men that cooked were guys flipping burgers at a truck stop. My wife is a really good cook. She helped me learn. Even when I didn’t want it.
 
Well said and spot on.

The brisket is the most tricky of all meats to smoke. It's takes skill and experience.

I suspect Franklin, the holy grail of briskets in Austin, injects and marinates his brisket but keeps that a secret. We suspect a combination of Lawry's Au Jus w/beef stock and spike seasoning. Some talk it's chicken stock.

@ $100+ US per customer average with an 8 hour wait he's doing it all so perfect ya walk away thinking he invented it.

I learned about Chili in Texas, don't forget about that. Beans are a four letter word.

And THE most unique fudge you can't find anyplace else. A marvelous, gritty, yet not too sweet so it doesn't over-power the flavor. I've tried to make it Texas style and failed miserably.

It requires some special finesse' with a cast iron pan - temp control and Pearl Sugar that isn’t over mixed I'm suspecting is the key to pulling it off. A trick passed down from great grandma.

I have stood there sober and watched it being made from scratch,, copied it 100%, no evidently 90% and can't get it right.

Texas kitchen phenomenon.View attachment 58892
What is Belgian pearl sugar and why is it important? Curious.
 
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