(Written Summer 2019)
IS SOMETHING SMOKING?
Summer 2015: James Gilbert introduces me to backyard meat candy. Ribs, pulled pork, chicken, kissed with smoke over a whirlwind 6-8 hour romance.
June 2017: I buy a humble smoker off Craigslist for $50.
I dabble with ribs, burning charcoal, and making countless mistakes I’m not even aware of yet. Still, everything tastes good… enough.
Then I got serious.
I read Aaron Franklin’s Meat Smoking Manifesto. Everything changes. I start burning exclusively hardwood, mostly apple. I meticulously document every detail of every smoke.
I decide to tackle one meat per year
2017: The Year of the Ribs. Come Fall, my ribs reliably have crunchy bark and bones slipping free from tender meat more easily than finding a brewery Colorado.
I commit to smoking once a month, regardless of weather.
2018: The Year of the Butt. (with a couple racks on to stay sharp.)
My coldest smoke comes in November – 10 degrees and snowing – with connoisseur of epic meals, DZ, visiting from NYC. No picture, it was too damn cold! Here’s a nice butt shot from another time:
Pulled pork is always good if you drown it in enough sauce. But really good pulled pork melts all on its own, gushing like a mountain creek in Spring.
Yep. With about 15 months practice, I got reliably good at that too. (To be honest, my rib skills slipped a bit, but I’m bringing them back!)
2019 was supposed to be the Year of the Brisket.
Alas, my starter smoker wasn’t up to the task. You see, adding just a single piece of wood spikes the temperature. When the object is “low and slow”, a sudden blast of 100 extra degrees is no bueno. Plus with such a small firebox, I have to tend to it every 22-36 minutes. Brisket takes 16 hours. I need time to nap.
I’m gonna need a bigger firebox.
So I bought a new smoker. A bigger one.
I’m going to load that sucker up to the gills with:
- Ribs
- Pork Butt
- Beef Brisket
- Chicken
For sides we’ll have:
- Coleslaw
- Baked Beans
- Watermelon
I suggest you come hungry.
It’ll only be my second time doing brisket, so we’ll go on that adventure together.
2020 will be the Year of the Brisket. And we’ll all get together again next Labor Day weekend to taste what I learn this upcoming year.
Contributions are welcome!
- Your favorite beverage – hard or soft.
- A homemade side
- A homemade dessert
- A few bucks donation toward the meat fund.
Gods help you if you bring something store-bought. This ain’t that kind of party.
It’ll be a mingle-party rather than a plated meal. Bring a camp chair if you want to ensure a place to sit.
PLEASE RSVP: https://gordonium.com/bbq/
Also, please park in the Summit Stone parking lots so as not to clog the neighborhood.
Looking forward to seeing you!
