Smokin...

Labor Day weekend is almost over and that means another summer has gone by here on Galveston Island. Now begins the very best time of the year to live here as far as I'm concerned. The tourists and weekenders will be staying home and getting on with their busy lives, the heat and humidity will finally ease up, the fishing will pick up and life will just get quieter around here.

Our weekend neighbors George & Teresa came down on Friday. They haven't been down in a while so we sat around and talked until pretty late just getting caught up on each others lives. They didn't have any solid plans for the weekend and neither did we. We agreed to play it by ear and chill-ax for the next couple of days.

One of the first things I wanted to learn how to do after we moved to Texas was smoke a brisket. I've been learning for the 30 years since. I've had different types of smokers and tried many rubs and sauces. I've been told I can cook a pretty good brisket. To me I've got a long ways to go. I don't know if I'll ever cook the perfect one but the cooking is the fun for me. So far I haven't poisoned anyone.

After everyone went to bed I decided to season a brisket which I had thawed earlier. I buy them when they are on sale and freeze them for later use. I decided to use a rub George had given me a while back called "Gator Rub". The bag of rub was a little hard so I threw it in the microwave to soften it. I never gave the twist tie a thought. Twenty seconds later I had sparks and fire.

I was able to save about 3/4 of the rub before it melted into a blob. It was more than enough to season the meat.

Saturday morning I got up at the crack of 9:00 and went downstairs to fire up the pit. I haven't used it in a while so a little cleaning was in order.

Before...

After cleaning it I coated it with Manteca which is Mexican lard. It seals the metal and stops rust.
After.....

With this smoker you control the heat by opening the chimneys and then control the air flow into the firebox.

One of the things I like about this smoker is the amount of usable space for cooking. I can have a couple of briskets in the main chamber and do chickens, ribs or sausage in the chimney chamber at the same time.

I got the fire going and built up a bed of coals.

When the temperature was a steady 225 degrees I put the brisket on.

Later George brought over some wings and we threw them into the smoke.

Connie had made a salad with rice, beans, corn, tomatoes and diced peaches.

We snacked all afternoon and by the time the brisket was done nobody was hungry. That's OK though because it can be reheated and eaten the next day. Connie sometimes uses the left overs to make carne guisada which is delicious.

Seven hours later......

About 7:00 we piled into George's boat and went to another friends' house for a party. They had hired a band and everyone had a great time. We got back home about 2:00 AM.  Needless to say, yesterday was a lay around and relax day. The wind was blowing too hard to fish anyway.

Today Connie did yard work while I worked on a couple of things on the RV. We're going camping for a few days later this month and I need to get it ready.

I have to go now, my baby wants me to peel potatoes. That can only mean potato salad with brisket for dinner. I'll do anything she asks for potato salad.

Adios for now, enjoy the day.

--Rod