Ribs on the Smoker

Another beautify day calls for another day on the smoker. This time I tried during some racks of Ribs. Not understanding what I was buying I purchased 4 racks of spare ribs thinking it was 2 so a pleasant surprise. Also got lucky as you will later see the 4 racks just fit on the smoker. 

First Brisket

I attempted my first brisket the other day. Learned a lot and wanted to share with my faithful readers. Maybe in the future I'll get you a video as I work.

I cut some of the fat off and trimmed off some parts that were hanging off. It was a bit of a struggle because the knife was not as sharp as it needed to be. I seasoned it with salt and pepper. Coated the whole thing till it looked like the proper amount. No real science to it yet.


While I was seasoning the cut of brisket, the smoker in the backyard was getting up to temperature. I used a combination of coal and Hickey wood and the goal was to get it to 275 and hold that temp.

I was able to hold the temp between 275 and 315 for most of the smoke. At one point there was a major temp drop because the ash blocked the vent. Since there was obstructed air flow the temp started to drop below where I wanted. I was able to push the ash away from the vent and when I did the temp shoot up over 350 for a few minutes. It is something that I have to keep an eye out for the next time I use the smoker for the cooks over 4 hours.
      
We let it cook for 6 hours before I open it up to see how it was doing.  At the 6 hour mark it had a 185 internal temp so it could have been served then but I wrapped it and left it on for another two hours just to make sure it was tender as it was not as flexible as I would have liked.


So after the 8 hours pulled it off and let it rest for an hour before cutting into it. My cutting skills need some work and fortunately I can't find the post the picture after it was cut. I did a good job of hiding the bad cuts so actually it is a shame since you also can't see the end results. If I can find the pictures I'll upload them! It was good through. My family liked it, probably could have been a bit moister but that will come with better temperature control. 

Thanks for reading, drop a comment and let me know what you think!

My Friends play Diplomacy: Italy

Alright this is the 4th edition in this series and it is time to take on the player who soared the highest and crashed the hardest. That would be Italy. No one player did more to win the game for themselves than Italy did. They also do the most to lose the game. It was not a pretty sight when things started to turn for them. Well we are going to dig in and find the reasons why things worked and what was the ultimate downfall for Italy.

My Friends play diplomacy: Russia

The third installment is based on the play of Russia. Unlike Turkey or France they lasted to the end of the game and at times were a major power and could have potentially won the game if things broke a bit different. Let's dive into their play and see what we can learn!

My Friends play diplomacy: France

Ready for the second edition of my new blog series. (Hey at least its something, I can't go to the store to get supplies for the smoker)


The next country to cover is France. Unlike Turkey they just seemed to be playing strategically unsound. Well I don't want to ruin the surprise of the game so let's look at the opening turn.

My Friends played diplomacy: Turkey's fall

My friends played a game of diplomacy that I watched and now they want some feedback. It went on way to long so I can't do one post that covers the whole game so I am going to break it down into several smaller parts. Here is the first edition, and while I would like to say I am going to get these out pretty quick I am not making any promises.

Let's start with Turkey since they went out first (okay Austria forgot the game started so they lost first but we are not counting them):

Alright let's see the first moves:

Sixer for a day!

Throwback to when we could walk outside. Pictures to come soon

I had this great opportunity to take a tour of the Sixers practice facility with my brother. The question everyone asks is how did you get to do this. Well my season ticket rep called me said that they were having an event for select season ticket holders and he thought I would love it. Oh course I said yes and it was off to the event.

The event starts with the a interview, ask about how long you have been a Sixers fan, favorite Sixers moment. Then you head into the court to check in and sign your contract. Which is cool thing to have.

They move you into the next part which is a picture with the nba championship trophy, (Obrien Trophy) and up to the lounge/Snack area. Alright the food spread they had was delicious, really when you think of it I am a food event blogger so you know this was going to make the cut. The chicken salad sandwich was delicious. It was on a sweet raisin bread and was great. They also had a the meats and cheese platters that they have at these events, artichoke dip, spinach dip, and crab dip. I also had a mozzarella tomato sandwich which was great as well. It look like they had white macaroon and chocolate chip cookies. I skipped the cookies because, for lent I am not doing deserts. (Exceptions for birthday cake and bachelor parties)

They moved us back to the practice court and squad 76 put on a quick show. The next part was the 30 second challenge. Layup, free throw, three, half court shot. I rushed the free throws and missed the first three. Took my time on the fourth sunk it but time ran out before I could hit the three. (Honestly the NBA three would have just been pure luck so I likely was going to hit it. My brother did slightly better but couldn't hit the three either.

After we were down the 30 second challenge, they let us have free session on the court so most people just shoot around on the courts. I took a few more threes, finally made one, but it was around 10% from three on the day. A step in through I drained a bunch. That extra step makes a huge difference.

I think my favorite part was when Matt got hot from the corner and said he is shooting better than Korkmaz. I also think I am shooting a higher percentage at the practice facility than Markelle Fultz from the foul line, but that is not saying much.

We also took a bunch of photos so you can check those out below. It was great time and thanks to the Sixers and my season Ticket rep.