We had a "commune" dinner on Sunday, six Adults, four children and a big smoked brisket.
Brisket was procured on Thursday, AAA Angus beef, and rubbed on Saturday with a mixture of paprika, coarse salt, pepper, sugar, elephant garlic and ground poblano chilis then left overnight. Daughter and "almost four" T-Money helped apply the rub, with great pleasure. I also prepared a "mop" for the brisket combining beer, cider vinegar and vegetable oil with a half cup of the rub and some habanero sauce, simmered for 30 minutes to reduce slightly, reserving 1/2 cup of mop for future use.
The brisket entered the smoker early Sunday morning and, despite some temperature control issues, was pronounced 150 degrees by around 4 pm. The beast was wrapped in foil and placed in a low oven (150) until dinner time. I prepared a sauce using the reserved mop and a commercial BBQ sauce, Wild Turkey BBQ sauce direct from Tennessee, while potatoes were roasted and corks popped. At 6ish dinner was served and the brisket was almost perfect, just slightly dry but with tremendous flavour and, sadly, none leftover. Wine was a Spanish Garnacha, Las Rocas, which had tons of ripe fruit and enough tannin to complement the smoky brisket.
Dessert was an incredibly rich, but not too sweet, chocolate pecan pie. The only downside, besides the lack of brisket remains, was that inclement weather precluded outdoor dining.
On a happier note the entire population of RedSox Nation have their heads in paper bags this morning trying to stop hyperventilating while an endless loop of September 1978 plays in their heads. It's September 19th and the once insurmountable lead over the Yankees has shrunk to 2 1/2 games.
This is sweet indeed, maybe sweeter than brisket, as I get to observe, on a daily basis, the misery of the RedSox faithful. I want to email every pundit who wrote off the Yankees and declared the RedSox divisional title a "sure thing" and ask them how they feel, but it would take too long.
The shift in collective body language between the two teams speaks volumes as the Yankees have their swagger back while Boston appears tentative and nervous like a runner constantly looking over his shoulder waiting to be caught......... and passed.
The funny thing is I still believe the RedSox will hang on and win the division in fact I think they're a mortal lock, but regardless the next 12 days should provide some great viewing.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Wednesday Morning Musing
I should apologize for not blogging but it's my blog so no apologies are in order.
Daughter is back in school full time, and if they ever cut the grass at a city field again, will be competing in Girls U9 Soccer soon. As with almost all things in her life daughter is ambivalent about soccer until it starts and then she is excited about it. Daughter is not likely to ever be an outstanding player but she enjoys the game and I hope she continues to forever. I firmly believe that team sports are important for character development, especially for girls.
Speaking of teams - the NFL season kicked off last week and I didn't place a bet, watch a game or really give a rats ass. Strange that in my late teens through my mid 30s the Sunday/Monday rite of NFL passage was one of great delight and now, with the exception of the odd Redskins game and the Superbowl I hardly even notice that the league is there. I would say it is a sign of maturity but since I exhibit so few signs of maturity I think it must be something else.
The restaurant I work at is becoming an impossible situation for me. The restaurant has always been a bit of an embarrassment in the way it is run, or not run, and in the price/quality ratio of the dining experience it offers. I could always take the mercenary route however of saying "Yeah but as long as I get my shifts and pull in my $200 a night I don't care". In the back of my mind, actually probably in the middle, I always did care though and it frustrated the hell out of me to see all the potential being pissed away by an inept management team.
As this summer began there were signs of life, we possess the strongest kitchen brigade we have ever had with a confident and practical exec chef and we had a good solid crew of floor managers. But alas it was not to be as the two best managers succumbed to the sirens' call of :
1) A better management job
2) a life outside the industry
leaving us spinning in the wind with little or no direction and the winter approaching. I can put up with the bullshit for $200 a night but not for $125. I have a couple of weeks off approaching so we'll see what develops.
I haven't tasted anything great lately but did get a nice bonus on my last trip the The MotherShip (39th and Cambie). Somehow the Board got stuck with a returned special order of 24 half bottles of Riesling Reserve 2004 from Pierre Sparr and priced them at $9.95 - I quickly grabbed a couple and popped the cork on one with grilled Coho on Sunday night, I wish I'd bought more.
Speaking of Salmon, why if there aren't any left can I still buy fillets of Wild Sockeye for $8.00 a pound ?
Will the recent shootings in Vancouver restaurants result in "No Firearms" sections ?
Tony Gallagher, reportedly a newspaper columnist, blamed the Minnesota Twins hitting coach for Justin Morneau's problems this season in todays Province. Strangely I don't recall any columns last year, when Morneau was the thoroughly undeserving winner of the American League MVP, giving credit to the Twins coaching staff for Justin's success. But then Gallagher is such an unbiased "Homer" that unless the hitting coach was a BC boy he is not worthy of any praise.
The Boston Red Sox will easily win the World Series this year, they are mortal locks.
Daughter is back in school full time, and if they ever cut the grass at a city field again, will be competing in Girls U9 Soccer soon. As with almost all things in her life daughter is ambivalent about soccer until it starts and then she is excited about it. Daughter is not likely to ever be an outstanding player but she enjoys the game and I hope she continues to forever. I firmly believe that team sports are important for character development, especially for girls.
Speaking of teams - the NFL season kicked off last week and I didn't place a bet, watch a game or really give a rats ass. Strange that in my late teens through my mid 30s the Sunday/Monday rite of NFL passage was one of great delight and now, with the exception of the odd Redskins game and the Superbowl I hardly even notice that the league is there. I would say it is a sign of maturity but since I exhibit so few signs of maturity I think it must be something else.
The restaurant I work at is becoming an impossible situation for me. The restaurant has always been a bit of an embarrassment in the way it is run, or not run, and in the price/quality ratio of the dining experience it offers. I could always take the mercenary route however of saying "Yeah but as long as I get my shifts and pull in my $200 a night I don't care". In the back of my mind, actually probably in the middle, I always did care though and it frustrated the hell out of me to see all the potential being pissed away by an inept management team.
As this summer began there were signs of life, we possess the strongest kitchen brigade we have ever had with a confident and practical exec chef and we had a good solid crew of floor managers. But alas it was not to be as the two best managers succumbed to the sirens' call of :
1) A better management job
2) a life outside the industry
leaving us spinning in the wind with little or no direction and the winter approaching. I can put up with the bullshit for $200 a night but not for $125. I have a couple of weeks off approaching so we'll see what develops.
I haven't tasted anything great lately but did get a nice bonus on my last trip the The MotherShip (39th and Cambie). Somehow the Board got stuck with a returned special order of 24 half bottles of Riesling Reserve 2004 from Pierre Sparr and priced them at $9.95 - I quickly grabbed a couple and popped the cork on one with grilled Coho on Sunday night, I wish I'd bought more.
Speaking of Salmon, why if there aren't any left can I still buy fillets of Wild Sockeye for $8.00 a pound ?
Will the recent shootings in Vancouver restaurants result in "No Firearms" sections ?
Tony Gallagher, reportedly a newspaper columnist, blamed the Minnesota Twins hitting coach for Justin Morneau's problems this season in todays Province. Strangely I don't recall any columns last year, when Morneau was the thoroughly undeserving winner of the American League MVP, giving credit to the Twins coaching staff for Justin's success. But then Gallagher is such an unbiased "Homer" that unless the hitting coach was a BC boy he is not worthy of any praise.
The Boston Red Sox will easily win the World Series this year, they are mortal locks.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Trash Talk, Sports Talk, Some wine notes and a great Beer
So the "Anti-Poverty Committee" has decided to dump trash on Mayor Sam Sullivan's yard. According to CBC news the group has taken credit for the trash action.
Hopefully CUPE president Paul Fauro and representatives Ken Davidson and Keith Graham will soon have yards full of rotting trash as well. Of course that will never happen because they aren't The Man so the ovine leadership of protest groups like the APC wouldn't think to lay any blame at their feet.
A friend of mine "in the know" has told me to target September 18th for an end to the strike - we'll see how accurate that prediction is.
I still can't figure out how ticketing expired parking meters is an essential service but heaps of rotting garbage are not ....... oh wait there's no revenue gain in picking up trash is there. Plus there's that all important need to keep our streets safe from reckless parkers.
There's going to come a point in the upcoming NHL season when the Canucks are going to wish they had back the 600K that Trevor Linden will receive this year.
The American League playoff race is as good a sports spectacle as you are likely to see for a while, My call is Yankees, Indians, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim/Orange County/SoCal /Tijuana and the true Evil Empire (Boston) all make the playoffs but I think Boston is the only Mortal Lock.
Who knew Samuel Dalembert was Canadian ?
Had a couple of decent bottles in the last week:
Amado Sur from the Argentinian behemoth Trivento, is a blend of Malbec, Syrah and Bonardo. While certainly "New World" in it's style the wine has enough tannin and liveliness to partner well with grilled meat and is good value at $14.99. It's a new listing in BCLDB stores with wide distribution (CSPC #568238).
Undaragga Pinot Noir Reserve - in my never ending quest for decent Pinot Noir under $20 I tried a bottle with grilled Sockeye last week. The wine has decent Pinot flavours, with light body and notes of strawberry and cherry but lacked the spice that makes Pinot so delightful. Still at $15.99 you could do worse - moderate distribution (CSPC #761205).
Best thing I tasted in the last while was not wine but a beer. Brooklyn Lager is an old style lager, made with a pre-prohibition recipe that features lots of malt. The resulting beer is copper coloured and malty without being overly sweet (my general complaint with lager), it is thirst quenching with enough hops to bring you back for many more. Brooklyn Lager is available in selected BCLDB stores, distribution is spotty, at $11.99 a six pack (CSPC #432930) and is highly recommended.
Hopefully CUPE president Paul Fauro and representatives Ken Davidson and Keith Graham will soon have yards full of rotting trash as well. Of course that will never happen because they aren't The Man so the ovine leadership of protest groups like the APC wouldn't think to lay any blame at their feet.
A friend of mine "in the know" has told me to target September 18th for an end to the strike - we'll see how accurate that prediction is.
I still can't figure out how ticketing expired parking meters is an essential service but heaps of rotting garbage are not ....... oh wait there's no revenue gain in picking up trash is there. Plus there's that all important need to keep our streets safe from reckless parkers.
There's going to come a point in the upcoming NHL season when the Canucks are going to wish they had back the 600K that Trevor Linden will receive this year.
The American League playoff race is as good a sports spectacle as you are likely to see for a while, My call is Yankees, Indians, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim/Orange County/SoCal /Tijuana and the true Evil Empire (Boston) all make the playoffs but I think Boston is the only Mortal Lock.
Who knew Samuel Dalembert was Canadian ?
Had a couple of decent bottles in the last week:
Amado Sur from the Argentinian behemoth Trivento, is a blend of Malbec, Syrah and Bonardo. While certainly "New World" in it's style the wine has enough tannin and liveliness to partner well with grilled meat and is good value at $14.99. It's a new listing in BCLDB stores with wide distribution (CSPC #568238).
Undaragga Pinot Noir Reserve - in my never ending quest for decent Pinot Noir under $20 I tried a bottle with grilled Sockeye last week. The wine has decent Pinot flavours, with light body and notes of strawberry and cherry but lacked the spice that makes Pinot so delightful. Still at $15.99 you could do worse - moderate distribution (CSPC #761205).
Best thing I tasted in the last while was not wine but a beer. Brooklyn Lager is an old style lager, made with a pre-prohibition recipe that features lots of malt. The resulting beer is copper coloured and malty without being overly sweet (my general complaint with lager), it is thirst quenching with enough hops to bring you back for many more. Brooklyn Lager is available in selected BCLDB stores, distribution is spotty, at $11.99 a six pack (CSPC #432930) and is highly recommended.
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