Smoking Good!

 

She's smoking good now! This was from this past Sunday when we decided to smoke thick (1-inch or thicker) pork chops. In the video, I'm waiting for the smoker to reach 225 degrees F. When smoking chops, I don't do anything fancy with them. I use apple wood for smoking, then the chops I just put some oil all over them, then use smoky salt and cracked pepper on them, then put them in the smoker for about 2 to 2.5 hours.

They could actually be done in about 60 to 90 minutes, but I like my food cooked well done. I don't go for the recommended temp of 145 deg. F., I take mine on up to 160-165 deg. F., but that's me. Then of course timing is everything depending on the weather, your smoker, etc., etc. So, to reach the internal temp of the food to what you want may take longer or shorter amount of time.

I did a two-pound pork roast the other week and I was figuring on about 5 hours, turned out to be closer to seven hours, but it was really good when done! At low temps (225-250F.), it takes a long time for it to get cooked inside to the temp you want.

Also in the video you see the new storage box which I keep everything for cooking out on the deck, and you can see the Blackstone griddle I cook on (covered). I also keep the two-burner propane stove in the box as well as a nice size pot which I hang from a tripod up at the fire pit and cook corn on the cob in. Most everything else is just utilities, different kinds of wood chunks for smoking, etc., etc.

Video for Today: Dio -Rainbow In The Dark   

The Box

 Got a new storage box for on the deck. We had one which we keep on the deck just to keep everything in needed for cooking on the griddle and the smoker. The new box is show below.

It's a nice-looking box then the old one and just a hair smaller. The old box was 124 gallons, and the new box is 120 gallons. Which box is better, the old or new one. Actually, they seem pretty much the same. The box shown above cost $98.00, when I went back to where we bought it, it said "out of stock". Seen the same box at another site and it cost $179.00!

The old box we had for over a year now and has held up pretty good, hasn't faded, warped in the hot sun, nor has any water gotten in it. This new box was pretty easy putting together, pretty much just snap everything together but for hydraulic rods, which was easy to install, four screws on each rod.

The old box we moved up to the firepit and put things like our chairs and a few other things in it to keep them out of the weather. Is this box worth $100, yeah, probably, though I don't think it's worth $179.00, but maybe so if you want to keep things out of the weather.

Today's Video: Del Shannon 1961 - Runaway  

Ok, Who's the Master Chef Around Here?

 Anyone know how to cook pork chops on the grill (griddle) so they are tender? I tried a number of way's but they always come out tough but taste good.

The only tender chops I make are when I bake them in the oven for an hour and a half. I did 1-inch chops in the smoker which wasn't really tender, but still more tender then then when I cook then on the Blackstone.

There has to be a way to break down the fat and gristle in a pork chop, baking them at 350 for an hour does that but you can't cook chops on a grill or even a smoker at those temps for an hour and a half unless you want burnt, black chops, lol!

Tomorrow I'm going to try another way. This even I boiled the chops in water for an hour hoping it would break things down. but at the same time, I'm think it might take the flavor away. After I boiled them (which they still seemed tough taking them out of the water with a fork), I left them cool a little bit then put my rub on them then put them in the frig until tomorrow.

Tomorrow I'll then fire up the Blackstone, throw the chops on and bring them up to temp and brown them off and see how things go. As I said, I tried a few recipes I found on the Internet that said they were tender, juicy chops, juicy, yes. Tender, better get the chainsaw!

So... anyone know and actually made tender chops on a grill?

Camp Stove

 Got a new camp stove last week and I'm pretty impressed with it. It seems to heat things really fast and it also comes with a griddle as well as wind shields on the sides.

The reason I bought this one is because it had the two burners. The only thing I thought was kind of strange is that it only uses one tank of propane for both burners. I had an old two burner propane camp stove that used a propane tank for each burner, but it didn't heat as fast as this stove. Also, the old stove used almost the same kind of connection, but you didn't have to screw the regulator to the stove like this one, it just went in a hole, and you turned it to the correct position to lock it in.

This camp stove will run a little over an hour on a one-pound propane tank which can be the short fat tanks or the kind you use with a torch. I also bought a 5-foot adaptor so I could connect the stove to a 20-pound propane tank if I needed too.

Don't know if and when I'll use it, but I'll have it if I need it.

Originally, I was going to get a 2 or 3 burner gas stove as shown below, but after thinking about it I got the Coleman 2-burner stove because with the stove below meant you had to drag along a 20-pound propane tank anywhere you took it. I still might get one for out on the deck to go with my Oklahoma Joe's smoker and Blackstone griddle.

Song for Today: Diesel - Sausalito Summer Nights  

New Camp Chair - Walmart's Loss

 Guess it was time to get a new chair for at the firepit being mine kind of tore underneath the seat on the one side by the seam from front to back. Being its two layers of material with some thin foam in-between, it was only the underside that ripped, looks more like it was sliced though.

Camp chairs can be cheap or expensive, depending on which brand you go with. So, I was looking around and seen some as low as $8.00 and as high as $80.00, big difference in price! I'm in this one isle and I see a chair for $30.00, I go over to the next isle and there is the same exact chair reduced for clearance for $15.00! I got two of them.

When we went to check out at the cash register it marked them at $30.00 so we had to get the employee there about the wrong price it showed, who in turn had to get her boss. That lady fixed the problem and she too said she didn't understand why in one isle the chair was $30.00 and in the very next isle the exact same chair was reduced to $15.00. Anyways, we got two chairs for the price of one.

Ok, the chairs are pretty nice having a cup holder, and a built-in cooler that holds 9 cans of beer, soda, etc., and even an attached bottle cap remover. The one thing I don't understand is what are all the straps for? Anyways... it is a comfortable chair to sit in.

Song for Today: David Bowie - Valentine's Day  

Fawn Didn't Make it.

 A few days ago, I seen a fawn take off at the side of the house when I went to get the garden hose. About a day later (maybe two), I was coming down from the firepit when I just happen to look to my left, and between the new shed we put up and the house was the fawn laying there.

As it turns out, I'm thinking the fawn either got lost from its mother, or its mother was the deer that got killed up on the road a day or two before. 

In my thinking the fawn died from a mixture of starvation, no water and the heat, it was really hot. Checking the camera outside, the fawn seemed fine on that day.

So, it laid there at least a full day or two without being noticed.

I tried to give it some corn and water, but I think it was too young to eat. If I had a bottle and a nipple like they feed calves with, I might have been able to save it, but it might have already been too late. I was surprised it got on its feet, but after a few minutes it laid back down.

I left the fawn alone until later when I came down from the firepit, but by then it was laying on its side and I thought it had died, but I did see its eye was still moving. Nothing I could do, but was hoping by morning it wouldn't be there, but in the morning it was dead. I ended up taking it and burying it.

Two More Days Until the 4th!

 

Just two more days until the 4th of July! Of course, were not going to celebrate the 4th until the 6th. It's the only time everyone can get together. This year I spent about $400 on fireworks, mostly big rockets. I still need to stop at Walmart to get some smaller stuff. Every time I go to buy fireworks, I get rockets of all sizes, spinners, roman candles, etc., but I always forget to get fountains. Guess I can pick them up at Walmart.

I just like starting with the smaller stuff then working up through the bigger stuff until you do the small rockets to the bigger rockets. The worst thing about getting fireworks is the trip which is about 2.5 hours making the round trip to and back.

Another thing I noticed is that setting off fireworks don't seem as fun as it used to be. Its still nice to see, but not like it used to be. A few years ago, when they became legal not many people had them. Now it seems everyone has them. So, what was once a special treat for the neighborhood to see, now became the norm.

People in the neighborhood here have already started setting off fireworks on the 30th of June and last night. I take it I'll be hearing them for the next few days. Well, maybe it will be a surprise when the 6th comes around. People will think everyone set their fireworks off.... everyone but us.

Song For Today: Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich - Hold Tight (1966)