I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
Captain's Log, Stardate 10.23.2007
My husband made a smoker, thanks to Alton Brown from the Good Eats program on the Food Network. He has also connected with some guys online who smoke meats quite often, to get tips and tricks.
I thought his first efforts quite tasty, but I can also tell that he’s gotten better. He recently roasted a pork shoulder, and I took pictures because ... well, because I could.
He made the smoker out of a couple of terra cotta pots.
He has gone very high-tech. He has a remote thermometer with an alarm that goes off when the meat reaches the right temperature. I think it's just an excuse to feed his gadget-addiction.
Here is the pork shoulder on the grill in the smoker. Underneath is a hotplate (very safety conscious, I know) with a metal pan full of woodchips. The chips smoke, the temperature inside the pot rises, the meat cooks, as he says it, "low and slow."
A few more pictures of the smoker, with our dog, as usual, trying to see what's going on.
"Come on, Mom! Can't I have some?"
The meat is incredibly tender when he takes it out of the smoker. It can literally be shredded with two forks, no knife needed. And of course, the smokey flavor is awesome.
It’s probably shortening our lives by a few years with all the fat, cholesterol, and carcinogens from the smoke, but hey—live large! Anyone who’s tasted Captain Caffeine’s smoked pork can testify it’s worth it.
My husband made a smoker, thanks to Alton Brown from the Good Eats program on the Food Network. He has also connected with some guys online who smoke meats quite often, to get tips and tricks.
I thought his first efforts quite tasty, but I can also tell that he’s gotten better. He recently roasted a pork shoulder, and I took pictures because ... well, because I could.
He has gone very high-tech. He has a remote thermometer with an alarm that goes off when the meat reaches the right temperature. I think it's just an excuse to feed his gadget-addiction.
Here is the pork shoulder on the grill in the smoker. Underneath is a hotplate (very safety conscious, I know) with a metal pan full of woodchips. The chips smoke, the temperature inside the pot rises, the meat cooks, as he says it, "low and slow."
A few more pictures of the smoker, with our dog, as usual, trying to see what's going on.
"Come on, Mom! Can't I have some?"
The meat is incredibly tender when he takes it out of the smoker. It can literally be shredded with two forks, no knife needed. And of course, the smokey flavor is awesome.
It’s probably shortening our lives by a few years with all the fat, cholesterol, and carcinogens from the smoke, but hey—live large! Anyone who’s tasted Captain Caffeine’s smoked pork can testify it’s worth it.
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Michelle