Sunday, July 6, 2008
Local grillin'
So now that I'm out here, a year later, I finally decided to give a whirl to that California barbeque oddity, tri-tip. This is a cut from the bottom sirloin, usually triangular (surprise.) I've tried it in several places around here and each time have found it lacking... but of course, that's with others cooking it up. Since most of the local barbeque contests involve some kind of tri-tip recipe, I thought I'd give it a whirl.
I got a three-pounder from Ribeye's Market in Brentwood. This was kind of a big cut, and as we all know, big cuts sometimes get tough, but Ribeye's tends to have pretty solid stuff so I figured on going for it. We had about 15 people over and I didn't want to run out.
The cut was pretty lean and didn't need any additional trimming. I applied a homemade rub of brown sugar, dried mustard, chipotle powder, dried onions and a few other select choices. After searing over a direct charcoal fire, the tip was moved to indirect heat and allowed to rest.
One weird thing about this cut: when it sears well, it puffs up quite a bit. This is good since it shows all the retained juices!
After a good amount of time on indirect, I basted with some solid barbeque sauce, allowed it to rest on the indirect some more, then seared in the sauce for about 90 seconds per side back on the direct heat.
Then, we took it off the heat and allowed it to rest on the cutting board for ten minutes or so, to soak in all the juice. Sliced thin and served on pitas with extra sauce and a creamy coleslaw -- it was fantastic!
There was a good variety of doneness levels, too -- the outside was fairly well done while the inside was nicely medium-rare.
I have a few ideas for this cut for the next barbeque contest....
I got a three-pounder from Ribeye's Market in Brentwood. This was kind of a big cut, and as we all know, big cuts sometimes get tough, but Ribeye's tends to have pretty solid stuff so I figured on going for it. We had about 15 people over and I didn't want to run out.
The cut was pretty lean and didn't need any additional trimming. I applied a homemade rub of brown sugar, dried mustard, chipotle powder, dried onions and a few other select choices. After searing over a direct charcoal fire, the tip was moved to indirect heat and allowed to rest.
One weird thing about this cut: when it sears well, it puffs up quite a bit. This is good since it shows all the retained juices!
After a good amount of time on indirect, I basted with some solid barbeque sauce, allowed it to rest on the indirect some more, then seared in the sauce for about 90 seconds per side back on the direct heat.
Then, we took it off the heat and allowed it to rest on the cutting board for ten minutes or so, to soak in all the juice. Sliced thin and served on pitas with extra sauce and a creamy coleslaw -- it was fantastic!
There was a good variety of doneness levels, too -- the outside was fairly well done while the inside was nicely medium-rare.
I have a few ideas for this cut for the next barbeque contest....
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Smokin'!
So... better late than never on this one, eh? Over Memorial Day weekend, I smoked a pair of pork shoulders (also known as Boston butts) on the Weber Bullet smoker in the backyard. This was a 19-hour smoke that started Sunday evening and carried over until about 4pm on Monday afternoon. At no point did the temperature in the Bullet exceed 250... low and slow!
I used almost a full Costco-sized bag of Kingsford (23.6 lbs) and about eight solid chunks of hickory (no chips here!) New lit coals needed to be added about 10am, so one full coal pan of Kingsford lasted about 14 hours from start.
When topped off with some homemade vinegar/mustard Carolina-style barbeque sauce... whoa.
I used almost a full Costco-sized bag of Kingsford (23.6 lbs) and about eight solid chunks of hickory (no chips here!) New lit coals needed to be added about 10am, so one full coal pan of Kingsford lasted about 14 hours from start.
When topped off with some homemade vinegar/mustard Carolina-style barbeque sauce... whoa.
The afternoon before the smoke... the butts are rubbed, covered in yellow mustard, Saran-wrapped and refrigerated
A peek inside... this is where the magic happens! Check out the hickory smoke.
The finished product... the thermometer in there read 199 (maxed out.) One of the strange things to get used to in making pulled pork is that you cook the bejesus out of it... that's what makes it so tender. Compared to the medium-rare steaks I prefer, that's a big adjustment!
Our afternoon at Station 93
This afternoon one of the neighborhood moms organized a tour of the East Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (there's a mouthful) Station 93 in Oakley... and in honor of Uncle Eric's new gig as one of the Mdewankanton Sioux' finest firemen, here are some pics...
What do all these switches do?
Trying to hit the cone...
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Prior Lake rocks...
Do you guys not have anything better to do?
Eric, Corey, Todd and Nick -- I know you guys are proud today!
Eric, Corey, Todd and Nick -- I know you guys are proud today!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Headline writers go wild.
So when this appears on my Star Tribune newsfeed:
Scott County preparing for hot times
..it makes you wonder. Last time I checked, Scott County wasn't exactly well-known for its "hot times." Of course I had to click on it...
Hey, Eric -- when do you get to go play on this tower?
Scott County preparing for hot times
..it makes you wonder. Last time I checked, Scott County wasn't exactly well-known for its "hot times." Of course I had to click on it...
Hey, Eric -- when do you get to go play on this tower?
Friday, May 16, 2008
your oven is a dry heat, too
So yesterday was supposed to be the hottest day of the year so far. Of course, what do I have to do? Play in a golf tournament for work, that's what. We sponsored a tournament at Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton. Tee time was 12:30pm, right during the heat of the day. The high in Pleasanton yesterday was 103. No amount of iced towels, bottles of water, etc. can really help that any.
Today's even hotter. I picked up a couple steaks to grill this evening (hey, might not even need to use the grill!) and on the way down to the meat market, the car's thermometer hit 110.
To top it all off, there's this. This fire was less than two miles from our house. They're saying that wildfire season is going to start sooner this year (surprise.. it hasn't rained in six weeks and the next rain is expected in, oh, October or so.) Time to start with the active fire prevention around our place..
Today's even hotter. I picked up a couple steaks to grill this evening (hey, might not even need to use the grill!) and on the way down to the meat market, the car's thermometer hit 110.
To top it all off, there's this. This fire was less than two miles from our house. They're saying that wildfire season is going to start sooner this year (surprise.. it hasn't rained in six weeks and the next rain is expected in, oh, October or so.) Time to start with the active fire prevention around our place..
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Back when football was football...
...a guy writing one blog post every six months would have been shot for posting pictures like this. My family is going to hell in a handbasket.
First this:
from Zimm's Blog
mad Photoshop skillz, yo!
What's next? Eric eating mushrooms? Corey deciding that 99-cent-a-foot-linoleum from Menard's is the wave of the future? No, wait -- both of them going vegan! Yeah, that's it.
I move to California and all hell breaks loose. More updates to follow.
First this:
from Zimm's Blog...so what's next? It's gotta be this:
mad Photoshop skillz, yo!
I move to California and all hell breaks loose. More updates to follow.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Week Two Update
Well, everyone's getting settled into the new house. We're pretty lucky to have a fully enclosed back yard so the kids can play outside with no fears of running into the street or anything. We bought one of those blow-up pools, so they're having a grand old time splashing around in that thing.
Problem is, when it drains.. hoo boy. We started putting it on top of one of the drains in the back yard (is that a California thing to have a drainage system in your yard?) so that once it runs out, it goes down the drain instead of creating a swamp in the yard.
I've had to mow that thing twice now, and probably should have done it more; but I've been out of town so much.
Leah's in school now.. first day pictures are up on flickr for all to see.
As of now we're planning to be back up in the Upper Midwest around Christmas time. More info to follow.....
Problem is, when it drains.. hoo boy. We started putting it on top of one of the drains in the back yard (is that a California thing to have a drainage system in your yard?) so that once it runs out, it goes down the drain instead of creating a swamp in the yard.
I've had to mow that thing twice now, and probably should have done it more; but I've been out of town so much.
Leah's in school now.. first day pictures are up on flickr for all to see.
As of now we're planning to be back up in the Upper Midwest around Christmas time. More info to follow.....
Monday, September 10, 2007
I can't let this go by.
This is a travesty. For someone who used to drink good beer with me, it's shameful.
Truly, a sad state of affairs.
What's next? Dogs and cats living together? Mass hysteria? Moving back to... (gasp) the SUBURBS? (oh, yeah, wait, that's already happened.)
An open invitation to the three readers I have out there on the Internets -- if I ever get caught drinking the San Francisco equivalent of Premo.. whatever that is.. please put me out of my misery. Or, at least, ridicule me online.
Truly, a sad state of affairs.
What's next? Dogs and cats living together? Mass hysteria? Moving back to... (gasp) the SUBURBS? (oh, yeah, wait, that's already happened.)
An open invitation to the three readers I have out there on the Internets -- if I ever get caught drinking the San Francisco equivalent of Premo.. whatever that is.. please put me out of my misery. Or, at least, ridicule me online.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
We're here!
We made it to California in one piece... wiped out, but here. There are a couple of airplane pictures up on flickr, so go check them out.
Nothing fun or interesting to say. We're all exhausted. Only three more nights in hotels until we get our stuff back.
Nothing fun or interesting to say. We're all exhausted. Only three more nights in hotels until we get our stuff back.
Friday, August 24, 2007
The big move update, part 1
Well, it's started -- the big five-person move to San Francisco. The car shipper guy came this morning to pick up our cars.. after the big inland hurricane last night left trees down and roads flooded all over Chicago, I wasn't so sure they'd be here; but they were -- ninety minutes early! The phone rang at 6:30am.
It's fun when all the neighbors think your cars are being repossessed... I can only imagine what they were thinking -- "Why is he standing there, talking to that repo man as he puts the cars on the truck? Why isn't he mad?"
The company that we're using to move cars is eBay Motors' "preferred" car shipper, so the driver had lots of fun stories to tell about cars he delivered to people who'd never seen them, and the reactions that they give. He told about one guy who'd ordered a 70's-era Charger. This car looked mint in the pictures, but when it actually arrived, it apparently was a different story. It'd been in some kind of accident, the firewall was all jacked, axle kind of bent, etc. The sad thing is, once you get to that point, you've already purchased the car so you're kind of screwed. The guy who bought it didn't even want to sign for it, but he had to; he owned it so he was responsible for it. After delivery, you have to fight it out with the seller and eBay. Good luck with that!
Next on the hit parade -- packing, which starts Monday. We all will move into a hotel while this process is going on. Our place is way too small for five people and eight million half-packed boxes.
It's fun when all the neighbors think your cars are being repossessed... I can only imagine what they were thinking -- "Why is he standing there, talking to that repo man as he puts the cars on the truck? Why isn't he mad?"
The company that we're using to move cars is eBay Motors' "preferred" car shipper, so the driver had lots of fun stories to tell about cars he delivered to people who'd never seen them, and the reactions that they give. He told about one guy who'd ordered a 70's-era Charger. This car looked mint in the pictures, but when it actually arrived, it apparently was a different story. It'd been in some kind of accident, the firewall was all jacked, axle kind of bent, etc. The sad thing is, once you get to that point, you've already purchased the car so you're kind of screwed. The guy who bought it didn't even want to sign for it, but he had to; he owned it so he was responsible for it. After delivery, you have to fight it out with the seller and eBay. Good luck with that!
Next on the hit parade -- packing, which starts Monday. We all will move into a hotel while this process is going on. Our place is way too small for five people and eight million half-packed boxes.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
The new gig.
I started at the new place in San Francisco last week... so far, so good. There's quite a lot of travel, especially at first; the family is all back in Chicago so I'm doing a fair amount of 1,800-mile commuting via American Airlines. Everyone's moving the last week in August, so it won't be for long.
Much electronic ink has been spilled over the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. Fortunately, to the best of my knowledge, no one I know was on the bridge or around it when it happened. It's kind of disconcerting to see the bridge in the river, knowing that I have been over that thing probably 500 times in my life. I was in San Francisco when it happened, driving out to our new house in Oakley, and they broke into the radio newscast to announce that it'd happened.
This week, I'm in New York City. We stay in downtown, not far from Ground Zero, because the bank's offices are on Wall Street. One of the ways to coming into Manhattan from LaGuardia Airport is via the FDR Drive.. of course, Manhattan is an island, and how do you get onto islands? Bridges. The FDR runs along the eastern shore of Manhattan and not only did we pass over a bridge to get to the FDR, it runs under every bridge between Manhattan and Brooklyn/Queens from 113th Street south. Check the google map -- there are probably 20 of them, all told.
Not to mention that every time I've been to NYC -- and this time is certainly not excluded -- all of the bridges seem to be under some kind of repair.
No one seems to know what happened in Minneapolis.. whether it was the repair, whether it was as stress cracks, the deicing system installed several years ago, whatever; but it makes you think. I'd always been a "no-fear" bridge guy -- I did the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Walk, even -- but I thought twice passing under all of the bridges on the FDR.
Of course, chances are the guy driving the black car was going to kill me long before any crappy NYC bridge fell on my head... but there it is.
Much electronic ink has been spilled over the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. Fortunately, to the best of my knowledge, no one I know was on the bridge or around it when it happened. It's kind of disconcerting to see the bridge in the river, knowing that I have been over that thing probably 500 times in my life. I was in San Francisco when it happened, driving out to our new house in Oakley, and they broke into the radio newscast to announce that it'd happened.
This week, I'm in New York City. We stay in downtown, not far from Ground Zero, because the bank's offices are on Wall Street. One of the ways to coming into Manhattan from LaGuardia Airport is via the FDR Drive.. of course, Manhattan is an island, and how do you get onto islands? Bridges. The FDR runs along the eastern shore of Manhattan and not only did we pass over a bridge to get to the FDR, it runs under every bridge between Manhattan and Brooklyn/Queens from 113th Street south. Check the google map -- there are probably 20 of them, all told.
Not to mention that every time I've been to NYC -- and this time is certainly not excluded -- all of the bridges seem to be under some kind of repair.
No one seems to know what happened in Minneapolis.. whether it was the repair, whether it was as stress cracks, the deicing system installed several years ago, whatever; but it makes you think. I'd always been a "no-fear" bridge guy -- I did the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Walk, even -- but I thought twice passing under all of the bridges on the FDR.
Of course, chances are the guy driving the black car was going to kill me long before any crappy NYC bridge fell on my head... but there it is.
Friday, July 13, 2007
The big news...
Well, the story can now be told.
Today was my last day at ABN AMRO Bank. I've been offered -- and have accepted -- a job in San Francisco. The new company is going to move the whole family out there. I start in San Francisco on July 30th, with everyone coming sometime in the first week of September (give or take.)
In true Inter-tubes style, here's a FAQ:
Q. Why San Francisco?
A. That's where the new bank wants me. It was either that, or New York. Those who know me know I have no love for the Center of the Universe.
Q. Won't you slide off the earth when the Big One hits?
A. We'll be living in East Bay, past the San Andreas Fault. If I'm at work, yes. If I'm at home, probably not; although our place may or may not become beachfront property.
Q. Just how far away from San Francisco do you need to live if you want to avoid paying $2 million for a 700 square foot studio condominium?
A. Sacramento. No, really. Well, almost; eastern Contra Costa County. It's about 50 miles from San Francisco by car.
Q. Hell of a commute, no?
A. Thanks to the wonders of CTA and Metra (Hi, Lunt Bus!) my place -- a whopping nine miles from my office now -- is 75 minutes to work. Out there, it's about 80. A rounding error!
Q. What are you doing for the next two weeks, since you're not going to work?
A. Thanks to the bank's policy of asking people to leave when they resign, if they're going to the competition, taking a two-week paid vacation!
Q. Do you have new phone numbers/new email/new addresses?
A. No. No. No. We will in September.
Q. Will you update your blog more frequently?
A. Probably. I've been on embargo for a while, what with the negotiations and such; it's pretty much all that's been going on in my life for quite some time. Now that I've resigned, and I don't need to keep that particular secret any more...
Q. You're not renting a U-Haul to drive to San Francisco, are you?
A. Nope. The bank has hired this guy to take care of it.
Image ganked from I Can Has Cheezburger?
Today was my last day at ABN AMRO Bank. I've been offered -- and have accepted -- a job in San Francisco. The new company is going to move the whole family out there. I start in San Francisco on July 30th, with everyone coming sometime in the first week of September (give or take.)
In true Inter-tubes style, here's a FAQ:
Q. Why San Francisco?
A. That's where the new bank wants me. It was either that, or New York. Those who know me know I have no love for the Center of the Universe.
Q. Won't you slide off the earth when the Big One hits?
A. We'll be living in East Bay, past the San Andreas Fault. If I'm at work, yes. If I'm at home, probably not; although our place may or may not become beachfront property.
Q. Just how far away from San Francisco do you need to live if you want to avoid paying $2 million for a 700 square foot studio condominium?
A. Sacramento. No, really. Well, almost; eastern Contra Costa County. It's about 50 miles from San Francisco by car.
Q. Hell of a commute, no?
A. Thanks to the wonders of CTA and Metra (Hi, Lunt Bus!) my place -- a whopping nine miles from my office now -- is 75 minutes to work. Out there, it's about 80. A rounding error!
Q. What are you doing for the next two weeks, since you're not going to work?
A. Thanks to the bank's policy of asking people to leave when they resign, if they're going to the competition, taking a two-week paid vacation!
Q. Do you have new phone numbers/new email/new addresses?
A. No. No. No. We will in September.
Q. Will you update your blog more frequently?
A. Probably. I've been on embargo for a while, what with the negotiations and such; it's pretty much all that's been going on in my life for quite some time. Now that I've resigned, and I don't need to keep that particular secret any more...
Q. You're not renting a U-Haul to drive to San Francisco, are you?
A. Nope. The bank has hired this guy to take care of it.
Image ganked from I Can Has Cheezburger?Monday, July 2, 2007
Identify the city.
Aw, crap, what am I getting myself in to? They need signs for this?There's a 95% chance of some big changes coming up here soon... I will post more about it once I get some arrangements made.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)