Outside the dugout: What's cooking?

Brisket was quicker than I expected. Wrapped in parchment around 1:00 and put back on and recently pulled and wrapped in foil to rest. I expected to pull it 1.5 hours later than I did. Good thing I checked early.

The smell is divine in the kitchen.

Black-eyed peas, vinegar slaw, and Sierra Nevada pale ale as sides.

 

Going to support a local restaurant with take-out tonight.

And the very thickest part of the brisket last night could have used a little more time (not much!) and I have saved that and will find a way to fix it. The thinner parts were incredible.

 

Maybe I should start a new thread called What Are You Drinking?

@74nole is drinking longnecks.

I was tasked with making margaritas this evening but I don't have my favorite (within price point) tequila for margaritas: Espolon blanco. Don Julio blanco is killer but really pricey. My wife could only find the repasado version of Espolon yesterday on the way home. It will make a decent margaritia but will not be as clean.

Here is my recipe for margaritas:

Juice one lime for two.

Add simple syrup depending on how tart the lime is. Very little if juicy and not very tart and a bit more if really tart. This is where the art is.

Add Cointreau in equal proportions to the liquid already made with the lime juice and the simple syrup. If on the cheap you can use triple sec instead, but it is better with Cointreau.

Add 100% agave tequila in equal proportions to what is already mixed.

It will make a better margarita than almost everywhere you have had one.

 

Beer can chicken tonight with a twist: freshly made pesto rubbed under the skin. Using my old Ducane gas grill for this because smoke is not a good thing with this preparation and I don't want to heat up the house with the oven.

 

Clean out the fridge night.

 

Speaking of "What Are You Drinking?" I will be hosting an online cocktail hour with my siblings tomorrow and the husband of my older sister that died almost six years ago. Brian was my older sister's husband and it was his idea. All my siblings have bought in.

I had better prepare dinner early or plan on something simple and quick.

 

Spent a good part of the day "making sawdust" for a new spice rack for the pantry. The frame is cut, glued, and clamped. I will just need to install the back (plywood that will sit in a rabbet) and some sort of detail on the front that will give a lip to each shelf. I haven't made a final decision on how I will do that.

Grilling some steaks later today.

 

The steaks were t-bone and tasty. Lots of extra meat left over.

 

All that rain will keep the wild fires away for a while.

 

Medium thick pork chops tonight. Going the skillet route with them. Not quite thick enough to get the KJ treatment. Chopped collards as the side. Made a huge batch of caraway pickles today that will be ready tomorrow.

 

Life is always good in the Gator Nation.

Being a Gator is always a great thing.

 

Brats tonight.

Made tomato sauce today (San Marzano tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, sugar, salt, fresh basil at the end) to use in making oxtail ragu tomorrow. That will set up overnight to be served on Thursday. Hoping to find some bucatini, but do have some rigatoni as a backup.