Today we are starting a soon to be monthly posting called "Just Dad Things." Here we will ask dads to share about things they are passionate about. So, it could be posts about parenting, home brewing, collecting, hunting, anything really! Our first guest blogger is sharing about his passion for a Texas treasure: a great smoked brisket. Enjoy! Howdy from Texas, My name is Joshua Nix and I have the pleasure of making my inaugural appearance here. I am a Texan and have had the pleasure of living all over this great state. One of my passions is BBQ. Being from Texas (the greatest country state in the world), BBQ is big here. Even though Texans are known for being proud, I am not so proud that I cannot admit that other places have great BBQ too. I love how the BBQ states (Texas, Kansas, Tennessee and the Carolinas) all have their signature meat, sauce and flavor profiles. And while I appreciate all of the flavors and things the other states bring to the proverbial table, only one has my heart... Texas Brisket. I want to give you a glimpse in to my process and share some of my methods. As a disclaimer, I know my brisket isn’t the best brisket anyone has ever made. I struggle to be consistent with the results I get. But trying is half the battle. If in the course of reading this you have a tip or feedback, comment below and let’s chat. Here we go! One of the most crucial parts of the entire process... no, not what kind of wood you use... no, not how you season it... it’s all about picking the brisket. I found an untrimmed 18.7lb monster that had great marbling. I took it home and trimmed the top fat cap to about 1/2 an inch thick and cleaned up the ends a bit. From there I seasoned it with a heavy hit of black pepper and sea salt (large grains) and then wrapped it up and let it sit in the fridge for about 4 hours. Giving the salt 4 hours to penetrate the meat allows it to draw some excess moisture from the surface that can hinder the smoke ring and bark from forming. From there, I pulled it out of the fridge and let it rest on the counter to bring the entire brisket to room temp, or as close as possible. With the brisket ready, it was time to get the firebox ready for the journey. I use a Big Hat BBQ brand Smoker and the model I have the Rio Grande model. It is a 750 lb meat smoking machine. You can check out Big Hat BBQ HERE I use charcoal as a base heat source and from there on out, it’s split logs the whole way. We could have a long discussion about what wood to use, but for me, it is all about Post Oak. It burns consistent, long and imparts great flavor without being brash or to prominent... sorry Mesquite and Hickory. With the coals white, 2 pieces of Post Oak smoking and the meat basically begging to go on, I tenderly placed my brisket on the grate fat side up and felt #Blessed. For my smoker, it takes about 20-30 minutes of the wood burning and the lid closed before I get the “blue smoke”. Blue smoke is the thin, wispy smoke that at times seems to disappear until the sun hits it. That is what I want the entire time. From here, I make sure my temps gets up to 250 and sits like a well-behaved dog. And much like a good dog, I have my smoker trained. The vents are set and dialed in. I place the coals and wood in almost the exact same spot every time and that repetition has given me some predictability. I know that I will need to feed a log or two to the firebox every 2 hours but that is all the babysitting it needs. The next few pictures were taken at the 2 hour increments And there you have it! I will be honest, I didn’t love the look of the final product. The bark wasn’t dark all the way around and it didn’t give me the burnt ends I love so dearly. I had a previous engagement on the day I did this brisket so I took the shortcut and after 9 hours on the smoker, I wrapped it in foil and finished it in the oven. But the flavor…..it was on point. I’ve been smoking and experimenting for 4 years and it might be another 4 before I perfect my craft, but the journey is better than the destination. Prost! If you are interesting in being a guest blogger in "Just Dad Things." head over to the CONTACT page and let us know and we can get you set up!
0 Comments
I think Aquaman has been one of the most underrated titles of Rebirth. Great art. The story line has been intriguing. This issue is kicking off the "Crown of Atlantis" story, and it looks like some political drama is coming our way. To Atlantis! STORY
Like I said before, the story lines in Aquaman have been great since Rebirth. War, sea monsters, terrorist... it has had a little bit of everything. This issue is a good jumping on point. There is some stuff that you might get a little lost on without know all the back story, but still easy to understand. whats going on. Aquaman and Mera are headed back to Atlantis after defeating Dead Water with the Aquamarines. When they return to Atlantis, things are nice and quiet. Too quiet in fact. While in the throne room, they are attacked by Corum Rath, who is the leader of the terrorist group, the Deluge. He has been locked up since his last tussle with with Aquaman. During their fight, there is a lot of talking. Mostly about how much Corum doesn't like Arthur as king and how he is unworthy of the crown. Arthur and Mera wonder how they escaped only to find out that they were released by the royal council. Talk about a punch in the gut for Aquaman. He has been constantly fighting to keep Atlantis safe, and while away, they go behind his back and release the leader of this terrorist group. There was an interesting little cutaway story of Vulko in the Atlantean prison. He is speaking with Kreen, another inmate in the prison. Vulko is was a big player in the New 52 "Throne of Atlantis" story and is going to be played by Willem Defoe in the upcoming Aquaman movie. Vulko thinks something is fishy (ha... fishy) about how the inmates were released and heads off to help Aquaman. The royal council is tired of Arthur trying to unite the surface world with Atlantis. They blame Aquaman for the U.S. even though it was really Black Manta's doing. They still for some reason can't see it that way. So now they are suggesting that Corum become the king of Atlantis. Of course Arthur isn't going to give up the crown without a fight. TAKEAWAY
There is definitely more to Aquaman than talking to fish. Pick this up! -CBD This box came just in time for Mothers Day at our house. This box was ordered for my wife. It is what she wanted. She has never been super into comic books, but has been mildly interested since it is something I care about. However, with the Wonder Woman movie coming out next month, she has been more into at least her character. So, this was a Mothers Day gift we all enjoyed. Here we go... The Wearable
Pin and Patch
Pint Size Hero
The POP! Figures
TAKEAWAY
-CBD Sunday Review time again folks! Today we are talking a little Justice League! Justice League 20 starts a new arc: Endless. I am thinking Hitch likes "ess" words, considering he just finished up Timeless. Did you like Ground Hog's Day starring Bill Murray? Then, boy... do I have the book for you. Here we go! STORY
This story started off as confusing as Timeless left us. The Flash (played by Bill Murray in this issue. JK, but kind not really) is hunched over a dying Jessica Cruz with one arm in the middle of a destroyed building. As she dies, there is a guy in the distance with some sort of glowing weapon. He is pretty sad and says whatever is going on is all of Flash's fault. The Flash runs stop this guy before he activates the weapon and boom, he is back to where he was earlier in the day where he was meeting Jessica for breakfast. I am not going to explain the next few time loops that the Flash goes through, but basically the same outcome happens each time with Jessica dying, this guy sad, and it starting all over again. In one of the loops however, we get a little backstory of the guy with the weapon. His name is Jason and he is going to show off this weapon as the future of humanity. Saying it can harness zero-point energy. Before he can activate it though, the Justice League shows up and says they need to confiscate the weapon. They say this because the Flash has warned them about Cruz's impending death. However, when the Flash gets near the device, it interacts with the speed force and goes off. The explosion kills just about everyone, including Jason's (the sad guy) family. He blames the Flash for their death, and says it is not fair that he has lived while his family has not. So, now, he has started a loop that they all seemed to be stuck in. Right before he shoves the device into the ground, he says "Why should you live when she didn't? When they didn't? When they don't? Why should you? That is not justice. This is..." Then, boom, a huge energy wave blasts across the city. Fin. TAKEAWAY
-CBD Holy Crap. I know I am labeled as “The Marvel Fanboy” around here and some of my people have said that in my eyes, Marvel can do no wrong, but this movie is outstanding. I want to talk spoiler free movie talk with you guys for a few seconds. Maybe after the newness wears off we can really dissect this story and all it entails.
Fair Warning: If you are walking into this theater and expecting a mirror of Volume 1 with tons of explosions and smart ass jokes, you need to be prepared for something a little different. This movie is all about character development. Every character in this film, even baby Groot, has some sort of story path that shows growth, shows backward movement, or just shows more of who they are. This is ComicBookDads, so I know we don’t need to get all sappy and sentimental, but this movie punched me square in the feel box. Be prepared for more story and more character buy in. The performances in this movie, especially that of Kurt Russell are on point. There are some new characters that at times weren’t my favorites but by the end of the movie… and after the FIVE credit scenes… yes FIVE… I understood more of what was to come. While the jokes were majority of the time home runs, and the action was pretty outstanding, this didn’t feel like your typical Marvel movie. This felt like a film that had more than a good vs evil story to it, it was a story about many characters. I guarantee there is one or more of the character story lines that can personally relate to just about anyone that sees it. Beautifully done, for real… a Super Hero movie labeled beautifully done by a guy with a film degree. I think I have seen every MCU movie except maybe one… and after one viewing (more to come on this one) I am ready to say that this is an automatic entry into my top 3, if not the best one. I am Groot. I know if you check out this blog, you probably collect something. Be it Pops, comics, video games, or all of the above.
However, I know there are parts of my personal collection that are off limits to the kiddos. Don't touch Dad's comics! So, we pick something that "we" can collect. For my daughter and me it's Pops and Dorbz. She loves Powerpuff Girls and Teen Titans Go! It was a little hard at first for her to leave them in the box, but now she loves it and is proud to show them off. Don't worry... she has plent of figures she does get to open and play with! So so what about you? What does your family collect? Where do you go to get your collection? Sound off in the comments or reply to us on Twitter and let us know! -CBD |