Quiet on the home front

Pretty quiet around Poverty Flats this morning . The girls, Kelsey and Hurricane Hailey, are still asleep and Granny is way off up north near the Arctic Circle in a place called Fairfax MO. About all that can be heard is the sound of thunder and rain. (of course, what else ?)

I began this day early (5 AM) by firing up the smoker and starting to cook the BBQ that Texas BBQ and Beans is so very good at. Today we are doing 10 pork butts and 2 beef shoulder clods. That is about 110 lbs. of meat. Not a particularly big order but enough to keep me busy. When we get really busy, and load it heavy we can do around 400 lbs. We really need to think about adding a much bigger smoke, I guess.

I can hardly wait until the shoulder clod is done. You would think that cooking it all the time, a person would get tired of BBQ, but folks, it just ain't so !!!!!! Imagine if you will, the great flavor of a BBQ 'd brisket, then add the flavor and juciness of a chuck roast. Combine that with the tenderness of prime rib, and you are getting close. I guess , if you have never had the joy of tasting beef shoulder, BBQ'd as it is done South Texas style you will just have to try it at the first opportunity.

Speaking of opportunity, we will be a Noel MO. for the 4th of July holiday. We will be set up in the Harp's grocery store parking lot July 3rd - 4th- 5th. This is about 1 block from the Elk River . Canoeing and floating the river sure works up an appetite ( for BBQ ) We will serve our own Pulled Pork, BBQ Beef and of course the Ranch Beans that are a full meal in a bowl. WOW !!!! You just can't beat that !!
Well, I've done gone and made myself hungry so I'm going to go have breakfast. I think the girls are awake now anyway.
Until next timeas always , Via Con Dios DM Pitmaster at Texas BBQ and Beans

Just Rambling

Sitting here in the early morning quiet, hot coffee in hand, my thoughts again begin to ramble.
In a time far removed, this great land we live in and call home was vast and uncivilized. Or at least as we know it today. It was populated by many different "tribes" of people who by today's standards were savage, heathen, uncivilized , etc.
For the most part, they had no organized form of government as we know it. Therefore there was no taxes, there was no government bureaucracy, and certainly no election campaigning every couple of years to fill the TV time. In fact, there were no TV's, so no commercials with all their mindless drivel to tell us and our children what we just can't live without. Believe it or not, the children actually survived, without it !!!! And HEY, folks, there were no soap operas, and no bare butts for all to see on the screen. And guess what ??? No divorce court, no people's court, there weren't even any lawyers !! Can you imagine that !! A day without Judge Judy ??
There was no known so-called 'social diseases', no abortions , or medical malpractice. No water and air polution. And I'm fairly certain they had no traffic jams and no one to run stoplights.
No light bills to pay , and no gas shortages.
Then, the great wave of people, the civilized world , began to discover this great land and began to come by the multitudes. They landed, took a look around, and said " We will make this a better place !!!!" And the rest is history !
I for one, am proud , as is my wife, to be descended from these people who first inhabited this great land , these "savage heathen people" who have contributed so much to America.

Well, enough of that. See what happens when Granny allows me to play with the computer all by myself ? Have a great day !! Via Con Dios DM - pitmaster , Texas BBQ & Beans

How time flys

I've heard it said that time flys when we are having fun. I guess that is so in most instances . For example, here we are at the end of another long week of holding things together. The Wolf is knocking at the front door, the Banker is at the back door, and the IRS is watching all the windows. The rabbits have ate most of our bean patch and the birds, after visiting the mulberry tree, are leaving purple patches all over our car and pick-up. The grass is growing so fast that it has to be mowed every week . My yard tractor is old and crotchity and burns about $10.00 in gas everytime I mow. We got a thank you letter from IRS telling us our Economic Stimulus check just about covered last years taxes. Our roof has a leak, our floor has a crack, and the bathroom sink is not draining very well. My arthritic back is killing me, and my dog has fleas. BUT...............!!!!!!! time sure is going fast so we MUST be having fun.
Soon we will get back to talking about BBQ but til then we'll just keep on having fun. Via Con Dios DM Pitmaster - Texas BBQ & Beans

Diamonds in the rough

I'm reminded for some odd reason, of a song the late John Denver sang. "Some days are diamonds, some days are stone. Sometime the hard times just won't leave me alone." Some days really are like that I guess. I think maybe that the bad days are really good in a way, because they teach us to toughen up. If everyday was "Diamonds" we would get so used to it that when a bad one came along,( and they most certainly will ) we would be grossly unprepared to handle it. I would love to wake up every morning and start my day by saying " Good morning, LORD !! " But in fact, lots of mornings it is rather," Good lord, morning ??" I think maybe if we can just manage to keep the two of then balanced, enough bad to keep us humble and enough good to keep us going, we can get through this life in pretty good shape. GOD created this world we live in and has given each of us the privilege of living in it. I guess we can at least give it our best shot. I think that as this day finally draws to a close, I will lay all my burdens and cares, problems and pain at the foot of the cross, trust it all to the Savior's hands, and go to bed. Tomorrow promises to be DIAMONDS.
And you probibly thought I was just going to talk about BBQ tonight. Oh well, you've been wrong before.
Via Con Dios DM

GREAT FATHERS DAY

Fathers Day has come and gone at Poverytflats. All and all it was a great day. Got lots of cards , phone call, gifts and Lots of little girl hugs from grand daughters. This is what happens when you have lots of kids. Some like you , some don't but the trick is to have enough to ballance it all out.
Things are still busy at Povertyflats ! This never changes EVER!! When things slow down around here it gets scary. I guess being busy is better than being bored tho. The weather around here is not boring tho it will change with every hour it seems. It has rained it seems forever and the yard is so soggy it is like walking on a giant sponge.
The up side to all this is the garden is growing great if you can keep the bunnies out of the beans. That is a real chore unless you enjoy eating bunny. Have already harvested onions, squash, strawberries and raspberies. Beans are almost ready to pick a and tomato's are coming on strong. Will start picking them within 2 weeks.
We have had one weekend off from B-B-Qing but will begin again next week and will stay busy with that the rest of the summer and fall. More news on that later.
Till next time as always Via Con Dios DM

Same Old Stuff

Well, not much new here at Poverty Flats this week. More rain, and then more rain. The sun is shinning bright today, but the forcast for tomorrow is , of course, more rain. I don't think it will ever dry out around here.
This is the first weekend in over a month that we have not been somewhere selling BBQ. We like to do BBQ but a weekend of rest is needed ever so often. But, never fear, we will be busy again starting next weekend.
We will have to start cooking again the later part of this week. Will probably add some brisket to the menu this time. We have been featuring pulled pork at most of the events so far, but are starting to get more calls for brisket now so will do our best to supply the demand.
Our BBQ brisket, like our pulled pork, is second to none. It is dry rubbed with our own rub recipe then marinated overnight in refrigeration. After that, it goes into the smoker for about 18 hr. of slow steady wood smoke. When it comes out, it can literally be cut with a paper knife !! Tender, juicy, spicy, and oh so good !!!!! Makes me hungry just talking about it.
Another planned addition to the menu is an item I picked up from down in the South Texas area years ago. I used to stop and visit with an old fellow who sold some of the world's best BBQ from a little mobile stand on the outskirts of Houston. Beef clod, or shoulder clod, is the entire beef shoulder. This is the area from which we get chuck steaks, chuck roast, ground chuck, etc.
The whole shouler is placed in the smoker, and when it comes out, is nothing short of world-class BBQ. It yields both sliced and chopped BBQ , depending on personal preference.
Well, I have some serious loafing to get done today so better get started so I can try to get it all done. May GOD bless you real good today. VIA CON DIOS DM Pitmaster at Texas BBQ and Beans