My sailboat.

Right!.... I think I remember you've already posted pictures of it. In the photography thread, isn't it?

 

Yes, that is correct. We are now on day three on our 5 day Autumn vacation. We try to take one week each Autumn. It is off season, and not so many idiots at sea. Most of them have a little brain and big wallet.

 

@GopherT, is this better?

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@GopherT, is this better?

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The Octoberfest has changed since it first came out. Sam Adams used to make good beer. Now they just make a lot of beer.

I have not tried the Kraftig. It is only available in St Louis, Mo and parts of Texas right now. It seems like it will be a mainstream lager - what did you think if it?

 

... what did you think if it?

I'd say it's a good, commercial-grade lager beer... I'm more into craft-quality beer, though... and yes, Sam Adams has lowered its quality a bit, but it's still a pretty good beer.

 

This definitely qualifies in my Excellent Craft category.

 

Getting ready to smoke some salmon... I'll tell you later how it went.

 

Everything went a-ok!

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A perfect day for red wine marinated babyback ribs

 

I've got some bottles of Inkberry right behind me in my wine rack!

But anyway I'm of a mind to get a plane ticket to your place ASAP.

Here in northern Illinois, we had a hard freeze last night. I rushed out yesterday to harvest everything I could from the garden, including the mint (which would probably survive the freeze). Today I'm processing it all to make crème de menthe. The mint grows like an invasive weed, and this year's harvest is enough for 7L !! Since you need only a tablespoon or so to make a drink, that's a LOT of grasshoppers. I'll be giving most away as Christmas presents.

The photos don't convey how much work it is to pick, clean, drain and de-stem all that mint!

 

This was the result, btw, of last night bbq... the pic came out a little dark, so I had to enhance its colors a bit. The rib's texture came out perfect.

 

In San Miguel de Allende (one of the world's top tourist destinations, btw)
Grasshopper tacos and guac... for your enjoyment

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I hate you guys...you are always showing mouth watering stuff.

 

Here's one of my favorites - milk braised pork roast. Just had some leftovers of this bad boy for lunch.

 

Here's one of my favorites - milk braised pork roast. Just had some leftovers of this bad boy for lunch.

Now you've made me prematurely hungry...

 

Yeah, I love that one. Very easy, cheap, and yet delicious. Great "comfort food" for a chilly day.

 

Yeah, I love that one. Very easy, cheap, and yet delicious. Great "comfort food" for a chilly day.

I'm waiting until the real cold weather arrives (down here, at least) to post one of my most precious recipes.... so stay tuned!

 

So I went up the mountains (and away from the city) last weekend, and stayed at my brother's cabin in the woods for a couple of nights. The place is more than 3,000m (almost 10,000 ft) above sea level and although the air is too thin for my poor lungs, the sky is of a spectacular deep clear blue color at noon. Unfortunately, it rained the first two days and when on the third day the sun finally came out in a beautiful sunrise, it was our time to come back home.




Anyway, we grilled yet another tri-tip piece of beef in a gas grill (the use of lumber and charcoal is strictly prohibited in the area, to prevent accidental wildfires) but when we took it out it was too red in the inside, although the cut had shrunk considerably. In the end, we had to slice the piece into thick slabs and re-cook them until they were properly done. And although the result was certainly not a disaster, it was a little disappointing since our expectations were maybe a little too high (no pun intended).




My theory is that, since at that altitude water boils at a lower temperature (about 89°C,.or 192°F) food takes longer to be cooked properly, and in the process it also dehydrates more than usual.

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Anyone here ever experienced this sort of phenomena?


And BTW, my brother in law baked two apple pies (his own recipe) using freshly picked apples that we had gathered directly from a tree a couple of hours before, and I simply have no words to describe the taste and smell of the miracle that he pulled out of the oven... but here's an image for your own delight.

 

I believe your theory is correct. That is why I always use a thermometer to verify the internal temp of the items on the grill or in the smoker.

 

I believe your theory is correct. That is why I always use a thermometer to verify the internal temp of the items on the grill or in the smoker.

The big Q here, then is, how exactly can one prepare a tri-tip cut (or any other thick piece of meat) at high altitudes (without resourcing to a pressure cooker, of course)?
My first guess would be to first seal it's surface with charring heat, and then to generously smother it with olive oil (seasoned, if you like) and wrap it in aluminum... that way the juices would tend to stay in the cut, instead of rapidly evaporating.... what do you think?