Nottso

Weeping Jebus; I haven't even gotten over Gomez yet and now this?

Here's the beef ribs process I mentioned above. Again, I get no credit for this as it was shared by a guy that manned the pits in a smokehouse whose specialty was beef ribs. Good BBQ doesn't have to be complicated. I'm perfectly willing to follow complex processes when they're warranted, but if I can get great results in a much simpler fashion, that's all the better. Bear in mind, beef ribs are fatty and tough by nature. Following this process allows nearly all of the fat to render and ensures the meat to become moist & tender. You must follow all the steps but thankfully there are only a few. Simple, Foolproof, Smoked Beef Ribs: Prep time: Very little Cook time: 6 hours Smoker Temp: 220 - 230 degrees Wood: Hickory If your smoker has a water pan, use it with water or the fruit juice of your choosing. If using fruit juice, it needs to be 100% juice. 1. Apply a THIN layer of yellow mustard or olive oil to every surface of the ribs. This helps the rub stick to the meat and stay stuck to the meat. 2. Apply a heavy coat of your favorite rub and smoke them for 4 hours with the membrane on*. 3. At the 4 hour mark remove the membrane, cut the ribs apart, give them a good covering of your favorite sauce, place them in a covered foil pan, and put them back in the smoker at the same temperature. During this phase, a LOT more fat is rendered and the closed environment of the covered pan allows the ribs to "steam," which tenderizes the meat to the point of falling off the bone. 4. Remove the ribs from the smoker, sauce them again, and serve. It really is just that simple and your beef ribs will be fall off the bone tender every time. You may wish to experiment with different rubs, different sauces, different wood, and/or different fruit juices to find the flavor profile you like best. * My only deviation from this process is that I remove the membrane first thing, unless it's too stubborn to remove. If it is too stubborn to remove at the beginning, it will be much easier to remove after spending 4 hours in the smoker. The aforementioned smokehouse removed the membrane at the 4 hour mark because it was simpler and they did hundreds of racks per month. I prefer beef short ribs over beef spare ribs as the beef short ribs seem to have substantially more meat on the bone.

My new daily driver is not bugging me in the least. I love this truck. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/DanAuctions4u/Ram%20Barger/s-l1600%201_zpsg0oxhbgg.jpg

Someone mentioned above (may even have been you) about finding different processes as opposed to different recipes. I have a beef ribs process that is as foolproof as it gets. I get no credit as I did not invent this process. I got it from a guy that had been pitmaster in a joint that specialized in beef ribs. He openly shared it with all and was fine with others sharing... as it should be. I do not have it in this computer. I'll have to dig around online and find it again or type it out manually. It's very simple and seriously foolproof. It's the only way I'll even do beef ribs anymore.

I BBQ constantly and very successfully. There are very few "rights" and even fewer "wrongs." If something works for you, stay with it. Your family and friends may not like what my family and friends like and vice-versa. You're cooking for you, not for some people on the Internet. I also use a UDS (Ugly Drum Smoker) that I built myself and it too is nearly "set it and forget it." I use a Maverick ET733 wireless remote thermometer that monitors smoker temp and internal meat temp. Best money I ever spent. The previous model ET732 is a little less money and does pretty much the same things but the ET733 is more user-friendly. One of the most difficult things to master is temperature control, as someone mentioned above. I'm about to make that a whole lot easier for you. Your exhaust should always be wide open. You control the heat via the intakes. Make very small adjustments and wait 15 full minutes before making further adjustments. Otherwise, you start chasing a yo-yo... up, down, up down. NEVER open the lid to lower the heat. It will initially drop, then spike way up due to the huge amount of fresh air you just let in. Start your fire and get your temp stable for a half hour to an hour before adding meat. When you add the meat your temp will drop, then spike up due to air, then drop back to where you had it (or close enough to it that a minor adjustment or two should get you back where you want to be). Google the "Minion method" for laying and lighting your charcoal. It works. Well. Use lump charcoal, not briquettes. It burns much cleaner and produces very little ash. You should have wispy blue smoke coming out of your exhaust. Thick, white smoke is way over-smoking the meat and it will be bitter and not good. Over-smoking is probably the most common mistake made by people BBQing in the back yard. Unless you like it that way. Again, you're cooking for you, not for me or anyone else on the Internet.

Nobody touched Beltre's head in all this??? Meh. Fire 'em all.

Does the law contain language regarding how fast they are allowed to go when driving between cars? Overheat or no overheat, there is no need for them to drive as fast and as carelessly as they do when they speed between cars. I understand the reward for being fuel efficient argument, but at what cost? In my opinion, these riders are taking great risks with the manner in which they pass between cars and I think I would have more sympathy for the driver that accidentally strays a foot off course and causes serious injury or worse to a speeding motorcyclist that I would for the rider of the motorcycle. The practice is known as "lane splitting" and the CA law technically only allows it at speeds below 5, 10, or 15 mph (I can't remember which one exactly, but I'm leaning towards 15). Unfortunately, many CA riders seem to think the law gives them carte blanche. I'm very much opposed to it ever being allowed here. I've heard all the arguments from those that want it to become legal here and/or in all 50 states but I just can't get behind it. I've been riding since I was 9 years old and I spent a lot of years in various types of racing. I only wear a helmet when and where required. If traffic is at a standstill I'll take the shoulder. I've been known at times to violate a traffic law or two. The point is, I'm about as far from a "Safety Nazi" as a human could possibly be; but when it comes to lane splitting, count me out.

I'm still distraught over Gomez.

Thanks, fellas.

Thanks, Nate. "The boy" as we call him is 6'-2" with a 36" inseam.

My daughter in law would like to buy tickets to the Bulls at the Bucks in January. I was trying to help her buy tickets online but don't understand the seating chart. Is there no "Level 3" in that building? All we see is levels 1,2 & 4. Her budget is limited, and what it shows as available in her budget are either on level 2 but behind either basket, or just about anywhere on level 4. Which is better for watching a basketball game? level 2 behind the basket or level 4, center court? Also, is there a place to buy tickets that's better than buying them through the Bucks' website?

Holy Guacamole, I'm not sure "scathing" is a strong enough adjective for that. I'm admittedly not nearly as baseball savvy as most of you, and I tend to buck the trends, at least internally. For instance, I really rooted for Yuni B, just because he was so horribly hated. Or the fact that I was watching Seattle circle the drain with a bit of satisfaction just because Jack Z was elevated to nearly "Scouting Jesus" status in so many circles (I'm not proud of it). I was already pretty sure that I didn't want any part of Jack Z back in Milwaukee, but this article really cements it. After reading this, if he comes back here, I may just lose what's left of my mind. It makes the dent in my head hurt.

I would love to see 9 guys just like Carlos playing against 9 more guys just like him. I don't think there would be any extracurricular activities at all because I don't think Carlos means to disrespect anyone. I think he just plays with the passion and the culture with which he was raised. I like to see people having fun at what they do, be it playing baseball, football, or ballroom dancing. And I'm still in mourning.

Dimmer than what?

I'm just sad. Sad, sad, sad, sad, sad. I'm too old and cranky to get all twitched up about sabermetrics, moneyball, fantasy sports or any of that stuff. Gomez was just flat-out fun to watch playing baseball. I loved how much he clearly enjoyed playing the game. Much like Favre's earlier years, Carlos looked like a big, overgrown kid out there just having some fun. Baseball is supposed to be fun. Fun to play and fun to watch. As someone else mentioned, we haven't seen passion like Carlos' since Prince left. And as has also been mentioned I hope the Astros and Cardinals go to the World Series, where Gomez hits a walk off home run in game 7, watches it for 11 seconds, flips his bat, un-tucks his shirt, throws up a "T" in honor of Nyjer Morgan, and yells into the Cardinals' dugout "Let Carpenter tell THAT to his kid!".