We had an 8 am delivery appointment here in Taft Texas at this new wind farm site. Its a wind site, so out come the hard hats and safety vests.
Generally with the wind farms, they are almost always verrrrrry slow and think nothing at all about having us wait all day to get unloaded. Right now we would settle for just having to wait all day.
At noon, we finally get the heads up that we won't be unloaded today, its a slim chance for tomorrow, they are hoping for Wednesday. Imagine if you would, a sandy flat open field, and all you can see for miles are plowed furrows (I'm thinking cotton) huge silos and some construction equipment. We are miles from anything and the wind is coming off the gulf at 30 miles an hour non-stop. We might as well be parked inside a wind tunnel. There is a high wind weather warning for today, with a possibility of storms for Tuesday and Wednesday. One good thing, our truck will probably be more aerodynamic after the sand blasting its enduring. The sand has magical properties and is able to manifest itself all over the inside of the truck, covering everything with a fine layer of grit. The wind is buffeting us like a ship at sea, and the ceaseless roar of the wind grates on ones nerves.
Its not going to be a good day, no matter how you look at it. Time really is money in this industry, and its not doing us a bit of good to sit here idle. We are waiting back to hear if and how much detention pay we will recieve. Meanwhile there is a laundromat, or, as they call them in Texas, a washateria, right down the road, so we will get that done later.
Our mission yesterday was to find some ‘que……..its almost a sin to be in texas and not have ‘que. I think that’s the problem with the northeast…….there just aint enough 'que. You will find some of the best BBQ at these little roadside restaurants with a pit, smoking in the back all day.
You can smell it for a mile, and if it doesn't make your mouth water, you need to be a vegetarian. God bless Texas.
We were finally able to find a real honest to goodness Texas roadside 'que right next to a small truck stop. It was called Hinze's and it was located on Highway 59 near Wharton, TX.
We were a little disappointed, the portions were small for the price. Joe had ribs and brisket and I had chicken breast. Although not as tasty as some 'ques we've had in the past, the meat was moist and not dried out. Texas 'que differs from some other 'ques in that its smoked with a dry rub. The sauce (served on the side in little paper dixie cups) was reminiscent of chili. The sides were great though, the macaroni salad, baked beans and cole slaw were awesome. I think we are just spoiled from that great 'que we had in Brady last summer.
Yesterday we were more than a little surprised to see a rather large black bear laying on the side of the road. There is a town in southern Louisiana that has bear crossing signs, but we just never thought of Louisiana and Texas as a place with a large black bear population.
While we are on the subject of barbeque, here are some recipes to get your taste buds hoppin'
Joe’s Favorite: (If you sadly don’t live within driving distance of a Famous Dave’s , then you need to move close to one. Until then, you can order your very own sauce direct from Famous Dave’s here: http://famousbbq.com/)
They also cater, so holler at ‘em the next time its your turn to have folks over for the game.
Famous Dave's Jumpin', Juken' & Jiven All Day Beef Brisket and Secret Moppin' Sauce
Chef Famous Dave Anderson
Secret Moppin' Sauce:
3 (20 ounce) bottles Famous Dave's BBQ sauce
2 quarts water
1 cup beef stock base
1/4 cup Kahlua
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
Beef:
Whole brisket
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
1/2 cup Rib Rub
Sauce: Combine all ingredients in stockpot and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Yield: 1 gallon.
Beef: Ask butcher to remove most of the fat from a whole brisket, leaving only 1/4 inch to help preserve the juiciness during the cooking process. Have butcher separate brisket into two muscles, the flat and the point. Hand rub each brisket with garlic and Rib Rub. Start the smoking process! Smoke briskets for a minimum of 8 hours, keeping the temperature from 180 to 200 degrees F.
After 4 hours, start mopping with sauce every hour. After 8 hours, briskets should be almost black. This blend of smoke, rib rub and sauce forms a crunchy exterior called 'bark.' To ensure brisket turns out tasty and tender, wrap each brisket in a double layer of aluminum foil and pour 2 cups of Moppin' Sauce over brisket. Seal foil tightly and return to grill at 200 degrees F for 3 hours.
Remove briskets from aluminum foil and cool down. Once cool, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Next day, re-smoke over indirect heat at 225 to 235 degrees F for 2 to 3 hours or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing. Slice just before serving to preserve juiciness. Save the 'burnt ends' for yourself, they're the best part!
Servings: 12 to 16
Famous Dave's Country Roast Chicken
Roast Chicken Seasoning:
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup paprika
1/2 cup lemon pepper
1/2 cup Mrs. Dash original blend
Mix all ingredients. Store in a covered container.
Roast Chicken:
1 (6 pound) roasting chicken
2 (16 ounce) bottles Italian dressing
1 (8 ounce) bottle lemon juice
1/3 cup Roast Chicken Seasoning
Place the chicken in a 2-gallon sealable plastic bag. Pour a mixture of the Italian dressing and lemon juice over chicken, turning to coat. Marinate in refrigerator for 3 hours, turning every 30 minutes.
Remove chicken from bag and drain. Season generously with 1/3 cup Roast Chicken Seasoning. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Arrange chicken on a rack in a baking pan. Tent loosely with foil. Bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until a meat thermometer registers 170 to 180 degrees F, removing the tent 20 minutes before the end of baking process. Let stand for 10 minutes before carving.
Yields 6 to 8 servings.
Makes me wish we brought our little propane camp grill with us. sniff.
Posts
