CathyL

It was favorably reviewed in the NY Post yesterday. Click.

I like mine very much although I use the large one just for slow-cooking; for grilling I get much better results on the small Egg. (I'm in the minority among Eggers here - most of them rave about steaks etc.) Pizza is the exception; it comes out tasting like the best brick-oven examples. A friend uses his to cook nan. Yes, they're expensive (more so now than when I bought mine 5 years ago) but durable, fuel-efficient and easy to control. The heavy ceramic retains heat well, which makes this cooker less sensitive to outdoor temps than metal cookers. It also delivers a great range of cooking temps, from 200 to 1000. The firebox is prone to cracking - mine is actually in two pieces - but that hasn't affected its cooking performance. People have found them for sale on eBay, by the way.

I made this last year (found it in Fine Cooking) and thought it was an excellent foil to all the richness on the table: Warm Salad of Autumn Greens with Plum Vinaigrette A traditional side for us is several varieties of little potatoes, roasted with whole peeled shallots and baby carrots.

But..... he's not on the list..... unless he's somebody's Beau. Oh, I thought Tommy was on every list, by virtue of his Tommyness.

Jason, I believe Nina has a prior claim on salamis...

Not exclusively for your consumption, Tommy.

Okay, here's the official announcement: I'm pleased to be hosting this get-together, and my reasonably well-equipped kitchen is available as needed - limited by space, of course. We can figure all that out as we coordinate who's bringing what. Please let me know if you want to cook something so we can make sure the in-house batterie de cuisine is up to it. How should we do beverages? I'll volunteer a few different bottles of NZ Sauvignon Blanc.

ChocoChris, I know there's a mint-topped brownie in one of Maida Heatter's books. I'll check this evening, and if there is I'm happy to scan & e-mail it to you. Suvir dear, on another thread recently I claimed to be a goddess...so I'm actually less than I make myself out to be.

Dave, here's a link. This is a generation newer than the one I've heard is unreliable, so maybe they fixed the bugs.

Nina, I'd love to go (now that you've introduced me to Queens). Mondays are usually fine for me, but I can do Tuesday or Thursday too. Pick a date! And yes, MartyL, the 2001 German Rieslings are excellent. Cool idea.

Dave, I have a Remote Check wireless thermometer with two probes. It works...sorta. Every now and then the remote unit loses the signal and flatlines; sometimes it resynchs on its own, sometimes it doesn't. And for reasons unknown, the remote won't work when it sits on the bedside table - which is, of course, where it's most useful. Still, it's worth having if it eliminates even one wee-hours slog outside to see what's going on at the smoker. There's another product from Nu-Temp that includes a low-temp alarm but apparently this one is even less reliable than the Remote Check.

Define 'invent.' And if you saw the dust bunnies under my couch, you'd know I'm no homemaker.

Not that I recall, but inventing brownie recipes doesn't seem at odds with being a homemaker.

Judith Beasley was one of Lily Tomlin's characters - a not-so-happy homemaker. [Why do I remember this kind of stuff???]

The names for meat cuts aren't very well standardized. In most parts of the country, 'shoulder' comprises the butt (upper part) and picnic (lower part) of the front leg. In Manhattan, even the specialty pork butchers don't always know what I'm asking for. The last time I asked for a pork butt to smoke, the guy said I should buy a LOIN because it was more tender! Country ribs aren't invariably cut from the shoulder; they may be from the larger end of the loin, in which case they're a bit leaner and quicker cooking than the shoulder variety. As much as I love brisket, pulled pork is my favorite. Especially the crunchy bark, yum. I've read that trichinae have been found in bear meat fairly recently.

Dave, the Big Windup was worth the wait - wonderful story! And brisket good enough to eat sauceless is a major accomplishment. Pork butt is a breeze, by comparison.

Grant, that's terrific! Try a pork butt or shoulder some time - the combination of slow-cooked pig and hickory is fantastic. A little smoke is also nice with leg of lamb and roast beef...

This serial business is unbearably suspenseful. So, what was the audience reaction?

YAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY DAVE!!!!

Nina, I'll bring white wine - maybe a Gewurtztraminer.

But not yet Texas, eh? (Keeping in mind the original request, I mean.) The southwestern parts of Memphis & KC.

Dave, two hours past 170 may be done or may be not. Please be prepared to leave it languishing in the oven longer, until it's fork tender. If the meat's internal temp should stall out before 170 and want to stay there for a while, be cheered - the collagen is doing its work. Congratulations on what is shaping up to be a very successful project, with a requisite dose of drama, and please do let us know the results, especially with your kids. How are you planning to serve it? And doesn't the house smell incredible?

Post-dog, we had a rat (eeeeeeuuuuuuuwwwww) in the house. I set out a big-ass spring trap baited with cheese. One night we were downstairs watching the news and heard a loud THUMP THUMP from upstairs. I ran up and found a water rat the size of Tommy's kittens with its tail caught in the trap. It was scrambling to squeeze through a crack in the molding, trying to shake off the trap in the process. My husband decided it was a good time to hunt for solutions in a hall closet. I picked up the pizzelle iron, wrapped the business end in a plastic trash bag, and neatly, quickly, numbly brought it down on the rat's neck. Then I unwrapped the trash bag to enclose the dead rat, of which I disposed. Then I had a shot of Laphroiag.

It's definitely time for a beer. Don't flip the brisket over. At some point you may want to rotate it, so that the end farthest from the fire is now closest. And don't waste beer or other flavored liquids in the water pan - they won't contribute any flavor to the meat. I also respectfully disagree with Col. Klink that the water pan keeps the meat moist; in a vented cooker, the steam adds only a negligible amount of moisture to the air. Also, be careful about overdoing the smoke. Great plumes could mean creosote, and that's not a taste you want with brisket. Keep the reports comin'.