CathyL

Mr. Goodbar. Hannibal Lecter.

Dammit, Macrosan, why must you confound my limited decision-making abilities? I was dead set on the Connaught for our upcoming trip, but now I'm thinking we should revisit RHR instead.

Were they finger limes? Click. I encountered these in NZ a few years ago.

Epoisses and Madiran. Our own Robert Nesta Marley is a brilliant wine/cheese pairer...

Add Ronni Lundy's From Butterbeans to Blackberries.

Ham hocks, bacon, lard, leftover smoked shoulder, frankfurters or sausages. Just guessing.

In my zip code, it's $22.45. Still a damn good price. Just do it, Jen.

The FAQ site =Mark mentioned suggests some modifications to improve the ECB's performance and ease of use. Click. You think that's a funny-looking green cooker? You should see mine.

Like shmoos.

Welcome to the ranks of the informed. Go fish.

Fergus, thanks for joining us. I am eagerly anticipating my first visit to St. John next month. Do you feel that your success has helped spread the nose-to-tail gospel among other professional chefs and home cooks? Do your suppliers report increased demand for produce and protein that emphasize flavor over convenience? And do UK consumers seem more open to eating/cooking all the glories categorized as 'offal'?

Brewed Lipton's on ice with a LOT of sugar (or simple syrup) added. Among most of my Suthrun pals, 'sweet tea' is redundant; they wouldn't drink the stuff any other way.

I'd rather drink beer with pulled pork but I have some misguided friends who insist on wine.

Something with lots of fruit and soft tannins. Australian Shiraz/Cabernets are great; Pinot Noir are nice too. Lately I've been leaning toward Tempranillos and Portuguese Daos. Zins are good if they're not too huge. On the other hand, I once served a Coturri Zin with brisket. It was fabulous, but everyone was flattened the next day. I had a Weinert Carrascal recently with lightly smoked leg of lamb. Nice match.

That's what I tell all the girls. Wilfrid dear, I think your thong is too tight.

In part, it depends on the cook. To keep the center temp in the plateau range, I usually have to narrow the air intake vent a time or two. Sometimes I even take the meat off the smoker for a brief rest if things seem to be moving too fast. Without tweaking, a plateau can last anywhere from 3 to 6 hours, so the slow rise you experienced isn't unusual. Still, every piece of protein has its own personality and timetable. One of the best briskets I ever did was a turbo model that zoomed through the plateau in 2 hours.

Dave the Cook's so dreamy.

Cheap white buns. Coleslaw - mine is dressed with sour cream, mayo, mustard, vinegar and a bit of garlic. For pulled pork, I prefer a thinnish Lexington NC-style sauce (vinegar, a little ketchup, Worcestershire, spices). In tomato season, a big platter of several varieties, sliced and lightly dressed. 'Thrill of the Grill' has a terrific black bean salad that's a nice accompaniment to brisket. Toby's cornbread. Dinosaur BBQ is now packaging the meat too...I haven't mustered the nerve to try it yet.

Superb report, lxt. You captured JG's "language" of flavor perfectly. Sorry to hear the desserts are still not up to the caliber of the other dishes.

I like 'em, but it takes a lot of fiddly work to clean away all the brown foresty stuff. Which may be why you think they taste like pond scum, FG.

Me too. Somewhere, Belly is smiling.

Sounds like a plan. Shoulders are great for a neophyte smoking experience: fatty enough to be forgiving of temperature spikes/dips, glorious aroma while cooking (mmmmm, hickory), and time-consuming enough to accommodate a lot of beer-consuming.

If you want to cook over live coals, any smoker will have a learning curve; that's part of the fun! Start out with an inexpensive cooker, gain some confidence with temp control and then upgrade to more serious equipment after you get hooked.

All is forgiven, my child. But watch it. Jen, beer can chicken is tasty, but the can is unstable and might tip over. Better (although less picturesque) are ceramic "chicken sitters" to which you add beer and spices. I ordered mine here.

Sigh. Do I have to say it, D the C? (Okay, so you beat me to the hinged grill thingy.)