"How much do you weigh?" my father asked. It was a simple question.
"Honestly, I don't know," I responded. Embarrassingly, I really didn't know the answer.
"Go step on the scale," my father prompted.
We were in the middle of loading everything I owned into the moving truck. I'd just graduated college, and spent the last few months enjoying the summer. But, now it was time for me to move to Greenville, SC to start my first grown-up job.
I walked into the house, and stepped on the scale. It read 225 pounds...
While I've never considered myself to have been in great shape, I'd never been outright fat.
That's me second from the left...with the belly and the nice manboobs
Leah is vegetarian, kind of. She'll eat some fish, and shrimp, but that's it. Usually it's not an issue if we eat out at a restaurant, or even cook at home. But it severely limits our options when it comes to grilling something that both of us will enjoy. I'll grill a delicious piece of animal flesh, and she'll have a veggie burger....yuck.
Nothing like overpriced soy shaped into a burger that is supposed to taste like chicken!
So help me, if our son is a vegetarian, I'm seriously going to have a come apart. Anyways...
Like I said, one of the few things she'll eat is fish, specifically Tilapia. So last weekend, I wanted to cook dinner for her, and had been waiting to use some cedar grilling planks that I had picked up at a local grilling store. Grilling planks are pieces of untreated wood, that you soak beforehand, and cook the meat (usually fish) directly on. As they heat up, they'll smoke lightly and transfer that flavor to the fish. But, because they're soaked, the planks also steam the fish and keep it tender as it's being cooked.
For this recipe, I soaked my cedar planks in some cheap white wine. You can also use beer, or water. The tilapia was seasoned with a sample of Dizzy Pig's Swamp Venom rub.
The corn was boiled for a half hour and then seasoned with Tony Chachere's. We haven't been thrilled the last couple of times we've grilled corn, so we decided to try a new method that we picked up from a local seminar given by Chef John Henry. Boiling it in the husk cooks the corn, and then when it's placed on the grill, it steams inside the husk.
Chef John Henry's brisket was so good, even Leah loved it! (seriously)
Set the Big Green Egg up for direct grilling at 400 degrees. Next, place the planks on the grill and let them heat up a few minutes on each side, this also seasons the planks. Once the planks start to smoke and crack, it's time for the fish. Cook the fish until it lightly flakes, which shouldn't take more than 10 minutes.
Both the Tilapia, and the corn turned out great. The fish was slightly smoky, and the Tsunami Spin seasoning was delicious (I might have to get a full bottle...*cough*Christmas present*cough*). John Henry's corn on the cob method worked well, as it didn't dry out or need any extra butter.
Finished product, with Quinoa and green beans.
The Karjala beer is from Finland, courtesy of our friend Mary.
The 1960 Olympic marathon was won in 2:15:17 by Adebe Bikila. Barefoot.
Adebe Bikila
Last year I began toying around with moving towards barefoot training. Obviously you can't walk around barefoot, so there are a number of shoes that offer a barefoot alternative. My first step was buying a pair of Nike Frees last July. Nike Frees are less cushioned than regular shoes, but aren't a true "barefoot" shoe. I've used them mostly for weight training and some light running, and have really liked them.
Beer Butt Chicken is a Big Green Egg staple. I love it for a few reasons. The chicken turns out incredibly juicy, it's very difficult to screw up (although my wife claims to have caught an entire chicken on fire), and for $5 you have enough meat for 4-5 meals for cheap.
The reason it all turns out so well, is because chicken is steamed from the inside using a can of beer (or wine, or even sprite). Tons of roasting stands are available, such as this one. Mine is a cheap metal stand that I picked up for $5.
First, pour half of your beer in a glass, and enjoy. Keep the half of the beer that's still in the can, you'll need that later.
Next, rinse off your chicken, and clean out the inside. Then, apply a light coating of olive oil or butter. Finally, apply a generous amount of rub all around. Literally everywhere. Even under the skin and inside the bird. For this chicken, I used Dizzy Pig's Swamp Venom.
Ready for the grill
Now, grab the half of the beer left in the can from earlier. If you've already drank that beer too, kudos. You'll need to open another beer. Insert the can into your roaster, and then up the chicken's backside. Note- if you don't have a roaster, put the can directly into the chicken, and use the two legs to create a tripod. It's slightly ghetto, and a bit tricky to balance, but works in a pinch.
Setup the BGE for direct grilling at 325-350 degrees. To crispen the skin, put the chicken directly on the grill for around 20 minutes (or longer). Next, place a drip pan underneath the chicken. This will shield the chicken, and cook it indirectly for the rest of the time.
The chicken is done when the internal temperature hits 180 degrees. Let it rest/cool off for 15 minutes, and then cut. I had no idea how to properly carve a chicken the first time I made a beer butt chicken. Turns out, it's pretty easy. Check out this video for a quick tutorial:
Yes, I know it's Tuesday. I'm going to try to start making regular blog posts. The plan was to do this last night, but the power went out. On Mondays I'll share the most interesting articles that I've found around the web.
Random:
- As a fan of Swamp People, this 21 foot crocodile is impressive. Oh yeah, they caught it live!
- Warren Buffet, Hypocrite - Warren Buffet went on the record saying wealthy Americans should pay more in taxes. Turns out he already owes the government back taxes
- Spot Reduction is a Myth - Crunches don't give you a six-pack, low bodyfat does (duh). Focus on what you eat, and lift heavy weights using compound exercises. Stop buying ab-rollers, dummy.
Football:
Since it's football season, chances are I'll probably devote some time to explaining how David Wilson gets to eat Chik-Fil-A on Sundays, and why the Logan Thomas Hype-O-Meter continues to skyrocket.
- Boise State's white uniforms looked great. As did Oregons. Georgia gets an "F" and Maryland get an epic fail:
Seriously...?
Yes, my Hokies ripped Appalachain State 66-13. After losing three games in a row to start the season, and also losing to an unnamed FCS school last year, it was as fulfilling as beating up on a team can be.
Logan Thomas claimed his first victim, Bud Foster's defense finally showed glimpses of being lunchpail worthy, and David Wilson is a beast - Took the first carry of the season to the house, AND HE CALLED IT.
"(RB Coach Shane Beamer) told me I was getting the first carry" David Wilson said. "Then I told him I didn't have to hear the second play because I was going to take it to the crib."
Hokies get their first road test next week @ ECU.
Oh yeah, apparently the Colorado has a DJ in their locker room.
Leah and I took a couple days of vacation to spend an extended Labor Day weekend in Pensacola enjoying our "Baby-Moon" (aka the last weekend we can both travel until the baby bomb is dropped). One of my co-workers graciously offered her house as a getaway. (Thanks Diana!)
Thursday was great, as we toured Ft. Pickens, and then spent the day on the beach at the National Park. Unfortunately, as the red flags on top of the lifeguard stands informed us of our impending doom....it turned out we decided to visit the beach during a Tropical Storm.
On the beach at Ft. Pickens National Park
Our canoe trip got rained out Friday, and we spent Saturday on lockdown watching the opening weekend of college football...which isn't such a bad thing at all. Being a former fat bay, the best (and possibly worst) part of the trip was Diana leaving the house completely stocked with food. On top of that, Hungry Howie's (Leah's favorite pizza place) was less than five minutes away. So, we ate there. Twice. In total I'm pretty sure I gained five pounds...
On the way back we stopped by Leah's family reunion in Dadeville, and I got to meet a lot of her extended family members. Despite the tropical storm, we still managed to have a great weekend.
This past weekend we had a Baby BBQ at our neighbor Pam & Dex's house (aka "Club Canada", yes they are in fact Canadian). The BBQ was intended as a baby shower for Leah, but since we had such a small wedding, it was also a great opportunity to get together friends from Birmingham that weren't at the wedding. Leah and I decided we would take care of the food, so I was tasked with providing pulled pork for 30-35 guests.
As I had to explain to my sister, pulled pork (usually) comes from a cut referred to as the Boston Butt, which is from the upper part of the shoulder. Boston Butt is a tougher cut of meat which contains a lot of fibrous connective tissue, which lends itself to being smoked low and slow on the Big Green Egg. Cooking for a long time at low temperatures slowly dissolves the fat and tougher tissue, and leaves the meat extremely tender.
