A New Type of BBQ?

Not exactly. Instead, it's my daughter's latest dish from the cooking camp that she's attending each morning this week. She informs me it's called Dirt in a Cup. It consists of chocolate pudding, Cool Whip, Oreo cookies and, of course, two Gummi Worms on top.

More Vick Family Photos...

Little brother Marcus brandishing guns at McDonald's. (Story here)

Michael "Con" Vick Forced From the Pocket

Yes, But Will It Fit Down the Chimney?

One person (responding to yesterday's update) e-mailed to ask what grill I wanted Santa to bring me next Christmas. Unfortunately, the person wasn't Santa, My Wife or My Parents. Nonetheless, here are the two grills on the wish list: The top one is the Weber Summit S-650. It has six stainless steel burners and 60,000 BTUs. It also includes a side burner, smoker burner, smoker box and an infrared rear-mounted rotisserie. The total cooking area of this beast is 838 square inches. The price? Around $1650!

That looks like a bargain compared to the sticker price on the Viking 41" Ultra-Premium T-Series Grill below. This bad boy comes with 25,000 BTUs, as well as a 15,000 BTU Gourmet-Glo™ infrared rear burner and rotisserie. Underneath is a 12,500 BTU burner for smoking food. The price? $4,529 -- not including what it will cost for a good divorce attorney.

Saturday Night Success

Saturday's dinner consisted of one old (and reliable) dish --grilled chicken thighs-- and two brand new ones: grilled corn wrapped in bacon and double cut pork chops stuffed with provolone cheese. And we are proud to announce all three were a tasty success.

The chicken soaked in fat-free Italian dressing for two hours and then went on the Weber over indirect heat (middle burner off, front and back ones on). Thirty-five minutes later, the double cut chops joined in the fun, cooking over the direct heat for eight minutes on each side. The one tweak for next time will be to tie the chops with baker's string, as the cheese leaked out of two of them.

The corn was the highlight of the meal -- tender and moist with a smoky flavor, courtesy of the extra thick smoked bacon. Wrapped in foil, it was turned after 10 minutes and taken off the Weber after 20 total minutes. Pictures are below:

The end result was plated and looked like this:

Santa, I Need a Bigger Grill...

Tonight's dinner: Three ears of corn...10 chicken thighs...four double-cut pork chops

Sooner Nation Offers Up a Recipe

Been a busy week with my basketball camp. Thankfully, one of my Sooner Nation brothers has chipped in the help start your weekend. OU RUSS, a mainstay on the OU message boards, has graciously donated his recipe for Flank Steak. Here it is:

1 Flank Steak (serves 2-3 people)
1/4 cup Canola oil
1 cup white wine
1 cup soy sauce
3 T honey
2 T vinegar
1 1/2 t ginger powder
1 1/2 t garlic powder
2 green onions (chopped)
1 1/2 T cayenne pepper (optional -- if you like heat)

Marinate the steak in the refrigerator for three hours. Cook on a hot grill for five minutes on each side. Let steak rest and then cut against the grain on the bias (diagonally).

As for The Pit Master's weekend (food) plans, tonight being Friday means steaks on the grill. The fun stuff will come tomorrow night. The menu includes chicken thighs, corn on the cob wrapped in bacon and steak tips -- all on the grill, of course.

Thanks for another loyal week. We had over 1,000 hits for the second straight week.

Stay healthy and safe!

Baby Backs are Done...

Well, there they are...the top one was done on the grill, while the bottom one was done completely in the oven. The verdict? The grilled ones -- done between 275-290 degrees with the smoker box fully loaded -- had better flavor and texture. However, both racks lacked substantial meat and, thus, were a bit dry (especially the oven ones). The next batch will not be purchased at BJ's.

First Adam Eaton actually won a game for the Phillies and now the immortal J.D. Durbin pitched a complete game, 109 pitch shutout in today's 9-0 win against the Padres. Durbin, claimed off waivers from the Boston Red Sox in April, came into the game with a 6.86 ERA and 26 hits in only 21 innings.

Congrats to Alton Brown -- voted the Most Popular Food Network Personality on this blog. He captured 61 percent of the vote, followed by Bobby Flay (17 percent), Rachel Ray (12 percent) and Michael Chiarello and Emeril (5 percent each).

So, it's time for a new poll. The much anticipated Michael "Con" Vick question is now on this blog. After you vote, be sure to check out this animated video about Vick (made a few months ago). It was sent to us by SJH24. Click here: http://www.bangcartoon.com/2007/dogpile.htm.

Michael "Con" Vick & Smoking Baby Backs!

Well, Adam Eaton sure did show us, didn't he? Undoubtedly spurred on by The Pit Master's scathing commentary Friday, Eaton pitched a "gem" of a game. After going 5 2/3 innings and yielding 7 hits and 2 runs, he "lowered" (a relative term with him) his ERA to a sparkling 5.84. Can the Cy Young Award be far behind for Pat Gillick's $7.2 million boy? We would be remiss if we failed to point out that his batting average (.238) is actually higher than Playboy left fielder Pat "The Whiffle Ball Bat" Burrell's (.236).

On to more important matters, today's menu is Baby Back Ribs, grilled shrimp and potato wedges. There are two racks of ribs. One, sprinkled with just salt and pepper, will go in the oven. The other, sprinkled with Mike Mills' Magic Dust recipe, will go on the grill with the smoker box fully loaded. The S&P ribs are on the left, while the Magic Dust ones are to the right. For the anally retentive, the schedule of events has been posted.



Lastly, with just minutes remaining on last week's question ("Who is your favorite Food Network personality?"), it is almost time to unveil next week's question. It will involve everyone favorite QB, Michael "Con" Vick. Look for it later today!

Rib Eyes, NBA Betting & Another Loss for Adam Eaton

Nothing special tonight -- just three beautiful Rib Eyes for the Weber. The standard Friday night food is steak and chicken wings, but due to my basketball camp I did not have time to make the marinade for the wings. So they will be for dinner Monday night. I have three racks of baby back ribs for Sunday night. Two will get smoked on the grill and one will be done in the oven. My Wife will be doing the blind taste test. There will also be some grilled jumbo shrimp, as well as some lobster sandwiches on tap at some point this weekend. And don't forget that The Pit Master's Whipping Boy, Adam Eaton, is on the mound tonight against his former team the San Diego Padres. The prediction here is that Eaton's ERA will be above 6 by the end of the game. (It is currently a robust 5.98.) And does anyone doubt that NBA referee Tim Donaghy will be betting the house on the Padres? And who can blame him?!?

On a brighter sports note, NFL training camps open next week -- a sure sign that fall is right around the corner. Check out the photo of the man President Bush calls "Coach Bill" getting ready for camp. While on the subject of gambling, it is also a safe bet (chuckle-chuckle) that Donaghy has perhaps put some money down on the Pats' chances this upcoming season.

Lastly, there is just one day left to vote for your favorite Food Network personality -- it looks like Alton Brown will emerge as the winner. Next week's question will deal with the appropriate punishment for Michael Vick when, errrrrr, if he is found guilty.

Thanks for a great opening week. We shattered the 1,000 hit mark in less than five days!

Like good BBQ, Eaton, too, gets smoked!

As most BBQ fans know, the flavor comes from quality food mixed with with a heavy dose of smoke. On Sunday, while I smoked my first brisket on the grill, I predicted that Adam Eaton would also get smoked that night against the Cardinals on ESPN HD. Sure enough, Eaton came through with a gem of a game: 4 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 2 HR. For his $7.2 million salary, his record this year is 8-6, with a whopping 5.98 ERA. And to think some people thought G.M. Pat Gillick had lost his eye for signing talent! We would love to take credit for the web site, but we must confess that we did not start www.firepatgillick.com.

On a happier note, the brisket turned about better than we had hoped. We cheated...rather, the recipe we followed cheated. We smoked it on the Weber for about 2.5 hours and then wrapped it in foil and put it in the oven (300 degrees) for 1.5 hours. It was juicy with the slightest hint of a smoke ring. However, the rub we used added nothing and the remains ended up in the trash.

Here's a picture:

Update Later Today...

I am running a basketball camp the next two weeks, hence the lack of updates in the past 24 hours. The brisket turned out pretty well -- as well as can be expected for the first time out of the gate. It was juicy, with the slightest hint of the elusive smoke ring. My next update will detail the brisket, as well as some thoughts on the immortal Adam Eaton, the stiff with the $7 million a year contract and an ERA of 5.98. Finally, in a somewhat shocking development, Alton Brown is starting to pull away in the voting for the most popular person on the Food Network. If you have not yet voted, you still have a few days left to do so.

Two Hour Update...

Well, here's what it looks like after two hours. Of course, I have already deviated from the recipe. We shall see. My Wife just reminded me that the sausages and hot dogs are in the 'fridge.

2:15 -- THE BRISKET IS ON!

OK, the smoker box is smoking and the grill temp is holding around 280 degrees. The brisket has been put in "the box"... In 90 minutes (or so), it will go into a foil blanket and finish up in the oven. (Lacking confidence, My Wife went to the grocery store and picked up hot dogs and Italian sausages.) Time to turn on the Red Sox and count the minutes until Adam Eaton gets shelled on ESPN HD tonight at 6.

Time to Make the Brisket...

Ok...I am attempting Brisket today. I will be using the recipe from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (page 401). Putting it on the grill for 1.5 hours...then into the oven for 2-3 hours wrapped in foil. Who knows how this will turn out -- but I do have a large Rib Eye on ice, just in case. Top to bottom: Brisket from BJ's, Brisket unwrapped, my daughter's "Blackened Pixie Dust", after the rub-down.

Finished Product...

Well, last night's wings came out tasty. Once batch got covered with wing sauce (bottom), while the other one (top) stayed as is. The steaks were half-and-half. The one with the blackened dry rub didn't have much taste at all. I will either add some kick to the recipe or pitch it completely. The one painted with Peter Luger Steak Sauce was fantastic, as always.

Here is the steak with the Peter Luger Sauce:

Steak and Wings 3:45 P.M.

Tonight, I am doing wings in the oven and steaks on the Weber. One of the steaks will be rubbed with a new blackened rub recipe; the other steak will be bathed in Peter Luger Steak Sauce.





The wings marinated overnight in a homemade sauce, courtesy of my mother-in-law.




















I will post pictures of my results later. Now, it's time to go watch the Red Sox game.