Is this the right place for Barbecue and smoking OPs?

Spring has been crappy here in SW Illinois, but I have a bunch of pecan and apple wood that is just waiting to cook many chicken and rib plates...

And other than actually cooking barbecue TALKING about barbecue is the next most popular facet of the hobby

Outdoor life seems very hiking/camping centric but I haven't really seen another forum for this

Pokey Lafarge and the South City 3

Molly M-Effin Tuttle

The arthritis in my hands? It sucks...

My ankles hurt when the weather changes and my back is an unreliable POS that I would fire if it was an employee, but...

The absolute worst thing about getting older is seeing names I've known for so many years pop up on obituary pages.

Mike was an amazing vocalist probably best known for his work with Spooky Tooth. Their cover of "I Am the Walrus" is probably the best Beatles cover ever.

Less played is their cover of "The Weight" which I thought demonstrated more of the Spooky Tooth vibe.

But screw the covers...

They wrote "Better By You Better Than Me"



RIP Mr. Harrison

Campbell's baked beans and hot dogs? uhrg - no thanx

My picnic beans recipe?
Black and pinto beans with pork and chilies:
1 large white onion - rough diced
1 or 2 Jalapenos (depending on their heat and your tolerance) seeded and diced
1 large Poblano pepper seeded and diced
I large clove of Garlic smashed into paste
1 to 1.5 pound smoked hocks
1 pound good quality smoked bacon, rough chopped
1 pound dry black beans
1 pound dry pintos
1 12 ounce bag of pigeon peas - If you can't find these up the quantity of pintos
Molasses
honey
Yellow mustard
Heinz Ketchup - I am from Pittsburgh, so it MUST BE HEINZ KETCHUP. If you use anything called Catsup, I will find you...
salt and pepper

Mix and soak the beans over night in lightly salted water (replace with unsalted water before boiling with the hocks).
Boil the beans and hocks with just enough liquid to come to a thick consistency - start with water 1 or 2 inches higher than the beans and add water as it reduces - you do not want the beans soupy

When the beans are almost done get the rest working

In a heavy stock pot or Dutch oven brown bacon and remove
Using the rendered bacon fat sweat the onions for 5 or 6 minutes
After the onions are soft and translucent add the chilies and garlic
Salt and pepper lightly, reduce heat and cover - and then head back to the beans

If you haven't done so yet, turn off the burner on the bean pot
Remove the hocks and as soon as they are touchable break them suckers down for cleaning (Removing the bones and gristle)
Chop the remaining meat and skin roughly and put in the pot with the veg
Pour the mostly cooked beans in that pot
Add all the bacon that survived your nibbling since you started cooking the onions
Add the molasses and honey - the amount depends on your sweet tooth, but use 2 molasses to 1 honey - and remember a cup of ketchup is coming up and that is like a tablespoon of sugar
stir and allow to incorporate - 20 minutes or so over low heat
Put in the ketchup - start with 3/4 cup
Add mustard - One long squeeze or table spoon at a time
mix and taste as you go - add ketchup and mustard a bit at a time until it seems right to you
salt and pepper to taste
Cover and store in the oven on it's lowest heat setting until ... well until you wanna eat 'em

I know that this seems like a lot of work, but it really isn't so bad and you'll be a hero - saving your kin and friends from Campbell's baked beans.
And you can be lazy as hell - using canned black and pinto beans if you want to.

Instead of boiling with ham hock, just fry some pork belly with the bacon. Don't just double the bacon - get pork belly so you can get the proper amount of pork fat for mouth feel without making the beans too salty/bacony

ETA - It occurs to me that not everyone buys whole pork bellies like my wife and I. Fatback and salt pork can also be used instead of pork belly with the canned beans.
I suppose if you really really like bacon you could just use a lot of it... Just seems to be a potential salt bomb to me...

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Happy Birthday to Pete Johnson. Long time Big Joe Turner sideman and piano playing badass

Back in 1984.

His Keyboard player came out before the show to get some drinks, but the lines were long and he was in a hurry.

He saw me at the bar (A large blonde American stands out in a Japanese crowd) and hollered to me to get a few bottles of beer.
When I made my way over to give him the brew (and get the cash) he said to come by back stage after the show and meet Johnny.

Well I stayed after the show, which was fantastic, then sat back stage for 3 hours listening to Johnny Guitar Watson and watching him interact with every one who came by. He was fluent but still had a hilariously thick Black Southern accent.

A classy gentleman with a thousand funny stories ready to tell. Many, I suspect, were even true. He told me how much he loved Japan, how after his initial flash of fame in the late 50s and early 60s faded he would tour sold out clubs in Japan. Then he was a hit again in the mid 70s and when that faded he would still come to Japan and still sell out shows.

He talked about being respected as a song writer and musician in Japan while he was treated as almost a novelty act in the US after "A Real Mother For Ya" was such a big hit.

A few years later he would pass away while on tour - in Japan.

I don't have many stories about meeting anyone famous.
None of my team mates made the pros. None of my classmates became rock stars.
I spent 24 years in the military and didn't rub elbows with actors or novelists.

But I hung out with an over looked legend for an evening in a big city thousands of miles from home.

34 years ago today. RIP Mr. Watson - I still remember sharing a glass of brown liquor and a beer with you.

Back in 1984.

His Keyboard player came out before the show to get some drinks, but the lines were long and he was in a hurry.

He saw me at the bar (A large blonde American stands out in a Japanese crowd) and hollered to me to get a few bottles of beer.
When I made my way over to give him the brew (and get the cash) he said to come by back stage after the show and meet Johnny.

Well I stayed after the show, which was fantastic, then sat back stage for 3 hours listening to Johnny Guitar Watson and watching him interact with every one who came by. He was fluent but still had a hilariously thick Black Southern accent.

A classy gentleman with a thousand funny stories ready to tell. Many, I suspect, were even true. He told me how much he loved Japan, how after his initial flash of fame in the late 50s and early 60s faded he would tour sold out clubs in Japan. Then he was a hit again in the mid 70s and when that faded he would still come to Japan and still sell out shows.

He talked about being respected as a song writer and musician in Japan while he was treated as almost a novelty act in the US after "A Real Mother For Ya" was such a big hit.

A few years later he would pass away while on tour - in Japan.

I don't have many stories about meeting anyone famous.
None of my team mates made the pros. None of my classmates became rock stars.
I spent 24 years in the military and didn't rub elbows with actors or novelists.

But I hung out with an over looked legend for and evening in a big city thousands of miles from home.

34 years ago today. RIP Mr. Watson - I still remember sharing a glass of brown liquor and a beer with you.

Although in a roundabout way, it kinda does.

Despite prominent Republicans and GOP friendly press pushing the Illinois GOP to not vote for an actual no shit Nazi running for congress, 20,400 residents of Chicago's southern suburbs took time out of a work day, went to their precinct house or school auditorium, filled in the oval next to Arthur Jones name turned that ballot in and walked out of the polls wearing a fucking I voted sticker.

Arthur Jones, the former head of the American Nazi Party, GOP candidate for IL 3

It was not a secret - no GOP voter was blindsided or tricked regarding his views or history - this freaking Nazi was talked about in local state and national news articles since January

The National Review even urged that Repubs vote for Democratic candidate Lipinski because of his anti abortion, anti LGBQT equality positions.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/03/jeanne-ives-illinois-governor-endorsement-rauner-forfeited-conservative-support/
(The Lipinski endorsement is at the end of the article)

I will bet you Cognac to Possum piss who these fine "not racist" folks voted for in 2016...

So even if the impossible happens and we somehow convince a sizable portion of these mouth breathing hate weasels to vote for Democrats, WHY WOULD WE WANT TO?

Don't poison our party - Peace

Charlie Quintana, Drummer for Cracker, Social Distortion Dies at 56



and here is a completely different side...