Distractions and my Dumbest bbq mistake EVER!


 
D

Dave Russell

TVWBB Honor Circle
I'm actually still pretty embarrassed about this, but ya'll know how I like to keep it real. So here's for 'fessin' up to absent-mindedness:

This was Saturday, almost eight hours into my cook and time to foil the butts. As usual, I put the top rack on my Performer and covered them with the lid between foiling each one to keep the flies off, and so I could next tend to the three on the bottom wsm grate.

Meanwhile, my beloved daughter is painting a chair on the patio and asks if she can move over by me in the shade. I told her to hang on a minute and I could move my OTG out of the way to give her some room. Well, if you know how impatient young ladies can be, you might guess that next thing I know, she's practically under my left elbow and done knocked over my kettle. I told her again that I'd move the grill for her "in just a minute!", but with only a small exclamation point.

Then I put the last foiled butt on the bottom grate and replaced the cooker dome... to discover over two hours later that I'd misplaced half of the butts. Like I said, top that.
 
I don't know how old your daughter is, Dave, but let me tell you -- the "adventures" never end.

And just what did you mean by "misplaced butt" -- rolling across the lawn, painted into the chair, unfoiled? Curious (nosey) minds want o know. :)

Rich
 
Rich,yes, after all TWENTY-TWO years of my daughter's existence, the adventures and drama never end. And my son just got promoted at work and had to be there at 5am this morning. I found myself airing up his passenger side rear tire last night after he'd already headed to bed. Had to leave him a note demanding that he buy a tire since it's really supposed to have at least a little tread. Oh, Brother....

But sorry if I wasn't clear. Coffee was going down as I posted. All three "misplaced" butts were still on the grate I'd put on my Performer, all still neatly wrapped up in foil. Guess this is a downside of foiling nobody's mentioned yet. lol...
 
dumbest bbq mistake I've made so far (one cook in) : leaving the pork to rest where the dog can reach it...
 
Dave, I feel your pain and my kids are in their 40's and only stop bye for meals on weekends. Dan, I imagine that you had a very happy dog (for at least a while). My own experiences have been smoking on my old Char Broil Smoker and while getting ready for the extended family to come over for a holiday BBQ, I hadn't noticed that the coals had smothered out for the past few hours. Talk about getting the food into the oven and cooking while everybody waited.

I can tell you guys, these are stories that you can recall 20 years from now and smile.

Jack
 
Recently, I tried to raise the temp in my smoker by utilizing a tip I read on these forums to put the aluminum door in upside down. It was then I discovered that I had been putting it in upside down all along!
 
I have a 3yr old daughter that, like all parents, I think is a genius. My biggest frustration is that she insists that she knows when the oven/grill/smoker is hot or not. My wife, a BBQ fan, does her best to keep her out of the way but distractions occur. I once left 2 racks of half cooked, just foiled ribs sitting in the afternoon sun on a pan on the side for over an hour. My head knew they were fine but I tossed them because, who wants the potential for a family with food poisoning :)
 
Well, that's basically what I did, James. Only thing is, I wouldn't still be here to tell the tale if I'd thrown out 25lbs of pork butt. My wife would've killed you for throwing out those ribs!
 
I wasn't the cook, just the problem. My mother had a pot roast in the oven and I guess I was about 13 or so at the time. She had a appointment to get her hair done, and told me as she was leaving that when the timer went off, to turn it off. I did. However, she wanted me to also turn off the oven. It was some really well-done pot roast...........................d
 
I am with Dan, bbq and dog story. (not wsm) . I had been hill walking at home in the highlands of scotland with my dog, a beautiful big akita named Kia. Had set up camp, small tent, small fire, small grill ---- Large juicy fantastic rib-eye steak grilling away beautifuly. I had my drink in my hand, everything was great. Life doesn't get better, out in the open with my dog and a fire and soon to be some good steak. I turned to get my plate and small pot so could cook the beans. Need I say more --- Kia enjoyed her rib-eye with great pleasure, I really enjoyed my beans.
 
Alan Mathews said:
I am with Dan, bbq and dog story. (not wsm) . I had been hill walking at home in the highlands of scotland with my dog, a beautiful big akita named Kia. Had set up camp, small tent, small fire, small grill ---- Large juicy fantastic rib-eye steak grilling away beautifuly. I had my drink in my hand, everything was great. Life doesn't get better, out in the open with my dog and a fire and soon to be some good steak. I turned to get my plate and small pot so could cook the beans. Need I say more --- Kia enjoyed her rib-eye with great pleasure, I really enjoyed my beans.
Click to expand...

Ok -- possible re-told tale here (but isn't that what they are for?).

But first to Dave. My daughter is now 39 and STILL never fails to amaze me! AND she has gifted me with two fantastic grandsons 7 and 9 who constantly remind us that they have all of their mother's (PLUS their father's!) spark! Life is truly interesting around their home!

As to grills and dogs... As Alan says, it's not just steak or roast set to rest. I had a large collie who decided to relieve my new NEIGHBOR'S hot grill of it's sizzling steak! No harm to the dog, but a week or so later I invited the neighbors over for grilled steak. On my way out to the grill, I passed a platter of raw steaks under the nose of the wife with a "How do those look?". She recoiled rather violently and said with a disgusted tone, "I'm a vegetarian." <sigh> :(

Rich
 
new dumbest mistake (made today while I was shredding the pork inside) Allowing friends to discuss politics at the table.
 
alksized.jpg


My worst mistake to date was cooking for a large group on my Outdoor Kitchen Kettle, with the grill full of food. Took off the cover then got buttonholed by a guest for some kind of a question or help request...exactly what eludes me. Any way, upon return the fire was a full 5 feet above the grille and everything, food for the whole party, reduced to charcoal... we salvaged a small percentage of it by cutting and scraping, etc!
I won the Space Cadet Award for that one.
 
Last edited:
Good ones, guys. All our recounted episodes remind me of the latest insurance commercial (Geico?) that's set to "We're only Human".
 
Dave Russell said:
Good ones, guys. All our recounted episodes remind me of the latest insurance commercial (Geico?) that's set to "We're only Human".
Click to expand...
......and we insure stupidity!



Now I am not inferring anybody on this forum is........... I hope you know what I mean. That's why they're called accidents.
 
Last edited:
Years ago, I was using an old Char-Griller barrel type pit. It had a lift out ash tray/charcoal grate that I would always dump out the next day. Thought I was keeping a clean pit with the exception of all the dark jellied up fat that built up on the bottom of the barrel underneath the lift out ash tray/charcoal grate that I would always dump out the next day..
icon_biggrin.gif

Well, had some Nolan Ryan Rib-Eyes that set me back a pretty penny but we were celebratin my youngest boy going off to the Navy.
Poured a couple of hot chimneys of Kingsford into the lift out ash tray/charcoal grate that I would always dump out the next day..
icon_biggrin.gif


Tossed on -8- of those almost 2lb each Nolan Ryan Rib-Eyes on the grill and put down the lid and went back to my smokey porter.

Little did I know that when I poured in the hot charcoal that a briquette or two fell off the lift out ash tray/charcoal grate that I would always dump out the next day
icon_biggrin.gif


After I put the lid down the briquette must have slid down to the bottom of the barrel where it ignited the now hot grease!! By the time I looked up from my smokey porter the flames were shooting out the chimney and from all the seams around the lid.

There was no saving nuttin!! Not the large 2 lb Nolan Ryan rib-eyes not even the pit itself. The bottom warped and the inferior welds melted...just gone...get the hose and set everything out on the street the next day.

My youngest boy flew to Chicago for boot camp the next day with a belly full of Kentucky Fried Chicken!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top