I had a bad feeling that it wasn't going quite right. I had allowed 8 hours for cooking, but for about the first half of that time I had real trouble maintaining a decent amount of heat.
I would blame the charcoal if I was the sort of person to blame his tools.
Eventually I felt that the heat was up where it should have been, but was it too late?
By the time people started to arrive I thought I might have pulled it off, but no, it wasn't quite there. Another hour and it would have been great. In the end I sliced it and then gave it another blast on the re-stoked coals, finishing the cooking but losing all of those wonderful juices in the process :-(
It was OK, but certainly not as planned (and certainly not worth photographs). Next time I will not have a planned time for eating - I will cook it until it is done.
But it did not ruin things - we had a nice little family party - celebrating what would have been my first daughter's 25th birthday - complete with the ritual balloon releasing which we do every year. Wonder if this one will cause a UFO alert?
(For new readers, a couple of years ago the British government released details of UFO alerts - one of these was at a nearby airport just after one of our balloon releases. We guessed it was the huge metallic blue dolphin that caused a blip on the radar system...)
Hope you had a great weekend!
More soon!
11 comments:
It's a shame the pork didn't quite turn out the way you had intended. You just may need to do it more often to get the knack of smoking meat.
I love the way you celebrate her birthday. Especially when you can put the local airport on high alert.
Agg79 - Yes, I think it is something that needs experience. We all had a good laugh about the UFO thing - Sophie (my daughter) would have found that incredibly funny.
My hubby is still learning when it comes to smoking meats. This last batch was his best so far, but he still was critical and plans to change a few things the next time. It's fun to keep trying!
How funny that you may have caused a UFO report last year. But releasing balloons is a great way to remember and celebrate your daughter's birthday.
Happy Monday to you!
ShadowRun300 - there is a back story to the balloons. When our daughter was about 3 years old, we went to the local carnival. Our daughter was desperate for a fancy balloon which cost rather more than we were comfortable paying. Things were really tight at the time, but we bought it anyway. Our daughter held the balloon tightly all the way home. Standing on the doorstep, she let it go and watched it fly away. She had decided that she did not want it any more... We stood and watched about 2 days food money float away on the breeze.
I'm happy you shared that story. Sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. I understand better now why you release the balloons. What a great tribute!
I'm glad you could celebrate...that is a sweet thing to do indeed. I bet you could start an alien alert if you cooked long enough though ;)
I'm a vegetarian but also relatively new at cooking and can sympathize with the experimentation process!
My favorite food that is always requested is my baked beans. When I make them, the beans are in the minority and no one can figure out what else is in there. I enjoy that. BUT, one day everyone showed up early. The beans were soupy due to lacking one more hour in the oven and I was SO sad over it.
Kinda ruined my day, and my apologizing ruined everyone else's.
What did I learn? Go with the flow? Enjoy the deviled eggs instead?
NO. I refused to have another dinner party/cookout!! lol
Hi again, I love the baloons each year and your story of when she was three I had to smile knowing how tight things can be but you spend the money anyway and look at such a wonderful memory and tribute to her. I am sure your food was awesome. glad you are well, I am glad to be back again as one of your groupies. lol.
Your daughter wouldn't have minded that the pork wasn't quite as it was supposed to be. She would love that you all gathered in celebration of her and have created a tradition of setting off UFO alerts on her special day! :-)
Our best lessons are learned from our mistakes (well, that's what I tell students anyways...). It's all progress, right? As long as you still had a special day with the family.
I love the idea of celebrating her birthday and remembering a life lived, even though she is no longer with you to share in the celebrations. And the "bloo-loons" as I used to call them, are a wonderful touch. No UFO alerts this year? What a shame.
Post a Comment