Jim,

Looks like I will be going with buttermilk brined chicken, a mix of wings, thighs and legs. I will also bring an smoke centric appetizer.

Equipment wise, I'll bring a couple of 20-lbs bags of Royal Oak lump charcoal, chimney starter and a 18-inch WSM.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Jim,

Looks like I will be going with buttermilk brined chicken, a mix of wings, thighs and legs. I will also bring an smoke centric appetizer.

Equipment wise, I'll bring a couple of 20-lbs bags of Royal Oak lump charcoal, chimney starter and a 18-inch WSM.

Enjoy,
Gary

sounds really good gary, and thank you.

Pretty much finalized menu with misc. food-related items noted at bottom:

aschie30 wrote:Pretty much finalized menu with misc. food-related items noted at bottom:

bnowell has bowed out of the feast.

great list though, I think we have all bases covered.

Jim will i have room to bring a 14 foot Trailer to the event. If you get a chance can you call me 1 630 715 1976. I would like to have some dialoge about the event Thanks

Hey Jim,

What are gas prices like out your way? I'm trying to figure out if I should arrive with my tank empty or not.

baby ray wrote:Jim will i have room to bring a 14 foot Trailer to the event. If you get a chance can you call me 1 630 715 1976. I would like to have some dialoge about the event Thanks

dave,

I will give you a call after 4:30 while I am driving home.

definitley room for the trailer, either to park in front of my house (I live on a cul-de-sac, so very little traffic), or to back onto my neighbors lot next to mine(its not built on).

stevez wrote:Hey Jim,

What are gas prices like out your way? I'm trying to figure out if I should arrive with my tank empty or not.

probably a smart move, the BP/Amoco in town(about 3 minutes away from my house) was at $1.98/gallon this morning.

This is a request to everyone attending on saturday...
One of my sons is doing a service project for his Bar Mitzvah that is a toy drive for Children's Memorial Hospital, where he had some surgery as a baby.
He is collecting toys for the children who are in treatment there.
The toys do not need to be expensive, but they need to be new so they do not pass on germs, etc. They can be inexpensive, matchbox cars, coloring books, craft kits, rattles, etc.
The kids often get to pick out a "prize" after an especially difficult procedure or round of treatment.
I thought if anyone wanted to bring a toy along for his collection he is going to be there and it could be a good opportunity for him to gather up a few more donations.
Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you all there-
keeping our fingers crossed for good weather!

Here is the flyer that he created for the Toy Drive....

well- I can't get the flyer to show up- but you get the idea anyway...

great cause, I am sure I have something to contribute.

DO you need any tarps or other rain stuff?
I have a 10 x10 pop up canopy I could bring...
weather report is a little iffy...

irisarbor wrote:DO you need any tarps or other rain stuff?
I have a 10 x10 pop up canopy I could bring...
weather report is a little iffy...

the 10 x 10 canopy may come in handy. if you are able to bring it that would be great.

the weather report I am seeing is dry, and mid 60's, maybe a little breezy(ive been following the accuweather 15 day forecast the past 2 weeks,and they have been pretty accurate so far. Ill keep my fingers crossed, .

Being that far sw of the city we get about 5 degrees warmer than downtown this time of year. I just hope the rain moves through today so I can get the property mowed tonight after work.

Some last minute info.

Last I checked the count stands at 53 people, so its looking like a great turnout. Weather forecast is for a partly cloudy day in the mid-60's & windy. UV of 7

- I will post 2 signs on the route out to our house, one on the main drag into Marseilles off I-80, and one at the end of our cul-de-sac. They are pink, and have MIM and an arrow. Anyone needing help with directions, etc p.m. me or give me a call on my cell. P.M. me to get my cell #.

- I will be online all day today until 4:30, and then after that I am going to be too busy to check the computer, and LTH, so any questions give me a call on my cell.

- I am firing up my smoker around 5:00 a.m., with my pork roast going on around 6:00 a.m. Guests can start coming out whenever they like with the technical start time of 12:30. There is no designated end time for the event, eating, drinking, and hanging out is the motto for the day.

slainte

Just for the record I will be making Rib Tips and Beef Jerky

After a multitude of issues, yesterday I finally got on track. Yay!

Put the new smoker (Brinkmann Smoke-N-Grill) thru a break in smoke yesterday and managed to pick up some rib tips. This is my first time making rib tips so today I am making two small batches to get the technique down.

Also picked up 10# more of fresh tips for tomorrow and they will be going under the rub tonight.

I will be picking up the meat for making beef jerky soon and have all the marinade ingredients together and while most will be for tomorrow I will be smoking a few strips later in the day just for grins.

I will be arriving early to get the smoker and tips started and I will be bringing my tarp, lean to/fly along just in case.

Panther in the Den wrote:Just for the record I will be making Rib Tips and Beef Jerky

After a multitude of issues, yesterday I finally got on track. Yay!

Put the new smoker (Brinkmann Smoke-N-Grill) thru a break in smoke yesterday and managed to pick up some rib tips. This is my first time making rib tips so today I am making two small batches to get the technique down.

Also picked up 10# more of fresh tips for tomorrow and they will be going under the rub tonight.

I will be picking up the meat for making beef jerky soon and have all the marinade ingredients together and while most will be for tomorrow I will be smoking a few strips later in the day just for grins.

I will be arriving early to get the smoker and tips started and I will be bringing my tarp, lean to/fly along just in case.

great news John,

as I mentioned I will be out tending the smoker @ 6:00 so feel free to come out when you need to.

Ill p.m. you my cell phone in case I havent done that already just incase you need help w/ directions.

got done with all I needed to do.

Lawn mowed, a little soggy in spots, but I think we have plenty of room for smokers, and people.

Pork loin out of the marinade, rubbed with bulgogi sauce, slits filled with garlic, rolled and tied in banana leaves.

ribs rinsed, membrane removed, rubbed, and in the fridge.

ill see yall tomorrow, almost time for bed(after a few more shots of mezcal and a few more beers.

slainte.

My car is partially loaded and I just pulled the andouille -- which I will grill tomorrow -- off the smoker. I also made a couple other types of fresh sausage that are now ready for the grill, as well.

Really looking forward to this!

See ya'll tomorrow,

=R=


*fingers crossed for dry weather

ronnie_suburban wrote:My car is partially loaded and I just pulled the andouille -- which I will grill tomorrow -- off the smoker. I also made a couple other types of fresh sausage that are now ready for the grill, as well.

Really looking forward to this!

See ya'll tomorrow,

=R=


*fingers crossed for dry weather

sounds great Ronnie, I look forward to seeing you as well.

babyray gave me the run down of what he is bringing and it sounds stellar. Bring an appetite for sure.

I agree my yard is a little soggy, its not supposed to rain down here, but I am also keeping my fingers crossed.

Hi,

I'm bringing my garden shoes. All rubber, easy to spray clean.

Regards,

Tick tock, tick tock, I'm just waiting for tomorrow. I've been making potato salad all day and dreaming of BBQ. Jim, thanks for all the hard work of organizing us, see you tomorrow.

What a wonderful day! Thanks to Jim and his family for all of their work and to all those who provided such great food! Everything was wonderful and outstanding!

Great weather + Outstanding food + LTH friends = A fabulous day!
Thanks jimswide and family for your hospitality.

Jyoti

thanks all for attending, it was a fun day, and more great food than I could imagine.

working on downloading some pictures now.

Jim, Many thanks to you and your lovely wife for your hospitality. There was so much wonderful food that I can't begin to describe it all but it was apparent that everyone put their hearts into their dish. The weather, the people, the food were all perfect. Any of us that entertain know how much effort went into this so again, thank you! Happy Mother's Day!

Jim and Vengi,

Thank you so much for planning everything and providing a beautiful setting for yet another perfect LTH gettogether. My husband and I had another chance to gorge ourselves with great food and in company of warm people. Thanks a lot for including us!

Hwa and Ralf

What an awesome day!


The first rib off of Jim's smoker

Was a bit cool and breezy in the morning but the sun would peek out and warm up and by the time of the party the sun made it's formal and ling term appearance.

It was very cool to see the range of smokers (from the full out competition model to offset firebox to my beloved Brinkmann) in action and doing their thing.

A great crowd on a awesome piece of property with the most gracious hosts.

Sitting back, some scorpion tequila and a beer, chatting as the hickory smoke swirled around, friends old and new... Can it get any better?

Thanks to the entire Jim's family and all who brought food along that I partook of way too much.

I cannot wait for next year!

Thanks to Jim for hosting. What a great way to feature smoked food! It was also great, per usual, hanging out with other LTHers on day when the weather turned out to be beautiful. Kudos to GWiv for his awesome smoked chicken and to RAB/REB for the salted caramel gelato.

P.S. Another highlight for me was the impromptu trip to Wal-mart with Ms. Wiv and the Chow Poodle. I'll shop with those two any day!

Thanks to all for the wonderful company and the fabulous food.
I had a wonderful time and tried so many incredible and delicious things!
I enjoyed seeing so many old friends and meeting a few new ones.
Jim thank you so much for graciously hosting this fun event at your beatiful home.
I'm still full this morning...LOL

I had such a wonderful time, many thanks to Jim and Vengi for all their hard work, and what can I say about the wonderful food, words fail me. As Jean said, people put such love into their dishes, it showed through. What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday, outside eating glorious food, enjoying old and new friends.

Some pics, Ill post more later,

BB Ribs, banana wrapped loin:


Baby Rays Smoker:


Meat still on the smoker:


vangie helping with the sausages:


unwrapped pork loin:


early stages of the food offereings:


My BB ribs that were wrapped using Baby Rays competition method:


My unwrapped babybacks:


banana leaf wrapped loin topped with bulgogi:


ABF & jimswside:


Gwiv & jimswside:


Gary with his WSM:


Panther, Baby Ray, and jimswside enjoying some scorpion mezcal:


ronnie,stevez:


I have alot more photos to post(Ill do that later today or tomorrow), and thanks again to everyone that came out