Rambler

The thing about picking blue crabs is that you need to make it a part of a backyard event. You let the crabs chase the kids around for a while, them little b@$T###s are mean. You then sit down at a picnic table, spread some brown paper, turn on some music, and then enjoy the crabs and the company. You have to know how to pick them or you will throwing good meat away. My 12 year old granddaughter leaves nothing by using small scissors, but there are endless techniques. I still think the Blues from the Chesapeake Bay (especially the no.1 Jimmy`s) is the best crab meat in the land.

Marie Osmond. Find one who has aged better.

Regular Guy, you definitely have a passion for cooking that may even surpass mine. You ever looked into starting your own eatery? My guess is you would be extremely happy, wealthy, and exhausted.

Next time try the bacon and liquid smoke. It woiks wonduffwy.

I forgot to mention, the bacon that came off was unbelievable.

Cooked 2 Turkeys. The one that stole the show was the one I marinated overnight in a mixture of chicken broth, dark brown sugar, onions, garlic, and about a half cup of liquid smoke (nothing on the grill this time). After marinating, I used a bout 2 cups of poultry rub ( a mixture of chili powder, sugar, kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper). I then put the turkey in the rotisserie oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour I took the turkey out and put a bacon blanket on the breast portion of the turkey. This protects the breast from drying while the dark meat is reaching 170 degrees. It also adds another wonderful taste profile for the entire turkey *** the bacon juice ends up all over the turkey from the rotating rotisserie. This may have been my best turkey ever.

I think they can eat the lime.

I have a Vegan (every family has an oddball) and her Vegan husband coming to Thanksgiving dinner and was wondering if any of you have any ideas on what to serve them? We have plenty of non-meat side dishes but no entry. In fear of looking totally ignorant, any ideas are appreciated.

I have experimented quite a bit lately with cooking poultry in a smoker for approx. 2/3 of the time and then finishing the bird in a crockpot with about 2 inches of liquid (typically broth). The last 1/3 of most meats you cook in a smoker are typically covered anyway to prevent moisture loss and a crockpot is a superior way to accomplish this. You lose practically none of the desired smoke taste and having the dish inside while you are finishing other dishes allows for close monitoring. Last Thanksgiving we cooked 3 birds because of the number of people. This consisted of one deep fried bird, one bird in the crockpot, and the 3rd cooked the way I described above. I have to admit that the main reason I finished the cook in the crockpot was to save time, and as fate would have it, it was the most popular turkey of the 3. I then decided to try this method in some other dishes and the results were always excellent.

My wife has always done the red bean style chili, but is famous in family circles for how delicious it is. Every time I mention her going with an alt style of Chili you can cut the tension in the air with a knife. I might try your style on a day when I know the wife will be gone all day. It sounds delicious.

Whatever. I cant ell you that I voted for Doug Wilder (my first time as a voter), for Chuck Robb, and would not hesitate to vote for any Democratic candidate for Governor who I believed would put the citizens of the Commonwealth first. These two guys are absolute garbage and are absolutely destroying the political bi-partisanship that Virginia has normally enjoyed. I wish both of them would....

Can`t disagree with you, but what do you know about Terry McAuliffe?

You guys think you have it bad, look at the Governor`s race in Virginia. We have two of the biggest crooks to ever grace the ballot box to chose from this November. No one I know wants to vote for either one. Heartbreaking and dis-heartening. Sorry to hear about your circumstances Moses, I have had to travel to make ends meet and know what you are going through. Bring the wife and kids up to you as much as possible and try to see all of the sites that your region has to offer. One advantage to working on the road is that you can end up stumbling into some of the greatest family vacations you will ever have, often at a much reduced price from the typical vacation. Between the better vacations and the better reunions, it may not be so bad.

I probably cook outside more in the fall than the summer. One of my best cooks this summer was when I cooked a Boston Butt with my favorite pork rub, followed by a delicious Memphis Red Sauce, and then lacquering it with a sweet and somewhat spicy glaze. After pulling the meat I used a Carolina vinegar sauce to top it off. I was afraid I might have created a culinary nightmare but it turned out to be the best pulled pork I have ever had. The key was to use all of the drippings from the pork as well as the sauce and glaze to incorporate back into the meat after it was pulled. The vinegar sauce added some magic. I have screwed up some cooks before by trying crazy crap but this experiment paid off handsomely.