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No more BBQ thread?
- Thread starter brukuns
- Start date
I just got our first natural gas bill after the letter from SoCal gas explaining that our rates have doubled. Cooking with firewood is now a bargain.
The price of gas that you are paying is not related to the worldwide price of natural gas. It's as if they learned how to hose their customers from their companies' price gouging fun of last fall. I predict record-busting profits for SoCalGas next quarter.
Socal gas is not a producer. Not even their parent company is a producer.
There is a huge difference in what comes out of the ground and what is delivered to your stove. The companies that produce the gas get market rate unless they have a fixed term delivery contract...which most do.
Gas was +/-$9.00 the day the letter came out and the new rate was set.
Delivering it from Texas to California isn't free.
The most important one: The California PUC sets the rate...not SoCal gas. The PUC bases rates on The Price of Gas, Transportation, and Public Purpose Surcharge. Now that commodity prices have fallen it's up to the California PUC to adjust rates. They won't until later this fall or next year. California has a very large budget deficit of 25 billion dollars. By law they have to balance it. They are counting on the Public Purpose Surcharge and sales taxes from these new rates to fill some of the gap.
There is a huge difference in what comes out of the ground and what is delivered to your stove. The companies that produce the gas get market rate unless they have a fixed term delivery contract...which most do.
Gas was +/-$9.00 the day the letter came out and the new rate was set.
Delivering it from Texas to California isn't free.
The most important one: The California PUC sets the rate...not SoCal gas. The PUC bases rates on The Price of Gas, Transportation, and Public Purpose Surcharge. Now that commodity prices have fallen it's up to the California PUC to adjust rates. They won't until later this fall or next year. California has a very large budget deficit of 25 billion dollars. By law they have to balance it. They are counting on the Public Purpose Surcharge and sales taxes from these new rates to fill some of the gap.
Texas Sushi: Smoked jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese, cheddar cheese & brisket bits; then wrapped in sausage, then in bacon, with a final drizzle of homemade BBQ sauce.
Off-set looks killer. Looking at the "brisket @ 6-hours" pic, I'd recommend rounding the edges a bit more when trimming. Those pointy ends generally get a bit overcooked since they aren't as fat and are getting blasted @ 200-275 for 10+ hours; good for chili or a dog treat though. Also, trim the brisket flat a bit smoother to eliminate high points and pitting across the top. Otherwise you get that pooling of rendered fat (seen in the pic) which makes the bark much too moist in that area and destroys it. One of the greatest tricks I've learned in smoking a good brisket over the years starts with a good trim to even out the meat as much as possible for an even low & slow cook.
Still love oak best and buy large bag of rough chunks and axe in quarter chunks. I watched this video below during stay home and learned a few things
Work trip put me in Houston this week. Had to stop at Truth BBQ for some goods.
(Truth is ranked 3rd on the Texas Monthly's "Top 50 BBQ Joints" List which is put out every 5 years I believe).
(Truth is ranked 3rd on the Texas Monthly's "Top 50 BBQ Joints" List which is put out every 5 years I believe).
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Every downtown hotel and restaurant in Houston was booked Mon-Wed because of the Nape Expo at the convention center.
If you live here in LA you will probably like SLAB. The owner of Truth....Leonard is good buddies with Burt Bakmann who previously operated a popup called Trudys' in Studio City in his backyard for a few years. I got the invite through FatStack back then..anyway..they have a very similar style. If youre looking for traditional BBQ would give the nod to truth because being in Texas they concentrate on that where SLAB has a bit different type of menu that caters to a completely different customer......but the brisket is out of this world. LA has a ridiculous burgeoning BBQ scene which isn't as unusual as it sounds as it's a beef producing state. My guy Logan (Zef BBQ) puts out some really good food. He puts a asianesque culinary twist on traditional bbq. It's fantastic.
That chicken doesn’t deserve to be on that plate. I’m sure it’s good, but it’s chicken.
Smoked Turkey is a pretty standard option at Texas BBQ joints.
Haven't been to SLAB yet. (I'm not in LA.) To be honest I hate LA (on principle) but my brother is up there so we'll have to stop by next time I'm in his neighborhood as I've been wanting to try it out. It's been interesting to watch the growth of CA BBQ over the recent years. However I would say the far majority are not even in the same league as central Texas (which is completely understandable). Give everyone time and they'll begin to catch up though. Their's a bit of a BBQ renaissance taking place which is great to see.
My mother was Texan and I spent my time eating brisket on the weekends as a kid. I remember going to butchers with my mom and she'd always have to order briskets from them (a full packer was NEVER something they kept for public sale. Now you can get Prime Brisket at Costco). She was probably the only lady ordering briskets in the late 70's early 80's in Santa Barbara from the butcher. Brisket just wasn't a thing back then outside of Texas circles. She passed away about 10 years ago so I went on a mission to perfect smoking briskets in her honor. Kind of an odd dragon to chase but it's been a lot of fun.
Leonard's work is fantastic. The sides at his place are just phenomenal which is also what separates the great BBQ places from the excellent ones. To be perfectly honest (and in the most humble way possible) in my opinion my brisket and pork spare ribs rivaled his and all the co-workers with me agreed). However, his sausage was UNBELIEVABLE though. I love to use these places as general barometers as to where I need to go with my own craft and I was stoked to see where mine stacked up.
Braggadocios bastard out!
(Cut from the point on one of my own smoke sessions a couple months back).
