Heat Up Those Grills!

With South Carolina temperatures in the 80s and 90s over the past week, it seemed so natural to fire up the smoker this past weekend. We had half a brisket in the freezer and company to share it with, so Danny put together the most wonderful Saturday evening meal for us.

I wish I could give you recipes for some of these, but I'm told there aren't any! Danny mixes some of this and a dash of that, and you can smell the mingling of spices, meat and beans creating something fabulous.

The brisket sat in dry rub overnight and went into the smoker early in the morning. While that was starting, he put together a fruit cake (that's it in the upper right corner of the picture), since the only one we made last fall went to Mongolia. We were going to pack it away for a couple of months to work itself into an even better state of affairs, but we just couldn't wait.

Then my favorite part - the baked beans! They're a decadent mix of pork and beans, brown sugar, cane syrup, traffic light peppers, half the spice rack, some secrets from the other cabinets...and lots of love. They simmer on the stove top for hours and then sit some more until dinner time. They turn into the most fabulous concoction of culinary delight I have ever eaten.

So, if you haven't already cleaned off the grill for the season, I suggest you do so as soon as possible. Many of the grocery stores have great prices on meat right now, so the possibilities are endless! Let me know what you come up with.