A rose by any other name, or even the same name should be treated as suspect

Never have I looked so forward to a bbq experience and been so soundly disappointed. Knowing what Coopers in Llano is capable of, it's horrendous that whatever this thing in New Braunfels is that it shares the same name. We left right after work on Friday, and our first clue should have been how empty the parking lot was upon our arrival. The second clue was that the atmosphere was all wrong, and there was no smell of smoked meat curling its' way through the dining room.

The barbecue looked right, but looks can be deceiving, as instead of the usual rub, everything tasted as if it had simply been covered in road salt. But at least it wasn't overcooked, wait, actually it was. Defunct of all natural juices, this was more on the way to jerky, and well past the tender barbecue that we had come to expect.

Bacon + Chorizo + Bacon + Smoke + BBQ Sauce = Bliss

It had to be done I suppose, just like the kernel of every good idea that gets taken too far. I guess it all started about 3 weeks ago when someone forwarded me a link expecting me to be horrified. Hell I was even warned by the roasted nut docent at Whole Foods, who admonished me about the average American having 8 to 10 pounds of undigested red meat in their colon. But it had to be done. My only real regret is that Mike forgot the deep fat fryer so that we could not batter and deep fry the delectable rings of pork goodness.

We started off on Friday afternoon with a trip to Hut's in Austin, and then off to Whole foods to buy the finest ingredients that we could find for our Wimberley iteration of Bacon Explosion. We ended up with:
1 Pound Applewood Smoked Bacon
1 Pound Peppered Bacon
1 Pound Chorizo

Edmond expertly wove the strips of bacon into a lattice that would form the outer shell for the core of fried bacon and chorizo core, and dusted it with a homemade cajun rub.

The Chorizo after great deliberation on technique was placed onto the blanket of woven bacon.

A healthy (meaning large) portion of fried bacon was placed across the median of chorizo layer.

This was then doused with a Kansas City Style Barbecue Sauce.

The contents were then rolled into a cylindrical package.

As the bacon log would take 2.5 hours plus to cook, we prepared a pair of steelhead filets for the smoker as well with crushed chili-lime pecans procured the previous day.

After a short period of time, the smoker had reached the prescribed temperature and both samples for the animal kingdoms were lowered into place.

It wasn't long before the steelhead was ready to come off the smoker, and while Edmond looked for forks in the kitchen, Mike and I piled in with our fingers for the first round of appetizers. I'm still unclear as if it's a sea trout or salmon, but either way it proved delicous!

I had never seen Mike so pensive, and he pondered his fate carefully before deciding to take off for a poker game with his children before the bacon explosion was ready to be delivered.

It was just as I was beginning to tire of the steelhead, that Edmond's friend Kyle showed up with chicken and jalapenos wrapped in bacon that he had grilled and thoughtfully brought over. This held us over nicely until the main course was ready.

About 20 minutes before the pork log was ready to come out it was brushed with a coating of the same KC BBQ sauce that graced the bacon crumbled innards.

We waited for the center to reach the prescribed safe temperature to avoid a myriad of ailments that are apparently fairly nasty and left the log to rest for a bit.

Edmond then sliced into the monstrosity of bacon and pork products and served us in turn. It proved to be fairly amazing. After some discussion it was decided that next time that it should perhaps be a mixture of italian sausage and chorizo as the chorizo was spicer than anticipated and continued to gain heat. Later today I am going to try and either work it into an egg scramble or perhaps an omelette. I now have what can only be described as a meat hangover, and am convinced that as good as this is, it must be relegated to no more than once or twice a year for special occasions.

The pecan encrusted steelhead however will be placed into the repetoire, and will now need a Costco membership.

Phil Spector's Wall of Sound and Phil Spector's Wall

I got a chance to get back to LA this week and spend a couple of days at Infrasonic Sound Studios where they really do still make records the old fashioned way. Pete over there who runs the mastering side of things seems to be the youngest person on the planet that still masters to vinyl. He has a gorgeous old Neumann lathe, it seems that the interest in records is on the rise. When he first told me this, I got excited, and then he stated that last years highest selling vinyl album was Radiohead's 'In Rainbows' and it mustered 28,000 or so in sales. The upside is the trend of indies releasing in download and vinyl only (no cd). Time for me to get a new cartridge for my Sansui.

The studio is in Alhambra and just around the corner from Phil Spector's Pyrenees Castle which is his converted compound that was once a swanky hotel. I can remember as a kid listening to my parents Righteous Brothers album, and then a decade and a half later learning about Phil Spector's 'Wall of Sound'. It seems that all these years later that things have come full circle, as I have now seen Phil Spector's 'Wall'. Please note actual Tiger Cage just behind fence.
If only Wimberley had a Poquito Mas.

Bread and Circuses

Give the people want they want and they'll ignore the obvious. As Obama took office, I find it interesting that the first unicycle football game of the season is in place.

This is an amazing game played on an abandoned parking lot, with injuries almost guaranteed.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Unicycle Football!



Many more pics available at www.flickr.com/joshmas

John Wayne Dressed to the Left

It was a confusing journey as the Airport is known as Orange County, Santa Ana and most importantly John Wayne. It was after spending an inordinate amount of time at the Hertz counter with a needy D&D player in his early 30's that must have just had his mother throw him out of the house that I spotted the magnificent statue of John Wayne (insert Repo Man reference here). There was a huge American flag drapped behind the Duke, and as I grabbed my camera to take the iconic shot I quickly realized the inevitable-John Wayne dressed to the left.

I was stuck for a week in Anaheim which ac best be described as the lesser Disney surrounded by miles of strip malls. The regurgitation of the american dream in all of it's lackluster glory.

There were a number of outstanding outfits on display, and I got to meet Lemmy from Motorhead, who it turns out is a genuinely nice down to earth guy.

We were stuck for 4 days across from the Vestax deejay booth where we had to endure nonstop wicka-wicka-shunk, this has to be worse than anything doled out in Gitmo. The people watching however was absolutely stellar.

Hair gel-Check
Sleeveless shirt-Check
Elven Leather Utility Belt-Check
White Linen Bell Bottom Capris-Check
Toe Shoes-Check
Orange to ward off scurvy-Check
Okay, ready to roll.

The highlight was discovering Thainakorn restaurant which was one of the best Thai places I have been to in the last few years. It was very authentic, always busy and clientele was about 90% Thai. This was about the hottest food that I've ever enjoyed. I have certainly had hotter, but not with such balanced flavor. Perhaps second only to Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas. Fish Cakes, Satay and Beef with Green Chilis are all highly recommended.

Waiting for Hoffman-Damn the Citations

So it was back to Smitty's with the Floreanis and Hoffman. Very appropriate, as Smitty's is in Lockhart and is the town that Waiting for Guffman was filmed. I was specifically honored to drive one of the matriarchs of the Floreani Clan, the lovely Mrs. Floreani. It's an amazing little town with a gorgeous courthouse, a clock museum, and 2 stunning barbecue joints.

There was an amazing sighting, the likes of which I had not encountered at a barbecue joint or anywhere else for that matter, and that was a future Blue Man.

The place was a hell of alot busier than anticipated, but we somehow managed to muddle through. The only dissapointment was that they were out of the Prime Rib that we were able to check out before the trek to El Regio a week or so back.
We went with sausage, brisket and end-cut porkchops with some slightly under-ripe avacados. It was like a frenzied scene of orgiastic debauchery straight out of Quest for Fire, followed by some bizarre ice cream social which sequed into a diatribe on proper, appropriate and acceptable manners of citation. Mercifully Mike forced himself asleep.

At any rate I was glad that in preparation for the sortie that I forced myself into a grueling 2 hour fast. I may need more in order to make it through Coopers in Llano tomorrow.

El Regio Pollo Magnifico, Next time Siberia

When a vegetarian suggests a meat restaurant, pay very close attention. Don't be thrown when they tell you it's in a Shell Station, as the rewards can be great.

This wonderful place in San Marcos serves up some of the best chicken that I have ever had, and is mopped down with a rub that includes an endorphin releasing substance that must either be illegal or simply unknown to the FDA.

Not only is the chicken otherworldly, but they also have a condiment that is simply called 'Green Sauce' that is some combination of jalapenos, sour cream and who knows what else that perfectly compliments the bird.