Sunday

So Sunday is a pretty big deal. I have the feeling that we will see a record crowd of around 40. That is likely my capacity with the equipment I have and the time I have. Typically I have about 3 hours to set it up, cook, serve, and tear it down in time to watch a 1 PM game. I get there before 9 AM, start fires, unload, get the wings on because that takes an hour plus, and start tearing down at 12.

I'm cooking about 30 pounds of BBQ which will render maybe 20 pounds of pulled pork after the fat is cooked away and the bone removed.

This will be my first tailgate in my chuck wagon. This should work well for me. It is lower to the ground so it is easy on my back. I can load it well in advance and not tie up my truck. I can unload it anytime and still have my truck free. I can park it in a spot for Monday night football and reserve the space. I can tow it with my jeep. It has a cool bottle opener on the side. Plus I can throw a tarp over it and say, "Screw it". I can't do that with my truck.

I will start the BBQ on Friday night with a good dry rub after trimming excess fat. The saturday afternoon around 3 I'll fire up the smoker, load it with wood and charcoal, and begin the long, slow, cook.

About 3 AM I will transfer the wrap the pork and place it in a 200 degree oven for a few hours to render that last bit of tenderness. Then I'll wrap the pork in towels and place them in a big foam cooler to retain the heat. I will pull the pork at the event.

Then I need to clean and scrub the smoker to have it for a record wing cook. I plan to dry rub wings saturday night and bag them for sunday. Once the pork is done I'll use the smoker as a large hot smoker at 350 degrees to cook 20 pounds of wings.

I'll also cook some of my sausages and have the grill ready and hot for anyone who brings food to grill. It sounds like a lot of trouble and it is, but I love the challenge, and love the food and people.

I only get to do this 8 times a year if we don't make the playoffs.

The bitch is the clean up once I get home. Greasy, dirty pans and pots. Everything has to be scrubbed and put away.

Still it is an event and I love it.


4 comments:

Ken said...

Dude!!!!!!

Unknown said...

you will be rewarded with 2013 extreme tailgate present.....

terri said...

It's obvious you love it. You would have to love it to put all the effort into it that you do. But I'll bet your tailgates are the most memorable for anyone who ever attends.

Unknown said...


Will there be chips and dip?