Care of Cell 44: Losing friends, life's grift

A Facebook post led to phone calls led to finding out that one of The Wife's childhood friends, a woman with whom she has had a long, complicated friendship, is on life support in an Albany hospital with lungs that apparently look like Swiss Cheese. She is Pneumonia ravaged and holding on by a thin ephemeral strand to her life here on Earth.

We are about to hop in the car and go to her side. Because of the ups and downs that come with any relationship, there is guilt, bittersweet relief, sadness and the irreversible loss of their tangibility, their 'themness' that will always be absent and silent.

I know it was not easy for her raising two young girls by herself and then years later another baby with an unfortunate father. I know she was, like most of us, crippled with self-doubt, fear, flagging willpower, and a thirst for self-destruction, but in the back of my mind, I always thought it would be different, that she would turn it all around and land square on her feet. Life is full of surprises.

The mighty Zombies perform "Care of Cell 44," from the epic Odessey and Oracle album just below. A sweet song from a mother to her son in jail. Beach Boys, Beatles and more in the mix with this stuff. The Zombies are so wonderful.

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You Gots to Chill: What's what and whatnot

On Saturday The Wife and I drove out to Sayville, Long Island for the 2009 Battle of the BBQ Brethren NY State BBQ Championship which was sponsored by RUB BBQ. Saturday was a grilling contest and Sunday was the KCBS BBQ Contest. I was there as a representative of RUB.

We walked in and first went to visit my buddy, Phil, the Grand Poobah of the BBQ-Brethren. As soon as I walked into his trailer to say hello...he tells me to put down my camera and coffee and start cooking. We hadn't been there 5 minutes, I hadn't finished my first cup of coffee and I was sweating shallots and garlic on a camping stove.

I cooked the stuffed chicken breast entry for the Entree category. I don't know how we did-- it seemed delicious to me. The stuffing had the shallots and garlic, olives, mushrooms, sage and cheese (pepper jack??), then it was topped with pancetta and mozzarella and served on top of a grilled polenta cake with grilled fennel and then a red wine and mushroom gravy and a sage leaf as garnish. Nice dish.


It was great to see some people that I don't see very often and to be amongst other absolute BBQ nuts who enjoy talking about it all as much as I do.

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Children of the Revolution: Recent home cookings...

Dinner: Dry aged rib steak, double smoked thick cut bacon, grilled asparagus, roasted potatoes and braised caramelized cabbage....



Dedicated to my buddy, Scott.

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WTF? Has it really been a month?!

I cannot believe that there hasn't been activity on this site in over a month. That is pathetic. Shameless. Shoot the messenger. Oh, well....

This is the way it's been, people. Sleep...cook barbecue. Eat.....cook barbecue. Repeat....

I had forgotten how much I loved the smell of hickory-- really good hickory, with a sweet, hearty smell of clean burning wood. The smell of fall leaves mixed with chimneys. So delicious.

I have cooked at home a fair amount, but I've just been too tired to document much of it....I will get on the stick. I promise...or not...And now, The Allman Brothers Band from way back in 1971, just around 9 months to the day before I was born (creepy!), kicking out a righteous version of Blue Sky....

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Baby's on Fire: Sears offers ideal grilled option

Sears Offers Grill to 'Cook Babies'- FOXNews.com

Posted using ShareThis

"The Web site for department store giant Sears offered a gruesome sales pitch Thursday — a grill that could "cook babies" and be used to roast body parts."

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I Want to Strangle You: Slashed Tire Nightmare

I am so pissed off right now I could spit sparks. I have been waiting to tell this story and finally have the time. Some busybody (get the kids out of the room) fucknuckle called the police and complained that my trailer was on the street unhitched. And the police came and said it had to be moved. It was parked hours from where I live and no one contacted me directly. I actually found out that my pit was about to be towed second-hand through a friend. And, apparently, it had a flat tire.

To be clear, it was in front of my father's house in Long Island. Ever since my mother passed away and my professional life got more busy, the house has seen fewer and fewer visits. The pit had been there for years (on and off, but mostly on when I wasn't catering) and no one had ever had a problem with it. In the most recent weeks, the level of complaint and uproar skyrocketed. Complaints have ranged from "it's an eyesore" to "I nearly walked into it in the dark walking my dog at night." Get a flashlight. The neighbors across the street say that they nearly backed into it when coming out of their driveway. I would've moved it if I had known that.

When I finally had the opportunity to get to the pit with the Wife and the car (remember, it was parked hours from where I live and my days off are days she usually works), I find out that it is not merely a flat tire. Someone slashed it. A clean, inch-long gap in the side of the tire. Since it is a trailer tire, most people don't have what I need on hand and I couldn't get anyone to tow it-- so I had to put it up with a jack, stack wood underneath it and get the tire off...and wait for the tire to come in and get put on the wheel and re-attached to the pit, fucking up the minimal free time I have at all, let alone with the wife and making me late for work.... All-in-all, crap....I have a cell phone pic of her jacked up Jethro style on the logs with my cell phone....I can't email it, but I have to get it posted.

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Oh, what a night: Has it really been a month?

So, I have sorely neglected you, my friends and faithful. For that, I am sorry.

Life has been a strong current recently, and like a furtive Sockeye, I am trying to make my way. Work has been priority number one and, though I am old, out of shape and tired, has been an amazing experience. Working @ RUB with Scott and the other cooks is a tremendously great opportunity-- I've learned so much in such a short time.

Here're some pulled pork spring rolls that I made the other night....more on this to come.

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I Hear Them All: Old Crow Medicine Show

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