BBQ
Is there any better combination than Beer and BBQ? To me, the two go hand in hand.
I enjoy spending my weekends outside, using one of my smokers or one of my Webers. Yes, I have two smokers and two Weber Kettle grills.
Growing up, I had a little experience with using my parent’s gas grill, but no experience really with charcoal. I got my first charcoal BBQ in 2004 and started experimenting with it. I was at home all day with our second oldest daughter, who was almost 2 years old. I believe she developed her love of steak that summer because of that BBQ. We spent our afternoons outside in the backyard, learning to barbecue steak and chicken.
Now years later, and many BBQs later, I am teaching our kids how to BBQ and I am experimenting all the time with new ideas. I have spent countless hours outside smoking pork belly, brisket, and all kinds of other meats. It seems the possibilities are endless.
And of course, I usually have a beer in hand while smoking or barbecuing. I enjoy my days off from work with a local beer and my barbecues. I even like to experiment with food and beer together.
I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with you along with my recipes and recommendations.
~Mike
Baking
Books and baking have always been my thing. Growing up I always had a book on the go just like my father did. I didn’t start baking until I was in my teens, but I did eat a lot of cake, cookies, and pies.
Although my home was in Ottawa, I spent a lot of time in my mom’s hometown of Otter Lake, a population of a little over 1000 people back then. Almost all of my mom’s family lived there, so we spent every weekend and holiday there, including spring and summer breaks. I believe I had the best of both worlds, growing up in the city and the country at the same time.
My love of food comes from both my mom and my dad. I learned to bake from my mom’s family, even though my mom never baked unless it came out of a box. My grandmother baked the best pies and cakes around. She even had the first restaurant in town.
My dad was always cooking up something different, using whatever ingredients he could find in the fridge and cupboards. He also hunted and fished, so venison, moose, fresh trout, and salmon, were staples in our house. Although my mom didn’t eat wild meat, I enjoyed it almost as much as my dad.
I love food and love to experiment with baking. But I had always left the BBQ up to the men. That is how I grew up. Dad cooked on the BBQ, Mom cooked in the house. That was until Mike bought me a gas grill for Mother’s Day in 2020. Our soon-to-be 16-year-old twins built the grill for me, but I was not convinced that this was a gift I wanted. But now, it is the most used BBQ we own. I even built a hut around it in the winter so I could continue to use it all winter.
I look forward to sharing my experience with BBQ and baking, sometimes combining the two together. And of course, sharing what books I am reading and which I recommend.
~Stacy
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