Preparation

B came by after his last day teaching (getting his grades in) and we took the smoker apart, discussed what we might do. Pretty simple, but we don't have a handbook. No real idea of the cooking times, but we're both good at taking things on the fly. I'm going down to his place tomorrow, to talk things through, since we'll be feeding 24 people on Sunday. Other people are bringing everything else (Ronnie bringing his delicious over-the-top potato salad) so we just have to cook the meat. A 12 pound pot roast and a whole pork loin. I figure we should start the cooking at 8 on Saturday night, then check it Sunday morning, giving us an additional 8 hours in case we need to finish them on a grill. B has apple wood for the actual smoking. My feeling is that we don't want to over-smoke the meat, so we'll be using the smoker as a slow cooker the rest of the time. The trick will be to keep them moist. I do think there needs to be a sauce or gravy, so there would be something to wipe up with the bread. A paper plate meal, with plastic knives and forks, people sitting wherever they can find a place, kids running around, a regular zoo; it'll be fun, for a few hours, and then I can leave. These people all know I'm a recluse, and I seldom say good-by, tend to just disappear. Oh, Tom? He left a while ago, mentioned feeding the crows. I do miss intimate intense conversation, but I'm not actually able to compromise my time, any more I just stare into the middle distance. I hear voices in the wind but in a language I don't understand. I like the sound of it, and maybe asking it to make sense is asking too much. Bacon wrapped filets of beef loin were on sale, so I had a great dinner of steak and sweet potato with morel gravy. I no longer feel guilty about this, I have morels: I work at it, not like it's a matter of luck. The first yellow lilies, so the tiger lilies of summer aren't far behind, and I love those fried in a tempura batter. I plan ahead, to use the frying oil efficiently, plan to fry vegetables for a couple of nights, then finish with frying fish and hush-puppies. After that you dump the oil and scrapings on the compost heap and all the wild animals wear a silly mustache for days. I save the dried tempura bits, like cracklings, to serve on salad. I'd been thinking about food, since I'll need to feed a couple of house guests for a couple of nights, several actually, Kim for three nights and two days and Diane for two nights and a day, so I need to plan ahead, especially because the main access will be closed. Hoe cakes and sorghum for breakfast, left-over stir fry for lunch, pounded pork tenderloin, stuffed with mushrooms and crab meat for dinner, a good bottle of wine, then port and a sharp Irish cheddar. Maybe a piece of chocolate. Fast run to town, library and Kroger for whiskey, then back around the longest route, all the way up the creek. Beautiful and lush, dogwoods blooming and the walnut are finally beginning to leaf. Stopped at B's and we tested the electric smoker, talked about rubs, maybe barding in bacon, soaking the apple wood. The pot roast measures 12 inches by 20 inches and will need to be cut in half, the heat and smoke need to circulate. I'll go back over Saturday afternoon, then again early Sunday. We'd both thought about the possibility of finishing the meat on the grill. I don't think it'll be necessary, especially if we rotate the meat at the half-way point. Not knowing where the half-way point is could be a problem. B expressed an interest in smoke/roasting vegetables, and driving home I was thinking about how good parsnips and sweet potatoes would be, cooked that way, with a butter sauce.