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Greetings everyone. We hope you are doing well in this period of social distancing. Today’s post is just to include some updates to let you know what we have been up to.

Super Bowl

It feels like forever ago that we got to get together with friends. One fond memory from a couple months back was the Super Bowl. Hosting a party can be stressful but when you put love and effort in, you usually get a great result.

First on our menu was Brisket Burnt Ends. Two large beef brisket points were ordered and smoked to perfection. The reason I did just burnt ends was, during a party over the summer, the burnt ends were such a hit. I had slices of brisket from the flat but, the burnt ends were the first to go. Also, I had another entree being served.

Pulled Pork is my favorite BBQ protein to make and is probably one of the easiest. The pork butt is so forgiving and just needs the right amount of time to reach the perfect temperature. We bought two shoulders from Costco as they come in a two pack. It turned out amazing. Juicy, tender, and had an awesome flavor.

Pulled Pork

Cooking all this food left one result. An empty tray of burnt ends and a somewhat full tray of pulled pork. Yes, I may have cooked way too much food but, I would be downright embarrassed to not have enough. So, we took the remaining pork and put them in five quart bags and froze four of them. More on that later.

Farm to Table At It’s Finest

Pork Chops are one of my favorite things to eat and I find them so easy to cook up. A former coworker of mine start The Liezert Family Farm raising chickens and then eventually hogs. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on one to have all the varieties of cuts. Let me tell you, the chops are to die for. They are cut by a butcher and wrapped. Nothing injected, no hormones, just plain awesome, the way nature intended. These pigs are raised in humane conditions with great care. There is a definite superior taste difference between fresh farm raised meat compared to mass produced pork you get from the grocery stores. I would encourage you to try to stock your freezers with fresh farm raised livestock if you have the opportunity.

Pork Chops

 St. Patrick’s Day

One of the last gatherings we had with friends before the social isolation was the Sunday before St. Patrick’s Day. A more recent tradition in the past couple of years has our family going to friends for a

Smoked Corned Beef. Of course, I prepare the corned beef. Others bring a side and we sit around drinking Irish Stouts and playing games. The corned beef was a smash hit and it just has a wonderful smokey flavor.

Fun With Leftovers

While thinking of dinner ideas the other night, my wife mentioned all the pulled pork we had in the freezer from the Super Bowl. We decided to reheat it in a pan after thawing. She cooked up some fries and onion rings. It was just as delicious as the day we cooked it.

The next day, there was still some pork left and a couple of onion rings begging to be finished off. I took three King’s Hawaiian roles, loaded them with the remaining pulled pork, topped them with chopped onion rings and finished them off with some Lil’ Spicy blend.

I am huge leftovers guy but, I like to use leftovers in a creative way. How do you think I did?

R&D

Breaking News! There is now a final candidate on a pork rub that will really enhance ribs, chops, loin, and pulled pork. We believe the flavor compliments our barbecue sauces well. We may release this before any other product just to get it out there and in the hands of people to enjoy this summer.

Our research and development efforts have made a little progress as we are working on a new mustard based BBQ sauce flavor. The new sauce will be featuring a brown mustard from Cleveland. This new sauce will be tangy but will also be a little more rich than its predecessors, Competition Blend and Lil’ Spicy Blend. There is a delicate balance of perfecting the right combination of tangy and sweetness. Hence, there has been delays because we do not want to push out an inferior product.

A chicken rub is in the works but it will vary a bit from some traditional. The plan is to create a rub with the look of a traditional competition BBQ red color but to taste like a smoked, southern fried chicken. We know that is a lot to imagine but trust us, we believe it will be a big hit when perfected. It takes a tremendous amount of time to formulate, measure and perfect the flavors of a rub. The rubs need to be tested on cooked meats as well due to the flavor profile changing when cooked.

Secret Weapon

Final Thoughts

We hope you are staying safe and healthy and truly miss getting together with friends and family. Thank you so much for your support and kindness throughout the last 3 years.  We send our sincere love and hope to see you very soon.

Regards,

Jason

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