#10Everestsin2021 - February Progress Report

Don't forget ... I'm raising money to help fight Childhood Cancer by signing up for the Great Cycle Challenge again this year.

My plan is to ride 1000 miles in September. Between now and then, I'll beg for people to donate money on my GCC Rider Page:

https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/EricShepard

If you can afford it ... head over there and make a donation. I'd really appreciate the support. If you don't want to do it now ... don't worry ... I'll be reminding you at least once a month until at least the end of October.

If you're my facebook friend or follow the SheppyBrew Facebook Page, I'll nag you even more often. Sorry. (not really that sorry)

More Spare Ribs on the Kettle

I smoked some spare ribs on my Weber Kettle last Saturday.

Last time I posted about spare ribs, I mentioned that I haven't really figured out how to best fit them on the kettle.

I think I've settled on trimming them to square them up (what some people call St. Louis Style).

But then, I add the extra pieces on as well.

Last Saturday I tried doing a (sort of) snake method over half the kettle and placing the two racks on the indirect heat half of the kettle.

I think I like this setup more than other things I've tried.

I may have found my preferred set up for spare ribs on my Weber Kettle. Or maybe I'll try something different next time. 

Sin Lima Mexican Lager (Batch 282)

Believe it or not, I've been using my Anvil Foundry for almost 4 months. 

At the beginning of November of last year, I used it for the first time to brew Bud Lite Lime (271) on the Anvil Foundry.

I named the beer "Bud Lite Lime" as a joke.

It isn't anything like "Bud". It isn't really that "Lite". It doesn't use any "Lime".

I really enjoyed the beer. It is one of those beers that the SheppyBrew Beer Model also really enjoyed.

One thing I mentioned in "SheppyBrew 2020 Year-End Brewing Stats" is "I do think I want to work a little on my Mexican lagers 2021". When I wrote that, Bud Lite Lime was the beer I was specifically thinking of.

I think I'd like to have it on tap a lot this year.

KFC take 2

A few weeks ago, I made Kettle Fried Chicken (KFC) for the first time.

As I mentioned in that post, I like it, but I wanted to play around with KFC and see how to make improvements.

Sunday, I had chicken thighs ready to cook and decided to give KFC a second try.

This time, I simplified the recipe.

Rather than an egg / buttermilk wash, I used cooking oil to help bind the dry ingredients.

I only applied one layer of the dry ingredients.

As I mentioned in the "Brisket in the Cold", the outdoor temperatures were right around 0 degrees all weekend, so I used a lot of charcoal in my kettle.

Brisket in the Cold

Last week, while in Sam's Club I saw an 11 lb USDA Prime Brisket. 

When I see one around 10 lbs, I am always very tempted to pick it up. 

I succumbed to the temptation, which of course meant I had to cook it up this past weekend.

It was cold in Denver over the weekend. Much colder than we're used to here on the front range.

The high I saw on Saturday was something like 3 degrees F, and most of the day was colder than that.

I don't know for sure, but I'm fairly sure I've never smoked a big hunk of meat on such a cold day, so I was a little nervous about keeping my smoking temps up.

Even so, I was pretty sure my Kettle would be able to do it, so I gave it a try.

Quarter Life Crisis (Batch 281)

Recently, I turned 40 years of age. Recent is a  relative term.

Even more recently, I turned 50. Time flies when you are having fun.

To be honest, I'm now significantly over 50. I think with all the biking I've been doing over the past few years, I might be in better shape than I was at 40.

At least I'm in better cycling shape.

Anyway, when I turned 40, I thought it might be a good idea to have a quarter life crisis, since I was obviously too young to have a mid-life crisis. 

I never did get around to having that quarter life crisis, but I did brew

Quarter Life Crisis Hoppy Red Ale

Stouticus vs. Left Hand Milk Stout

As I mentioned in 2021 Stouticus American Stout (batch 278) ... I brewed my final beer in my Homebrew Colorado 6 pack.

Stouticus American Stout

Stouticus represented Left Hand Brewing Company's Milk Stout, which is still an iconic Colorado beer.

Unlike some of the beers in my Colorado Six Pack, actually still exists, so I was able to compare my homebrewed beer to the commercial beer it is meant represent.

To be honest, though,  Stouticus wasn't really designed to clone Left Hand's Milk Stout.

And ... they are significantly different.

Regardless, I thought it would be fun to try Stouticus and Left Hand side by side.