Conditioning

Prep work is everything.

this is from the last 1/4 beef we got. coming to the end of it and it is, as all year is, high grilling season.

i pulled this strap from the freezer 5 days ago and let it age (brown up and start to break down).  then 24+ hours ago set it in cling wrap with soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, borsari seasoning salt and parley.

to conserve seasonings and maximize contact cling wrap (similiar to saran wrap but better "cling") is best. in fact, that is the key, keeping all of that glory nice and tight to the meat.

opened up the wrap. smelled good enough to eat then. by the way, the bright red is the chili sauce. most of the meat had a brown-grey tint.

on the grill and oh crap, i forgot to wire brush the grill before i threw on the beef. 

"flavor crystals"

the grill was at a slightly lower temp so no char marks. not necessary with this cut. 

Final test: soaking the eye

Final test for any defects in the hanging. 

after hanging any hatchet or axe head i let the wood glue used on the wedge set. 

then i soak the head in linseed oil for 24 hours. 

this will give some good conditioning to the part of the tool that is impossible to reach (compared to a rag and oil rub on the handle). the end grain will soak up that oil for some distance.

in this case with the Findley's hackett it shows a hairline crack running down the handle. this was completely invisible without the oil.

visible as a dark straight line coming south from the cheek.

the handle took some time to sculpt because of the small eye. 

then when i added the wedge i was just too much.  there are times when we all need to own up to i knew better but still made the mistake and that was the case here.

there are some that do not use wedges and i have had great success without any. however, there is also much merit to wedges, especially when the eye has been conditioned with a good linseed oil bath. 

i have of course re-hung the head and decreased the size of the wedge (images will be on another post) and all is solid now. 

Length of shower

Tonight was a one cider shower.

great american farmhouse cider from an orchard in michigan.

The excuse my son did not use

As our aussie is my witness, was over 20 minutes ago that i asked my three sons to line up their sandals so they could dry.

but the youngest's is missing (as is he for that matter) and the older boys' shoes seem to have been re-watered.

as our golden retriever is his witness, the sandals were obviously constricted, consumed then excreted as water by the snake posing as a garden hose.

damn snake!

Deer & sausages

Tonight's grill was deer butterfly steaks and sausages.

12 hours in sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, malt vinegar and seasonings.

onto the grill

first flip then add more of the soaking juice.

last flip then more of the soaking juice.

PERFECT!

Still from a nightmare

Still from the nightmare: "best shopping in town"

what will one do for shopping?  for the price of admission, the shoppers are asked to tear out one plastic doll from their left nictitating membrane. from what i hear they are allowed to pick up on their effigy on way out. hope they can find the right one.

note: found this odd basket of dolls next to the front door of an antique store. an excellent source of finding something absurd.

Victor and the gun

Victor right before WWII

he had been living and working in wyoming for the few years leading up to the war.