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**MattTheGR8** · May 12, 2026, 03:00 PM

The wife and I had a baby last week, and during our tour of the maternity ward earlier this spring the tour guide mentioned that the nursing staff welcome gifts of treats from the patients. Apparently it's often things like snacks, baked goods, energy drinks, etc. However, as a card-carrying member of The Pit, I had other ideas.
These loin backs were cooked on the KBQ a few weeks in advance, then vacuum sealed and frozen. While the wife and baby were still in the hospital, I was making occasional trips home to shower and feed the cats. During one stop I woke up the ribs in a sous vide bath and sauced them, then headed back to the hospital.
The staff were very appreciative. Apparently no one has ever brought in ribs before (go figure). They might occasionally have pizza delivered, but not four racks of ribs. One nurse we'd not previously met even stopped by to say thanks, so I'll call this one a win!

**HotSun** · May 12, 2026, 03:01 PM

4/26 - loin steaks. I don't recall ever cooking loin steaks, but I got these for a steal. They were beautifully marbled. Dry brined for a few days. Reverse seared; some hickory for added character.

A+ on this one. I'll be doing loin steaks again and again. Kids loved them.

I'm kind of all caught up. I did picanha Saturday, but don't know where the pics ran off to, so I'll be quiet for a while.

**Fred64** · May 12, 2026, 04:05 PM

Hey y’all! First time posting, so hope I did it right (I realize in my rush to eat I didn’t snap a pic of this after I sliced it; oh well, next time! Smallish, whole Brisket smoked for 13 hours at 225 (no crutch), taken out at 203, wrapped in foil and placed in a cooler to nap for a few hours. For this one I seasoned with Chicago steak seasoning. Happy with how this turned out!

**JCBBQ** · May 12, 2026, 05:24 PM

This meal made me VERY happy. First, I love a simple sausage and broccoli rabe pasta. But then this afternoon, at my little Indian liquor store, I found Cinq Cépage from Chateau Saint Jean. This wine has a special place in my heart as four years ago my eldest got married at this vineyard and this was the red we selected to serve the guests.

**RichieB** · May 12, 2026, 06:44 PM

1.5# pork tenderloin. Had to be done indoors as wind, dry conditions, charcoal was not a responsible option. Brined overnight with Meatheads Pork Brine. Front sear. In pan painted with Trader Joes Kansas City Sauce and a half cup of chicken broth to assure moist. Also par boiled carrots and red baby potatoes added. 1.5 hours in oven at 250. Upped to 325 for the last 10 minutes. I.T. 140. Allow for carry over. Moist, tender and delicious.

**ItsAllGoneToTheDogs** · May 13, 2026, 02:28 PM

It was 1pm, I was starving and we weren't going anywhere... so what do I do? Make some chili (sauce) from scratch and bake some fries... almost 2 hours later I enjoyed a plate of chili cheese fries.

All the constant stirring should offset some of these calories.

**Mosca** · May 13, 2026, 04:11 PM

Fricoing cheese isn’t just for tacos. There’s nothing stopping you from melting smoked bacon cheddar in a skillet,

wiping it up with fried baloney instead of a tortilla (I did 2 melts using 2 pieces of fried baloney with each) (that’s browned cheese on there),

and making a damn good fried baloney and fried cheese sandwich.

**Smilner** · May 13, 2026, 05:43 PM

Slab of ham and some sausages. My “2 days til payday” meal prep

**Andrrr** · May 13, 2026, 07:11 PM

Wings! My homage to how well Michael_in_TX tells his stories, which I truly appreciate! I’ll add DaveD because I love your detail just as much but this contains 0 data, so it’s a poor representation.
There's no special recipe here, AP seasoning and mine are tossed in a mixture of Frank's and butter right before plating. The rest of the family is free to riff as they choose with all the sauces and seasonings and rubs we have laying around... I can't imagine how they all accumulated 🙄

Onto the grill

I ran out of smoking wood so I picked up this brand to try out (I know, the purists know this is kiln dried). I’ve seen the brand lately and was hesitant but I like it. Look at the uniformity of these pieces, no all-bark pieces and there’s no shake at the bottom of the bag.

Here we are at the turn and the flip

Done

Followed by a poorly plated picture which may be my signature move. 👍🏻 Man I love wings cooked with the vortex.

**rmeugene** · May 13, 2026, 08:22 PM

Pork tenderloin on the Weber gasser

**MauleGuy** · May 14, 2026, 12:16 PM

Pork butt with LOTS of bark !

I picked up a two pack of boneless pork butts from Costco and was trying to figure out how to deal with the flappy butt (no comments here) and the last time I cooked whole pork butts I was disappointed in the ratio of bark to meat.

I decided to cut each butt into 2" "steaks" and pin the loose bits together with 4.7" bamboo cocktail paddle spears (Hopelf). Ended up each butt yielded three steaks.

Did my normal pork butt routine: Dry brine, Memphis Rub, 180F for 1 hr 225F until ~200F internal on my RecTeq smoker with combustion thermometers inserted.

Since some got done faster than others, I pulled them off wrapped in pink butcher paper and put in warming oven.

End of the day there was WAY more bark in the pulled pork and the cook was markedly faster than two full chunks of hog.

They look like flat porcupines but it works.

TD

**Uncle Bob** · May 14, 2026, 05:49 PM

Tonight we enjoyed a bit of a treat, an Iberica Cabecera (aka pork collar). Overnight dry brine then put it on smoke at 250-ish for about 5 hours until 190 internal.

Then sliced it into steak-lettes that I ran under the Big Horn salamander for about a minute per side for some sear. These have so much intramuscular fat that only the fat cap around the edges charred, but the surface of the center did brown up a bit. Made a fresh chimichurri to accompany. Sides were Yucca fries and roasted cauliflower. Not shown was a nice Spanish Tempranillo that seem fitting to wash it all down.

If you've never had Iberica Pork of any cut you really should step up.........it's an entirely different experience compared to commodity pork.

**Panhead John** · May 14, 2026, 07:07 PM

A few weeks ago I was in the mood for some hamburger tacos and picked up a taco seasoning I don’t think I’ve used before, Cholula. It was so good I made some more tonight with the same seasoning. Since this was the best seasoning I’ve tried before I thought I’d Google ….”Best store bought taco seasoning” to see what other folks thought. I’ll be darn!

16 Store-Bought Taco Seasonings, Ranked Worst To Best - Tasting Table

https://www.tastingtable.com/1997240/store-bought-taco-seasonings-ranked-worst-best/

A taco seasoning mix can be a quick way to add a boost of flavor to any meal. Take a look at our ranking to find out which taco seasoning mix was our favorite.

Anywho, I melted some Sharp cheddar cheese on the flour tortillas, spread some fresh guacamole on, then added the seasoned hamburger with some cilantro and onion…….

**ItsAllGoneToTheDogs** · May 14, 2026, 08:11 PM

Since the bachelor mode menu was not exactly healthy yesterday, I went with tilapia ceviche tonight. Had a few bites, drained most of the liquid and will add some more 'maters and Serrano tomorrow, but it hit the spot tonight as it was.

starting the lime juice bath

After 30 minutes