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A Californian in Texas

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    A Californian in Texas

    I'm sure most of you are getting a little worn down by now with all of the praise and platitudes of our "Meat-up in Texas", but I wanted to offer some thoughts from a fellow that had to make more than a 2-3 hour drive to get there.

    First off, I want to thank wcpreston for the inspiration and Panhead John for the great effort in planning and organizing a fantastic get-together.

    And fantastic it was! As far as getting there, central Texas is pretty close to central USA and was no giant chore to travel there. Obviously there is an expense that goes with that, but all told it wasn't too expensive and there was great value in it for me.

    We stayed at a sweet little auto court that John found in a little town about an hour from Austin in the heart of Cen-Tex BBQ country. This provided a very relaxing environment without all of the hustle-bustle and traffic of a big city. Being a country boy and a burgeoning curmudgeon I really enjoyed the fact that we didn't have to navigate the highways and byways of Austin, in fact I thoroughly enjoyed our trips through the Texas countryside. And that Southern Hospitality was prevalent everywhere we went, quite a refreshing experience for a lad from unhappy, grumpy California.

    As far as the group dynamics I would say there was little, if any, awkward moments that many of us experience when meeting people for the first time. I attribute that to our online camaraderie and mutual respect and interests. There were no surprises or funky attitudes and we all bonded quickly as good friends. As I look back on the conversations and interactions it's as if we had known each other for years. I guess in many cases that is pretty true.

    As far as the food, many have already extolled the virtues of the great BBQ joints we visited so I will leave it at that. However, I will say that Friday and Saturday night's dinners were every bit as good and memorable as the eateries we visited. Troutman 's and Loren 's generous gifts of the ribeye steaks, John's equally generous side dishes, Uncle Bob 's wife Lee's salad, and TxF 's wife Julia's decadent desserts were as good as it gets for a backyard grill-out. And then Saturday evening we enjoyed an equally amazing dinner when 58limited provided us with 2 excellent briskets from 2 different places to taste, compare, and devour!!

    So without blathering on and on, I will summarize by saying that this was an affordable and very rewarding trip for me to make. To cruise around and take in some of the most famous (and perhaps yet-to-be famous) central Texas BBQ joints was an absolute joy! But the most rewarding aspect was to cement and validate in person the friendships that have been forged online with some wonderful people from the Pitmaster Club. For anyone who is seriously considering this trip, or is on the fence, I can say that you would not be disappointed. Jump in the pool, the water (and the BBQ) is great!!!
    Last edited by CaptainMike; June 9, 2021, 01:13 PM.

    #2
    Well said, Mike. Spending four years in San Antonio, courtesy of Uncle Sam, convinced this former Californian to move back to Texas after our favorite uncle let me go. My last duty station was in San Francisco, which I love, having spent four years in school there in the sixties, but I still decided to become a naturalized Texan, no regrets, no lookin' back over my donkey.

    Comment


    • CaptainMike
      CaptainMike commented
      Editing a comment
      Yeah, Texas is tugging at this 'ol boy's heart.

    • Panhead John
      Panhead John commented
      Editing a comment
      CaptainMike You might have already thought of this but, bring your lovely wife with you to Texas for a week or so to visit. Maybe….October?🧐 Don’t know if she needs any convincing to leave or not, but it wouldn’t hurt. You just MIGHT run into some people you know, hmmm….maybe in the outskirts of Austin/Hill Country area?
      Last edited by Panhead John; June 9, 2021, 01:05 PM.

    • smokin fool
      smokin fool commented
      Editing a comment
      I know what you mean CaptainMike, in the 80's we tried to move to Kaufman, Texas to join my wife's sister and her family. Couldn't get sponsership for green cards.
      To late in life to make the change now but always like to visit , and yes gcdmd San Antonio is a gem....

    #3
    Good thoughts Mike, all I can say is,”Come on down!!!”. We’ll hold your place in line !!

    Comment


      #4
      Well said Mike. Glad you all enjoyed it so much.

      Comment


        #5
        As a Texan living in Oklahoma I can appreciate everything you said about southern hospitality and the wonderful people there. I don't really miss the crowded cities and the weather, but I certainly do miss friendlyTexans and their great spirit and attitudes.

        If you are seriously thinking about relocating, do it quickly as tens of thousands of others are also on their way from other states.

        Hope to meet you in October at the next Meat-In.

        Comment


        • CaptainMike
          CaptainMike commented
          Editing a comment
          Oak Smoke I think you have doubled your money by now, at least.

        • Oak Smoke
          Oak Smoke commented
          Editing a comment
          We may have, but it would take a lot more than that to get me out of here. We truly love where we live. I'm watching a financial show right now. They said gas is over 4 dollars a gallon in California. I paid 2.54 in Stephenville, Tx. yesterday.

        • smokin fool
          smokin fool commented
          Editing a comment
          Affordable and plentiful air conditioning is perhaps the biggest reason for relocating to Texas.
          Darned heat can be oppressive there, I’m sure some of the more seasoned Texans remember no A/C just some old rattle trap fan on the mantle.

        #6
        Thanks for this Mike. Since I had to drop out I have enjoyed every report, comment, photo and jibe. Seriously looking forward to next time.

        Comment


        • CaptainMike
          CaptainMike commented
          Editing a comment
          It was disappointing that you were unable to make it Larry, I hope all is well with you.

        #7
        Lee appreciates the call out CaptainMike .

        As for the locust thing, there is an entrance exam, if your drink enough bourbon you might pass.

        Comment


        • CaptainMike
          CaptainMike commented
          Editing a comment
          You keep pouring the good stuff, Bob, and I'll keep drinking it!!!

        • Uncle Bob
          Uncle Bob commented
          Editing a comment
          If we can get PJ to pay for it I'm in........................oh, wait, all he likes is Sterno.................................

        • CaptainMike
          CaptainMike commented
          Editing a comment
          Hahahahaha!!!!

        #8
        Come on! We'd love to have ya as a permanent resident. Since my BIL moved away it would be nice to have someone else as my travelin' buddy/ map reader.

        Comment


        • CaptainMike
          CaptainMike commented
          Editing a comment
          I'd happily be your co-pilot or navigator any time!!

        #9
        It was indeed a lot of fun meeting you all. It was weird, but like you said... it was like we knew each other already.

        Funniest thing is I had to fly to TX to meet CaptainMike, who lives in San Diego!

        Comment


        • wcpreston
          wcpreston commented
          Editing a comment
          That was an anti-Tex-Mex comment, not an anti-NoCal comment

        • wcpreston
          wcpreston commented
          Editing a comment
          But living in SD, you can just go to Mexico if you want REALLY real Mexican food. And I do so regularly.

        • CaptainMike
          CaptainMike commented
          Editing a comment
          Yeah, Mexican beef, in Mexico, is awesome. I don't know what they do to it, and probably don't want to know, but we can't get carne asada or any other beef dish in the States quite like we can in Mexico.

        #10
        When you're back let's all do a BBQ tour of San Diego. That should just take a couple of hours.

        Comment


        • CaptainMike
          CaptainMike commented
          Editing a comment
          Let's see, Dave's, Applebee's, and Outback. BION, before he closed down due to lack of employees our local butcher shop in the metropolis of Weed did a pretty dang good brisket every Saturday. He was equally good with butts and ribs and such. Even smoked the tri tips before searing off. Some straight up gen-yoo-wine BBQ. Dude is a total foodie and had some outstanding products. I miss his shop dearly.

        #11
        That Boy Good in Oceanside was really good for baby backs the one time I tried it: https://thatboygoodbbq.com

        Comment


        • CaptainMike
          CaptainMike commented
          Editing a comment
          Dang, that looks awesome!!!

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