BBQ Withdrawals

[Troutman]

For those who've followed me on here for the last couple of years know that I post a lot of cooks. That's because I cook a lot. It's a hobby, it's my passion and dang it I love to eat good food. My folks were foodies back when fresh cooked meals were on the table nightly, steaks on Friday and a roast of some sort Sunday afternoons. Their passion for food rubbed off on me.

Generally I plan meals during the week and get setup for the weekend which I consider Friday, Saturday and Sunday, one to two meals per day. Leftovers always take us a day or two so we have meals for five out of seven days. That's a lot of cooking when you think about it, but definitely a labor of love.

Well age, health, a 50 hour a week job and other interests have slowed me a bit in 2019. I'm trying to get to the point where I can safely retire and may just cook daily. But I'm not there yet. Things have gotten so busy of late that I had to forgo cooking for the last two weeks. I did some over the holiday weekend but nothing like I would normally have done.

In short, I'm going through BBQ withdrawals. Got some things lined up to cook some member recipes this weekend so that will get my juices flowing again.

How about you guys, does your life interfere with your passion or does your passion interfere with your life? Somewhat of an esoteric question but love to hear your response.

[Steve B]

My job definitely gets in the way of my cooking.
Also 50-60hrs a week at work including Saturdays. Out the door @ 7:15am and I’m lucky to get home by 7pm. Hoping to retire or at least semi-retire @ 62. A little over 6yrs from now.
Until than guess I gotta grin and bear it.

[Ahumadora]

Try having 3 young kids and running a biz in a country on the brink of economic collapse. I can barely find anyone to work so I have to do alot of the grunt work myself. Never get to cook as much as I would like.

[gcdmd]

fzxdoc
Thank you, Kathryn

[Dr. Pepper]

On a Mac, shift +option +? Gives you ¿
On an iOS device, let your finger rest on the ? Key and both the upside down and right side up choices show.

[CaptainMike]

Ah yes, that would be the USA under Presidente Bernesto Sandersuevara.

[JoeSousa]

4 kids (all under 8 including a 6 week old) along with work, flag football for the oldest boy, church stuff, etc. means a lot of simple dinners and not a lot of time to spend at the grill. I try to plan at least one dinner in the grill a week even if it just simple chicken or burgers or something but even that gets skipped on many weeks. But longer cooks like brisket or pork butts are fewer and farther in between lately.

[RichieB]

I am retired just over 2 years. It's when I retired that my interest peaked. I cooked before, had a Weber Silver for 13 years. My wife's gift to me for retirement was the Genesis II 3 burner. Then in April 18' I found all of you. This spring bought the Weber 22.5 Master Touch. So the passion and desire to learn grows every day.

When I worked I could never have focused on the cooking. I was a tele commuter since 04'. I traveled extensively in a customer facing sales function. My last 2 years I was able to back off on travel. Work still diverted me from any serious cook time.

I hope you who see retirement on the horizon get there. It will free up time to focus on cooking or any other interests there might be.

[CaptainMike]

I feel so fortunate that I fell into the career I did. Being a fireman definitely came with its challenges, but one of the many upshots was cooking and breaking bread with my crews. Two things took my culinary skills up a notch or 2: retirement and stumbling on to Amazingribs. While I have plenty to do and have any number of projects going at any given time, I find myself working my time around meal planning. My wife is still working and I see it as my job to make our home as nice as I can so she won't stress about that. I find that, naturally, the more I cook, the more I read, and the more I interact with like minded people the better I get at it. A passion shared, my Brother.

Man, take the retirement plunge as soon as practically possible. You can always make money, but you can't make more time. 50 hour work weeks are damned unhealthy and there's always a price to pay. While I had plenty of work opportunities and still had gas in the tank, the long days, travel, and general work stress finally pushed me to hit my expiration date. I jumped out and have ZERO regrets. Take care of yourself Steve, and enjoy your weekend.

[gcdmd]

Thank you, Mike.See my post below.

[Steve B]

Thanks Mike. You are 100% correct about it taking its toll. I’m a 35 year auto technician and believe me I feel it.
Oh you mean my weekend day. 😞😁
Whoops. I forgot troutman’s name is Steve also.
My bad.

[mountainsmoker]

Troutman feel for you. I lived the corporate life for to many years. Or what city I might be in from week to week. I retired at 62. Now I make up rubs, sauces, can smoke meats any time I want. Did a turkey breast on a Thursday, ribs on a Tuesday. Will do a brisket when I feel like it after we get home from watching the Mississippi flow by in our cabin on its bank in IA.

Your day will come the best to you. Keep your head up and Q when you can.

[glitchy]

My oldest is off to college this year, so there’s no more soccer 9 months of the year and lots more time to cook until the daughter finds enough additions to fill in the schedule openings. However, college bills and my last MCS attack are really putting pressure on the old checking account. I’ll be smoking 99 cent packs of wieners if I buy anything else, lol.

[barelfly]

Hahaha! .99 wieners! That’s classic. My oldest left this year as well. No more soccer here, although we travel to watch her play in college. And my son doesn’t have the same baseball schedule he had so weekends have been different as of late. It’s been nice.

So....what MCS dis you have!

[Steve B]

Hey. At least it’s something. 😂😂

[RonB]

Retired for 5 + years now. There are too many hobbies, so I don't always cook, but I do cook when I want to. My wife is also retired, but not fond of cookin' although she does cook occasionally, so we usually wind up eating out several times a week if I don't feel like cooking. And I like it this way just fine...

[barelfly]

I’m there with ya. I travel every week 2-3 days, been heavy as of late. I’m lucky if I get to cook it up once a week lately. So I savor the weekend that allows me to chill on the patio with a bourbon and the Weber puffin lite smoke. Tonight is one of those nights.

Retirement will be as sweet as those ribs you make and as beefy as the big ol 5 bone Dino ribs you made! Here’s to working hard so we can play harder come retirement!

cheers my friend!

[Mr. Bones]

Cheers to alla that, Brother!

[Mosca]

I was off for most of July and August (long story, not gonna tell it) and got to cook every day. Now I’m back at work, and I think I’ve cooked once in the last two weeks.

[Backroadmeats]

I hear ya guys in the summer I spend 60-70 hours a week in a dump truck..with three little ones under the age of 8.. I hit my breaking point 3 years ago when my then 5 year old called me at 8 o'clock at night just to see how I was and talk to me because she hadn't seen me since Sunday night when I put her to bed.. I told the wife something had to change .I got my conditionL use permit 2 weeks later and this Friday if all goes right will be my last day driving truck and I will be working in my custom processing building cutting up hogs a beef.. hopefully now I can set my hours so I can enjoy spending time with them as they grow up and maybe pass them on a business to run.

[Backroadmeats]

Thanks Troutman and Oak Smoke . It is a bit of a jump of faith.. I always say I can do what ever I put my mind to but we have so much in this that I have to make it work .failure is not an option.. I know I can make good money at this and still spend time with the kids.. I tell everyone I am to stupid to quit.. I just work harder and get it done..

[Backroadmeats]

Troutman I love motivational quotes.. your last post will be on a plaque in my meat locker.. love it!!!

[Steve B]

Good luck my brother.
I have no doubt you will succeed. 👍👍

[surfdog]

I here ya! I travel a lot for my job. And by a lot I mean front desk clerks at several hotels, in multiple states, know me on a first name basis. The manager of a restaurant in Orlando comped some appetisers tonight. When I get to Cocoa Beach tomorrow, I know that if I go to one of my regular spots...the barmaid will already know what I’m likely to order. The same will happen when I get to Waco in a few days.

The point is...my work SERIOUSLY cuts into my cooking time. Which is why when I’m "home" every day is like Saturday...and I try to take advantage of that. Fortunately I live alone.

[au4stree]

I work in the utility industry, this time of year is stressful, always a tropical system requiring our attention, but I wouldn't change it. I haven't cooked as much either with work and a recent minor surgery, but am super excited about learning this new Primo. We cook the vast majority of our meals at home too, but sometimes the kids' schedules force us to eat a meal out.

Hang in there, I see the joy retirement had brought to my parents. My dad told me, he knew when it was time, I always thought he worked a few to many years more than he should've

[jfmorris]

I cook a couple of times per week, and usually enough to cover several days. I’ve got to start learning to cook less now that 2 kids are gone and it’s not 5 plus random friends. One more wedding and a year of tuition, and maybe I’ll be able to start saving money again for something other than wedding dresses. 3 weddings in 18 months is killing me.

[Steve B]

Ouch.

[jfmorris]

Steve B yep, ouch! The college tuition has been killing me for about 8 years now. Only for 2 years of it did I have one kid in college, then I had 6 years of at least 2 at a time, one with 3 in, now we are down to one tuition again. We had a wedding on 9/29/18, 1/19/19 (yes, that close!) and the next one is 5/16/20. The youngest didn't give me much of a break, I had hoped for a couple more years in between!