Best Brisket We've Ever Made

The other day my wife and I decided to make a brisket.  This is not a task we undergo often.  The reason we came to this conclusion was simple: we had meat.  My wife found a two-pound brisket on sale at the grocery store the previous week and she brought it home.  We weren't sure how we were going to cook it, but we could not pass up the chance to get good, cheap, tasty meat.

The day of the meat cooking, we looked for recipes, one that might be easy enough for people with a small child, detailed enough that this simpleton follow, and basic enough to keep us from going to the store for more ingredients.  The recipes fitting this criteria were few.  We did not have wood chips, beef stock, a can of beer, a smoker, or many other key ingredients that most of the recipes called for.

However, we came across one recipe that just might work.  It did call for a can of beef stock that we did not have.  When push came to shove we thought that maybe we could just substitute more water for the beef stock and hope the beef was flavorful enough on its own.  And with that, the recipe was chose.  After all, it was a food network recipe.  They are pretty reliable.  Not only that, it was a Paula Deen recipe "y'all."  The goodness does not stop there, it had been submitted by Tom Perini, owner and head beef dude at Perini Ranch and Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap, Texas.  If you haven't heard of this place, friend you need to come visit me and experience some Texas food.  So, needless to say the stars were aligning for this brisket to be cooked.  We found this recipe here and started on a 4-hour long journey to beef bliss or beef blunder. (Skip to the bottom of the post for the modified recipe that we used).

So, here we were with this piece of meat, and we began to mix all the spices listed.  It beautiful!  Not the aroma.  I believe my wife said "what spices have you added? Something smells funny. I can't tell if it's the spices or if it's the baby (our 14-month old)."  We decided it must have been the bay leaves that the recipe called for.  I can't even tell you the last time I saw that we even had bay leaves in our cupboard, but they were there, the recipe called for them, so in the went. The spices made such a lovely earthy tone.  I never knew spices would look so good.

We rubbed the meat with this great mixture of sweet and savory, salty, and strong medley.  Let me mention at this point that I am not the best cook in the world, even in our small family of three (my wife, a 14-month old, and myself).  I have a few go-to recipes up my sleeve, but that's it.  They usually consist of 2-5 ingredients, and lots of oil or butter for flavor.  I do the grilling at our house, and things typically go well.  This was my first attempt at an actual dry rub that wasn't just salt, pepper, and Lawrey's seasoning salt.  Burgers and steaks are my home turf, not this Texas Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket.  The time came to put it in the oven though. I thought all might go wrong. This was an entire afternoon's investment we were talking about.  Those are precious in our house, especially on a weekend.

In the oven went the brisket,  rubbed with care and season, fat side up. I'm not sure if that made a difference or not.  I had simply read it on many of the other recipes I surveyed.  This recipe didn't call for it, but why not, what could be the harm?  It was to sit for 1 hour, uncovered in the oven.  During that first hour, all those spices began melding together with the savory juices of the meat that made my mouth water every time I smelled it.  I could tell this was going to be a grueling 4-hour process.  I do not know how they can stand it out at the Perini Ranch, being around such deliciously smelling meats all day long.  Maybe they have vegetarians help them cook the meat (not vegetarians out of conviction, vegetarians out of choice).

When we made it through the first hour I pulled the brisket out and saw that the thing has shrunk in size.  I thought to myself "bummer, less meat."  Nevertheless it was still two pounds of beef.  Plenty for my wife and myself to enjoy for more than one meal if this thing turned out to be okay.  Now, the time came to see if our modification would pay off.  We still had no beef stock, but at this point the recipe called for 1 can, plus enough water to have the meat sitting in 1/2 inch of liquid.  In our case, it was merely going to be 1/2 inch of water.  We did as the recipe called for, closing the meat up as tight as we could.  I did not think our roasting pan made a tight enough seal so I wrapped foil around the edges of the roasting pan.  After all the recipe said "cover pan tightly and continue cooking."

Three hours from then we would see what turned out.  More of the delicious smelling aroma filled our house.  We went into the back yard a couple of times while the brisket cooked.  Each time we re-entered the house or walked from the back rooms to the front, we could smell the goodness of meat being slowly roasted, almost smoked, in our oven.  The wait was killing me.  Finally three hours had passed and my wife had made the perfect complimentary dish for this meal--potatoes.  Mashed potatoes.  Does real Texas food get much better than meat and potatoes? Not in my house.

When we finally pulled the brisket out of the oven and uncovered it, an aromatic wave of steam bathed my face in this sea of spices mixed with meaty goodness.  The beef was tender to the touch of a fork, just as the instructions had said.  The liquid which was once water, was now a dark brown, almost black liquid of juice, spice, gravy awesomeness that was used to pour over the meat one last time to give it that juicy zing that hits you in the back of the mouth when you place the meat on your tongue.

Once I cut back the excess fat and began to slice the meat itself, it was so tender that some of it began to just fall to pieces (a problem I don't mind having).  It was time to take the first bite.  My wife and I forked a couple of pieces carefully in our mouths, making sure to dab some of the juices that had been poured over the meat and were now resting in a pool on the plate.  It was perfect!  Tender. Savory. Succulent. A tad sweet. A little kick. Perfect!

We did it.  We fixed a brisket worth eating.  Not only was it worth eating, it is one of the better briskets I have ever eaten.  I know it is definitely the best brisket I have ever fixed.  In a few words of summary, "if you are not doing brisket this way, you are missing out."  All other brisket recipes shall now be compared to this one, at least in our house.

As I write this, I realize I have said much about a chunk of meat.  In the scheme of things, meat is meat.  It has no eternal significance.  But, what I now have is also a recipe that we can use to share a meal with those who come into our home.  The table is not huge, but we welcome others with the hospitality of sharing a table.  Food is more than sustenance, it is a vehicle for sharing life at a table with others.  I'm not always the best at making this happen, but that is what our goal is, whether it's family, friends, neighbors, or strangers at our table, we want to show the hospitality taught in the New Testament.  Much like communion, any meal can be a gathering to break bread and share life with those who believe the same or different than us. It is more than meat, more than drink, it is community.

If you are interested in the recipe, here is what we did.  Everything is the same as the original recipe found on the food network recipe link except the portions and lack of beef stock.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed bay leaf
2 lbs. beef brisket, trimmed

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Make a dry rub by combining chili powder, salt, garlic, and onion powders, black pepper, sugar, dry mustard, and bay leaf.  Season the raw brisket on both sides with the rub.  Place in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour.
Add enough water to yield about 1/2 inch of liquid in the roasting pan.  Lower oven to 300 degrees F, cover pan tightly and continue cooking for 3 hours, or until fork-tender.
Trim the fat and slice meat thinly across the grain. Top with juice from the pan.
Enjoy and share!

 

Reboot!

I know that it is already January 10th, a little over a week into 2013, but I feel this post is still applicable.  This time of year brings about new beginnings.  Sure, some people have probably already broken their New Year's resolutions, but, that's part of the reason for writing this post.

Every year we get the chance to see a new start.  No matter how many times we decide to quit smoking, or start eating better, or exercise more, or read our Bible everyday, or ____________________, we have a chance to let something new happen in our lives.  This time of year reminds of a couple of things.

The first thing that comes to mind is a British television show called The IT Crowd (not the word "it" but I.T.).  The show revolves around the few people who work in the Information Technology department of a corporate business.  The guys in the show are the stereotypical computer geeks who love video games, play turn-based role-playing board games, are used to living/working in basements, etc.  Their female supervisor knows nothing of technology, but helps the other two guys relate to the rest of the company.  What does all that have to do with change?  In their office, the two guys have a standard way of answering the telephone, "I. T., have you tried turning it of and then back on again?"  Before even a hello is uttered, or pleasantries are exchanged, they bypass all of the chit-chat and troubleshoot one of the quickest fixes for many people.  "Have you tried turning it off and then back on again?"  A reboot!  The system needs a new start. Perhaps each of us need a fresh start sometimes too.

The next thing that comes to mind is how in the New Testament, Paul the apostle undergoes change. He was a pretty mean dude back when his name was Saul.  Not only did he disapprove of Jesus followers, he rounded them up so they could be tortured and killed. It comes as no surprise that many people inside the church and some outside the church have heard of all this and how Paul was pretty zealous for the Jewish faith.  He would do anything to make sure the name of God was kept pure, meaning the Jesus followers needed to be silenced just as Jesus was silenced.  If not, check it out in the book of Acts.

But, a new year usually means a new opportunity to start something new or restart something that did not work in the past.  Whatever the case may be, this reminds me of the kind of life change that Paul underwent. He went from being a persecuting zealot to a believing follower of Jesus, the very man/faith/idea that he wanted to squelch.  Not only has Paul gone through that change, anyone who is in Christ is changed like that.  In Paul's letter to the the people at Corinth he says that "if anyone is in Christ the old stuff is gone and the new is here."  Isn't that just like starting a new year sometimes?

Sometimes we might need a new year to forget the things of the past.  Let the internal computer start with new memory.  Reboot some things. Maybe some of us need a chance to simply have a new beginning like Paul.  Maybe we just need to take a fresh look at this year, realize that there might be some times where we will mess up.  That diet may not go exactly the way we plan, the habit we try to quit may rear it's ugly little head, but take head, this is a new year.  This is a time of new beginnings.

So, to keep from getting too much into a sermon, let me just throw a challenge out there.  In this time of New Year and new season, let us live as new beings, those who are in Christ.  Throw off the things that hinder us, and live, truly live a life others might envy. Not necessarily a life that amasses mounds of wealth or is full of success according to business standards.  But, live a life that people want to have--a life of being a great friend, being the best spouse, parent, child, student, teacher, employee, boss, sibling, roommate or ________________ that you can be.  Trust me, when people see that, they are envious, because those are the kinds of people that live as new creations.

To be honest though, even as new creations we mess up.  Good thing there's room in the kingdom for people who mess up (me).  To quote from one of the great masterpiece's of our time, Disney's the Lion King, "you gotta put the past behind you."  If 2012 was a struggle, we do not have to let that immobilize us, reboot. If 2012 was great, that's not a guarantee this year will be without challenges.  As you pack away your Christmas decorations (if you haven't do so, like us), also put away the futile things that lead to death. Now is a time for newness.  We can continue to live the way we have been or we can take an opportunity to take part in being someone new.
Next post will be about steps to becoming new.

Us vs. Them

It is 2012, another election year.  Time for all of the political discussion (arguments) and the not-so-sweet TV advertisements to come rolling across the screen with the little tagline at the end "this was a paid advertisement by the so-and-so campaign." In an election year, like one we have this year, it is easy to see how polarizing our nation can be.  Not only our nation, but our entire world community can take sides, perhaps not always politically, but we as a human race can become polarizing over certain issues nonetheless.  This is a very dangerous place to be.  We align ourselves with a certain group, or a certain party, or a certain person and before long we find ourselves in a me vs. you stance or us vs. them, red vs. blue, android vs. apple, republican vs. democrat, Marvel vs. DC, Christians vs. non-Christians.  The questions I ask myself are: how healthy is this?  Are we accomplishing anything? Can we accomplish more another way?

Oftentimes I think the Christian community, who has great intentions, gets wrapped up in this me vs. you way of life as well.  We are taught that this is the way we settle things verbally and peacefully (sometimes not so peacefully, like the Crusades--sorry).  I present my case, you present your case, we challenge one another's views, and walk away with nobody being swayed and everyone being angry.  Some people just love a good debate.  This week is the first presidential debate of the 2012 elections.  I will certainly be paying attention, not because I think either of the political leaders will dramatically sway my opinion with their carefully crafted debate skills, or their attacks and counter-attacks against the other party/leader.  But I will take note of the character presented by each of the candidates.

There will certainly be many things to discuss and there will be much politicking taking place, but let me get back to my original thought.  We, as Christians, often see ourselves in the arena of me vs. those who oppose me.  We take a stand on the words of Christ from Mark 9:40 "whoever is not against us is for us" and assume that the opposite is true: "whoever is not for us is against us."  Our Christian stances hold our line on several hot button issues and lump together those who deviate from our opinion.  I use the term "our" because I fall into this category often without meaning to.  But, what may be more beneficial is to remind ourselves that the other political party (whichever that may be for you), the opposing viewpoint, the anti-my-way-of-thinking, is not our enemy.  No matter how anti-Christian that person may seem.  They are not the enemy.  Unless they are the physical embodiment of evil they are not the enemy.

How can that be?  Am I just some passive Christian who has been brainwashed by the liberal media to affirm that there is no moral absolute or that all truth is relative? No.  I am trying to remind us as Christians that our battle is not against flesh and blood. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." -Eph 6:12.

Although I quiver at the thought of how downright evil some people's actions can be, and how much insanity there is in the world, we are all sinners and even the scariest human is only one step away from the grace of God (yes all, even the most extreme cases).  If we change our outlook, we should never see our struggle as a we vs. they mentality.  The ones we consider "they" in this sentence are people just like anyone included in the "we" category, and the act of the cross, Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection is for every person.  We are on level ground with everyone.  People who are not yet believers don't need to hear our condemnation or theological reasons for how Christians perceive "them." What they need to hear is how a loving Christ came to establish a relationship with all of humanity and how "us" flawed humans who call ourselves the Church want to reach out to the hurting, poor, lonely, destitute, helpless, and hungry with that love.  Ivory tower arguments hardly convince anyone into the Kingdom of Heaven, but Love is different, Love is where it all began.

Let us reframe the us vs. them mentality to a we-all-together-need-Christ's-love mentality.  Let me show you by my actions, even if we never believe the same.  People get turned away from those who tend to say their view is wrong.  I know what many Christians will say next: "Christ is the only way, and yes to deny that is to be wrong."  I am not trying to refute what Christ says about himself, I am trying to encourage those who believe to embody Christ's attitude of humility and not to put ourselves in the place of the Holy Spirit.  God is big enough to convict others of their sin, He's big enough to convict us of our own.

If I muddied this up, please feel free to sit down at the table and have a cup of coffee with me, and we can talk.  If you want some more from this perspective try reading Finding Common Ground by Timothy Downs who does a much better job than I have about laying these kinds of foundations.

Why Being a Dad is Awesome!

There are many reasons to love being a dad. I am not the first to experience this nor will I be the last, but are some things I must tell you about why being a dad is so awesome.

1. You get to sing songs about everyday things.
I think I'll stick to my day job, but at night I become a lyrical genius. Sure, The words don't always rhyme and the melodies begin to all mesh together, but that doesn't stop my six month old from smiling when she hears her daddy singing.  It may be a song about how "we gotta dry the baby" or "daddy's gonna carry you to mommy" or just our daughter's name with some fun "hey hey hey's" thrown in every now and then.  The point is that she likes it. Who knows, maybe some day she will begin to sing and create some actual songs of her own.

2. I watch less TV now.
I know what some of you are thinking. "That is the opposite of more awesome." But, let's face the facts. I probably watched a little too much TV to start with. For example, I knew the whistling tune that played in the background when the morning news program showed the school lunch menu and I didn't even have school-aged kids.  Or I could quote whole commercials for you even though we have a DVR and skip through a lot of them.

Also, there's not really that much quality programming on when you think about it. Oh sure, it's entertaining but it's not really quality television.  When people tune in each week to see how some guy or girl is going to narrow down the competitors of potentional spouses (ala The Bachelor or The Bachelorette) something's a little wrong with our definition of "quality." Then we get surprised when we see in the checkout line magazines that they are divorced a couple years later. Or we watch a compelling drama about a plagued world that has had a virus introduced turning people into zombies and the rest of the living into monster that will do anything to keep their families alive (The Walking Dead). Plenty entertaining, but probably not the best use of hours of my time.

You may see it different than I do but the point is now I spend less time watching TV and more time on the floor, playing, or giving my child a bath, or reading a story. And I love it.

3. I smile a lot more.
I'd like to start off by saying I don't think of myself a "frowny" person to begin with. I love to laugh. I enjoy smiling. I enjoy making other people smile too. But, next to my wife there's no one else that I enjoy making smile more than our precious little baby.  Maybe it's because she has the cutest smile ever (I know everyone thinks that about their own child but our's really does, just ask my wife). Or maybe it's because I know what makes her giggle. Whatever it is, she smiles and it just starts a chain reaction. I will then smile and then I'm hooked.  I have to keep the cycle going.  I try to make her laugh or smile which then makes me smile, rinse and repeat.

I'm sure there's a scientific explanation about how there are endorphins release in the pleasure center of the brain when this happens and it's like being addicted to a drug, because I would believe it. I like to see her smiling and the only response I can have is to smile back.  She makes me smile more.

4. You get to teach your child about everything.
This is one that is yet to reach it's potential. My six month old didn't really understand any of the words that came out of my mouth when I was giving her a history lesson the other day.  That doesn't mean I should stop teaching her.  No, someday she will hear. Then she will begin to ask more questions like "why" or "what for" or "how come..."  We need to be prepared to answer her.

Long before our baby was born, my wife and I were driving in the car to see my in-laws.  We passed an oddly shaped building and I turned and faced my wife and asked "what's that?"  She shrugged her shoulders and said she didn't know.  I told her "sorry, that's the wrong answer.  When we have kids you gotta be able to at least make stuff up."  I'm not proposing that we lie to our children, but I doubt that our inquiring little red head will be satisfied simply with "I don't know."

So, I will continue to give her lessons on life even this young, by all means she might catch on some day when I am rambling on about quad-core processors, coffee grind consistency, and especially the loving nature of our God.  It's this last part that makes me so excited.  She will hear what we are talking about.  I pray that what she hears is the sweetness of the Gospel from our lips.  "Start children off in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6) So, whether she is a movie buff or history buff means little to me as long as she catches from us who God is and God loves us.

5. I feel like I know more about my Heavenly Father.
The last reason why being a dad is so awesome is that I now feel I have a better understanding of God as Father.  It is an interesting perspective to consider what it must have been like for God to send his son Jesus to earth for our benefit.  I can now relate better to that Father.  What?  Am I saying that could sacrifice my own child for people who don't deserve it, for people who may never reciprocate?  That is some kind of love.  I know that I don't inherently have the kind of love it takes to make that happen.  But, because Christ is transforming me more into to his likeness, I am getting closer.

I spend time with my child, not out of duty or obligation, but because it truly brings me delight.  I believe this is the same with our Heavenly Father.  He delights in spending time with us.  The Bible is full of how he cares for us, and has "lavished his love on us, so that we might be his children" (1 John 3:1).  Think about that for a second.  Let it sink in. The Father of creation loved us more than we could ever love Him in return. If it wasn't for his love, we would not even know love.  "We love because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19). God's action toward humanity is where it all began.  Our love pales in comparison to the one who created us.  I know my daughter loves me. Even at six months, I see how she lights up when her mother or I come into the room, but she may not know until she has children of her own some day how much a parent loves their child.

So, when I see my little daughter and how she smiles and it makes my heart melt a little, I can't help but think of how the Father must feel when he delights in his children (and that's who we are if our faith is in Jesus Christ - John 1:12; Romans 8:14; 9:8; Galatians 3:26).  That God would do anything for us, and has already done everything we need.  Even though I love my child, I love with an imperfect love, but God loves with a perfect love and I can't wait to share that with my child.

Another chicken opinion

Something has been weighing heavy on my heart recently.  I have heard many of my friends and associates praise Chick-Fil-A the past few days and seen many posts today about how people have participated in Chick-Fil-A appreciation day.  I'm the first to tell you that I do enjoy a good spicy chicken sandwich or nuggets dipped in Polynesian sauce.  What I don't understand though, is how we as Christians are ready to stand our ground, dig our trenches and stand firm to support a chicken restaurant whose COO and president openly voiced his opinion on a controversial topic, but at the same time we fail to show love and compassion to those who disagree with us.

Chick-fil-A at the Heartland Mall in Early, TX

There just seems to be a lot of people (on both sides) who make it an issue about homosexuality, when it was an issue about CFA president's freedom of speech.  Because he voiced his opinion, because the company doesn't hide the fact that they promote Christian causes, because the company leaders support a traditional marriage, is it any surprise why CFA president Dan Cathy said what he did?  No.  Is it any surprise that the media jumped all over it, labeling him awful things? No.  That's what the media does, they are in the business of controversy, be it NBC News, CNN,  FOX News, or whoever, controversy sells better than harmony.


The sentiments from many people in my circles then become "well, I believe similarly to Chick-Fil-A's values so I will stand up with them in this blatant attack on our Christian values" and we further polarize ourselves from those who disagree with us.

I don't think this is the approach to take.  I know that this post may be adding to the noise though.  I understand that my own words are scrutinized by people who agree and disagree with me and that's fine.  My heart is heavy because I feel like often those of us who call ourselves Christians are quick to jump in and join the fight when we feel we have an cause.  But, I don't think that this type of fighting is an effective way to minister to people.  We preach from our pulpits that there is a culture war going on, and I think it's true, but I suggest that maybe we shouldn't be so quick to reach for our cultural weapons cache, but quicker to sit at the table of peace and listen.

More and more people are leaving churches in the United States.  We are following a trend set by our European brothers and sisters.  It's not because we let the liberal media dictate our news, nor is it because fought for our family values.  It's because we are stopping the process of reaching people.  When we spend our time and efforts backing a cause to stamp out this thing, or reinforce that thing, doesn't it tell people that we care more about our cause than we care about them?

I know this is supposed to be Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.  Let it be that.  I'll eat a spicy chicken sandwich when the line dies down, and the hurtful words die down too.  I'll appreciate the restaurant. I don't know that I will wage war alongside them or any other company who chooses to take on a culture war with our world.  We will lose.  This is not our home.  Our Christian voice is often stronger when we are in the margins of society, not the center of it.  When we are in the center, it becomes a play to keep power and I don't think that's what Jesus' life was about. Nor his death and resurrection.  He often challenged those inside his religious circles to be more accepting of those outside.

So, if you want to join me at the table and have a cup of coffee, there's a chair that's always open and we can talk.