I'm back in Vegas. The second half of my break was as good as my first, if not a little better. Christmas Day was pretty low key, but the days that followed were not. We did our big family Christmas on Saturday, which involved seeing both of my parents' families and eating dinner twice (once with each side of the family).
There was another gigantic family eating festival on Monday. Two of my cousins and I put together a southern themed meal. The meats (pork shoulder, brisket, chicken, and ribs) came out pretty well. We used the Alton Brown braised rib recipe, which had me a little worried until after we applied the glaze at the end. I got up early to start smoking the pork shoulder and brisket, and both came out pretty well. I was far more excited about the pork shoulder than the brisket. The brisket was tender, but it seemed to lack a certain something in the flavor department. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't nearly as exciting to eat as the pork. I used my parents' grill for hot smoking for the first time, and it all went quite smoothly. I don't know what it is. I think there were 5-6 sides as well (slaw, mac and cheese, creamed spinach, biscuits, cornbread, and maybe one other that I'm not remembering). They were all tasty, though I had less of a hand in those and can't claim much credit for it.
That same day, I got to meet with a friend of mine from a long time ago (not in a galaxy far, far away -- he lived about 3 houses away). Steve is a guy who was my best friend through elementary school. In middle school he moved to the other side of town, and by the time high school came around I don't think we were quite as close as we used to be. We chatted for probably a good 2 hours. There was some reminiscing, some reflecting, some looking forward, and some random chatter. It was all good stuff. Part of the experience leaves me feeling a little old, simply because it's weird to think that I've known him for about twenty four (24!) years. But that's the only weird thing.
I've got a quick turn-around from here. On Monday, I leave for the Joint Meetings in DC, where I'll be for a few days.
