Hi all
This Sunday is the end of the football season here in Canada. Its called the CFL, the Canadian Football League or sometimes the Crazy Football League. Its 3 down football versus the 4 played by our southern neighbors, played on a longer and wider field. My team sucked this year ( Toronto Argonauts ) well they sucked last year and the year before that I think ( starting to feel like I live in Buffalo with the Bills ) and now I find myself working on my French so I can support the eastern team, Montreal. The league tries to create some regional rivalry, east vs west, and almost screwed that up this year. But I digress.
As a good Canadian, a decent smoker, and the need to drink copious amounts of booze and eat things from the smoker, I am assuming the responsibility of hosting the Grey Cup party this year. It's a tough job but someone has to do it. The Grey Cup is the trophy being played for. I am playing for no hang over Monday morning !
Of course I need a menu as there will be food: Sounds like pulled pork to the rescue. My plan is to marinate for 48 hours, smoke for 4 hours probably with mesquite and then move it into the slow cooker for an overnight cook on low. The temps here are sub 30s at night now and it makes it pretty tough on the DBS to fight the cold. Plus I would rather do a long cook in the slow cooker than the DBS for safety reasons. The butt is about 7.5 pounds and I am betting on an 18 to 20 hour cook time?. If its done early, I will just FTC till dinner? Of course I will make some BBQ sauce to serve along side and maybe even serve the sauce warm along side the pulled pork.
Since this is primarily a male gathering and there will be profanity, intestinal gas expulsions and probably some burps, we probably need another kind of meat. I am thinking I will smoke a whole flank stank, ( I just happen to have one in the freezer ) then low and slow it in the DBS, let it rest and put it on the slicer. Add some onions, peppers and cheese and some fresh made bread ( probably a baguette of some kind sliced down the middle and slathered in butter, EVOO and garlic and it becomes my version of a Philly cheese steak Sammie. Think this will work?
I have a briskett getting happy in the fridge now transforming to pastrami. Steaming hot it will be served.
And for a touch of Canadiana, I have about 8 pounds of peameal bacon curing in the fridge right now. Whats more Canadian than back bacon on a bun and a cold beer with an alchol content higher than 5%?
A home made tater salad, maybe I will smoke the taters, will round things out and turn it all into tater salad on Saturday, post game day.
Salad will come in a 12 oz bottle containing all of the food groups. Grains, wheat, barley, malt, water for hydration to be served with a dressing known as "head", or foam on top of the glass. In more scientific circles, its known as beer. LOL
No game day work for me. Serve yourself strategy. For me at least, English will become optional by half time and a good time should be had by all except anyone from Regina who will have their little green noses rubbed in French Canadian do do !
Sounds like a good time. Too bad we don't get to see that sport down here. Would be interesting to compare the two games. But with all that food it might be worth a trip up north ;) :D
Quote from: oakville smoker on November 24, 2009, 06:30:36 AM... For me at least, English will become optional by half time ...
If you're not speaking fluent Martian by the middle of the second quarter, something is definitely wrong - a plan is only as good as its execution.
Sounds like a plan to me.
Have a good time!
But will the food strategy work?
Enough time for the pulled pork? Will the flank steak strategy work?
Kevin, the cannuck game tends to be a game played in the air, the ball is changing hands more frequently, not nearly the same proportion of running in our game as in yours. A QB needs to have an arm up here and know how to use it. Run the ball on first down, get 3 or 4 yards and then have to make 6 or 7 yards or kick the ball away as you run out of downs. The NFL can put me to sleep if its an exhibition of 280 pound guys running a touch over 3 yards every series and slowly moving the ball down the field. But I have friends that drool over the NFL. Maybe its the tail gate parties, not sure. Having said that, I always wonder why the NFL games are not higher scoring.
Quote from: oakville smoker on November 24, 2009, 08:28:46 AM... I have friends that drool over the NFL. Maybe its the tail gate parties, not sure....
It's likely the cheerleaders (and Faith Hill).
IMO, I'd do the pulled pork asap and pull it, mix it, and fridge it. Let everybody get to know each other and re-heat at game time. That will take some pressure off. I think it taste better the next day. It's just not as dramatic as pulling your pork in front of your friends. ;D ;D
OMG CRG that was bad even for you. ;D ;D ;D
oaksmok, here is a link to vaunted vinegar sauce by Habs that is easy to fix and can sit as another add-on sauce.
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?p=99#post99
Thanks much.
I started laughing out loud when I read CGs reply about pulling your pork out in front of your friends.
A few years ago I was on a vacation in Pto Vallarta and a local guy kept calling his male apendage his "pork"
You might have had to be there for this one, but damn this was hillarious
I just might start this on Friday night instead of Saturday and pull it out of the crock pot Saturday night.
Sauce sounds good and it will be there beside my "pork"
I have a feeling this thread could get piggish but thats where pork comes from? right ?
Your friends will be impressed with your pork. ;D
"My team sucked this year ( Toronto Argonauts ) well they sucked last year and the year before that I think ( starting to feel like I live in Buffalo with the Bills )"
Oakville, come on, you have the Toronto Argonauts only sucking for 3 years??? It's longer than that!! Although you did beat my team - the BC Lions this year.
How about your beloved hockey team - the Toronto Maple Laughs - they've sucked for - what? - 44 years?? And now you've got our ol' ex-GM to straighten things out ??? Good going and good riddance!! I hear all the pubs back there are advertising free beer if the Laughs make the playoffs!! I don't think they like the Laughs chances!!
However you're a fellow smoker so I will give you the benefit of the doubt..even if you are an Easterner...
I'm doing something similar this w/e for Grey Cup. A friend of mine who is a transplanted Saskatchewan Rider fan is hosting a Grey Cup party as his team is in the game. For our neighbours to the South, the Rider fans are very similar to the Oakland Raider fans, except Raider fans are a little more reserved.
So, I've volunteered to bring some goodies to the 20 or so all-male (ya, we aren't inviting the ladies either - too much chatting, not enough burping and testing what direction the wind is blowing) party.
I've got 5 pounds turkey jerky in the brine. And am just testing the buttermilk brine chicken wings - half with Frank's hot sauce and the other with Garlic spare rib sauce.
Then on Game day - about three dozen ABTs.
The host is providing the garlic sausages, chili etc.
Oh, and I'll be Drinking good ol' Canadian beer.....
Barring the fact that "THE MAPLE LEAFS SUCK" and as I am from B.C., I must remind you that ..........oh .....it's been what........is it 76 or 77 years since the Canucks won the S cup..........ooops did I say that outloud. My bad.
What can I say to that. The Argos have sucked since John Candy's demise. You have to be over 40 apparently to throw a football in this town. No one will ever say that I am the smartest guy for cheering for a losing franchise. However if I was a BC fan, I would be drowning my sorrows in Brador beer and eating myself to death with artery closing smoked meat from Scwartzs or Dunns watchinga girl swing on a pole on St Catharines Street right now.
As far as the hockey team that apparently plays in this city, thank god I am not a fan. In the olden days I worked myself through school being an usher at Maple Leaf Gardens and had to go to every Leaf game for 5 years whether I wanted to or not ! Its a little like drinking way too much tequilla, getting sick as a dog, wishing death on yourself and never being able to drink the stuff again. Same with the Leafs. having said that, I have to attend a Leaf game for a business meeting in a couple of weeks and I would rather have my wisdom team pulled through my lower extremities with no gas, than have to sit through this. Especially when a beer in that place is 13 bucks ! A beer and a thible of wine last Thursday at the Jimmy Buffett concert set me back 22 bucks and I am sure there was no more than 3 or 4 ounces in the wine glass.
I will now go and work on my French. I must support the Als. Calvillo killed the guys from BC on Sunday that apparently showed up pretending to be a football team. Even my Argos might have fared better.
Just thinking,tis post gives a whole new meaning tp pulled pork. LOL
Quarlow, I think it's only 30 years isn't it!! :'( :'( - still better than the Laughs!! Oh, do you mean the Vancouver Millionaires?? I don't even think the original 6 NHL teams were in existence then!! So I don't count those years before the Canucks were born.
And Oakville, yes my Lions were totally embarrased by a much better team!! Although I didn't cry in my beer - I did have more than my normal allotment to drown my sorrows.
Quote from: oakville smoker on November 24, 2009, 08:28:46 AM
For me at least, English will become optional by half time and a good time should be had by all except anyone from Regina who will have their little green noses rubbed in French Canadian do do !
Hey hey hey... don't be slamin' my Riders! :D ;D
McMahon Stadium in Calgary is going to be a sea of green refered to as the "Rider Faithful"! ;)
Your Grey Cup feast sounds great! The only thing missing is.... me! ;D
Mike
PS
Here is a link to 10.5's recipe for Yellow Sauce. I really like it on everything including pulled pork.
http://susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?p=946#post946
Mr Walleye
I dont think I can allow any Rider fans in here. :P
This is not a green iniative .... LOL
I didnt like it when they were beating up my Argos but I quite enjoyed the tabbies putting the boots to them a few weeks ago
I think if anyone can give the Als a run for their money, the Riders can
Should be a good game, so I am hoping.
Now I have to go think about pulling my pork
Does anyone have a clue what these Canucks (eh) are talking about or are they just sitting around pulling their pork?
Not to start a riot here in Vancouver but the Vancouver Millionaires won it 1914-1915 but as you say that doesn't count. So the next best thing to that would be the Victoria Cougars 1924-1925. After that there is nothing for the nuckleheads. So much for good intentions. LOL
excuse me I have to go pull some pork. LOL
Mr Walleye,
Here in BC we refer to you Rider fans, not as the Rider Faithful, but the Rider Pride! By the way, have you ever attended the gay "Pride" parade in Regina??
And Ka Huna, please excuse we "Canucks" from celebrating our Grey Cup game trash talking, but our football history is a bit older than the NFL, we're used to it. Especially between "Eastern" teams (BOO !!) and Western teams (Yeah!!!)
History - from Widipedia....
In 1909, the Grey Cup was donated by the Governor General of Canada, Earl Grey, to recognize the top amateur rugby football team in Canada. By this time, Canadian football had become markedly different from the rugby football from which it developed. Over time, the Grey Cup became the property of the Canadian Football League as it evolved into a professional football league. Amateur teams ceased competing for the Cup by 1954.
The Grey Cup has long served as an unofficial Canadian fall festival generating a large amount of national media coverage, celebration and fan interest across Canada. Many fans travel from across the country to partake in the week of festivities that lead up to the game. Historians date the carnival-like activities associated with the game back to 1948, when fans of the western champion Calgary Stampeders dressed in western gear, square danced, flipped flapjacks, partied in the streets of Toronto and rode a horse through the lobby of the posh Royal York Hotel.
With the addition of American-based teams beginning in 1993, the possibility of the Grey Cup being hoisted by a team south of the 49th Parallel loomed large. In 1994, the Baltimore CFLs (as they were referred to then because of an injunction issued on the behalf of the NFL to prevent this team from using the Colts name) played in the Grey Cup in Vancouver against the home B.C. Lions. A late fumble on the goal line by Baltimore quarterback Tracy Ham gave the B.C. Lions a chance and Lui Passaglia connected on a game-winning FG as time expired, driving the sellout crowd at BC Place into a nationalist frenzy. This patriotic nationalism would be tested further in 1995 when the Baltimore Stallions returned to the Grey Cup against the favoured Calgary Stampeders led by Doug Flutie. Baltimore won the game 37-20 and took the Grey Cup south for a bittersweet parade as Art Modell, owner of the NFL Cleveland Browns, announced his move to Baltimore for the 1996 season only one week before the Grey Cup. After the 1995 season, American-based teams, many of whom were running into financial problems, folded. Only the Baltimore franchise remained and it relocated to Montreal.
The Grey Cup has been broken several times. The trophy was broken in 1978 when Tom Wilkinson and Danny Kepley dropped it, and in 1987 when a celebrating Edmonton Eskimos player sat on it. It was again broken in 1993 when it was head-butted by Edmonton's Blake Dermott. During the victory celebration immediately following the 94th Grey Cup game in 2006, the winning BC Lions accidentally broke the cup from its base, which contains the engraved names of the players on each year's winning team. It was repaired the following Monday.[3] Other notable events include a 1947 fire which almost destroyed the trophy and a 1969 theft in which the trophy was held for ransom. A replica cup was made in 2008.[4]
Should be fun to watch, especially the Rider fans in the stands--lookout cowtown. Go Riders!
T2
Looking forward to a good game. I can't cheer for the Als as they are from the East. Hard to cheer for the Riders because of the rivalry with my LIONS. Just gonna sit back and watch the great Canadain game. I think I will make some ribs for half time, The day will start with a breakfast containing my Canadian bacon and eggs. I am sure several beers will follow breafast as I watch the first NFL game of the day and then flip over to the Grey Cup. Hope all the Canadian football fans out there have a great day.
PS for those living in Calgary watch out for the Rider Nation( mostly harmless but always looking for the next can of Pilsner :P)
Mike
Its almost here, have to hope the game lives up to the hype.
Being from the east, I just cant cheer for the west. French lessons for me till game time.
La pork butt is just about done da marination. Tonight, I gonna put in the DBS and make some, how do you say smoke, for 4 hours.
Den, I will put in za pot de crock and finish the cook. So far french lessons are not working.... LOL
The pastrami is ready to emerge from the fridge and find its way to the DBS tomorrow ann my peameal will come out tonight,
get rolled in some corn meal and tossed back in the fridge to set up. Tomorrow, the bacon meets the slicer and Sunday, the bacon
meets the grill. Whats more Cannuck than back bacon sammies with a cold refreshing Canadian beer ?
Go ALs, they eat green for snacks !
So the 97th annual Grey Cup game is tomorrow and I thought I'd get a head start on the smoking. So I just put two dozen chicken drumsticks in the brines (I'm doing a dozen hot and a dozen with garlic and spice marinade) and stuffed two dozen jalapenos with Herb and garlic cream cheese.
I tried the same chicken drumsticks and brine earlier this week and they were rated a success, except my son and his buddy thought the hot ones weren't hot enough, so I added more hot sauce to the brine this time.
By the way, I read on one of the forums about a jalapeno corer making the job a lot easier, so last nite I bought a corer and it worked great!! I cleaned out the seeds and membrane of two dozen peppers in about 10 minutes tops!! Sure is a lot easier than using a knife etc. And for the first time ever I got some jalapeno in my eyes!! Wow! The tears didn't stop for a heck of a long time!!
Good luck to all Grey Cup fans but especially those from the West!! Go Riders!!
Your Riders will be riding back to the Prairies with their heads in their hands and using their towels to mop of puddles of green tears ! LOL
I just pulled a pastrami out of the smoker, its getting happy in the fridge looking forward to its trip to the slicer otmorrow morning
My pork butt emerged from the slow cooker late this morning. I am not sure it will live to game day, its too damn good
Best pulled pork I have made. Imay have toput an alarm system on teh fridge till game tiem !
Just made 50 red Lobster cheese biscuits and enough potatoe salad to feed a small country
A quick stop at the bakery for some fresh buns tomorrow morning and it will be a day from heaven
The fridge is full of beer and I am practicing my french
Viva la Alllouettes !
Have fun all
I don't think you'll need the french lessons. You're not going to hear any during the game. It's in Calgary and I think they outlawed french there ;). So you should be able to hear the entire broadcast in English. Hope you enjoy your food and the game. Of course you and I will be chearing at different times, depending on who has the ball.
Go Riders Go!
Depending who has the ball there may be plenty of french words flying "pardon my french"LOL
Quote from: Quarlow on November 29, 2009, 07:07:26 AM
Depending who has the ball there may be plenty of french words flying "pardon my french"LOL
Hey Quarlow... That's the only french I know too!
:D :D :D :D ;D
Mike
May the watermelonheads prevail!!!
T2
BTW OS I wish I was watching at your place--those treats sound god!!
T2
Just an update for all of you who have been following the annual east west Canadian conflict known as the Grey Cup here at Bradley central. This game never seems to disappoint and this year was no exception. And yes there was a sea of green in the stands in Calgary yesterday, the rumour is that no one was left in Saskatchewan as all citizens hitched up their wagons and headed for Calgary.
My Allouettes did emerge triumphant. Not sure who was on the field for their side during the 1st half but its nice that the real team showed up to play the second half. They let team green dominate them, the worst football the Allouettes played the entire season. Rider fans are fanatics and that is the understatement of this millennium. The Riders secret weapon is their incredibly loyal fan base that follows them around the country. They call the fans the 13th man on the field.
Well, it was the 13th man that did the Riders in. The 13th real man / person that was not supposed to be on the field allowed Montreal an additional opportunity to win the game with a field goal and of course they did.
Dinner was a hit. The pulled pork came out fantastic. The pastrami was yummy. BBQ sauce was a little of this and a little of that starting with a base of onion and garlic, AJ and cider vinegar. I cant tell you what I put in there but I can tell you it was damn good.
Good time had by all.... Well except those Rider fans who have hangovers as big as the melons they wear on their heads... LOL. I have felt better in the morning but I have also felt plenty worse.
I am betting there are some sore heads this morning the sound of hooves clomping on the highway back to Regina today will give these fans a needed touch of reality. There's always next year guys.
Viva la Allouettes !
Booooo! :D
Naaa... Your Al's deserved to win... bottom line is they put themselves in a position to kick a field goal with seconds remaining to win. Field goal goes wide... Yaaa!... but wait... wait... there's a flag on the field. Yup... Riders for too many men... so the Al's get a do over 10 yds closer. Yup... they ain't going to miss the second time and they didn't.
Congrats to the Al's... They put themselves in a position to win, which is what they did and the Riders made a major fopa and the rest is history.
Mike
Well, I'm late in responding, but better late than never. Congrats to the Alouettes!! Coming back in the second half was a sign of the veteran team that they are.
That was one of the best finishes to a Grey Cup that I can remember and I've seen my share!! As mentioned before, I was over at a transplanted Rider's house along with a bunch of other fellows - mostly Rider fans but a couple of Montreal fans as well. His wife and daughter had decorated the house in green - there was a bit of green beer in evidence, but that didn't last long ::)
When the Alouettes missed the first field goal there were loud, exuberant screams of joy!! Followed by absolute silence when we saw a Flag had been thrown. And then the second successful field goal brought a few screams from the Alouette fans and louder expletive deletive yells from the rest of us!!
The food I took was gobbled up- two chicken drumsticks and a few Jalopeno poppers was all that was left over, the smoked cheese and turkey jerky disappeared quite quickly. Another fellow brought a great big pot of chili with smoked pork as the meat ingredient - very good and I was lucky enough to bring some left overs home :-*
Till next year when my BC Lions will be back in the Grey Cup....