Running Bear's September 2021 Coffee Shop

[bnsf971]

Good morning Happy modelers !

The dungeon was just completed this morning. I hope I will have enough space.

View attachment 132713

Is that one of mad King Ludwig's castles?

 

[Patrick]

Morning all,

As always, I miss the weekend and I miss a lot. No coffee at the office today or tomorrow. They're replacing the kitchen cabinets in the break room.

Happy Belated to TomO and his wife.

Some of you guys are using way too new computer equipment. My home machine is a 2008 Core Duo that has been upgraded over the years. Runs Windows 10 decently enough, but no where near the speed of my 8th generation i7 with 32Gb of ram at the office. I need a new computer...

Troy: As suggested a water pan in the smoker helps keep moisture in the meat as does leaving about 1/4" of fat on the meat. As the fat melts it helps put moisture back into the meat. I personally never smoked a flat, just a whole 18-20# whole packer with the heavier part of the fat cap trimmed to about 1/4". I've done mine both ways (with and without the crutch) and find it's a matter of preference. The crutch method does make it quicker by the nature of keeping the water inside instead of coming out and cooling the meat by evaporation, (Think about what happens when you sweat and that same effect happens to meat cooking). Have the meat as close to room temperature as you can and keep experimenting. I usually just do a simple run of kosher salt and black pepper, but have friends who use hot peppers and other various spices in their rubs. I find a large packer yields enough for a meal and a snack!!!!

 

[troyphoto]

Good morning Happy modelers !

The dungeon was just completed this morning. I hope I will have enough space.

View attachment 132713

Don't laugh... I plan on adding castles and armies of skeletons and orc and such to my layout. All in N-scale since I now have that 3-d printer setup.

 

[troyphoto]

Troy: As suggested a water pan in the smoker helps keep moisture in the meat as does leaving about 1/4" of fat on the meat. As the fat melts it helps put moisture back into the meat. I personally never smoked a flat, just a whole 18-20# whole packer with the heavier part of the fat cap trimmed to about 1/4". I've done mine both ways (with and without the crutch) and find it's a matter of preference. The crutch method does make it quicker by the nature of keeping the water inside instead of coming out and cooling the meat by evaporation, (Think about what happens when you sweat and that same effect happens to meat cooking). Have the meat as close to room temperature as you can and keep experimenting. I usually just do a simple run of kosher salt and black pepper, but have friends who use hot peppers and other various spices in their rubs. I find a large packer yields enough for a meal and a snack!!!!

Normally, with a Kamado style cooker, a water pan is NOT recommended. They retain both heat and moisture very well. Once you heat soak the ceramic lining the vents are barely open to keep a low and slow fire going. I haven't tried, but a single load of charcoal is supposed to burn and hold the grill to about 240° for up to 48 hours.

HOWEVER, me leaving the brisket sit wrapped inside the Kamado Joe for 2 hours at 180° may have dried it more than I anticipated. I'm leaning toward the temp being too high for too long on the "rest" and the rest period too long (as Willie said).

When I unwrapped the foil (double layer) I poured off about a can of liquid - remember, I poured half a can of beef broth into the foil to help with the moisture loss.

Just need to remember 1 hour per pound of meat at low-&-slow. Rest only in the cooler, and let the grill drop to 140-ish if I need a warming oven for it. (just don't overdo that part)

 

[Boris]

Good morning. 56° and sunny.

 

[troyphoto]

I had to go find my favourite Canuck griller so you grill aficionados can enjoy the beauty of Kamado Joe.

In this 15 min vid, he does a time temp test with the two extreme grill size ranges (The Big joe at 26" diameter, and the Little Joe 12" Diameter)

My grill is inbetween the two, but much closer to the Big Joe (Classic Joe II) 18" diameter of the cook surface.

Bonus: He gets his awesome Canadian footware in one shot about half-way through.

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. It's clear and 71° out there right now. NWS is now forecasting 100° for today. Wouldn't that be crazy if our first triple digit day this summer is 9-20? Cold front hits around dawn tomorrow and the high is only supposed to be 81°. Slow return to the 90's by Saturday.

Looks like the freezer repair guy did a good job Saturday, temperature when I opened it up yesterday was -8° F, and that was on normal cool. And the dry ice was still mostly intact!
Good trip to Dallas last evening to visit our two daughters, SIL's and three grandkids. We went to my wife's most favorite restaurant and ate Mexican food. This place used to be a steak house with Mexican food, but has evolved into mainly a Mexican place now. It was my "go to" place when vendors took me to lunch back in the working days when they had twelve different steaks as well as ribs and pork chops on the menu, but now there are now only two steaks and no pork left.

Thanks for he many likes and comments regarding the latest adventures in the train shed; Christian, Steve J, Tom O, Joe, Rick, Sherrel, Karl, Hughie, Garry, Chad, James, Kurt, Tom, Patrick.

A couple of sausage, egg and cheese biscuits this morning Flo. Make it a diet A&W root beer to go with it.

Due to the trip to Dallas yesterday evening, I didn't spend much time in the train shed. I did however redo part of the backdrop and install the fence around McCormac's Dry Goods.

I also made a tree for the scene although I didn't have time t install it yet. I hate dislike making trees because I am not really good at it, but this one came out OK.

Karl - I forgot to mention how good those cars looked in the pictures that you posted Saturday. Nice scene. I think that it is great how much improved the vehicle manufacturers have gotten since I started 35 years ago. Alloy Forms, Oxford, Mini Metals, Athearn and Woodland Scenics just to name a few.
Tom O -

She is kind of one of those her Sh.. don’t stink and thinks she is better then everyone else.

My son has a mother-in-law like that, rather snooty. She didn't let Meg use her older sister as the Maid of Honor at her own wedding since she was unwed and visibly pregnant at the time. My favorite story that I think I posted here at the time is when my son and wife went to Philly for Thanksgiving, and the power to the kitchen went off and she couldn't fix dinner. My son offered to go into the basement to look at the breaker box, but she wouldn't have anything to do with that. They went out to eat, she paid over $1000 holiday pay to have an electrician come out on Thanksgiving Friday to "flip a breaker back on". Meanwhile later on Thanksgiving after returning home, she slapped her forehead and said "I just remembered that we have another kitchen up on the fourth floor" of their five-floor brownstone townhouse! With elevator no less!
Those are some interesting sculptures that you posted. I especially like the first one of the multi-colored figure.
Sherrel - Arlene thanks you (and others) for all of the well wishes. Patrick's post last week regarding revision surgery was very encouraging to her.
I haven't done this much running around since I retired. I normally don't leave the house but twice a week!
The radio station map is quite an interesting find. Too bad that I don't really have the time to explore it further. I noted that when I clicked on the link, it took me directly to the local small town station nearest me!
Curt -

Willie- My favorite is Archie's place.

It is a favorite of mine as well, reminds me of the neighborhood in Brooklyn where I grew up in.
Ken (D&J) - Looking forward to your videos. You always do a nice job of editing.
Lester -

I wonder what % of modelers use knuckle couplers on passenger cars?

Not here as I don't own any passenger cars. But I would if I had any.
Steve - Decaling came out well.
Patrick -

I find a large packer yields enough for a meal and a snack!!!!

You must be feeding an army then!!! I have never cooked a flat either; I trim a whole in the same manner as you. Always leaving plenty of fat; it's easier to trim after cooking as well. Since it's just my wife and I, I always cut the finished brisket in half and freeze it for later. We still get 2-3 meals and lunches out of each half.
Troy -

I haven't tried, but a single load of charcoal is supposed to burn and hold the grill to about 240° for up to 48 hours.

Obviously using lumps instead of briquettes.
EDIT: I see that you posted a video about that now. Maybe I'll have time later.

Everybody have a great day. Stay safe and cool.

 

[TLOC]

Good morning fellow modelers from the weather confused State of Wisconsin. Or maybe just the weather guessers are confused. Took the garbage and recycling bins out to the driveway entrance, came in and asked Terry if rain is in the forecast, it felt like it. Her response was, not per her cell phone until 11pm but the TV guy was saying 10am and another around 6pm. Looked at my weather app from the WeatherChannel and nothing above 20% until 10pm tonight and then it is 100%. It is 70f/21.1c degrees now and going up just to 80f/26.6c.

I did watch some NFL yesterday, basically the 2nd half of the early games and the last few minutes of the Viking/Cardinals, the last minute of the Titans game and then the overtime. Only on the Red Zone which only stays for highlites and scores and I don’t have to see the inmates taunt each other and celebrate for doing a tackle that a 7th grader does normally. Did not even check or know who played on the Sunday night game.

Not sure what today will bring. The 70 mile away lumber yard does not have any birch sheets to laminate and it would take a month. So that trip is out. But, I am thinking a Home Depot trip might be in order, just because!

Seems we are on the flight path this morning of the Dane County airport as the jets have been pretty much on the same path above me. That includes the paired F-16 fighters that flew low enough below the clouds to be seen. We are about 15 miles from the airport and generally the path is over west or east but rarely directly above like today.

Enjoy your day
TomO

 

[CHRlSTlAN]

Don't forget to order all the unnecessary things that you will probably never need !

 

[chadbag]

RE: moist meat

Just a reminder: the sensation of meat being "moist" is not a function of actual moisture in the meat. It is a function of melted fat in the meat. As an example: cook a roast in a slow cooker for 12 hours, with some added water. Despite the meat being drenched in water, it most likely will taste "dry." This is because the slow cooker slowly melted all the fat out of the meat.

I don't use a Kamado or anything, but adding a bit of water inside the chamber probably won't do much for overcoming "dryness". Leaving a small layer of fat on the meat that will slowly melt and go into the meat will make it taste "moist." This is why the suggestion to leave a 1/4" layer of fat on your brisket, made by someone earlier, is a winner!

I am not saying that the actual moisture in the system is irrelevant -- just that it is a minor bit and the feeling of "moist meat" actually comes from the fat.

 

[DakotaLove39]

@santafewillie thank you for the compliment Willie. It's actually going much better than I expected. Hoping to finish a custom rebuild tonight. This is a Tyco flat which I worked up with Kadee pockets, Walthers trucks, metal wheels and new paint. I don't have a paint booth, I'm just relying on the outdoors for my clear coating so I hope my weather stays acceptable for doing that.

 

[Patrick]

Willie: We usually have all the kids and wife's family when I make a brisket, but the past 2 times, a rather large rat got into it in the refrigerator (2 legged, 250# type) so it didn't last long. I think it got into the bbq sauce as well. I need to get a big trap.

After Sunday night football it turned out to be a good weekend after all. Not that I follow football, but the die hard shove the team down your throat and you have to support them because they have Kansas in their name fans are a bit subdued. Especially after the talk was how easily the Ravens would be beaten.

 

[PNKFLOYD]

The dungeon was just completed this morning. I hope I will have enough space.

Christian- you did a really nice job weathering your dungeon!

 

[PNKFLOYD]

What do you do when the glue needs two hours to dry and you need to leave?
Whatever is handy......

 

[bnsf971]

Good evening. It's cloudy and 75.
The planned day for discontinuation of life support for our daughter in law was Sept. 28, but her condition has begun to deteriorate. Her family has decided to go the Organ Donor route, which means they can't exactly let everything go on until the final, bitter end. Her parents are traveling there to be with her, and say goodbye, which is now planned to be in a couple of days. My wife is unable to travel, so we're having to sit this one out, no matter what we really want to do. Any kind thoughts for her are appreciated.

 

[TLOC]

Good evening. It's cloudy and 75.
The planned day for discontinuation of life support for our daughter in law was Sept. 28, but her condition has begun to deteriorate. Her family has decided to go the Organ Donor route, which means they can't exactly let everything go on until the final, bitter end. Her parents are traveling there to be with her, and say goodbye, which is now planned to be in a couple of days. My wife is unable to travel, so we're having to sit this one out, no matter what we really want to do. Any kind thoughts for her are appreciated.

Our thoughts go out to your son and the families

TomO

 

[troyphoto]

Well, howdy there internet MRR Peeps

It's Troy again.

Today, lets talk about being comfortable as one can be while having an experience.

You see, I wear hearing aids. I said I WEAR HEARING AIDS! (that's for Willie who probably doesn't have his in right now, and that other chap who refuses to get them cause he's "not old enough")

And masks with loops that wrap around the ears always pop my hearing aids out and off the back of my ears.

This week, I'll be down in Florcovida, for an author conference. My first time at this event, since I had to show actual dollars in of a certain amount to qualify. The bar is low, but high enough to keep the hobbyists out. This is a "step up your game" type of event.

And the organizers decided to keep their liability low by requiring participants to mask at all indoor parts of the event.

Their event, their rules, and I want to be there. So masking is the couture of the week. Fortunately, wife just made several Aloha shirts (perfect for sitting by the beach in rainy Florcovida. She had enough fabric left to make some masks for me. So I've got a matching mask for each shirt!

Kinda like having your B unit match the loco in front of it.

Fortunately, I've got a 3D printer, too. The 3D hobbyist industry came to the rescue early on for the healthcare workers who had to go from occasional mask wearing to full time mask wearing. They made these:

The straps curve around behind the head/neck, and the hooks grab the earloops of the masks. Keeps the loops from gouging the flesh behind the ears.

With filament and power, I figure these are about $1 USD per 6 straps to print.

I have 6 blue, 6 purple, and soon to be 6 green. They won't go to every participant, but I'll keep them in my satchel, and use them as rewards for chatting with me.

Speaking of which, after a year and a half of near lockdown, hanging out with a couple hundred people may use up my people-ing for a year or two. and I've got another author conference in Vegas in two month...

I may not be around much this week. You all will have to hold down the cafe without me.

 

[troyphoto]

Good evening. It's cloudy and 75.
The planned day for discontinuation of life support for our daughter in law was Sept. 28, but her condition has begun to deteriorate. Her family has decided to go the Organ Donor route, which means they can't exactly let everything go on until the final, bitter end. Her parents are traveling there to be with her, and say goodbye, which is now planned to be in a couple of days. My wife is unable to travel, so we're having to sit this one out, no matter what we really want to do. Any kind thoughts for her are appreciated.

Please let the family know that countless families are grateful for the route they're taking.

My mother is a transplant (liver) survivor for over 25 years now, because another family had a very, very difficult decision to make. And their loss was a gift of life to several other families. We think of my mother's unknown benefactor every year on transplant day.

No words can make the situation easier, but families you'll never know are waiting on the words that will change their lives because of your DIL and her loved ones.

Thank you to all those making this very, very tough decision.

 

[PRR Modeler]

Good Evening,

Spent the day clearing out the old sewing room and plaster patching the holes in the wall (wall anchors, nails etc.). I'll touch up the paint tomorrow before heading out to Dad's to start bringing back the furniture he's keeping. We also put a lot of the new sewing room together. Dad returns this Saturday.

I tried posting earlier but the forum kept freezing.

Dakota- Nice decaling jobs. I've never been much good at it.

Willie- Nice scene and tree.

Mikey- I frequently use RA bottles as weight.

Terry- Continued prayers for your family.

Troy- What part of Florida,,,sorry Florcovida?

I hope everyone has a good night.

 

[troyphoto]

Troy- What part of Florida,,,sorry Florcovida?

I hope everyone has a good night.

Tampa/St. Pete.