So, back in the day, I held my first tailgate ever, and I gotta tell ya, it was a disaster.
It was a big game, the excitement was in the air, and I, being the go-getter that I am, had to be superstar of the tailgate and have everything prepared prior to everyone’s arrival.
I had the pop up canopies going, the crowd of other tailgaters close to me, some sweet music going, it was all good…but doing this all on my own was very hectic.
It got "HOT" if you will. And, I have been known to be a self-proclaimed meat head from time to time. So, I guess the theme of this story is really two fold: The heat & the meat along with a lesson in better preparation.
I won't get into all of the things I actually didn’t think of with regard to having my first tailgate, but to name an important one, I forget to bring a table to prepare and serve the food and drinks from. That meant I couldn’t even sit down to enjoy myself, because I had to use my fold up chair to set all of the supplies on. Trust me the list goes on, and it was a hot day, and it was stressful, and the "heat" of not having it all in place, and the fact that I let my pride get in the way and think I could do it all myself....are you getting the point here?
Well, out of the clear blue sky, a gentleman came up to me as I was cooking. This guy was wise, and he had the gray hairs to prove it. Come to find out he had his own BBQ joint back in the day. This guy was a real "Pit Master." He made a great recommendation to me about the fajitas I was making. Number one, being that some of the meat was actually thick, and fajitas are generally a rather thin skirt steak. He recommended filleting the meat to help control the cook time, and to ensure you get all the heat and flavor even in the middle of those thicker pieces. The next thing he said to me was: Johnny, if you want to be a pit master, you have to remember this one thing, and this one thing only. "Don't let the heat, control the meat." He was talking only about cooking, and how to ensure thicker cuts can still be done in the middle...but what a great life's lesson to go with those words.
If you feel the proverbial "heat" of life startin' to singe you a little bit, maybe it's time to put the lid on that fire, and let it simmer down a little bit. Don't get burned by life and some of the obstacles it throws you from time to time.
As the KOGNation travels throughout the world in the coming years, I’m sure we’ll learn more of life’s lessons that come out in cooking, and they will be displayed right here on the KOGBlog. Thanks for listening, and maybe learnin' a little bit about life.
This is the KOGNation signing off and reminding you … Don’t let the heat, control the meat!
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