Category Archives: Cookouts

2nd Annual Lobster Bake

To mark the end of summer we had our Lobster Bake this past Sunday. We used basically the same process as last year but on a smaller scale. Since there were only six of us (and five lobsters) this year we opted to go with smaller lobsters so everything fit into the single pot with just the propane burner. No need for two pots or any boiling. I set the single pot up on the burner, filled it with about an inch of water and a good amount of Kosher salt. I have a steamer rack that fits the base of the pot, on top of that I added the seaweed, then the corn and potatoes and then the lobsters with the clams and sausage going in last. The entire cooking process only took about 15 minutes and everything was good to go.

This year we pushed everything back to mid September so that it would hopefully be cooler out. Last year it was closer to the end of August and it was still really hot, plus there were a ton of flies as the shells started to stack up. Also, we moved to a Sunday evening instead of an all afternoon/night affair. Everything turned out really well and it seemed to be very simple.

Side Notes:

* In the bag of seaweed we used for steaming I found this tiny crab. He was let go in the backyard to fend for himself.

** We made smores on the grill for desert.
*** Much like last year’s Lobster Bake we got all of the seafood from Dirk’s Fish and Gourmet Shop.
**** Most of the awesome food photographs were taken by Bedford who moonlights as photog for Town & Country.

Fourth of July BBQ.

On Saturday Julie and I hosted our 4th Annual July Fourth BBQ as in previous I spent the better part of the day smoking ribs. The turnout this year topped out at about 28 people which made it the largest group we’ve had. We did eight slabs of ribs and everyone brought a ton of sides so we were good on food and my house is still full of beer.

Side Notes:

* Previous Fourth of July BBQ’s: 2008, 2009, and 2010.

BlizzNasty.

BlizzNasty began yesterday around 1pm and continued until about noon today. With nearly everyone in Chicago with a snow day we decided to throw together a last minute cookout.

Foraging

Julie and I headed out into the neighborhood for supplies. We made our way to Dinkel’s Bakery which was packed considering the 18 inches of snow on the ground. We picked up a couple donuts for our neighbor and got a batch of pretzel buns for our cookout. Then we headed back up Lincoln to Paulina Meat Market which was also open. We were their first customers of the day, so we scored some burgers and charcoal. It was great to know that with all the snow both places with in walking distance were open.

SnowBBQ

At around 2pm we started the cookout, we used the snow as a cooler and we setup the chairs and table in the middle of the snow. We spent about two hours in the yard as the burgers cooked. The sun was out and the weather was really good considering all that has occurred in the past 24 hours.

Train Football

After our cookout we headed down Marshfield in search of a suitable football field. We ended up playing under the Brownline Paulina Stop for a little one-on-one Train Football. I’m pretty sure we’ll all be feeling this for the rest of the week. A running game is probably the best option in this weather. As you can see in the video above I’m pretty sure I blew my knee out.