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Tuesday, January 01, 2008 

Christmas Bounty

As always, Christmas in the Howlin' Hog Barbecue household was a generous event. We are truly blessed by our families and their generosity. In particular, I am blessed by their continued support of my barbecue habit! The two biggest gifts I got, which came from Farmer Girl and my Mom, were the new Barbecue Guru Digi Q II (a direct vent controller for my pit) and a Thermapen. What great new toys!


I used the thermapen a bunch of times this weekend and finally felt like I had a tool that would allow me to consistently make a good steak. For New Year's Eve, I cooked up chicken and ribs, this time using the Digi Q II (it didn't arrive before Christmas) to run the pit.

But, the two big toys pictured above weren't the only things that will help me fuel my passion for barbecue. My father got a lift jack that I can put on our homemade trailer making it easier to move around and lock in place. Grampy and his lady were both kind enough to donate funds to my barbecue account. This donation will no doubt help me buy more meat in the coming weeks. And Farmer Girl's mother bought a Seal-A-Meal, not knowing that I had recently purchased the Cabela's vacuum sealer. She was a bit dissapointed, but I realized as I looked at the package that having a smaller, more portable vacuum sealer on site at a barbecue competition will be really handy. So, the unit got put into storage for the upcoming season.

And lastly, the wife, myself and son all have 0 degree sleeping bags to keep us cozy and warm as we cook through the night.

I am grateful to have such a wonderful group of family and friends. Thank you all for your generosity.

Happy New Year!

Chris