# 1st Cen Tex Que & Brew Event Is In The Books And It Was Epic (Insane Q-View)



## tx smoker (Aug 11, 2019)

Well, it's done and was a huge success, but not without a bit of improvising. Fair warning though, this is going to be a LONG post....possibly one of the longest in the history of SMF :-) Please remember that this was a multi-day event with multiple meals being displayed. It'll take you a lot less time to read it though than it's going to take me to post it, I can promise you that. I just want to document the entire experience. This event was about more than just the food. It was the personification of everything I have come to love about this forum: the friendships, the camaraderie, the sharing of ideas and good times.

A few days before the event, Maner @bigdaddy4760 had a family emergency arise and he was not going to be able to attend. He was planning to bring his big trailer rig and a bunch of food to cook. When his situation unfortunately changed, Zach and I got our heads together to figure out how to fill the gaps. He took care of preparing things on his end, as did I. It was gonna all work out but I still missed not getting to meet Maner. Well, as fate would have it, Zach had a massive emergency pop at work up the day before the event was supposed to start. He was planning to do an all-night cook with brisket and pork butt on his Weber kettle grill(s). He was kept at work later than anticipated on Friday but showed up with the meat all prepped and ready to cook but had to be back to work at 6:00 Saturday morning. That ruled out him doing the overnighter. I've never used a Weber kettle....or done an over night cook for that matter. We were gonna figure it out though. Decided to use my Big Green Egg instead of the kettle grills because I was familiar with them. We had a plan and were intent on making it happen :-)

SMF members in attendance were:


 tx smoker
 (me and Tracy)


 Misplaced Nebraskan
 (Zach)
@TXRick (Rick and Susan)
@woodwindricky (Ricky and Connie)
@Matt_Tex (Matt, Eriika, Ava, and Gannon)
@Thorpd01 (Doug and Sue)
@tareed94 (Taylor)


 snakehead
 (Gerald)

We also had a few non-SMF folks there, but it was OK. There was plenty of space and more food than should be allowed by law and of course they brought a ton of fun with them.

We received a big box of promotional stuff from Piedmontese Beef. This was a
GREAT gesture....and possible an indication that I've spent way too much money with them the past couple months :-)







I started a big batch of Cole slaw for Friday dinner. Sadly, this is the only pic I got but suffice it to say, this is a BIG batch of slaw






Things kicked off Friday about 1:00 p.m. with the arrival of Doug and Sue....and boy did they arrive in style!!






Shortly after that Gerald showed up with a bunch of his world famous salsa. It really is world famous and has won numerous awards. It's great stuff!!






Then came Doug and Sue. They brought several jars of brandied and candied plums and peaches. These could be the death of me!! Wait till you see what comes later






Next were Ricky and Connie with their 4-burner flat top and prep table











I got the margarita table set up






A keg of home brewed Irish Red Ale iced down. This was Zach's favorite...but that's only going to last till tomorrow when he tries a different one






Folks starting to mingle






Two more kegs on tap in my keg-o-rater that's set up in the laundry room






The cops didn't buy this one unfortunately






Got some chips and Gerald's salsa out to start with






A bowl full of Hickory smoked beef jerky that Ricky made






I'm finally getting a moment to get my first (of several) quarts of the Irish Red Ale






Folks starting to enjoy the pool. It's HOT!! Temps well into triple digits






Gerald and Ricky sharing an intimate moment






Zach finally here and enjoying an ice cold beer






Got the BGE fired up and on goes the brisket and pork butt






Zach's hands all nasty from playing with his meat






Got a platter full of stuff sliced up for the burgers that will be Friday dinner






Piedmontese Beef 85% lean burgers ground from Tenderloin, smoked cheddar cheese, and Buckboard bacon






Ricky and Gerald sharing another intimate moment while cooking the BBBB. What's with these guys?? :-)






I love this BBBB!! It makes the best bacon addition for a burger you'll ever have






Somebody about to lose some digits trying to sneak a piece of the Buckboard Bacon






Burgers on






Flipped and cheese melting







Dinner spread all laid out. That's my Cole slaw in the white bowl that never got documented.






Susan's amazing beans. These are by far the best beans I've ever eaten and are mandatory at every cookout :-) Thank you Susan!!






Corn and Poblano casserole that Matt made. Can't begin to tell you how good this is.






My dinner plate with the ultimate bacon cheese burger. OMG!! They were so good. I heard many people state that these were the best burgers they have ever had






Folks chowing down






Pool party going well into the night







This is it for Friday. Need to go to another post for Saturday, which is the main event. Too many attachments and they shut me down :-)

See y'all again shortly!!
Robert


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## pc farmer (Aug 11, 2019)

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...two-the-main-event-more-insane-q-view.289725/


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## tx smoker (Aug 11, 2019)

Thank you 

 pc farmer
   He posted the link to the second post.

Very much appreciated,
Robert


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## drdon (Aug 11, 2019)

What a gathering! Y'all look like you had a great time. Congrats.


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## uncle eddie (Aug 11, 2019)

Looks like a great time with an awesome spread...Like!


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## HalfSmoked (Aug 12, 2019)

Great fun meeting people at the gatherings that you only see on the forum.

Warren


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## HalfSmoked (Aug 12, 2019)

Awesome party that is what gatherings are all about meeting those people we only see on the forum.

Warren


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## Smokin' in AZ (Aug 12, 2019)

Nice write up Robert!

On to post two


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## Misplaced Nebraskan (Aug 12, 2019)

Thanks to all!  And a huge shout out to Robert (

 tx smoker
 ).  MVP of the weekend! Like he said we had some, well, a lot of last minute detours pop up and he carried it with style.  Could not have pulled it off without him!


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## Bearcarver (Aug 13, 2019)

Awesome Post, Robert !!
You guys sure had a Great Shindig!!
Thanks for sharing all the outstanding Pics!!
Nice Job!
Like.

Now I gotta go see the Saturday Addition!!

Bear


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## snakehead (Aug 17, 2019)

We had so much food that I didn't get a chance to make my blackened fish, so I made some for dinner during the week.  It came out really good.  I cook it in my outside kitchen on my natural gas burner otherwise it sets the fire alarms off, haha!  The only problem is, my comal got so hot this time that it literally melted the black plastic igniter switch!  Doesn't help much when you're in the middle of tying to sell your house... :(


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## drdon (Aug 17, 2019)

*


snakehead said:



			We had so much food that I didn't get a chance to make my blackened fish, so I made some for dinner during the week.
		
Click to expand...

*

That fish looks amazing. We eat a lot of blackened fish and yours looks perfect. It's a shame that everyone else didn't get any. Guess you'll have to suffer through it all alone... unless you have too much. In that case we'll volunteer to help you out!


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## jcam222 (Aug 17, 2019)

Man everything looks awesome. Appreciate the post as well, really a feast for my eyes.


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## Bearcarver (Aug 17, 2019)

drdon said:


> That fish looks amazing. We eat a lot of blackened fish and yours looks perfect. It's a shame that everyone else didn't get any. Guess you'll have to suffer through it all alone... unless you have too much. In that case we'll volunteer to help you out!




I gotta agree with Doc---That fish looks Perfect!!
Like.

Bear


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## HalfSmoked (Aug 18, 2019)

Awesome job on that fish.  

Warren


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## tx smoker (Aug 18, 2019)

_"That fish looks amazing. We eat a lot of blackened fish and yours looks perfect. It's a shame that everyone else didn't get any. Guess you'll have to suffer through it all alone... unless you have too much. In that case we'll volunteer to help you out!"
_
Oh...we have gotten to eat it before.This isn't the first time he has attempted (or completed) cooking it at one of our events. Not long ago he did some for a large gathering we did and it was a HUGE hit. I tend to be the last one through the serving line when it's time to eat and one of our guests had to hide a piece of the fish for me. If they hadn't it would have all been gone by the time I got there. Here are a couple of pics of some tilapia I did "Gerald Style" one weekend when Tracy was out of town

On a cast iron griddle, lots of butter, at 1100* over the sear burner on the grill






Dinner: Tilapia, BBQ shrimp, parsley potatoes, and grilled asparagus topped with Parmesan cheese (this pic was also posted in the Day 2 thread)






It's really good stuff folks!!
Robert


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## Bearcarver (Aug 18, 2019)

tx smoker said:


> _"That fish looks amazing. We eat a lot of blackened fish and yours looks perfect. It's a shame that everyone else didn't get any. Guess you'll have to suffer through it all alone... unless you have too much. In that case we'll volunteer to help you out!"
> _
> Oh...we have gotten to eat it before.This isn't the first time he has attempted (or completed) cooking it at one of our events. Not long ago he did some for a large gathering we did and it was a HUGE hit. I tend to be the last one through the serving line when it's time to eat and one of our guests had to hide a piece of the fish for me. If they hadn't it would have all been gone by the time I got there. Here are a couple of pics of some tilapia I did "Gerald Style" one weekend when Tracy was out of town
> 
> ...




Yup!!
That's the kinda plate the Bear likes when Mrs Bear is away, because of her dislike of Fish. Awesome Shrimp & Fish!! Yuuuummm......!!!!
Like.

Bear


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## tx smoker (Aug 18, 2019)

_"Yup!!
That's the kinda plate the Bear likes when Mrs Bear is away, because of her dislike of Fish. Awesome Shrimp & Fish!! Yuuuummm......!!!!"
_
Once again sir, thank you for the kind words. Being that you're the king of sammies, especially with left-overs, here's one that you may get a kick out of. The meal posted above was the first night Tracy was out of town. Here is the second night. I did a blackened Tilapia Po Boy with more spicy shrimp, and homemade tartar sauce.

Got the shrimp going






Fish in another pan with the same blackening season






Lay down the fish on a hoagie roll






Provolone cheese






Fresh 'maters






Lettuce






Tartar sauce. A bit sloppy but it sure was good :-)






Dinner is served!! Added some chips and a piggle to finish it off






This doesn't stack up to some of the amazing sammies I've seen you post, but it was noteworthy.

Robert


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## Bearcarver (Aug 18, 2019)

Wow!!
That stacks up pretty Darn good in my Book!!
I'd be all over that plate in a hurry!!
Awesome!
Like.

Bear


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## snakehead (Aug 18, 2019)

tx smoker said:


> _"That fish looks amazing. We eat a lot of blackened fish and yours looks perfect. It's a shame that everyone else didn't get any. Guess you'll have to suffer through it all alone... unless you have too much. In that case we'll volunteer to help you out!"
> _
> Oh...we have gotten to eat it before.This isn't the first time he has attempted (or completed) cooking it at one of our events. Not long ago he did some for a large gathering we did and it was a HUGE hit. I tend to be the last one through the serving line when it's time to eat and one of our guests had to hide a piece of the fish for me. If they hadn't it would have all been gone by the time I got there. Here are a couple of pics of some tilapia I did "Gerald Style" one weekend when Tracy was out of town
> 
> ...



Looks yummy!


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## snakehead (Aug 18, 2019)

Bearcarver said:


> Yup!!
> That's the kinda plate the Bear likes when Mrs Bear is away, because of her dislike of Fish. Awesome Shrimp & Fish!! Yuuuummm......!!!!
> Like.
> 
> Bear



So here's the funny part... Ready?  I hate fish, or anything fishy tasting!  LOL

But I do like most shellfish such as Shrimp, crab, scallops and lobster.  And I think Long John Silvers has great fish. haha.  But I came across Swai (also known as Bas or Pegassi), which from my understanding is a catfish that originates from the Mekong River, which is so mild that it's basically the "chicken" of fish.  It's like a blank slate, so it simply takes on whatever flavor you add to it.  Tilapia is also a good, mild fish, but not even as mild as the Swai. 

I have a friend that lives in WA and has been to Pike Place Fish Market many times.  She gave me what I consider the ultimate of compliments when she told me that my beer battered fried fish was even better than theres! :)


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## snakehead (Aug 18, 2019)

tx smoker said:


> _"Yup!!
> That's the kinda plate the Bear likes when Mrs Bear is away, because of her dislike of Fish. Awesome Shrimp & Fish!! Yuuuummm......!!!!"
> _
> Once again sir, thank you for the kind words. Being that you're the king of sammies, especially with left-overs, here's one that you may get a kick out of. The meal posted above was the first night Tracy was out of town. Here is the second night. I did a blackened Tilapia Po Boy with more spicy shrimp, and homemade tartar sauce.
> ...



It's the piggles that make the samwich ;)


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## drdon (Aug 18, 2019)

Man! I'd take the fish plate OR the Po'Boy ANYTIME! My favorite meals! Triple likes...if allowed.
Don


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## HalfSmoked (Aug 18, 2019)

Snakehead Thanks for the like it is appreciated.

Warren


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## HalfSmoked (Aug 18, 2019)

So I've heard if you know how the swai and tilapia was raised you would not touch it with a ten foot pole.

Warren


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## HalfSmoked (Aug 21, 2019)

Fueling Around Thanks for the like it is appreciated.

Warren


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## HalfSmoked (Jan 30, 2020)

Thanks for the like negolien it is greatly appreciated.

Warren


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## sidhup (Jun 30, 2022)

drdon said:


> *https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/members/snakehead.74327/*
> 
> That fish looks amazing. We eat a lot of blackened fish and yours looks perfect. It's a shame that everyone else didn't get any. Guess you'll have to suffer through it all alone... unless you have too much. In that case we'll volunteer to help you out!


Looking Yummy.


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