Old College Buddies

I thought it was kind of funny Shae would post about some of her college friends on the same weekend I had a reunion of sorts with my old college buddies. In my case I wouldn't drive 5 miles to my 30th high school class reunion but I will drive 9 hours to meet up with my old college buddies. And I can say it was worth every minute on the road.

This is the picture of all the boys who showed up.


There is a Kozmo in there, a Dino, a Stashu, a Fond Du Lac, a Elliot Nutz, a Pelaker, a Harvey Wallbanger and of course yours truly. Missing from the picture is Sachmo, DaMart, Gus, Dano, and Dollar Bay Jim, 13 of us in all. We all got along but if you ask one of the wives she would say "If this is how you guys treat your friends I would hate to see what you guys would do to your enemies."


This is the cup that holds our group together. This cup has a 30 year history to it. If this cup could talk you wouldn't believe the stories it could tell. The last time I saw this cup was at Dino's bachelor party. The last time this cup was used was at Dino's bachelor party. It has been safely stashed away in Koz's underwear drawer for the last 25 or so years. It was brought back to us this weekend. Oh, you want to know what it was used for don't you? Well take a look.


Dino was a bad boy and when you are bad you must drink from the cup (now we know where Sarah gets it from). This cup has magical powers, when you drink from it it will make you act like a college dorm rat.

Oh we had a great weekend. This much fun should be illegal and probably was but all things come to an end and promises were made to do it again in the next couple of years. Let's hope so.

Rules for Dating My Daughter

Dear Jordan,

After our conversation last night it occurred to me I never gave you the rules for dating my daughter. Please pay particular attention to rule #9 as my daughter will tell you it is my No. 1 rule and I don't mind digging holes.

Rule One:
If you pull into my driveway and honk you’d better be delivering a package, because you’re sure not picking anything up.

Rule Two:
You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter’s body, I will remove them.

Rule Three:
I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don’t take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, In order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact, come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in place to your waist.

Rule Four:
I’m sure you’ve been told that in today’s world, sex without utilizing a “barrier method” of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate: when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.

Rule Five:
In order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is “early”

Rule Six:
I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry.

Rule Seven:
As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process that can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don’t you do something useful, like changing the oil in my car?

Rule Eight:
The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter:
- Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool.

- Places where there are no parents, policemen, or nuns within eyesight.

- Places where there is darkness.

- Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness.

- Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka zipped up to her throat.

- Movies with a strong romantic or sexual theme are to be avoided; movies which feature chainsaws are okay.

- Hockey games are okay.

- Old folks homes are better.

Rule Nine:
Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a potbellied, balding, middle-aged, dimwitted has-been. But on issues relating to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me.

Rule Ten:
Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy outside of Hanoi. When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit your car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then return to your car-there is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face at the window is mine.

I am sure you will find these rules very simple and easy to understand and I'm sure you will have no problem following them. If you can't remember them make a copy and put them in your pocket that way if you are confused over a certain situation you can pull them out and read them for a reminder.

Good luck with dating my daughter and good luck in the future, I am sure you will do just fine.

Oh, by the way, don't call me Mr. Porter anymore, that's what they call my dad.

Copyright 1998 W. Bruce Cameron

Escanaba in Da Moonlight

Sorry no Sunday meal this week and there won't be one next week either. And the Sunday after that I am hoping to make a trip to Sault Ste. Marie so there may not be one then either but stayed tuned I have an idea for my next Sunday meal and it should be worth the wait.

Next Sunday is my trip back to Michigan to see all the old college buddies. Friday night I am staying in Boyne and Saturday up in Leland. I should be home Sunday night as long as nobody gets arrested.

This last weekend the wife and I decided to take a trip up to Escanaba to check it out and also watch Tommy play baseball for Berryhill. Who's Tommy? Tommy is the catcher that rolled up against the fence during the district baseball tournament in Coleman. I didn't take any pictures because my plan was to take pictures on Sunday during the championship game. The weather decided not to cooperate and it looked like rain and there was a lot of lightning in the air so we went home before the championship game. Berryhill won the game and Tommy hit a homerun plus two doubles in the game. The game I watched on Saturday Tommy also hit a homerun. Tommy had a good weekend.

I have always wondered what was in Escanaba and I found out, not a hell of a lot. They have not done much if any renovation to their downtown area like a lot of other cities have done. Most of Escanaba is what you see when you drive through on US 2. I think the town has lost so much industry over the years they just don't have the money or resources to keep their infrastructure up. It's to bad because that is a nice area of the UP.

But the one thing they do have is one of the nicest city parks I have ever seen. The name of the park is Ludington Park and sits on the banks of Lake Michigan. It is a beautiful park with 5 miles of walking and biking trials.

It sits on the western shore of Little Bay De Noc which is home to some of the best if not the best walleye fishing in the United States. That is rain off in the distance and we did see lightning way off in the distance too.

The shores of Lake Michigan in this area are mostly rocky but there is a sandy swimming beach here too.

There is a yacht club or what I would call a marina.

They have a nice little fountain, playgrounds for the kiddies, fishing, picnic areas, tennis courts, and and band shell for concerts.

There are several nice flower beds planted around the park.

The main attraction of the park is Sand Point Lighthouse. Probably the smallest lighthouse I have ever seen.

All in all a great park to spend some time in if you are driving through Escanaba.

What is it?

If you guessed the schooner Lettie Copper you would be right. It was built in 1876 in Manitowoc Wisconsin and was used to haul lumber on the great lakes. It sank off the coast of Wisconsin during a storm in 1894. It was carrying 230,000 board feet of lumber when it sank. In the foreground of the picture is the device for lifting and lowering the anchor for the boat.

Here is this weeks "What is It?"

Don't let the time of the season this picture was taken fool you.

A Sarah Inspired Meal

A week or so ago our Irish friend, Megawatt Miler, posted some of her favorite things. One of the items was Paul Newman's Balsamic Vinaigrette. Since balsamic vinegar is my favorite type of vinegar I thought I should give this stuff a try. I know she doesn't know if a switch and light bulb are on the same circuit, I know she doesn't travel well, but I figured she had to know something. After all she did graduate from Notre Dame. So I decided to take a chance and see if this was her time. Guess what? It was. This may be the best vinaigrette I have had so I dedicate this post to her and this meal to her. From here on and evermore this meal and recipe will be called Sarah's Balsamic Pork Chop.

Let's get started.

Act 1 of this episode, here are the cast of characters.


If I was going to use balsamic vinegar as the main character I thought I should marinade the pork chops with it. I use a thicker pork chop (actually easier to cook) but a thinner pork chop could be used. I used about a half a bottle to marinade 2 pork chops. I marinaded the chops for about 4 hours but I think it would be better if they were marinaded overnight. When it is time to cook take the chops out of the refrigerator and remove from the marinade. I then sprinkle them with Emeril's Essence and let them come up to room temperature. This will take about 1/2 hour or about the time it takes to get the grill going.


"FIRE UP THE GRILL"



Stick those chops on the grill and cook with the lid on. Once again if you want to "Run with the Big Dogs" and take the chops to the ultimate level add a little wood to it. My favorite, so far, with pork is apple.

Start with the chops over the fire for the first 2-3 minutes on each side and then move over and cook with indirect heat the rest of the way. Cook the chops to 147 degrees. Like I have said before if the temperature gets above 147 pork will start to dry out fast.


Act 2 of the episode with the cast of characters.


A simple salad made of romaine lettuce with a twist, it's grilled. Start by cutting the head of lettuce in half and leave the end on so it stays together. Next brush a little olive oil on the lettuce and sprinkle with pepper.

Let's head to the grill.


Lightly grill the lettuce just so it warms up a grill marks appear. Take it off the grill, cut off the end and spread it out on a plate. Add some grape or cherry tomatoes (I prefer cherry), maybe sprinkle some parmesan/reggiano cheese on top and hit it with balsamic vinegar.

Introducing Sarah's Balsamic Pork Chop.


I gave it a 4.75 out of 5 forks. I forgot to sprinkle the parmesan/reggiano cheese on the salad. Pork chops are so tender they can be cut with a fork. This may be my new favorite way to cook pork chops. I will defanatly be doing it again.

The Ultimate Barbecued Chicken

First I must apologize to Tyler Florence for stealing the title to one of his shows but this really is the "Ultimate" bbq chicken. I'll admit this is similar to Tyler's recipe with one major change, I cook mine on a charcoal grille while he cooks his on a grille on top of the stove and finishes it in the oven. While his way of cooking chicken is excellent (I use his method in the winter when I want bbq chicken) let's face it, you can't beat chicken cooked on the grille. And if you ever get into a throwdown with Bobby Flay cooking bbq chicken using this method you will win, guaranteed.

So without further adieu "Are you ready for a throwdown?" Opps, sorry, I thought Bobby Flay was in the audience. Let's get started.

Start with a brine. "A brine you say?" Yes a brine, now don't be afraid of the salt, it doesn't soak up into the chicken in any way. From what I understand the brine or salt actually helps to seal the pores of the chicken to hold the moisture in to give the most moist bbq chicken you will ever have.

Here are the main players in this episode.

Start with a quart or so of water in a sauce pan, add a 1/2 of handful of Kosher salt (1/4 of a cup if you must measure), a 1/2 handful of brown sugar, and a table spoon or so of peppercorns (you can use just plain old black pepper too but peppercorns are suppose to do something, I'm just not sure what). Oh you want to know about the green stuff in the picture eh? Rosemary, I just happened to have it in my "garden" this year. I love the smell of that stuff but you can use any herb you like or none at all, use what you like and like what you use. Bring everything to a boil on the stove while stirring and turn off the heat. Next add the ice cubes and cool back down, after all if you add hot brine to the chicken it will start to cook and that is a bad thing. I should mention this is for one chicken, if you cook two chickens double it and three triple....aw forget it you get the idea.

Now support your local chemical company and pull out an one gallon zip lock bag (I know SC Johnson now owns the Zip Lock brand.) Insert chicken.


Next add the brine mixture, cooled off of course.


Put everything in a bowl and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours but preferably overnight would be better. Oh what is the bowl for? Just in case the bag springs a leak you don't want chicken brine all over your ice box. The chicken police would have to be called in and you would have to throw everything out in your refrigerator.

Fast forward to the next day.

Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and take out of the brine. Save the brine and serve it instead of milk during dinner. Just kidding, dump it down the sink. Dry the chicken off with paper towels. Another trick is after you dry it off is stick it back into the ice box on a platter for a 1/2 hour. You want the chicken dry because this will help to give a crispy exterior. Once the chicken is dry dust with Emeril's Essence.


Now do you know what time it is? It's time to "FIRE UP THE GRILLE!!"


Move the charcoal over so it only covers 1/2 the charcoal grate and place the chicken over the charcoal and brown both sides.


DO NOT walk away. It will only take a minute or so to brown the chicken. If you don't watch the chicken it will burn fast, real fast, take my word, trust me, I'm telling the truth, I have the experience to prove it.

Now it is time to move it over to the indirect side of the grille, see that's why you only put charcoal under half of the cooking grate, smart eh? This is how chicken is cooked without burning it, take my word, trust me, I'm telling the truth, I have the experience to prove it.


This is where you separate the men from the boys, the women from the girls, and the dogs from the pups. This is the point where you make the ultimate bbq chicken, this is the point where people will tell you "This is the best bbq chicken I have ever had." How? Add a little bit of wood on top of the hot charcoal, soak the wood in water first. I prefer apple wood or hickory but you can use anything you want, just remember use what you like and like what you use. Cover the grille and let cook.

DON"T PEAK!


Keep the grille temperature around 350 degrees, 375 is ok and even 400 will work. I know it is hard to regulate the temperature of the grille but with a little practice it can be done. I would also suggest a thermometer mounted in the top of the grille for watching the inside temperature of the grille. I think this is the single most important piece of equipment you can have as a griller.


It will take about a hour to cook but I urge you to use a digital thermometer. Most recipes I have come across say to cook to 165 degrees but I cook chicken to 170 degrees just because I want to be sure it is cooked.

The chicken is done and now is the time to sauce it up. The way I do it is brush sauce on the top side and flip it over onto the coals and then sauce the bottom side. Wait for about a minute, could be more, might be less, just depends on how much heat is left in the coals, keep an eye on it and then turn it over and let the bottom side cook until done. You can sauce the skin side again if you want but it isn't necessary. Use any bbq sauce you like, the sauce I make is excellent on chicken, or use Sweet Baby Ray's or Billy Bones, just remember use what you like and like what you use.

Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes after it is taken off the fire and this is what you are left with.


Grandma Williams would be proud. Even the white meat is moist after cooking it like this, in fact you might only grille white meat after trying it this way.

There you have it my ultimate barbecued chicken, my secret is out, just might be the best you ever had.

After you cook chicken this way don't be surprise if someone comes up to you and says "Are YOU ready for a Throwdown?"

What Is It?

I thought I might try something new so every Monday or sometime close to Monday I am going to post a picture and let everybody guess what it is. Later in the week I will give an answer.

I came across this "thing" a few days ago when I thought of trying this little game. Obviously it has seen its better days. I will give hints later.

And as promised I will post bbq chicken recipe tomorrow night. Well it isn't really a recipe but more of my method of cooking chicken on the grille. I just need some time to "compose" my pictures tonight as I watch the replay of todays overtime golf match on ESPN Classic. Later tonight I will be watching Diners, Drive Ins and Dives on the Food Network.

I will leave you with this picture though, as older sister would say SOOC.

Sunday Dinner

After last weeks Sunday dinner I knew I would have a hard time trying to come up with something better than the pork roast. I'm not sure I will ever come up with anything better because that dinner is the best I have ever done.

But we must move on and this weeks Sunday dinner is grilled meatloaf. This is an Emeril Lagasse recipe I found on the Food Network web site.


Now this isn't just any ole meatloaf recipe (see below) this recipe has a link of chorizo sausage in it. The main players in this episode is as follows:


Like I said the link of chorizo sausage goes in the middle of the loaf.

And then cover it up with the other half of meatloaf.


Now it's time to "FIRE UP THE GRILLE!" Cook at 350 degrees with a few chunks of mesquite wood that have been soaked in water and cook for 45 minutes to a hour.


I am going to give it a 4 out of 5 forks. Very tasty, not spicy at all (I expected a lot more spicy than it was because of the chorizo). If you are looking for something a little different give this a try. If you do try this recipe just be careful of the chorizo you buy because there are some real spicy stuff out there.

The wife made the side pasta salad called Sweet Pea Salad. She found it in her Taste of Home Cookbook. It is a very good recipe but the next time she is going to add some fake crabmeat to it and then it will be excellent (her idea not mine but I did agree).

Shhhhh.......I am talking real quiet right now because I don't want the Detroit Tigers to hear me. If you haven't noticed they are starting to creep up on the division leaders. They have swept their last two series and one was against the hated White Sox. The pitching is coming around and Rodney has just been activated from the disabled list. Rumor has it he has looked pretty good down in the minors in his rehab stint. Some more good new is Zumaya will be back within the week. Reports has his fastball back at 100 mph and he is throwing strikes in his rehab assignment. Is it any coincidence they started winning when Sheffield went on the DL, I think not. Sheffield's time has come and gone and the Tigers would be better off without him. Let's be quiet and we will watch them for a distance for now, I don't want them thinking we are watching.

Here is the recipe. There is a bonus at the bottom, Emeril's Essence if you don't already have it. I only use half the salt he suggest in his recipe and I use Kosher Salt.

Mr. John's Meatloaf
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2001
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell peppers
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 to 1 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
Vegetable oil
8 ounces chorizo, halved crosswise
1 cup bottled chili sauce, optional

Preheat the grill, or an oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, combine the beef, pork, onion, bell pepper, garlic, eggs, cream, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and Essence, and stir with a wooden spoon to blend thoroughly. Divide the mixture into fourths. Form 2 pieces into a loaf shape about 9 by 4-inches. Lay one sausage down the middle of each loaf. Mold the remaining 2 meatloaf portions over and around the sausages to cover it completely, and seal into 2 oblong loaves.

Rub the entire surface of the meatloaf with vegetable oil and make sure the grill is well oiled. Place on the hot grill and brown on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes per side, turning with spatulas. Transfer to the rack above the grill, and top each meatloaf with 1/2 cup chili sauce. Close the grill lid and cook until the meatloaves reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F, about 45 minutes.

Remove from the grill and transfer to a cutting board or serving platter and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. (Alternately, the meatloaves can be placed on a lightly greased baking sheet and roasted in a preheated 350 degrees F oven until an internal temperature of 160 degrees F is reached, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, basting occasionally with the pan juices.)

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.


Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Intermediate
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
User Rating: 5 Stars

Episode#: EMSP27
Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

Taking a Long Walk on a Short Pier

The wife and I decided to go to Sheboygan (here is Wisconsin they spell Sheboygan with a S not a C) last night to eat. Sheboygan is about 15-20 miles from where we live on Lake Garton.

Sheboygan is a city with a population of 50,000 or so. That would make it about the size of Saginaw but without all the problems of Saginaw. While people complain about crime in Sheboygan if they took one trip to Saginaw they might see their little town isn't so bad afterall.

Afterwards we took a walk on the boardwalk that follows the Sheboygan River out to Lake Michigan.


At the end of the boardwalk (the Lake Michigan end) is a large park and at the north end of the large park is a pier that goes out into Lake Michigan.


Now I have to ask "Who doesn't like to walk out on a pier into one of the great lakes?" Whenever I see a pier I feel as though I need to take a walk out to the end of it. I love the smell of the great lakes, the sound of water hitting the pier and the sheer expanse of the water.



When I look across the water I always wonder what is going on on the other side. Last night when I looked across the water I thought about Sarah and the nuclear plant she works in. I think if you look to the south (to all you directionally challenge people out there that would be to the right, at least here in Wisconsin) you can see Sarah just leaving work at the plant.

This was a perfect night for a walk out on a pier, sun was shining, slight breeze, just warm enough so you didn't have to wear a jacket, and cool enough so you didn't work up a sweat walking.


Even the ducks were enjoying the night out.

Lake Garton

I was looking for photo opportunities tonight and I happen to come across this beautiful scene of a house overlooking their own private lake.


As you can see this was taken from the deck overlooking this expansive lake. I looked all around the lake and as near as I can tell this is the only house situated on it. Imagine that having your own lake in your backyard, it just don't get no better than that.

One good thing about the area we live in is the soil has real good drainage. All this water will be gone within 30 minutes.

We have had somewhere between 2-3 inches of rain since I got home tonight. This past weekend we had over 4" of rain. There are a lot of people around here that have flooded basements right now but so far ours is nice and dry. These have been some of the longest lasting thunder and lighting storms I have seen in a while. We have been under a tornado watch since mid afternoon too. I am telling you this because you Michigan people have all this to look forward to by morning. Good Luck.

If I was the owner of this house I would hurry up and sell it as lake front property.

I went outside tonight to try and get a picture of a lighting bolt. Unfortunately almost all the lighting stayed high above the clouds so this is about as good as I could do.


Our house isn't a good place for lighting pictures anyway. I think it would work better in wide open spaces.

Sundy Dinner (Posted on Wednesday)

As I stated last night my original plan was to do two parter on our Sunday dinner but stuff happens and now I am only going to do a one parter with the emphasis being on the star of the dinner. I will save the other stuff for a later date.

When we started our grilling season this year my goal was to cook something different every Sunday. Even though I may cooked pork ribs more than one Sunday I won't cook them the same way twice. For the first few weeks this is an easy task but as time goes on it starts to get more difficult. I am always looking for ideas (if anybody has some please send them along.) Most of my ideas come from either the Food Network or from several bbq blogs I have saved on my google reader. Sometimes I will take an idea I have seen from somewhere and adapt it to the grill and sometimes I will try to copy something I may have seen. Either way it is always fun to try and a challenge.

This weeks idea came from one of my bbq blogs I read. I didn't use the ingredients posted on the blog I used my own, but it is the same basic idea.

This weeks Sunday dinner.............Stuffed Pork Roast.


When we went to the grocery store on Saturday my intentions were to buy tuna steaks and finally try cooking them on the grill. But something happened when I walked by the meat counter there was a pork roast in there saying "Buy me!" I tried to ignore it but it kept drawing me back there and saying "Buy me." Finally I caved in and told the butcher to give me an average size one. Now I have to confess this wasn't just any normal pork roast this pork roast was already marinated in a sweet bourbon marinade from the store. Normally I wouldn't consider buying anything already marinated because I feel as though I should be doing all my own marinading, it really isn't all the hard to do. I just couldn't help myself this time I was intrigued by the name alone.

On Sunday when it came time to prepare the roast I opened it up and just stared at it. I wasn't sure what to do with it. I had the recipe for the stuffed pork roast but I wasn't sure I really wanted to try to do it. Finally after about 10 minutes I asked the wife what I should do. She said "Stuff it!" I wasn't sure she was talking about the roast or not but I figured I might as well give it a try.

That was the easy decision, the hard part was what to stuff it with. (You got to love all the preplanning that went into this meal.) I didn't have any of the items the original recipe called for so it was time to improvise. I opened up the refrigerator and started looking. Hmm, the recipe called for olive oil marinated mozzarella cheese, I see some provolone, I think that will do. What else? Oh, how about spinach? Yeah, just bought this yesterday at the Farmers Market in Elkhart Lake. Now the recipe called for three items...let's see....hmm.....no, not that...not sure what that is so let's skip that too....."Hey think we should clean this refrigerator out sometime?" (That is the hint to the wife maybe SHE should think about cleaning out the refrigerator)......oh, look at that, fresh portabella mushrooms, yeah that will do.


There you have it, the ingredients, pork roast marinated in a sweet bourbon sauce, provolone cheese, spinach, portabella mushrooms and olive oil. (Forgot the olive oil in the picture.)

Next stuff the roast. One problem, can't stuff it in its original state in the picture. Got to cut the roast in half, well almost. Slice through the roast leaving about a two inch hinge and open the roast up then slice it again in half leaving about a inch and open it up again. From here put ingredients on the flattened out roast, roll it back up and tie it up to hold it together.




"To the grill!" 350 degrees for a hour to a hour and a half until the internal temperature is 145 to 147 degrees. If pork gets beyond 147 degrees it starts to dry out fast.


The tin foil packets will be for future posts. Hey I need ideas too.

After about 1-1/2 hours this is what you are left with.


Just take a look at that masterpiece. Makes you drool doesn't it? See the provolone cheese oozing out the top and the right side. You can even see a mushroom trying to escape out the left side. I wish I could post the the smell of the roast while it was cooking, truly one of the best smelling foods I have ever grilled.

Here is the finished dinner plate.


This is a 5+ forks out of 5 fork meal. This may be the best dinner I have grilled yet, I am not sure what could be any better. If you have plans to cook this meal please do it on the grill, the oven just won't do it justice. If you do it on the grille (even if it is gas) add a chunk of apple wood to the fire it will make all the difference in the world.

Next time I will marinate the roast myself. I think the marinade the store used was bourbon and brown sugar, should be easy enough to make. Also next time I think I will ask the butcher to slice the roast open because I thought I was going to screw that part up. That's the reason I stared at it for 10 minutes trying to decide if I could slice it open the way it was suppose to be to stuff it. In the end it worked out.