And the World stood still...

Just as many of us navigate our way each and every day down the streets and highways that connect our homes and businesses, we also tend to weave in and out of the "busy-ness" of our lives... For many of us, we "zig" and we " zag" throughout our hectic days as we attempt to meet numerous deadlines - and/or as we rush to get to various places "on time" - and/or as we rush out the door at 5 PM to head home and begin our "2nd jobs" of starting dinner, doing the laundry, trying to help Johnny or Susie with math problems we ourselves thought we would never see again once we left high school or college, etc, etc...

And somewhere between 10 PM and 2 AM on many nights, we finally "fall apart" - only to hop up at 5-6 AM the next morning to jump back on our "roller coaster" again... That is, until life hits the "emergency brake" on our roller coaster... And forces our us - and our busy little worlds - to stand still...

As I posted a few days ago, this past weekend we were "practicing" getting ready for the Jack by cooking for our 12 year old son's football team and their families following their big game on Saturday afternoon... Upwards of 100 people maybe... Not really a big deal, as I on occasion have certainly cooked for bigger crowds... Our son, Reid, is perhaps his Dad's biggest BBQ "fan" - and he had been bugging us to cook for his new team/friends since early August... I must admit that while I felt I would get just a little bit of "practicing" in as I cooked for his team this weekend, I also saw this "practice" as more of an "inconvenience"... Just another "addition" to my hectic list of things to do that was already long and growing... I must also admit that I have been just a little too busy as of late to see what I and/or this event actually meant in the eyes of my son... It was just another "challenge" that I needed to deftly weave in and out of as I negotiated the "rush hour traffic" in my life right now...

So there were pork butts to cook and pull... Invitations and maps to print and distribute... Canopies and tables to set-up... Drinks to ice down... Numerous last minute trips to the grocery store to pick up this or that which we had forgotten on earlier trips... And despite the fact that we had begun this whole process on Monday of this past week - in a "well-planned" attempt to not be rushed at the last minute - we inevitably found ourselves still scurrying about like lab rats on Saturday morning as we were attempting to wrap things up before making the 30 mile drive to Oakley, UT, for the football game... And it probably should not come as a "surprise" when I relate that my wife and our 14 year old son ended up staying behind to "finish up" the final touches for the party as I rushed to get Reid (and his sister) to his mandatory pre-game warm-up activities on time...

I also confess that I found myself "grumbling" as we sped to his game... "Why couldn't we have done this another time... I have so many other things I truly need to be doing right now..." Grumble, grumble, grumble...

Oakley is a quaint, rural community that is surrounded by mountains in the not-so-far distance... The skies on Saturday morning were crystal blue... The temperature was cool & crisp... The fields were green and manicured... The maples and "quakies" were beginning to turn brilliant reds and oranges and yellows on the mountainsides... Families and friends were out in force to support their young "warriors"... As I scanned the playing and practice fields, the numerous teams present proudly sported every color an eager child might have hoped to have found in a new box of Crayons... It was simply a gorgeous, colorful day for football - and in a most beautiful setting to watch/play... Norman Rockwall would have been very busy - and very happy - capturing this scene himself...

This is our son's first year to play football... And after 8 weeks of practice and hard work, Reid had come home late this past week to proudly announce that he had earned a starting position on defense... Cornerback... Mind you, at 12 years of age, our son weighs maybe 95 pounds sopping wet - so he is definitely on the smaller end of the spectrum for his age group... But Reid has also always shown a lot of "natural" athletic ability/potential - and heart - in any sport he has ever participated in... So while we were elated at the news he announced to us on Thursday after practice, we were not totally "surprised", either...

The game kicked off, and from the "git-go" it was evident that this was going to be a hard fought battle... Both teams were hitting hard, and both offenses were struggling to get anything going... At this age level, most offenses generally center around a running attack... Passing/receiving skills just haven't developed as yet - and when teams at this age level do pass, well - it is mostly "Hail Mary" in nature...

Both teams were going back and forth, and without a lot of offensive success... My wife and I were also busy trading cell phone calls back and forth regarding last minute details for the dinner immediately following the game... In all honesty, I was paying less attention than usual to the game... Early in the 2nd quarter, just as I had just gotten off the phone for the "upteenth" time, I happened to look up just in time to note that the opposing team had the ball and was running a sweep to the left side... I frantically looked through the maze of bodies - and there was Reid, right was he was supposed to be... Now - Reid was playing cornerback on the "weak side" - so plays normally don't come his way all that often... But here they were, rumbling towards him... Reid deflected the offensive blocker assigned to take him out of the play - only to now find himself face to face with a runner coming at him full speed... The running back was definitely bigger than Reid, and was coming at our son like a locomotive... Reid recovered from pushing away the blocker - had just enough time to square himself up - and courageously held his ground and hit this "Goliath" right in the numbers as his opponent charged full speed at him...

There was a sharp "crack" of the pads that was easily heard all the way across the field where I stood as I cheered my son. Reid was not able to totally stop the runner due to the runner's momentum (Reid didn't have any time to begin any momentum towards the runner before they collided) - but he slowed him and held on to him long enough that other team members were quickly there to finish the tackle. As I watched Reid following the play, it was quite evident that his "bell had been rung"... He went from being flat on the ground to getting up on all "fours" for a few moments... And then he slowly stood up... I am certain I must have exhaled a sigh of relief, although I don't really remember now... But after a step or two, he slumped back to the ground - and then he was flat on his back again... The "zebras" quickly noticed the situation and ran over to check on Reid - only to quickly summon over an unknown man from the sideline... Then an unknown woman was summoned from the sideline as well.... After just a few moments of looking at and talking to Reid, these "strangers" were quickly and somewhat frantically looking around, and soon motioning to our son's head coach to come over... All I could see between the bodies that were beginning to congregate around my son was that they were being quite careful with things in Reid's head and neck region...

My world suddenly stood still...

Quite still...

My mind and heart began to race... Do I stand here on the sidelines? Do I rush out onto the field? Do I call home? What would I say? Flashbacks of similar scenes from football games I have seen in person or on TV over the years flooded my scrambled thinking... Then I notice the head coach jogging over to our sideline.... Right towards me... Reid is still not moving... I remember feeling my entire body going numb...

I really don't remember exactly what "Coach Mike" told me... Something about Reid's neck, something about his left arm.... Something about Reid's arms and legs initially going numb, but him now at least being able to move his fingers & toes... But also something about Reid saying he still didn't have any feeling in his neck... Something about a lot of pain when he tired to move his head... Something about summoning emergency medical help...

He jogged back out to where my son lay... I then see a fellow parent who I know - Randy Barnett, who is a surgeon - coming out onto the field and briefly examining Reid... Coach Mike and Randy exchange a few quick words... Then Coach Mike waves to me to come out onto the field...

When I arrived at Reid's side, the tears and pain I saw in his eyes wanted to "break" me, too... There are "roles" that we as men and fathers are to assume at times like these... Roles of strength - and courage - and confidence/reassurance that "everything will be alright"... But I will also share that it was all that I could do to not to let my own fears overwhelm me at that moment... Nor to let my own eyes fill with tears, also...

As I kneeled next to my son on the field and held his right hand, my mouth and words were trying to keep him calm and assure him that things were going to be okay... At the same time, I could feel my heart and soul bursting with prayer just as hard and fast as they could go... When Reid wasn't trying to be tough and brave in light of the pain he was experiencing, you know what his biggest "concern" was? That I had spent my last couple of nights doing a lot of cooking just for him and his friends on the team - and how his teammates now might not get to come over that day to enjoy his Dad's "championship BBQ" following the game!! Here I am, trying with all my might to hold back a flood of fears and tears for my son - and here is Reid, worrying about a couple of "long nights" I had recently spent cooking for him and his buddies - and whether or not he might be able to "show-off" his Dad's BBQ to his friends...

It felt like at least a century passed while we awaited for the EMS personnel to arrive... And the trip back to the new hospital in Park City - maybe 30 miles away - seemed to go on and on forever like a stretch of road in the middle of West Texas... Fortunately, this new state-of-the-art hospital opened just this past week - otherwise it would have been a 60+ mile trip back to Salt Lake City... Which at that moment in time in our lives would surely have seemed like a trip to Mars...

Being that the hospital is brand new - and not exactly running over with business as yet - we received the "red carpet" treatment to say the least... And what a blessing that was... Other than a delayed "response" from the radiologist on duty that afternoon, Reid received prompt attention and wonderful care from everyone there... It was like they had been "rehearsing" and preparing for this very moment all for their lives...

About 3 hours after we arrived at the hospital, Reid's pain & numbness in the neck region had begun to significantly subside, the x-rays taken showed no broken bones/vertebrae - and Reid was able to walk out of the hospital wearing only a soft neck brace. Talk about your answered prayers...

Since getting home last night, we have had an outpouring of phone calls from coaches, teammates and their families, close friends, and family regarding Reid's condition... The president of our youth football district, Dan Garcia, also showed up about an hour after we arrived at the hospital - and stayed with us for well over 2 hours until we received the good news that the x-rays were negative and that they were going to let Reid go home... Definitely not your standard/"obligatory" 15-20 minute visit to wish a speedy recovery to some kid and his family that he did not know from Adam before that afternoon...

When I awoke on Sunday morning and gazed out our bedroom window, the skies seemed just a little more blue... The maples and "quakies" in view were just a little more red and orange and yellow than I had remembered from the day before... And as is generally the case when our "world stands still", I am a much different person today than I was yesterday... I am so very thankful for the blessings God poured out on our son and our family yesterday...

And it's kind of funny... While in the midst of all that I thought was so very "important" leading into the events of yesterday, I received an "award" from those happy blue eyes of my son as he lay motionless on that field - a "trophy" that even a Grand Championship at the Jack will never even come close to equaling...

In case there are any other competition BBQ teams out there reading this, I hate to tell you this... But I have already "won" the Jack... And I have also "won" any other contest I will ever cook at again in my life... That's right... I am already the "Grand Champion" if I ever happen to cook against you...

How's that you say? Because my "judges" are my children - my wife - my friends... I am their "Grand Champion"... And there will never ever be anything any more important to me... Until this past Saturday afternoon, I don't know if I had truly taken the time as of late to stop and fully realize/appreciate this...

I almost missed one of the most important "walks" to the award stage in my entire life... But thanks to a most wonderful Father in Heaven, I didn't...

I am truly blessed, folks... And so are you...

(Our many, many thanks to the "unknown" EMT guy and the nurse who just happened to be on the sidelines and first arrived on the field to attend to our son... To Reid's wonderful Judge Bulldog coaches - Mike Clark, Jesse Eskelson, Bob Pelley and Spence McKean - who have done such a beautiful job of coaching Reid so far this year, and were there for our son when it really counted on Saturday... To Dr. Randy Barnett - we owe you BIG time - 2x now!... To Dan Garcia, Judge District president... To whoever provided that pink blanket to keep my son warm and dry while he lay helpless on the ground... To the entire ER staff at the new IHC hospital in Park City... And to Reid's teammates and their families, and to so many of our family friends, who have called/emailed / held our son in their prayers... Again, we are so very blessed because of ALL of you!!)

Drs. Michael & Venssa Knight
Dylan, Reid & Caleigh
"Hoochie-Que"

Practice, Practice, Practice...

Thursday night, 11:30 PM...

Well, I am out "practicing" this evening... I got home from a busy day/week at work, trimmed and rubbed 6 pork butts, got my smoker fired up, and got the butts on about 9:30 PM... For you "locals" who are following my blog - well, you better turn off the salivary glands... This Que will go towards feeding the 22 boys (and their families) who play football with our "middle" son this Saturday afternoon following their game with South Summit (their team is undefeated so far this season!)...

So - no public "tastings" as yet... Sorry :(

Tonight I am "tweaking" the combination of woods I use, along with monitoring my "fire management" just a little more closely... In competition BBQ, a cook not only needs a great rub and sauce - but it is also critical to figure out how to achieve the best smoke flavor/balance (just like wine, every wood has a certain "character" to it) - and how to get just that right amount of smoke in the different meats (too little and the food tastes rather "blah" - too much and the food will be "overwhelmed" or bitter)... In my opinion, the best BBQ not only has great flavors that are derived from the rub and/or sauce - but also has a distinctive "dash" of smoke that lends itself to being what I might call "fiery"... But that "fiery" flavor is not to be confused with being "spicy hot", either... It is a very distinctive component of good BBQ - and it totally comes from the woods used and the "flavor" of smoke they produce... So I am working on that via the combination of woods I use...

Fire management is also pretty crucial as well... It plays a big part in the "quality" of the smoke that is produced... If you read enough books on BBQ, you will often see the "best" smoke coming described as "blue smoke"... Now - over the years years, I don't know if I have ever truly seen any smoke coming out of a smoker that I might term "blue"... Maybe I need my eyes checked... Scary thought considering that by day I am a dentist, huh?... Anyway - what they are referring to is a light, "clean" smoke... Not a smoke that is "billowing" out of the exhaust - nor a smoke that is yellowish (I have seen "yellow smoke")... Typically, smoke that is "billowing" and/or that has a yellow tint is the result of a fire that is not burning cleanly (typically the fire is not hot enough and/or is starving for oxygen and/or the wood is not cured and/or you are trying to smoke with a wood that has a lot of "sap" such as pine)... Trying to achieve a light, clean veil of smoke without getting the temperature of the smoker too hot - well, that is one of the "tricks" that has to be "mastered"... And even though I have been doing this for a while, it is something I am always trying to get just a little better at...

I will let you know how things turn out when I pull this pork tomorrow... As of right now, it sure smells great!

Who the heck is this "Lem" dude??...

Well, as I was about to fall asleep Wednesday night, my wife gently tossed me a large envelope we had received in the mail that day from the Jack Daniel's Distillery. In it was my official invitation to The Jack this year (as seen to the right - click on the image to enlarge ), along with some other material regarding the teams who had been invited, hotel info (as of last week, the closest hotel rooms were already 25 miles away), a parking pass, etc... The invitation is on "official" Jack Daniel's stationary, with some sort of gold foil raised lettering at the top that is beautiful. Without a doubt, my invite will find itself in a frame and on a wall before long.

With this having been said, however, I must admit I was still just a little disappointed. Why? Because "Jack" didn't sign it... When I was younger, Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy signed letters and notes to me... Now that I am an "older" kid who still has his "toys" - and who is indeed "living the dream" by going to the Jack this year - you would have thought they could have appeased the child in me just a little... And found some kinda "Jack" out there to have signed my invitation... I mean, they had his picture there and everything - so why not his signature???

Maybe "Jack" will be there to greet us when we check-in...

There was also something else a little "weird" with my invite... While they have "Jack's" picture on the stationary, they also have some other dude's name next to the photo, and they list him - and not "Jack" - as "Proprietor" of the Jack Daniel's Distillery... Some guy named "Lem Motlow"... Like, what is that all about? Was/is "Jack" akin to the Easter Bunny or something?

Well, I did a little Googling - and yes, Virginia, there really was a "Jack Daniel"... Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel to be exact... One of 13 children... And he indeed established the Jack Daniel's distillery when he was at the ripe old age of 16 (or 20, depending on your source regarding his date of birth... Supposedly his birth records were destroyed in a courthouse fire...)

Now - Jack never married (from looking at that bush on his upper lip, I figure the women in his life probably complained that his mustache tickled just a little too much) , nor did he ever have any children... But he DID have a nephew - Lem Motlow. Turns outs Lem was pretty good with numbers and ciphering, so before long he was doing all the accounting for the distillery.

Due to failing health, Jack eventually gave Lem the distillery in 1907. Talk about your "rich uncle stories"... Jack died in 1911, allegedly due to "blood poisoning" from an infection originating in his foot. Story has it that Jack had a safe with a combination that he never could remember, he got angry one day when he tried to open it and failed - and he kicked the safe! He hurt his toe - infection set in - and well, that was that for ol' Jack... Good lesson in anger management I suppose.

In 1910, the state of Tennessee passed prohibition laws preventing the legal distillation of Jack Daniel's whiskey. Lem moved the distillery to two locations - Birmingham, AL, and St. Louis, MO - although the production at these sites had serious quality issues, and a bottle of Jack from these locations was never sold to the public.

Before Lem and crew could get their act together at either of these sites, national prohibition was signed into effect in 1919 (18th Amendment). In 1933, Prohibition was repealed (21st Amendment) - but Lem was still unable to resume the distillation of Jack Daniel's in Tennessee due to state prohibition laws that were still in effect. Somewhere along the line, ol' Lem got himself elected as a state senator, and he work to repeal these state prohibition laws in TN, and production of Jack Daniel's resumed in 1938.

However, due to cash flow problems, Lem could not wait the normal four years for the Jack Daniel's whiskey to age in the barrels. So he began bottling some of the whiskey after only twelve months. This would be distributed as "Lem Motlow's Tennessee Whiskey". The first bottling occurred in November, 1939, and continued until 1986. A bottle of "Lem Motlow's Tennessee Whiskey" is today considered a "must have" by all serious Jack Daniel's collectors.

Distillation ceased nationally again from 1942 to 1946 due to World War II. When quality grain became available again after the war, operations resumed in 1947.

Lem died in 1947 - but his efforts to keep Jack Daniel's whiskey alive were not forgotten. When the company was eventually incorporated, it was done so as "Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, Prop., Inc." This has allowed the company to remember and honor Lem in their marketing to this day.

(On a side note, advertisements from Jack Daniel's also continue to this day to state that Lynchburg only has a population of 361 people - when the 2000 US Census actually shows a population of 5740. This population "claim" is still made because the entire label on a bottle of Jack Daniel's was trademarked in the 1960's when 361 was more or less the population in Lynchburg. If Jack Daniel's were to change the label today to more accurately reflect the population in Lynchburg - and/or delete the reference to the population in Lynchburg - well, it would require applying for a brand new trademark and forfeiting trademark protection. So - Lynchburg will always have a population of 361!

And if there weren't enough twists already in this story, Lynchburg today is in a "dry county" - so you can't buy any Jack Daniel's in any retail store locally... The distillery, however, by state law is allowed to sell a commemorative product to the public at the distillery - so the "Gentleman Jack" and "Jack Daniel's Single Barrel" products are available at the distillery's White Rabbit Bottle Shop.)

"And now you know the rest of the story..."

Bright Lights & BBQ???

Don't know if this is for real or not.... Found it the other day on a BBQ "chat forum"... Knowing BBQ folks are known to tell a tall one now and then - well, odds are this is just someone blowing smoke - well, you know where...

Anyway - someone is saying the bookies in Las Vegas have already established "odds" for the favorites to win the "Jack" this year... Personally, if anyone is interested in a piece of this action, I think you might be better off placing a bet on your kid's Pop Warner football team this Saturday...

But in case this is for real - and if you are really needing a little "action" above and beyond college/professional football right now - here are the "odds" that were posted... And BTW - Good luck!!!

3 - 1
Bubba Q
Munchin Hogs
Cool Smoke
Iowas Smokey D's
Dr. Pokenstein
Home BBQ

4 - 1
4 Legs Up
Four Men and a Pig
Pellet Envy
Swamp Boys
I Smell Smoke

5 - 1
Cancer Sucks Chicago
Parrothead Smokers
Ulcer Acres/Twyford
Bare Bones BBQ
Jacks Old South

7 - 1
Blazen BBQ
Rhythm and Que
Wild Bunch Burners
Quau
The Heat is On

25 - 1
The Rest of the Field (including "Hoochie-Que")

"Honey, where is the Pepto?...."

You know - sometimes you just ought to heed the old adage of "Be careful of what you wish for - you just might get it"!!

This past Thursday - when the official list of the teams invited to the 2009 Jack Daniels World Championship BBQ competition was made public - well, it also released a "flock" of butterflies in my belly as well. (Do butterflies fly in "flocks"?) While we had known since earlier this summer that we might have a shot at going to the "Jack" this year, the reality that it was truly going to happen suddenly hit home on Thursday afternoon as well. There was joy and excitement for certain - but I would be lying if I didn't admit that there was also a "pit" of sorts in my stomach as well as I reviewed the other teams that we will be competing against on October 23-24.

Wow - here were real-life, nationally prominent/ranked BBQ teams on the list such as "Jack's Old South", "Pellet Envy", "Swamp Boys", "Bub-Ba-Q", "Rhythm ‘n QUE", "Parrothead Smokers", "QUAU", and "cancersuckschicago.com" among others! There were also really solid "regional" teams we have competed against over the past few years on the list as well - "Otis & The Bird", "Team Ida Q", "Blake's BBQ", "All Hogs Go to Heaven", and others. Teams that have won a LOT more frequently than we have. And to add to my "acid indigestion", some of these teams are THAT GOOD that they have been to the "Jack" 2-3-5-7-12 times!

While these funny sounding team names may not ring a bell with many folks, it is indeed somewhat akin to being told your "Adult Mens' Saturday Flag Football Team" is facing Florida, Texas, USC, Alabama, and Ohio State in late October - and all at the same time on the same day!! Sheez - talk about your "David & Goliath" type of scenario!...

Oh well... I just have to keep remembering that there indeed IS a good reason we were selected... That these teams all put their pants on one leg at a time, too ... And, oh yeah - that David DID whip Goliath...

"Burp...... Honey, can you pass me just a little bit more of the Pepto, please?...."