A Face-Palm Moment

You know, when I picked up writing again on this blog a couple weeks ago, I joked I may be sharing my cooking disasters here.

It really was meant to be a joke. Truly, it was.

Unfortunately, barely a week had passed when I did it.

Normally, I don't have full-out disasters in the kitchen. I'm really a pretty good cook. I will, occasionally, choose recipes that don't go over well. I will experiment, and things won't be as flavorful  as they could be. Or, I'll be absent an ingredient and will substitute something that really shouldn't be in there. Like... cilantro instead of basil.

My husband has decided I should not be grilling any longer. Unfortunately, his hours require me to grill if we're going to be grilling on a weeknight or it could be 9 PM before we eat dinner.

Enter a bad combination of events last week.

• I was grilling.
• I was grilling mule deer ribs.
• I wanted to watch the season finale of A&E's "Longmire" before it expired on my iPhone app.
• I decided doing all of these at the same time was a good idea.

iPhone in hand, I began grilling our mule deer ribs after having properly thawed them for 2 days in my fridge. I'd seasoned them lightly, and as I watched Walt Longmire's TV portrayal, went inside to get my side dishes going, and wash and set the table. My kids were being a little needy... I probably should have sent them to their rooms.

I get a little engrossed in the show, but go out to flip the ribs. They're looking pretty good, and I turn down the heat, mostly because I'd gotten a text from my adorable husband that he would be a little late. No big  deal, I do this all the time with the grill.

Mistake #1: Pushing the ribs to the back of the grill.

Mistake #2: Not turning off a burner.

I come back out 10 - 15 minutes later... and the thermometer on the top of the grill immediately tells me something is definitely wrong. 600°?!?! How the heck is it 600°!

Robert Taylor on A&E's "Longmire"

Opening the lid, I find my ribs a charred mess, and mostly ablaze. It had gotten so hot, some of the rib bones had turned to ash, I discover once the fire is mostly out.

Needless to say, none of us were thrilled. We couldn't find much edible meat, though enough for a few bites a piece. Hubby and I were still hungry after we put the kids to bed (late) and had to share a bowl of popcorn.


On the plus side, the "Longmire" season finale made me wish it wasn't a summer show. Thirteen episodes a year are not nearly enough. I can't wait to find out what happens next!


Until next time,