{"id":2480,"date":"2014-05-04T16:19:06","date_gmt":"2014-05-04T21:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=2480"},"modified":"2014-05-04T16:19:06","modified_gmt":"2014-05-04T21:19:06","slug":"derby-party-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=2480","title":{"rendered":"Derby Party 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year\u2019s Derby celebration was going to be very scaled back.\u00a0 There was no fresh Zurekbrau available due to the effects of the polar vortex.\u00a0 It was just never warm enough out there to brew beer!\u00a0 With freezing temps, it was hard to be exposed, standing on cold concrete, and trying to use water without risking frostbit.<\/p>\n

On Friday night, I made margarita popsicles.\u00a0 I gathered the ingredients and combined them into a pitcher so I could pour the mix into Dixie cups.\u00a0 One of the last steps is to cut a lime into slices as garnish and to help hold the stick in place while it freezes.\u00a0 As soon as I started cutting limes, Sascha\u2019s nose went to work.\u00a0 She was standing on top of me and nosing my leg.\u00a0 She really, really wanted a slice of lime.\u00a0 Or maybe it was nice aroma of tequila that she found attractive.<\/p>\n

I finished up the leftovers in the pitcher after I filled as many cups as I could.\u00a0 I wanted to make sure there were enough.\u00a0 Why was I going to freeze this wonderful concoction?\u00a0 I should just serve it like this!\u00a0 I placed the limes on top with a stick in each cup.\u00a0 Once adorned, I placed them into the carefully prepared shelf in the freezer to await the presentation during the celebration.<\/p>\n

After the bowling banquet, Rich came home to start seasoning ribs, chicken and brisket.\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0 The slab of packer\u2019s cut was more than 12 lbs.\u00a0 It was a beautiful cut of meat.\u00a0 As Rich was applying the rub, he was shaking it all over the floor.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry, Sascha was right there to clean it up.\u00a0 All I could think was that was going to hurt on the other end tomorrow.<\/p>\n

So with ribs, chicken, and brisket seasoned and packaged, we were ready to get started in the morning.<\/p>\n

Derby Day dawned pretty well.\u00a0 There was a little sunshine and very little sign of rain.\u00a0 Rich had gotten up at 5:00 to start the BBQ pit for the meats.\u00a0 Sascha, of course, had to get up also.\u00a0 She trotted around with Dad.\u00a0 After the brisket had been added to the pit, Rich headed back to bed.\u00a0 That meant Sascha had to come in also, which she fought.\u00a0 She loves being outside when it is her kind of weather.<\/p>\n

Rich had a bucket of wood chips by the pit.\u00a0 These are part of his secret.\u00a0 He has a mix of hickory, cherry, and oak chips to help give the meat a little extra flavor.\u00a0 Sascha also found them very flavorful.\u00a0 She was sneaking chips out of the bucket to chew on them.\u00a0 When Rich tried to take them away, she actual growled at him!<\/p>\n

At 7:00, Sascha had to get up and go back outside.\u00a0 That meant that I had to get up.\u00a0 Now Sascha didn\u2019t want out because she had business to take care of.\u00a0 She had to go out because the sun was up and shining.\u00a0 That\u2019s just how things work in Sascha\u2019s world.<\/p>\n

Since I was up, I started coffee and moving around to get things ready.\u00a0 As always, we wait to do so many things at the last minute.\u00a0 We cleaned up around the house and started getting out the items to help make a party.<\/p>\n

Over the course of the day, Rich would go out and check the temperature of the pit and add more wood or chips.\u00a0 As soon as he walked out there, Sascha would come running to help do the check.\u00a0 Personally, I think she was hoping he would move the bucket of wood chips over so she could reach them.\u00a0 Rich had made a mop, which is the sauce used to keep the meat moist and help give it that burnt skin.\u00a0 It sounds funny to mop the BBQ, but it literally is a really small mop like you use on the floor to apply the liquid.\u00a0 The smoker stay up to temp and the meats were getting down right on time.<\/p>\n

Around 2:00, I looked out to see Rich sitting in his chair on the patio with a red solo cup of Zurekbrau.\u00a0 I know I said there wasn\u2019t any fresh beer, but there was a little bit of Husky Paws on tap.\u00a0 Sascha was hanging on Rich\u2019s lap trying to sneak beer out of his cup.\u00a0 She can be very cute when she wants something.\u00a0 I tried to take a picture, but I just wasn\u2019t fast enough.<\/p>\n

Tyler, one of Rick\u2019s friends, was the first guest to arrive.\u00a0 I love Tyler and I don\u2019t see him as much these days.\u00a0 Kim and Diane arrived not long after that followed by a few other people.\u00a0 Rich started bringing up ribs for an appetizer, but the other meats were ready also.\u00a0 Soon, we had a full on dinner set out.\u00a0 With baked beans, potato salad, slaw, and the sides brought by the guests, we were filling plates.\u00a0 The brisket melted in your mouth and the ribs fell right off the bone.\u00a0 Oh my gosh!\u00a0 It was wonderful.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t sure about doing pots to draw for Derby horses, but Kim insisted that it would be more fun.\u00a0 I had made up three pots, but we only got through two of them.\u00a0 You really need to have a bunch of people there to make it easier.\u00a0 There were 19 horses in the field and that takes a lot of dollars to make a pot.\u00a0 We each had a horse or four in our hands by the start of the race.<\/p>\n

We sat down in front of the TV and watched the race.\u00a0 I explained how things worked and answered questions.\u00a0 It\u2019s really a lot of show and pageantry to the Derby.\u00a0 One of the things I miss about being down there.\u00a0 The three weeks leading up to the race are busy and always something going on.<\/p>\n

In the end, Diane and Barb Doty cleaned up on the first and second places.\u00a0 Rich and Mike got the third place horses.\u00a0 It was a slow race this year without the excitement of past years, but it was cool to watch.\u00a0 I guess in the end, it was no surprise that California Chrome won.\u00a0 I was hoping for Hoppertunity, but he scratched early.<\/p>\n

We continued to eat and talk after the race.\u00a0 Barb, Mike, and Josh left to prepare for a night at the drive-in.\u00a0 Before you know it, the clock said 7:00 and people started to leave.\u00a0 We got down to just Spank for a while before he headed off.\u00a0 He was leaving for a fishing trip the next morning bright and early.<\/p>\n

We put in on picking up what absolutely needed to get down.\u00a0 I started the dishwasher with one load and stacked the next load to be ready and waiting.\u00a0 Sascha was sacked out from her exhausting day.\u00a0 We settled into some TV before bed.<\/p>\n

Sunday morning came way too early and Sascha wanted to go out when the sun was just coming up.\u00a0 I got up, but not very willingly.\u00a0 Coffee got started and I sat down with the morning paper.\u00a0 The guys straggled out little by little.\u00a0 Unfortunately, Rick woke up with a sinus thing going on.\u00a0 Not too surprising with the weather.\u00a0 Hopefully, it\u2019s not a cold that the rest of us will catch.<\/p>\n

We went out to Brunch to get breakfast.\u00a0 I love this place, but it is a little crazy.\u00a0 Everyone wants to eat there.\u00a0 Luckily, we didn\u2019t have to wait in line too long.\u00a0 We came back and continued to clean up the house.\u00a0 Rich worked on cleaning up the pit, with Sascha\u2019s help.\u00a0 She has to lick the grates and parts of the smoker.\u00a0 Then there is the grease that drips down on the gravel.\u00a0 I\u2019m surprised she doesn\u2019t eat any of the rocks.<\/p>\n

So this year\u2019s Derby party is in the bag and the cleanup is complete. \u00a0Have to think about whether to do this again next year.\u00a0 Maybe we should not have a party and just go to New Orleans for Jazz and Heritage Festival.\u00a0 Might be fun to do something different for once.<\/p>\n

\"Rick<\/a>
Rick and Sascha hanging out on Friday.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"That's<\/a>
That’s a sweet face.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Margarita<\/a>
Margarita popsicles.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sascha<\/a>
Sascha was paying close attention as Rich was prepping the ribs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sascha<\/a>
Sascha enjoys her cuddle time with Rich.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rich<\/a>
Rich and Sascha enjoy their morning ritual on Saturday.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rich<\/a>
Rich needed to move things around to get the most of the fire. Rick helps by holding the brisket.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rick<\/a>
Rick holds the brisket while Rich tries to put it back on the pit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Diane<\/a>
Diane always has a crazy hat for the Derby Party.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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This year\u2019s Derby celebration was going to be very scaled back.\u00a0 There was no fresh Zurekbrau available due to the effects of the polar vortex.\u00a0 It was just never warm enough out there to brew beer!\u00a0 With freezing temps, it was hard to be exposed, standing on cold concrete, and trying to use water without […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,4,12,13,14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2480"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2480"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2490,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2480\/revisions\/2490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}