It was an interesting start to a cool September morning. Up at 3:00 AM to start up the smoker and prepare for the party. It seemed like it took weeks to prepare for this party just like the last party, The Inaugural Cigar & Whiskey Fest.
However, with the last party I was up at 5:00 AM cooking a beef tenderloin but today was a different menu. After all it was college football night in the south so it had to be southern food and great bourbon.
We were able to accomplish just the right mix of food and drink but read on to see what happened and how it unfolded…
3:00 AM - Are you kidding...
That is correct. Up at 3AM starting the smoker and making sure it was prepped with Hickory wood and ready for the pork shoulder. This shoulder is a rather large shoulder with the package stating 13 lbs. However, once opened it is two shoulders with one at 5lbs and the other at 7lbs. Therefore the cooking time would be iffy but I know it has to cook for at least 10 hours and then rest.
The night before my wonderful wife Pam and I prepped the seasoning for the pork so I loaded up the pork shoulder with the pork rub and on the smoker it went at 4AM.
Since I am up and the smoker is working nicely it was time to roast some coffee beans. Todays roast is Nicaraguan Jinotega Paraiso. So I am roasting coffee and watching the smoker and making sure there is enough hickory wood in the smoker. All seems to be going well.
Early Morning
Today the morning schedule is kind of hectic. I put the pork shoulder on and the smoker is doing its thing. Now it is time for a haircut with my son Matthew and of course Matthew wants McDonalds after the haircut. So I assume a quick in and out of the drive thru. Not so fast….
An hour later we finally make it through the drive thru with food. Are you kidding me, an hour! It has been quite a while since I have been through a McDonalds drive thru and it will be a long time before I do it again.
However, I cannot believe the people watching one could do at the drive thru. It would be a great sociology experiment for sure and on any other day I would have loved watching the business transactions in the parking lot, but not today.
Now to the store to pick up some odd and end things and back to the smoker and prepping for the party.
Afternoon
The temperature is moving in the right direction with the pork shoulder. Some last minute cleaning outside and Pam is starting the side dishes inside, more on those later.
My brother Luke and his wife Kim show up. They are excited and pumped to be here since they missed the first Cigar and Whiskey fest. However, Kim is going to dinner with Pam since it is a guys only party. They will join later after dinner but I have to say it again what a sport Pam is for cooking all the food and then leaving and not enjoying her amazing cooking.
By the way still no nap. Don’t forget I was up at 3AM. Just can’t sleep with the excitement of the party and so much to do.
The Food
Pork Shoulder: Smoked for 10 hours and then rested for two. Turned out amazing.
Two sauces for the pork. Both of which are homemade by Pam.
- Carolina vinegar based sauce (similar to Lexington Barbecue).
- Tangy mesquite which is a thicker sauce.
Smoked chicken wings. Once the pork was done and resting the wings went on. Only some smoke rub and no sauce. These bad boys stole the show and were eaten before anything else was gone.
Jalapeño Cornbread muffins which are to die for with hot melted butter and the spice from the Jalapeño.
Baked Beans! Yeah that’s right a bunch of guys with whiskey, cigars and baked beans. The sounds throughout the night were amazing!! Just ask Kim – Sorry Luke.
Chocolate Cookies with a crunch and oatmeal coconut cookies. Not sure which one was the winner but they were all gone before the night was over. I like the chocolate the best.
The Bourbons
Words can’t say enough on what Bill did for the party. Going on a whiskey run to find the right bourbons the week before the party. The dedication to the event was over and above. So here they are…
Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel. This is one of the smoothest whiskeys around. Hard to find and easy to drink. What a great drink to share with friends for a cigar and whiskey fest.
Larceny -Barrel Proof. Barrel proof makes this a strong whiskey but what an amazing flavor. However, it will kick you in the ass if you are not careful. I wasn’t…
Abasolo – El Whisky De Mexico. Not much to say about this one. I did not like it very much, but a great drink to remind us of the southern border debacle.
Paddy’s Irish Whiskey. As Bill put it to me “This is fightin Whiskey” Ha. Nobody fought but it was a good pour and quite tasty.
I apologize to Jerrod. He brought a NC whiskey and all the bar accessories to make an Old Fashioned for anyone who wanted one. I did not get a picture of the bottle that night, but he made some great drinks.
We may make him the bartender in the future. That’s a thought…
The Stogies
My Fathers Cigar – Connecticut Toro. Great cigar for the evening. Smooth and mellow and finished nicely. Check out my review here.
Romeo Y Julieta Double Chateau. Great cigar for any evening. I haven’t written a review on this one yet.
Acid Kuba Kuba. Always a party winner. Nice and sweet and smooth and good for people who aren’t used to cigars. Being an infused sweet cigar it is a great cigar for after dinner – dessert stogie.
My Fathers Cigar – Flor De Las Antilles. What can I say. The top cigar of 2012 per Cigar Aficionado. Read the review here.
Romeo y Julieta Reserve Real. One my all time go to cigars and a favorite of most who try it. Check out the review here.
Romeo Y Julieta by AJ Fernandez. Great cigar but strong. It is a maduro wrapper but not too strong.
Let The Night Begin
All the food is done and on the table. I am going on adrenaline since being up so early and no nap. The spread of food looks amazing and tastes even better.
Bills shows up to put the bar together. The whiskey is ready. We made big whiskey cubes for the past two days so everyone could have a whiskey rock throughout the night. It was a nice touch. Me, Luke and Bill get a quick drink of Elmer T. Lee and it is one of the most smooth amazing whiskeys I have ever tasted.
I put two televisions on the deck so we can watch the Ryder Cup and College Football. It turned into College Football only once the Ryder Cup day finished.
Tipton shows up and is ready to go. He takes an Uber to the house. Correction, he took an Uber to my neighbors house and the neighbors kids were scared with this strange man ringing the door bell. But he was directed to my house. Not sure if he had already been drinking because he was at my house with the last party. Gotta keep an eye on this guy.
Jerrod is next and he brings in the bar mixers and a bottle of NC whiskey. He is always ready to have a good time and it shows.
Now O’Gara is here and he actually took an Uber to my house not the neighbors. He was ready to enjoy as soon as he showed up. I wonder if the Paddy’s may be empty by the end of the night with the Irishman in the house.
My nephew Tyler shows up and is ready to have a good time. He just drove back from WV. His wife, Cady, is a trooper to drop him off and then come back and pick him up. She’s a keeper for sure.
Finally Chris showed up. I am so glad Chris was able to show because we live next to each other but cannot seem to find the time to get together like before COVID. However, with the Cigar and Whiskey fest parties we have an excuse and it works.
We all get huge plates of food with a stiff drink and comment on the football games and Ryder cup. A lot of opinions coming out of the group and that is cool to hear.
The girls made sure all was well and then went out to dinner at Nobles. I wonder if Pam worries what she is going to encounter when she comes home?
Will they all be passed out?
Or will the cops be at the house?
How about will they be in a big fist fight after pissing each other off with their opinions?
Not us…
Here We Go...
Now that the belly is full we go to the humidor to get the right cigar for the evening. It is a mix of stogies for the guys as listed above. Everyone who wanted a cigar took one and enjoyed it with a great drink.
What a great night of conversation.
First of all Ryder Cup talk was all over the place. John and I were hoping for Sergio Garcia and John Rahm to lose their matches. Lots of cursing because our deepest fear is the USA is going to let it slip through their hands. Tired of them losing in the Ryder Cup. The US takes a commanding lead by the end of the night. We are happy and feeling good with our bellies full and the whiskey flowing.
Off in the distance I hear O’Gara ask Luke about his work and the Carpenters Union. OMG here we go. Luke can talk and talk and talk. Oh and talk some more, Ha. Love you bro but YOU CAN TALK. They got along really well and we all had some laughs in the middle of the conversation.
The afternoon football games are winding down. The Ryder cup is over for the day. Now it’s time for the evening game. Lots of football talk and from my take it is amazing how Chris and Bill know so much college football.
Not to upset the other guys, but I can only remember Chris and Bill’s conversation. I’m sure the rest of the guys have a command of college football but I just don’t remember. Ha, Damn Bourbon. No Gamestop tonight for Chris. He has his shares and once they cash in I am going to his private island. I don’t care what anybody says…
WVU and Oklahoma. Most are pulling for WVU since half of us are from WV and Bill is from Texas so he has to hate Oklahoma. Tyler graduated from WVU medical school so he is the most interested in the game and it shows. He never takes his eyes off the game except to eat and drink. What a game. It came down to the last minute with a field goal to win the game for Oklahoma. SHIT….
The FIRE & Later Evening...
No the house isn’t burning down. But take a look at the fire that Luke built. He was told to be in charge of the fire for the evening while I did the Host thing. Man did he go through some wood. The heat from the fire extended out 15 feet from the fireplace. He also went through an entire month worth of wood, but it was worth it.
Not sure how the night progressed as I am a little fuzzy with that one. Damn Bourbon. But somehow we started talking about Dave Chappell and the Chappell show. But a few laughs in Tipton reminds us of the episode where Chappell impersonating Rick James states “Show me your titties!” Next thing we know Luke stands up and pulls up his shirt!! My god we laughed.
Then Pam brings out the apron we bought in Italy. We all laughed when it showed titties and more…
The Party Is Ending
The party is now in wind down mode. Uber shows up for O’Gara and as a party gag we break out the breathalyzer. He is under the limit and states “What a waste of 80 Dollars.” for the Uber. But it was a smart move.
Jerrod is next to go and he is way under the limit so all is good. The liver of a champion. I will never understand that one. He must have drank water and told us it was bourbon. Just kidding.
Tyler is on his way out as Cady comes to rescue him from us. Cookies were given as a parting gift for his wife and daughter.
However, Tipton can’t get an Uber so his wife has to drive out and get him. She was a great sport to do that, but I wonder how many “Honey Do” chores he will have to do to make up for this one? I know that mine would be a page or two long. We gave him some parting gifts also with cookies for his wife and kids so maybe that reduced the list by few lines.
The night is over and we all crash to our respective rooms. Prior to the party I mentioned to Pam we should do bathroom hangover gifts for the people who needed to spend the night. So Pam goes over and above and puts this together. We all needed everything in that bucket.
The next morning I can muster a shower, 800mg Motrin and some toast with a coffee. I watch the rest of the Ryder Cup laying on the couch and wondering where I got this freaking bruise on my side. Did Pam kick me? Did I hit it on the counter playing host? Who knows… It’s only ginger ale and saltine crackers for now. A cup of soup and then off to bed at 7:30 for the night!
That evening in bed I was reminiscing on the night and what a great time we all had. Then it hit me…. We have to plan the next party. SCOTCH NIGHT as it will be in the winter….. Get ready guys!
All the best,
Doctor B.
But the one thing that needed to be brought up was what a great host my brother is. The whiskey night was amazing.