Dukestreetking

No matter what anyone thinks about the next several weeks, you gotta respect @Kelly to Allen, or at least I must. I don't know him (her?), but amidst the TBD swirling gales, he's consistently the stout lighthouse, standing strong. I'm a pessimist by nature, but dude is guiding me towards the Lombardi shore. Pray that you are right brother.

Copy all Spikes. Actually, my Sicilian grandmother never used them, but my best friend's GM--also fr Sicily--was a Maestro of the Feet. Thus began my love for the lesser of the pig. @Ray Stonada: crap, just remembered another part re Detroit catfish recipe: the owner insisted on using corn meal vs AP flour. Unfortunately, I don't remember the full dredge steps. Hope this helps!

I'll bite, Spikes: pigs feet are/is essential for The Best Tomato Gravy/Sauce...period. Must be lovingly prepared, of course. Eating the tender trotters, w a "spit bowl" for the bones, is definitely in my Top 3 fav food experiences.

SoCal: as a young pup, I was first a WMD investigator/inspector, by/thru the UN, for ~8 yrs. Later, I went into the Deep Black Hole for many years during GWOT. So, oddly enough, I had a 3 year window where I could speak publicly. My "main speech(s)" during the window was/were about WMD threat, and (for Execs) successfully executing w a multi-national team in highly variable, hostile environments. There was great interest in Detroit area due to demographics, and I spoke to Auto Execs XYZ, Chamber of Commerce, Wayne State, others. For the kids, I turned it into "The Big Treasure Hunt" and would always start w "how would you find the (WMD) treasure?". The enthusiasm and attention fr the kids was profoundly inspiring, esp in the face of their many challenges. I'll spare you the TL/DR addendum which explains my strange little known-suddenly public-really unknown career arc. Apologies for long reply, as this is a food, vice LAMP thread.

For me, ironically, a great question! One speech was hosted by Wayne State U...nearby was a tiny SF restaurant, w best catfish I've ever had. I asked owner for the recipe and I took copious notes. Somehow, I lost the recipe when I moved back to WNY from CA a few yrs ago. But I do recall: something, something, something, cayenne and Crisco. She was absolutely insistent on the latter (as, of course, I brought up peanut oil). She kindly, but affirmatively, kicked my ass on the issue. So, from memory, there were a number of bold spices...and frying in Crisco. I'll try to work from there. Best luck if you go down this path.

I don't know re the Taurus, lol. But he definitely always stayed at BCC. This from my very well-off BIL, a member and 4-seat STH. Aside: BIL said he was very approachable and a "nice guy" fwiw.

Posted in Detroit week thread; thought it also might be of interest here: SI just named JA17 the NFL Player of the Year (for on/off field exploits). https://www.si.com/nfl/josh-allen-has-forever-changed-buffalo-on-and-off-the-field

Agree. And good posts by @Niagara Billand @The Frankish Reich. I won't belabor this, but I spent a long time along IZ-SYR border (and beyond!) chasing "rat lines" of insurgents, as well as other, possible weapons transfers, not necessarily of the AK-type. My bottom line: the SYR internals were almost impossible to keep up with, even with the best information. I still don't understand it, even though I thought I knew alot about HTS, Maher, the Alawis, etc. For the moment, per Open Source, the Izzy's are taking care of the most sensitive sites. I would hope for a more robust, on-ground USG investigation into certain locations, but not realistically possible rn. I guess the best bet is to wait and see, w a hedge toward keeping some distance. Believe me, it's a friggin' goat rope.

Briefly as possible: I was invited (well, tbh, paid) to give a number of "high brow" speeches in D over the years. I always asked for organizers to arrange an afternoon "pop-up" speech to elementary/high school kids, and 9/10 they worked it out. Anyway, they would ask between gigs what I wanted to eat; I always said Soul Food, bc I heard D had some of the best. Bottom line: I was never disappointed. So: menu wise, I would wish for oxtail, catfish, greens and mac & cheese. Unfortunately, this week I'll probably only go catfish and mac. Oxtail is one of my absolute favs--from Munich to Kiev to Detroit--but I don't have the time to do it properly this week.

Sorry, not sure where to put this but: SI just named 17 the NFL Player of the Year (for on/off field exploits). https://www.si.com/nfl/josh-allen-has-forever-changed-buffalo-on-and-off-the-field

Holy smokes (pardon the pun) but you are definitely TBD BBQ king. Can't believe the beauty/nuance of those blends; we're gonna have a bromance! So, just to reply: (1) like you, I sometimes do/did 50/50 sauced; my ex-wife didn't like pure carnivore style... somehow I think that contributed to the divorce, lol. But my daughter likes 'em straight up. So, obviously, I've kept the latter over the former. (2) Honestly, never blended smoke woods...great tip. For beef/lamb I use a touch of mesquite w charcoal or oak, as (to my palate) the flavor can overwhelm the meat. Q on brother, you're my new hero (along w @HIT BY SPIKESof course)!

Mmmm, spare ribs and pork steaks, great choices. Love the spares over the baby backs. Well done Soj. Just btw: lately, I've been going pure Memphis style...or close enough. Custom dry rub (no sugar), 24h brine, initial oven-bake, then finish on grill 2h, cherry wood smoke. No sauce. Realize it's not for everyone....but, damn, the pork flavor really shines through!

Correct. Btw: I'm not trying to be the Gun Guy but...media reporting he was an experienced shooter b/c he had to continuously clear jams. Mmmm, I don't think so. IMO, he was using a (somewhat) rare mag-fed handgun, known for it's suppressor/suppressive characteristics. There's a certain technique one uses to manually eject rounds w each trigger pull. Maybe, idk, he spent some time w THIS particular weapon, b/c it is an unusual "operation", and he does it fairly "well". But other things he's doing leads me to believe he's not a professional, or ex-Tier 1 shooter. Two cents...

Ok, now I get it... nicely done, chef's kiss!

Sounds delicious Spikes...but what happened to the LA theme? I'm soooo disappointed in your choices. /s/