Barbecue Soothes

I know that I owe you all a post about Grillin' On The Bay. I'll give you the run down of the event, the cooks, the sponsors etc. I'll talk about what it's like to put together the event. I'll thank those that need to be thanked. That post is coming, but not today.

I've been away from the smoke too much this year. There's something magical in the mix of smoke, spice, fire and meat that soothes my soul. I've been mired in responsibilities of parenting, work, politics, volunteering, organizing, egos, coaching, selling, cajoling, betrayal and bullshit far too much this year. I know this is going to sound corny, but my soul was aching. There's an alchemy and magic that comes from creating barbeque which soothes my soul. I'm sorry that I've repeated myself, but I can't find a better word to describe it. Barbeque soothes.

Mike Mills in his excellent book Peace, Love and Barbecue put it this way... "Barbecue soothes the soul. It's simple in philosophy and rich in tradition. It's an art and a craft, a love and a passion."

I couldn't agree more. People ask me why I would spend hours creating ribs in the smoke, when I could do it with a little boiled water in less than a hour. They ask, why would I spend 16 hours on a brisket? They just don't understand. Barbecue soothes.

Grillin' on The Bay restored my hope in barbecue. I'm not saying that because I was one of the organizers, but because it was great to spend a day with people who share my passion. The egos were in check, the politics put away, and it all got down to cooking and having fun. Teams were helping opposing teams. More experienced cookers were mentoring newbies. Teams were good naturedly taunting each other when cooking, but applauding and cheering each other at the awards. This is the essence of barbecue and the barbeque community that I knew was still out there somewhere. It was good to see you again.