First Hot Dog Roast of the Year!!

Mr. B, Chip, R, E Mrs. B, L and J (with their fire) and Papa.

This wasn't just the first hot dog roast of the year but also Chips first ever hot dog roast. I was hoping he would not be a problem but threatened both the B's and the kids not to "feed him anything!" Or else LOL. As it was I needed have bothered as both of them wouldn't have anyway.. but I didn't want him to get the idea that this was good snatching food time from the kids. He was great. He did sniff every chair thoroughly after anyone got up and when we left for good he spent about 30 minutes sniffing ever inch of the place which is fine with me. But for the most part he lay there and looked interested but stayed put!!

E looking like she's freezing. She wasn't she just always looks that way. She loves that chair :)

R loving it!! She was 'helping' throw sticks in the fire but she's DANGEROUS still and I plunked her in the stroller for some peace of mind. She can only throw something about 2 feet and when your fire is 4 feet across.... 2 feet is WAY TO CLOSE!! She didn't mind and had a great time goofing off in the stroller.


The 2 fires from a different angle.

J and L with their little fire. J really likes to make his own fires this year and after they had enough sticks we put a pile of dry leaves under it and got a lit stick from the big fire to lite it. Well we were getting smoke and not much else when the Papa and Mr. B came alone and before you could say learning experience they had taken a LOG out of the main fire and put it under the boys sticks and instant fire :)

All those pieces of firewood in the background were cleaned up before the night was done. Papa and Mr. B threw them into trailers and stacked them on piles and it didn't take long at all!! This by the way was March 28th. Now this piece is green with new grass.

Smoke Teepee :)

The finished bacon!! YUMM!! It tastes just like the bacon we had professionally done last year. When Papa brought me a piece to try I ate it then asked him 'where did you get the bacon?' He laughed and said 'I made it!!' VERY COOL!!
Rubbing the cure on the meat. He rubbed it in really good then put the meat in a very clean 5 food grade 5 gallon bucket to cure. When it was done curing he took it out and washed it off and trimmed it of a bit of mould (it had NO mould on it until it got left in too warm of a spot for the last 24 hours. So we are going to be VERY careful of that next time) and smoked it in the teepee.

He's done several different smoking's in the teepee. He started out with a couple of cement blocks with my old canner on top. Fire between the brinks and soaked wood chips (hickory, ect) in the pot. Then he tried just dry willow wood and wet chips right in the fire so it smothered and smoked really well and this last time he did the same thing just using wet willow wood instead of wood chips which are pricey!! Every time he does it the meat is WONDERFUL and I think we are no longer going to be buying chips but using what we have here. This is only a cold smoke and the meat is cooked on the BBQ after smoking. We don't put a single spice on it and WOW good stuff!! :)

Some chickens Papa smoked in the smoke house. They taste AWESOME!!! He has them hanging from the ropes tied across the top of the teepee with bent clothes hangers. Works great. For the roasts and bacon he uses meat hooks.

Papa told the boys he'd give them 50c if they could.....

Climb to the top of the smokehouse teepee and touch the top of the poles :) L half way up with J looking on.
J touching the poles.. for someone who thinks he's scared of heights he didn't have a problem up or down :)

L as far as he got. I don't think he actually touched the poles.

E really wanted to try it but was inside when the boys did it and when Papa was home and then when she was outside I told her she'd have to wait til Papa was home to see and it never came up again :) Thankfully I don't think I want her climbing everything in sight yet.. she is my climber so far and she needs some more thinking skills before she gets too brave!!