The one thing you needed to know about outdoor cooking was the importance of getting the meat done. Though I have options, I mostly prefer to cook on the cast aluminum barbeque pit that I’ve had for almost forever. I think I paid about $35 for it when my son was two or three years old. By the way, he turned 48 a few days ago.
We had just moved to Ft. Worth and I purchased the grill at an all-purpose store in downtown Ft. Worth. In the resources of my memory, I’m thinking the store was Edison’s, but my memory could be flawed. I did a Google search for Edison’s. They sold shoes. That may be true, but I’m sticking to my story until someone tells me I’m wrong.
By the way, you can purchase the same grill today in Arkansas for $369. I’ve spent more than that for a ceramic grill that looks like an egg, but I prefer to cook on the cast aluminum. It is not guaranteed to be flawless, but it comes close.
What I do remember clearly is that my first efforts at grilling burgers came up short. We had invited extended family members over including my maternal grandparents. Embarrassingly, I took the burgers off of the grill too soon. Awkward – how else do you describe it? All of the burgers went back on the grill. They needed more time.
Over the past four and a half decades, I’ve mastered the art of cooking a steak. The secret is a hot grill. Searing the steak over a hot grill leaves the juices inside. Just writing that down brings the most pleasant thoughts to mind. Yes, I know how to do it and it is awkwardly embarrassing when I don’t get it right.
Last night, disappointingly, when I cut into my steak expecting to find a thick layer of the color pink, I had a flashback to my dad grilling steak. He would have thought last night was a culinary delight. It was not. It was a disaster.
It is hard to beat McCormick Grill Mate’s Montreal Steak Seasoning, but the taste of shoe leather is still the taste of shoe leather. I guess I can take solace in the memory it sparked of my dad. I really miss that guy.
The General and the two friends that joined us for dinner, were kind in their appraisal. The meat had a great flavor. I wasn’t buying it. I know shoe leather when I see it and taste it. Filling – Yes – Tasty – No.
Did I mention the steaks I purchased were really good steaks? They were brimming with potential. I covered them with Montreal Steak Seasoning and let them sit in room temperature before I put them on the grill. Every time I glanced in their direction, I could almost taste them. It was going to be a perfect evening.
Okay, so it was a perfect evening, but the steaks could have been better. Our friends have only lived in the greater Dripping Springs area about a year and we really enjoy their company. Of all places, we met them at church. It was only by happenstance, but they had visited most of the churches in Dripping Springs and a couple in Austin. Not finding exactly what they were hoping to find, they started their venture Westward. That is when they found Henly and we met them.
Our friends both fall into the gifted and talented category for many reasons. For starters, they are both musically inclined and for a hobby he makes guitars. His skill set is par excellence. I’d call it a work of art. I guess my greatest asset is the ability to surround myself by very capable people. I have a really good life and I’ve done nothing to earn it or create it. It is simply a gift that has come my way.
I was at a meeting a couple of weeks ago where one of the speakers mentioned a song entitled: “It’s not where you start.” If memory serves me correctly, Zig Ziglar’s quote is: “It’s not where you start but where you finish that counts”.
That brings me back to the four steaks I purchased for dinner last night. The steaks represented unlimited potential, yet in my hands, they fell short. I guess you could call it a timing issue. I know that six or seven minutes on each side does the trick. I got lost in conversation and the last seven-minute side turned into eleven.
The good news is, I still know how to cook a steak. I’ll do it more carefully next time and the outcome will be different. A person’s life doesn’t have to be defined by a mistake. Each day brings a new opportunity to do it differently.
How many people allow a mistake to define their self-image? It is all based on where we look. I figure if we had the ability to get out of bed this morning, the day is brimming with potential. Ziglar is right: “It’s not where you start but where you finish that count”.
By the way, if we are still here, we are not done. Today represents unlimited opportunities and potential. Don’t let the mistakes of yesterday color the outcome of today. It is a fresh start, a new beginning. We have a God who has the ability to make all things new. Why not live with the awareness of the possibilities before us?
All My Best!
Don