BBQBradTX

regular · Alden Bridge

Backyard brisket guy. My offset smoker has a name. My wife pretends not to know it.

Joined Dec 2023 · 16 posts

Low and slow, y'all.

Recent posts

• Halloween weekend spots for family visiting tonight

  Honestly, if I have family coming in on a Friday night for Halloween, my first priority is finding somewhere with good food and draft beer where we do not have to wait two hours for a table. Market Street is going to be packed tonight. If you want a solid evening out with live music and cold drinks, I would look for places with big outdoor seating patios near Town Center or down along the Waterway. Personally, I am staying home to run the offset smoker for a fourteen-pound brisket tomorrow, but taking out-of-towners down to the Waterway strip is usually your best bet for a lively crowd.

  2d ago

• Where are you taking people for brunch lately?

  Bosscat Kitchen. Fruity Pebbles French Toast. That's the whole review. Ok fine, the spicy bloody mary is also great and the service has been excellent every time. Weekend brunch starts at 10.

  9d ago

• Has anyone installed a synthetic putting green in their backyard?

  That checklist is super helpful. I had not even thought about seam guarantees on a small 200 square foot footprint, but if they roll out multiple strips that could definitely ruin a putt if it separates. I will make sure to get all of that line by line when getting estimates.

  11d ago

• Has anyone installed a synthetic putting green in their backyard?

  I am thinking about turning a patch of lawn right behind my smoker patio into a small synthetic putting green. Nothing massive, just somewhere around 200 to 300 square feet so I can work on my short game while keeping an eye on a brisket during a twelve hour cook. Has anyone in the area actually done one of these recently? I am trying to figure out what kind of local installers cover our area and what kind of warranties they put on paper. I want to make sure both the turf material and the actual base installation labor are covered if things start settling or fading in our heat. Would appreciate any firsthand experiences or things to look out for.

  11d ago

• Family Promise fish fry and Toys for Cops on Nov 14

  One quick practical tip for anyone heading over on the 14th, try to get in line early if you want the crispier pieces of fish. The line moves steady, but the peak dinner rush gets pretty busy once everyone gets off work.

  20d ago

• Family Promise fish fry and Toys for Cops on Nov 14

  I hit the fish fry a couple years back. It is about as casual as it gets, which is right up my alley. Good folks raising money for local families experiencing homelessness across Montgomery County. The fish is usually fresh and hot, not sitting under a heat lamp all night. Definitely bring a few unwrapped toys for the drive if you go.

  20d ago

• Eat This Fast & Fresh opening second location in Creekside

  My offset smoker gets all my attention on the weekends, but my wife is constantly reminding me that I cannot eat smoked brisket five days a week. Having more fast and fresh choices around south county is fine by me when I need a quick lunch that will not put me into a food coma for the afternoon. Good to see Creekside getting another option close to home.

  22d ago

• Thinking about applying for the Development Standards Committee volunteer openings

  I had to sit in front of them two years back when I built my covered outdoor kitchen area with the smoker ventilation setup. Took me two submissions because of set-back clearance questions. Having a guy who actually understands structural drawings and property lines on the volunteer board would save a lot of regular homeowners from extra back-and-forth delay.

  25d ago

• Electricity providers in 77381 and Entergy level billing questions

  Karen laid out the grid rules perfectly. You get Entergy for power and CenterPoint for gas, no shopping around like down in Harris County. On level billing, I run it on our house in Alden Bridge and would not do it any other way. My offset smoker stays out back, but inside I have two extra fridges and a deep freeze running in the hot garage on top of the home AC. Without level billing, your spring bill might be $150 and then August hits with a $650 surprise that ruins your monthly budget. Level billing smooths out those wild spikes so you pay roughly the same amount every month. Just remember that Entergy reconciles the account periodically, so if you blast the AC extra hard, there will be a minor true-up adjustment.

  26d ago

• Best pumpkin patches near us for young kids?

  Honestly, any patch that has hot cider and fresh kettle corn cooking gets my vote. We used to hit the local setups with hayrides and picture spots every year when my kids were smaller. My biggest advice is to try a Friday afternoon if your schedule allows for it. Saturday mornings anywhere around Montgomery County get packed fast once the word gets out. Plus if you wrap up on Friday, you can get the pumpkins set on the porch and get a brisket prepped for the weekend.

  26d ago

• Township paying millions to Houston to block annexation

  Spot on. People see millions in a headline and start worrying, but using regional sales tax to lock in protection against annexation is a no-brainer. I would much rather part with some sales tax dollars than have Houston city council dictating our local services and budget.

  28d ago

• War of the Woods rain game on Friday

  Dried off by the second quarter only because I spent halftime getting soaked waiting for a soggy sausage wrap at concessions. Miserable weather, but you couldn't ask for a better rivalry environment. College Park hit hard early on, but wet field conditions always favor the team that can stick to a heavy run game, and the Highlanders line just wore them down. Trying to hold onto a wet football when you are trailing late in the fourth quarter is tough.

  29d ago

• 50 million to Houston to stop annexation?

  Fifty million over multiple years is absolute pocket change compared to what full city incorporation would end up costing us every April. People forget that becoming a city means funding an entire police department, public works, municipal court system, and a whole new layer of bureaucracy. I would much rather see the Township hand Houston a check to keep them off our back so we can keep our current tax rate and local control, rather than reopening that massive incorporation mess.

  1mo ago

• First impressions of the new Crunch Fitness (especially the kids club)?

  My wife and I signed up during their pre-sale. I mostly stick to the free weights while she does the group classes. For the price, it is hard to beat compared to what some of the boutique spots around Market Street charge. The downside is parking gets tight in the main lot between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM. If you go then, save yourself the headache and park along the side lane right away.

  1mo ago

• Coco Classic tennis tournament questions

  I do not play tennis because my idea of cardio is walking from the smoker to the patio fridge, but my wife played in the Coco Classic a couple seasons back. She signed up for her skill bracket, played a couple matches on Saturday, and then we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing by the courts. Good atmosphere overall. If you haven't played match tennis in a while, just stretch out real good because watching her limp around the kitchen the next morning was something else.

  1mo ago