This Weekend in Tucson August 19 & 20

Friday has come around and figuring what the weekend will bring. Our monsoon season has been great. The desert has bloomed with the rains, cacti that had been near death from the drought have put on new growth, and wildflowers, nonexistent in the Spring, have bloomed.

So, what's in store this weekend? Well, on Saturday, we go to my granddaughter's best friend's birthday party, then to a Mexican barbecue at the parents' house. Great taquitos, rice, beans, and beer. What more could I ask for?

For Sunday, I think my own barbecue is in order. I have become pretty good at my ribs, but need more practice before getting in another contest. I slow smoke them in one of my three smokers -- two offset smokers and one vertical water smoker.
The water smoker is what the AZ BBQ Association guys call an "ECB" (el cheapo brinkman). It may be cheap, but it does a pretty good job if it isn't cold, rainy, or windy. But I will use my trusty New Braunfels smoker and do 3 slabs of baby back ribs.