[Ol' Sox]

After 15 years, my trusty old Ducane grill finally gave up the ghost. I may strip out the gas parts and turn it into a second charcoal grill, but I digress. It was just so rickety that I wasn't willing to buy one more replacement part for it. So my boys and I went out shoppin' and found ourselves a 960 square inch cooking surface, three rack, 45,000 btu monster with a side burner (for the beans, you know). Loaded it into the van, brought it home, toted it out back and opened her up.

No assembly instructions.

Well, I'm an engineer, and I wouldn't have used them anyway, so I set to. An hour later, I only had two or four leftover parts, and I think I know where they go now, except I'll be damned if I'm gonna take it apart to put 'em in. They're small anyhow, and the hamburgers don't care one way or the other.

[dogbyte12]

Got a recipe for beans for ya that I have finally perfected today. Great accompaniment to BBQ too. It's a dogbyte12 original, about the 5th rendition. This one really kicks butt.

Dogbyte12's black beans

1 lb dried black beans
2 qts chicken broth
3 large onions (quartered)
2 large carrots (quartered)
2 bulbs garlic
2 bay leaves
2 smoked ham hocks
2 red bell peppers
1 large jalapeno pepper
4 tsp cumin
1 TB dried oregano.

Preheat oven to 425. Season garlic in salt, pepper, and olive oil, wrap in foil, and cook for 50 minutes
On grill, caramalize onions and carrots, place in 12 quart pot. Roast bell peppers, and jalapeno, place in paper bag, to steam for 10 minutes, then peel charred skin off, and roughly chop.
Add all remaining ingredients to pot, adjust salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 3 1/2 hours.
Remove bay leaves, and ham hocks. Scrape meat off ham hocks, return to soup. Simmer softly, 30 minutes more, then puree half the soup, returning it to the pot. Readjust salt and pepper to taste, top with diced onion, cheese of your choice, and enjoy.