Holy Smoke!

Not Just Another Piece Of Meat

My wife and I moved from South Florida after hurricane Katrina ripped through Louisiana.  Most of the available homes were bought in a short period of time following the storm. Many families from New Orleans area evacuated and their homes were destroyed. The trauma of losing a home, escaping with only the clothes on your back must be horrific.

Two years ago helping my neighbor board up his new home during the last hurricane threat was a joy and opportunity to help a neighbor and make a new friend.  Several of the neighbors were walking around in a daze and I noticed their homes were not prepared for this storm. The owners seem overwhelmed and were experiencing an emotional disaster. All I could do to help was assure them we were in this one together. After the storm passed with little damage people came out of their homes and began talking, crying and laughing. They released bundles of emotion that has been waiting to erupt since Hurricane Katrina. Things were now normal again. We can survive a hurricane together.  With appreciation a neighbor gave me a whole rib eye rack.  I did not want to accept it, but it was given with joy and thankfulness for getting through this tribulation together.

I buried this large chunk of meat in my freezer for the right occasion.  The day arrived and I decided to not slice and cook but season and smoke. I began with beef base rub liberally over the entire rib roast.  Covered in fresh cracked pepper and allowed to blend overnight before smoking.  Smoked over pecan wood at 250 degrees for 7 hours then allowed to rest for 30 minutes. I prepared side dishes of spaghetti squash with cinnamon butter, twice baked potatoes and a small Caesar salad.

The prime rib was so tender I was able to cut each bite with a fork. The au jus sauce retained while resting was the richest I have ever eaten. Enjoying this meal with family and friends is a reminder why we moved back to Louisiana.  It is a place like no other; where people look after each other, protect each other and share all they have with each other.

LIVING IN LOUISIANA WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY          RATES        5


Louisiana Life Magazine

Mothers Day

 Mothers Day

Crawfish Finale

Every second Sunday in May as a country we celebrate Mothers Day. I have a mother, but for years I have purchased gifts for both my wife and mother.  I have two sons and over the years they purchased gifts and cards for their mother.  Near May 1st each year I start getting reminders around the house “Mothers Day is around the corner”.  I start calling my sons to remind them not to forget Mothers Day. Call, write, and send a gift please.  No one can over celebrate Mothers Day. But how do I gently tell my wife she’s not my mother?

This year my younger son decided on celebrating with a crawfish boil.  He wanted to pick up live crawfish and boil them at my house to surprise his mother.  A grand gesture, but a bad idea.  I knew he was going to setup, boil, and clean up.  I also knew the mess.  My wife wanted to relax and spend time with her son.  Some times a small song means more than a parade.

I have eaten crawfish several times this year. I have been disappointed by size and price of the local market. I told my son it was too expensive and messy.  We were not going to boil crawfish but instead find another way to celebrate Mothers Day.  He agreed to my surprise.  He said he would bring food for Mothers Day and for us to just sit back and relax. He began planning without my knowledge to treat his mother to boiled crawfish.  He started shopping and shopping and shopped some more. 

He arrived at noon with his fiancé and they began unloading an ice chest of the largest boiled crawfish I have ever seen.  They were steaming with corn and onions.  We began to feast. The crawfish were huge, perfectly boiled and easy to peel.  My son could not have planned a better meal for his mother, disposable.  It was exactly what my wife wanted, no kitchen time.  She enjoyed this day with her son.  Now I can say it clearly with out reservation, “honey your are not my mother.”  She now can expect her son to be there and I get the day off.     Happy Mothers Day!


THE CRAWFISH HOLE                             YOU RATE                               5
Lafayette, LA 7o508
510 Verot School Road
337-534-8974


 Crawfish Hole

   Old School

Only A Few Remain

Many years ago, every Friday night for me was high school football or basketball game night.  I remember watching my older brother and sisters participate. My parents were always around to support the local school activities. However, Saturday night was special.  My older brothers and sisters were out with their friends. My parents loaded my younger sister and I into the car to frequent a local restaurant.  I remember ordering off the menu.   I don’t remember always receiving what I ordered but the memory of me sitting in that huge booth with my younger sister is as clear as yesterday.  Saturdays were special and the food experience memorable.

My father pasted away 12 years ago.  My siblings and I enjoy weekly meals with my mother.  I have learned that if she picks the restaurant then all will be well.  You see she doesn’t understand why some restaurants would want to put tasso and a rosetta parmesan cream sauce over shrimp.  She believes that the best way to cook shrimp is boiled, fried, or stewed. She feels very comfortable with a restaurant that has a crab dinner, oyster dinner or a shrimp dinner as there special.  Katie bar the door if she knows there is broiled flounder that night on the menu.  My mother is old school and there is something to be said for her great taste. She is a marvelous cook and has taught all her children to cook.

This past week I enjoyed a lunch with my mother and my old brother at one of her favorite restaurants.  She always gets a cup of seafood gumbo as an appetizer.  She orders fried catfish bites for the table by habit.  She tells stories of times gone by with a smile on her face.  I believe she is reflecting back on an era of meals with my dad, simpler menu, and a lack of cell phones which maid the restaurants quieter leaving conversations uninterrupted.

At 90 years young, she can make an order of lump cram meat in drawn butter disappear faster than David Copperfield.  She’s had a lot of practice.  The grandchildren love to dine with her.  It’s a time when she allows them to order off the menu and the waitress has her job cut out for her.  The room gets louder and the laughter lingers long after we leave the restaurant. It builds a memory with a new generation and a legacy for her children and grandchildren to continue.  What a great joy to dine with someone you love.  It makes every meal great.


GUIDRY’S  REEF                                    YOU RATE                                                   5

You have stayed true to your heritage and your father’s legacy also.

Guidry's Reef

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