Be Thankful You Can Cook

[16Adams]

..and improve your smoke/grill game here.
I know food prices along with everything a barbecue restaurant deals with has gone up. Costs must be passed to keep doors open. I don't eat out much. Gas station burrito, drive through burrito etc. Was just looking at some of the Texas Top 50 online menus. 34# for Brisket, big shocker was $16 for a quart of beans.

I learn culinary things here at The BBQ Brethren every day that make cooking at home look better, taste better. I barely want to pay $35 for a whole brisket, though, I just did. I like to cook beans. I like to eat beans. $16 quart?


Like I said, I don't eat out much. I read and learn here, BBQ Brethren
Almost everything I cook is edible.

 

[PatAttack]

^^^Amen.

Cost is the biggest factor in why I no longer compete.

 

[txsmkmstr]

I'm over the whole "eating out" thing. It's one thing to have to pay more - I totally get that. It's quite another when the quality goes to hell. We have favorite places that maintained food quality..... until recently - made us sad and a little mad at the same time.

Thankful for the cooking knowledge I've gained here and elsewhere.

 

[Cat797]

I'm over the whole "eating out" thing. It's one thing to have to pay more - I totally get that. It's quite another when the quality goes to hell. We have favorite places that maintained food quality..... until recently - made us sad and a little mad at the same time.

Thankful for the cooking knowledge I've gained here and elsewhere.

Exactly.......And now every place that has "craft" beer on the menu thinks they are a fine dining establishment. :crazy:

My wife and I went out to eat a couple weeks ago. She had 1 bloody Mary, I had two beers, an appetizer and two meals. The bill was almost $90. Fark that! I'd rather cook for myself......

 

[blackdogbbq21]

Well said, i'm glad my wife and I enjoy cooking we very rarely go out to eat. It's easier for me to justify paying at a texas top 50 joint versus a steakhouse though knowing the work to make bbq versus cooking a steak.

 

[TravelingJ]

I'm over the whole "eating out" thing. It's one thing to have to pay more - I totally get that. It's quite another when the quality goes to hell. We have favorite places that maintained food quality..... until recently - made us sad and a little mad at the same time.

Thankful for the cooking knowledge I've gained here and elsewhere.

Agreed. This site taught me a lot about cooking in general, and when Covid lockdown started, I began to cook more diverse foods. Fairly quickly, I was able to become competent enough in most of what I would order for delivery or in restaurants. Obviously I didn't master it and don't know all the secrets, but it was fairly passable to the point where the desire to go out wasn't as great.

My normal work travel routine has for years been to order Doordash on day 1. After a day of traveling, I just want to get to the hotel and get settled, driving again for more food wasn't appealing. On my trip last month, I realized anything I would pick for delivery, was something I had cooked recently, or at least knew I could make a solid impression of, for much less money.

 

[snadamo]

I like to cook beans. I like to eat beans. $16 quart?

Those better be the best pharkin beans in the world!!!

We have little ones, so going out is something we don't do much anyway. However, we do enjoy the occasional date night, and with my medical stuff, it's been a long while.

What really ticks me off is when we do order fast food, the bill can be $50...which is about $40 more than what it tastes like...

 

[Stingerhook]

We go out for lunch on Saturday's and breakfast on Sunday's. Always looking for somewhere new to try new things. Otherwise its leftovers.

 

[roademier]

I tend to go out for what I don't have at home.
Sushi, Chinese food , really cute and friendly waitresses...

 

[ssv3]

Hardly a few places I enjoy anymore so I don't dine out much either. I'm not snobby but I hate getting disappointed and paying for the disappointment. Few really good Indian places and an a treat once in a while at an upscale small sushi joint I frequent. Cuisines like those are labor intensive and not cost efficient so it's best to dine out in those instances.

Sunday prior to last took a date to a Spanish restaurant. Seafood paella for 2 in about a 10" pan, calamari and ONE beer cost $115 including tax and tip. Terrible paella with overcooked and dry fish, subpar calamari but at least my Allagash was good. I honestly wouldn't care if the food was at least half decent but....

Not my pic but this is what their paella looks like

This is what my paellas looks like

 

[Fooball]

We only go for lunch once per week. Usually to one of our known OK places to eat on the water with outside dining unless it's raining.

Just something about looking out over the water that reminds me of how lucky I am to be alive and have the money to be comfortable with a roof over my head.

But if you eat out lunch and dinner the majority of the time, you better have a thicker wallet than mine.

My GF worked in an office cubicle environment and couldn't believe how many of the young 20 somethings they hired ate lunch out everyday while she brown bagged by choice.

$15 a day for lunch times 20 working days a month is $300 a month. Crazy. And that's not even talking about how many times they eat dinner out or hit Starbucks for coffee.

 

[Fooball]

Sunday prior to last took a date to a Spanish restaurant. Seafood paella for 2 in about a 10" pan, calamari and ONE beer cost $115 including tax and tip. Terrible paella with overcooked and dry fish, subpar calamari but at least my Allagash was good. I honestly wouldn't care if the food was at least half decent but....

Not my pic but this is what their paella looks like






This is what my paellas looks like

Looks like no contest to me.

That is a crazy price for theirs. California living?

 

[brimclau]

I tend to go out for what I don't have at home.
Sushi, Chinese food , really cute and friendly waitresses...

Yes! exactly...:clap:

The waitress I have at home I don't even bother tipping anymore

 

[ssv3]

Yes! exactly...:clap:

The waitress I have at home I don't even bother tipping anymore

And wings are pain in the royal arse to do also so that's why I'd rather go out to get wigs. :becky: