You may realize by now that I really enjoy food. The eating of it as well as the making. Particularly I like fire and meat so grilling and smoking and barbecue are things I’m passionate about.

Each year my buddy Bill Case has a big summer bash.  The Tom Larson Blues Band is always ripping it and we have a great time. My annual contribution is some brisket Texas style.  Now this take a long time but if you’ve ever had beef brisket cooked long and slow with some hardwood,  the right rub and some tender loving care then you know what I mean.

So today is the party. I started the beef yesterday at  around 730 PM and just pulled it off my PK grill. I slow cooked it for close to 13 hours and it’s in the final crutch stage, wrapped in foil then again in some old towels and in a cooler to further tenderize it and keep it at temp until this afternoon. Now when I slice it up today I promise that I will get the first taste.

So other than making you jealous, why am I telling you this?

Because like life and like strength, getting this bad boy from refrigerator to barbecue to table is a process. And it can’t be hurried. The foundation is the first thing. I find a decent brisket flat with some nice fat cap on it.  I rub it with my secret rub and let it dry marinade for at least 6 hours.   The fire is the next thing. Got to have the right temperature. Too hot and you end up with dried out meat that is way too tough. It’s got to be just right and that means less than 250 degrees. If you hurry it then it will be unpalatable. It’s got to be just right. And there aren’t any shortcuts.

Now if you try to hurry your strength program you will end up going nowhere and the same thing with life. There are natural rhythms and tides that need to be honored. You just can’t go too fast.  You need to be patient and you need to be consistent. I think Mark Reifkind said that consistency trumps intensity. What he meant is that you have to honor life. You can’t compress getting strong into a few sessions. It is a process and it requires effort and desire but it can’t be done all at once.

Train with purpose,

Sandy Sommer RKC