I earned these brats.....

wbradking · September 2016

Earlier this year I turned 45 and was the heaviest I've ever weighed so I decided it was time for a change. Among eating better and drinking less I decided to get more exercise. I've been into biking since I was a teen but my current ride was 17 years old and needed an upgrade. I decided to bite the bullet and get a new bike, a Cervelo R3, and promised myself that I'd ride it routinely this spring / summer and get in shape enough that I could ride the century ride that I did 15 years ago. So I did. 1,862 miles and 21 pounds later it was finally time for the big ride. Yesterday was the Sunrise Century in Clarksville, TN and I nailed it! 102 miles at an average of 19.98 MPH. That's a full 2 MPH average faster than my 30 year-old self!

Honestly I was too pooped yesterday evening grill out, but today's lunch was some nice fat juicy smoked brats with beer-sauteed onions. Awesome!

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/ls/04m0v5n37lea.png

Smoking the brats @250* with some apple wood.

Topped with grilled onions and mustard.

Please can I have one?!?

--Brad

johnmitchell · September 2016

Congratulations on the life style change and the ride achievement.. Your brats look fantastic. Your pup brought a tear to my eye, that is a mirror image of my dog I put down last month.. Great post and well done sir.

Hans61 · September 2016

How long of a cook was it? I usually just grill em hot and fast on my weber, I'm intrigued!

Good job on the weight loss!

GATraveller · September 2016

Congratulations....lifestyle changes at our age aren't easy - that's for sure.

One question....do you dress like Lance Armstrong when you ride? I'm not a biking guy but I never have understood why folks can't seem to ride nowadays without head to toe spandex.

wbradking · September 2016

@johnmitchell We've had Otto, a Cavapoo, just since the end of July. He's our first dog and has been an awesome addition to the family. I don't even think of what its going to be like without him.

@Hans61 They were on until 160* internal, about 45 minutes. I normally do brats in an onion and beer bath and then grill to crisp up, but apparently that's not how they should be done. Check out this link here. Look for the comments from @Huntnfish72 @XC242 and @Darby_Crenshaw about no beer bath, and internal temp and smoking them. There was a much better snap with the brats done this way and the smoke taste was great.

@GATraveller Yep, full-on cycling outfit. The cycling shorts have built in pads in strategic areas so they do come in handy. The jerseys have pockets in the back to carry snacks, enery gells, etc... and are easy to access. Everything is tight fitting to improve aerodynamics. 80% of your energy in cycling is to overcome wind resistance so anything you do there really helps, especially on long rides. That's why you see most cyclists riding bunched up in a group. The person on the front work a lot harder than everyone behind him. When he gets tired, he'll peel off to the back and the next person in line leads until he gets tired an so on. The group as a whole can ride much faster than the individuals on their own.

Hans61 · September 2016

wbradking said:

@johnmitchell We've had Otto, a Cavapoo, just since the end of July. He's our first dog and has been an awesome addition to the family. I don't even think of what its going to be like without him.

@Hans61 They were on until 160* internal, about 45 minutes. I normally do brats in an onion and beer bath and then grill to crisp up, but apparently that's not how they should be done. Check out this link here. Look for the comments from @Huntnfish72 @XC242 and @Darby_Crenshaw about no beer bath, and internal temp and smoking them. There was a much better snap with the brats done this way and the smoke taste was great.

@GATraveller Yep, full-on cycling outfit. The cycling shorts have built in pads in strategic areas so they do come in handy. The jerseys have pockets in the back to carry snacks, enery gells, etc... and are easy to access. Everything is tight fitting to improve aerodynamics. 80% of your energy in cycling is to overcome wind resistance so anything you do there really helps, especially on long rides. That's why you see most cyclists riding bunched up in a group. The person on the front work a lot harder than everyone behind him. When he gets tired, he'll peel off to the back and the next person in line leads until he gets tired an so on. The group as a whole can ride much faster than the individuals on their own.

I'll check those out much respect for opinions of those mentioned above! Thanks for sharing!

shtgunal3 · September 2016

That's a helluva bike ride. Congrats, and the brats look great!

Foghorn · September 2016

Great brats. And well-deserved. Congrats.

JohnnyTarheel · September 2016

Congrats!!! Brats look awesome and I am sure tasted spectacular to you!!

pgprescott · September 2016

Good for you man. I couldn't imagine those brats being any better, onions and mustard, yes please!

lousubcap · September 2016

Congrats across the board. Way to get on it and stay after it. You are good for better than a case of beer-I go with 150 cals/beer so sit back relax and enjoy a few adult cold ones.
Seriously, great self-motivation and execution.

johnkitchens · September 2016

Way to go Brad! You don't by any chance have family in the scrap metal recycling business do you? Your name seems so familiar to me.

GATraveller · September 2016

And the more you know........
Thanks for enlightening the ignorant.

wbradking · September 2016

@lousubcap Already started my friend. A beautiful day like today deserves a few coldies.

@johnkitchens Sorry, no metal recycling business in my family.

NonaScott · September 2016

Great accomplishment. I love it when someone sees a commitment through like that. Enjoy those brats. You definitely earned them. Congratulations

johnkitchens · September 2016

wbradking said:

@lousubcap Already started my friend. A beautiful day like today deserves a few coldies.

@johnkitchens Sorry, no metal recycling business in my family.

Different guy. My memory is getting foggy, but I know I dealt with a guy named Brad King 20 years ago. Cute dog!

wbradking · September 2016

@johnkitchens there was a Brad King here in Nashville several years ago that liked to borrow money from some unsavory characters and not pay them back. I got some late night calls on a few occasions kindly requesting that I pay up. I hope you weren't dealing with that guy.