MOR-TAY

365 Days of Thanksliving — Day 264

"O Lord, bless this, Thy delightfully edible servant Morty. On this, the one-and-twentieth day of the month of Augustus, in the two-thousand-and-six-and-twentieth year of Thy unbroken reign, we do render unto Thee our most hearty and boisterous thanks.”

“For Thou, in Thine infinite and occasionally baffling mercy, hast seen fit to lop off a portion of the aforementioned Morty, and pass it down unto us, Thy terribly peckish flock. Yea, verily, we beseech Thee to bless these choice cuts, that we, Thy miserable and famished servants, might completely stuff our faces and thus gloriously feast upon his wondrous, savory flesh. Amen."

(And there was much rejoicing! Yay!)

Joking aside, tonight Danielle and I have our good friend Stacy to thank. A couple of months ago, she asked in passing if we liked brisket. We confirmed we absolutely do, and a few days later, she showed up with a gorgeous 6lb brisket point.

Thank you, Morty, for your sacrifice. (Word on the street from Stacy is that Morty-burgers are mighty tasty, too).

Even more graciously, Stacy refused to take a single cent for it. That right there is country friendship for you—folks blessing others with the blessings they’ve been given. We've spent time city dwelling, and folks there can be generous too, but out here on the prairie, this kind of generosity is just a way of life. Neighbors take care of neighbors. Morty had life in him, and from him, life continues.

After thawing Morty’s brisket out, I gave him a good trimming. I hit him with some salt, pepper, and a generous shaking of Dirty Bird seasoning, and thusly sacrificed him onto the smoky altar of the Pit Boss at 9:00 AM.

Five hours later, Morty had a beautiful bark and was ready to be wrapped. We tucked him snugly into some butcher paper and placed him back on the pellet smoker for the final push. At 5:00 PM sharp, his internal temperature hit exactly 200 degrees. I pulled him off and set him aside to rest until it was time to feast.

Morty was mighty tasty—a feast over which any Monty Python fan would gladly rejoice.

Father, thank You for friends who give so generously out of the gifts You’ve given them. We thank You for the gift of Morty’s brisket, and for the simple enjoyment of a fine meal. Amen.

How have you been blessed tonight?