the elements come together

Stuff I've prepped for tomorrow's luncheon:

Homemade barbecue sauce, now cooked and smelling better than ever:

Baked beans with dogs and bacon:

Some old-but-good chimichurri, to be used as a dip for the brisket sandwiches:

Festive-looking corn slaw:

And my perennial coleslaw:

When I finally do my blow-out-the-walls shindig to celebrate zeroing out my debt later this year, I'll include some other barbecue-shack faves like potato salad and mac-and-cheese (Iron Chef Mike Symon's recipe, of course—the one with the double cream). If I can figure out a way to simulate burnt ends, I'll include that, too.

Tonight: I'm prepping the brisket and the buns, using my friend Charles's recipe. This is risky: I've already failed twice with two different recipes, but now that I know the problem lies with the dead Korean yeast, I'm hoping that tonight's effort will bear some bready fruit.