A few months ago, my wife and I hosted an Easter dinner for our extended families. She told everyone I was making Jerk Chicken; and since her family is Jamaican, my oven recipe just wasn't gonna cut it this time. So I bought a grill. The chicken was great, and I've been cooking outdoors at least once a week ever since. Something about cooking over open flames and using smoke to tenderize an otherwise undesirable cut of meat is really appealing. Plus, when it's not blazing hot outside, it's cool to have some quiet time on the back porch.

​

Lately, I've been smoking bigger and bigger cuts of meat. As I type this, I'm 5 hours into a nine pound Pork Shoulder cook (over Hickory and Applewood if you're wondering). They're intimidating at first, but it's pretty simple. Keep your temperature consistent and wait until your meat hits the desired internal temperature (around 205 F for today's pork). As long as you manage your fire well, it's a slow process that just feels amazing when you're done.

That is, until you hit 'the Stall.' For scientific reasons I won't bore you with, meat rises in temperature really quickly at first, then slows down dramatically after about 160 degrees. You may find that it's stuck at the same temperature for hours. When you do, you have several options:

1. Wait It Out - as long as your grill temperature is consistent, the meat will eventually rise with it.
2. Wrap It - by this point in the cook, the smoke has technically done it's job. Wrap it in foil so the meat sort of steams itself to the desired temp.
3. Turn Up the Heat - the steam from wrapping might mess up the outside texture. But you can raise the internal temp quicker by just adding more fuel to the fire.

There's no right or wrong answer (unless you're in a Facebook comment thread), but even knowing all this, the stall can be anxiety inducing. Is my thermometer broken? Am I spritzing too much? Should I just axe all of this and finish in the oven? Perhaps it's all, or none, of the above.

...being a YouTuber feels kind of like that. Videos are like the logs in the fire. Subscriber count is like the internal temperature. All the outside noise? That's everything that can go wrong. Theoretically, you know that if you just keep making videos, everything else will work out. But internally? You're freaking out because your current video got less views than your last. That sponsored post you were supposed to turn in is late. Your Comicon Press application got denied because your channel isn't big enough. But no matter what you do, your subscriber count grows at the same rate.

As we've been approaching the 5th channel anniversary, I've been overthinking the stall. Trying to see how much fuel I can add to the fire. Trying out different types of wood -- err, videos. Subscriber counts aren't the end all be all, but it sure feels like it sometimes; and I just want to deliver something of value to all parties involved. But as I prepare to go back into the school year Dad routine, I'm reminded of this quote:

Thanks for riding it out with me. And to the other content creators out there, just keep the fire going. The stall feels terrible, but it won't last forever.

GalaxyCon Raleigh was AMAZING! I only spent one afternoon there, but I got to do it with my friend Dan, and that made it 10 times better. We hosted our panel, Comics 101: Find Your First Great Read. I wasn't sure what to expect as far as attendance, but I was pleasantly surprised. A few dozen people sat attentively through our presentation, taking photos of the slideshow and even coming up to ask questions at the end! Check out the full panel video above. Or better yet, share it with a friend who wants recommendations! Huge thanks to the GalaxyCon team for having us!

J_Dilla_WorkinOnIt.mp3

I've got quite a few videos in various stages of development. Here are a few you can expect to see on the channel soon:

• Fantastic Four Comics to Read After the Movie
• Why I Upgraded My DCeased Hardcovers to the Omnibus
• The Summer Pull List Purge
• Back to School Recommends: Comics & Graphic Novels for Kids

I'm working at my own pace, so who knows what's coming when? Just keep your eyes peeled.

​

Read Something Dope Today,

BJ KICKS