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Georgie's POV
Of course, I didn't actually know Connie's brisket recipe! Just guessing it from the taste alone? What kind of anime am I living in?.
I was simply using the basic ingredients Sheldon had mentioned before, then adjusting them with my own additions to enhance the flavor.
I watched as George rubbed the spice mixture onto the trimmed brisket.
"Sometimes I forget you're just a 15-year-old kid," George muttered, glancing at me while flipping the brisket over to apply more rub. "You talk like a damn old man."
"Well, I am mature enough for your liking, aren't I?" I teased, reaching for his beer.
George immediately paused, narrowing his eyes at me.
"You are not mature enough to drink my beer," he said, snatching it away before I could grab it.
"What are you talking about? This beer is going to be the next ingredient," I shrugged, amused.
George blinked. "The hell it is."
"After you finish seasoning the brisket, you'll put it in the offset smoker. Once it's been smoking for about 12 hours, you'll spritz it with beer every 30 to 60 minutes." I explained.
"How long do we smoke this thing?"
"Well, we've got a 10-pound brisket, and it takes about 1.5 hours per pound. So yeah… 15 hours of smoking."
I turned to him seriously.
"I am not waiting 15 hours for smoked brisket. This is your job now. You have to monitor the temperature and keep adding wood throughout the process," I said, stepping back.
"Oh, come on! You don't want to spend 15 hours bonding with your dear old dad?" George ask with smirk on his face.
"I'm still young. I need my sleep for growth," I smirked, heading toward the door. "Oh yeah, make sure the internal temp hits around 200°F."
"I know!" George called back, still massaging the seasoning into the meat.
I chuckled and finally left the kitchen to watch tv, honestly not much I like to do in this year.
RINGGG!
I heard the phone ring and picked it up. "Cooper residence."
"Oh, hey, Miss Rosie… Uh-huh… Alright… Can Miss Fenley pick me up? …Alright… Hold on a sec…"
I set the phone down without hanging up and walked back into the kitchen—only to find that George was gone.
I wandered outside and found him tending to the offset smoker, adding wood to the firebox before fire it up.
"Dad, can you drive me to Houston?" I called out.
"Why?" George paused his work and looked up.
"I don't know, maybe she wants to have a meeting with me." I replied.
"…Can't Miss Fenley pick you up?" George asked, glancing back at the brisket.
"She can, but I don't want to trouble her!" I huffed, realizing he was more invested in smoking this damn brisket than giving me a ride.
…Well, I get it. It's a Texas thing.
"Alright, alright," George grumbled, reluctantly stepping away from the smoker.
I grinned. "Actually, you could leave the brisket in the fridge overnight before smoking it. That would let the seasoning really marinate into the meat."
George nodded in understanding before placing the brisket in the fridge.
I walked back to the phone, still connected, and picked it up again.
"…Yeah, I'll be going with my dad… Uh-huh… Alright…"
After hanging up, I turned back to George.
"Miss Rosie said you might want to bring a pen and a notebook."
I told him that because I knew George S. would be at the studio. It seemed like he wanted to see my potential as a singer—and to make sure I wasn't going to ruin his concert.
George looked a little confused but just shrugged and grabbed a marker.
"Is a marker okay?" he asked.
I nodded. "Whatever. Let's go."
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3rd POV
Inside the car, Veronica glanced around at the unusually quiet Cooper family.
Missy sat by the window, pouting.
Sheldon, as usual, was ignoring everyone.
Memaw and Mary were focused on the road, but it was clear their thoughts were on the two people they had left behind.
"…Why aren't Brother and Dad coming with us?!" Missy finally spoke up, turning to Mary.
Veronica smirked, deciding to tease her. "Are you already missing your big brother?" she teased.
Missy pouted harder and refused to answer.
"Your brother and your dad are making damn smoked brisket," Connie cut in with a laugh. "He actually thinks he can outdo my brisket!"
Mary shot Connie a glare.
Yes, this whole thing had started because Connie refused to give George her brisket recipe. And her constant teasing had finally gotten under George's skin.
"What?" Connie smirked at Mary, fully aware of what she was doing.
"Are you and Dad fighting again?" Sheldon asked bluntly.
Veronica shifted uncomfortably at the conversation. This was a Cooper family issue—but, of course, Sheldon didn't care about such social boundaries.
Mary sighed, rubbing her temple. "No, Shelly, your mom and dad aren't fighting." she reassured him.
Connie chuckled. "Well, those boys are going to get an earful from me when they fail to make a proper smoked brisket!"
Mary clenched her jaw. "Over a damn recipe?! Why won't you just give it to George, Mom?!" she snapped.
Veronica sweat-dropped. "…Should I even be hearing this conversation?" she mumbled awkwardly.