When you stop looking, you'll find it!

Yesterday, we were all set to to finish the Canadian Bacon we had put in a brine last Saturday. We just needed to smoke it for an hour, or two.

Guess what?

All 4 of the chrome plated grates for the smoker had disappeared, and I mean vanished...

No where to be found!

We both searched every cabinet, pantry, utility room, Rancho, bodega, inside and outside.

I called our housekeeper to see if she had a clue as to where they could be.... Nope, no, nada.

We are talking GONE!

The missing grates belong to this wonderful little electric smoker we've had for more years than I can remember. We use it all the time for smoking meat, drying chili peppers, making Canadian Bacon, etc. The small investment in this device has paid for itself many times over.

After we abandoned our exhaustive search for the grates, we discussed alternative options for making some 10.5" grates. Today, John remembered he had stored some leftover expanded metal mesh from another project in the garage, and he could probably cut it to size. So, off he went to gather the mesh and the cutting tools.

I went out to the Rancho to give him a hand. We got the mesh rolled out and John was just about ready to start measuring.

Suddenly, I looked up and what did I see.... 4 chrome plated grates, perched on the counter, just below the sign that reads, "A little bit crazys all right!"

Isn't that always the case? When you stop looking, you'll find it.