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On this episode of podcast we bring you an interview with Jake Goldblum, CEO & Founder of EmpireCovers. For nearly a decade, EmpireCovers has been selling innovative protective covers. Located just outside of Philadelphia, their team strives to bring you the best quality vehicle covers with an easy shopping experience. Craig has an EmpireCovers Jeep Cover and jumped in for this interview to talk about his experience with it so far. We’ll get a full review put together and posted sometime after he’s been able to really put it to the test. Be sure to also follow them on Facebook and Google+.
Last Thanksgiving, I cooked a turkey in my Camp Chef Dutch Oven more as an experiment than anything else. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out and I didn’t want to mess up the entire meal with a lame bird. So my wife prepared the standard roasted turkey and cooked it in the oven in the house while I was making the dutch oven turkey outside. I’ve never done this before so I was making things up as I went. I had planned ahead and picked up a package of Tony Chachere’s Creole injection and seasoning kit. I followed the directions on the package and injected the correct amount of seasoning (maybe a bit more because its fun to play with a new toy like a seasoning injector) and sprinkled some seasoning on the outside and under the skin.
Before the bird went into the oven, I did something that I’ve learned from other experiences using the Dutch oven: line the oven bottom with some sturdy veggies. I cut and sliced some carrots, onions and celery and covered the bottom of the oven. This creates a bit of space from the metal so that the meat isn’t in direct contact with the heat. The juices from the meat will collect at the bottom and add some tremendous flavor to the veggies.
The whole thing turned out amazingly and I’m definitely going to be making this again in the future. I recommend that you try it out too. It was easy and I’m sure that you can make it with great success as well.
Every year we put together a list of all the offroading and adventure goodies that we’ve been wishing for all year long. The Christmas Gift Guide is broken into different price categories to make it fit your budget or the budget for your loved ones as they buy gifts for you. Of course, by using our links to shop for anything on Amazon, you’ll also be supporting The 4×4 Podcast. Be sure to listen carefully to the show and you may be able to cash in on a great bonus…but only one of you!
Episode 53 features an interview with Tom and Aaron from RAM Mount. RAM Mount has been a long time supporter of The 4×4 Podcast and having them on the show has been a long time coming. RAM stands for Round-A-Mount and was introduced in 1995. Far and away the most innovative product line of its kind, RAM continues to evolve into one of the most sought after accessories for electronics. RAM products have quickly become an essential mounting component for a wide variety of applications including rugged vehicle, industrial, military and defense, material handling as well as any application requiring a robust mounting solution. My personal favorite uses of RAM Mount products are the GoPro mount, the X-Grip mount for my tablet and my newest favorite is the self-leveling drink cup holder! One of my favorite features of all RAM Mount products is that they are proudly made in the USA.
If you’d like to purchase any of these products you can do so using any of these links below from Amazon. Be sure to also follow RAM Mount on Facebook.
In the news:
Something new for your tool bag –
For years the one product everyone has been keeping in their emergency trail repair kit to be used for everything from holding a broken mirror in place, to sealing a leaky vacuum line, has been good ole reliable duct tape.
IMAGE COURTESY WIKIPEDIA.COM
Some say, without duct tape, the US Army would not be combat worthy. Well now duct tape may have found its match! Introducing Rescue Tape!
IMAGE COURTESY RESCUETAPE.COM
Rescue Tape is a self-fusing silicone based tape that was developed for, and used by, the US military and is now available to the public. From its excellent insulative properties, to its high tensile strength, Rescue Tape is a must have in everyone’s emergency repair kit. Read more about this amazing band-aide here: http://www.rescuetape.com/?gclid=CI3B6d-js7oCFbFxQgodnQ0Avg
Have you ever wondered what an independant front suspension (IFS) setup would be like on a Jeep Wrangler? Well apparently the folks at Chrysler did. Its no secret that automotive manufacturers are always building and testing concept vehicles that will never see production. Apparently this sometimes includes a little friendly competition. According to Bob Sheaves of Jeep’s Pre-Program Group, in 1996 he and Evan Boberg built a concept Wrangler that incorporated a very unique IFS design.
IMAGE COURTESY ALLPAR.COM
Did this non-solid axle front suspension ever have a chance to make it on the Wrangler TJ? It didn’t appear likely. Could a variation of this design one day end up under the front of a future generation of Jeep Wrangler? Your guess is as good as ours. Want to get the full scoop on Jeep’s future suspensions of yesterday? Click on the link below to learn more: http://www.allpar.com/SUVs/lil-blue.html
Compact solar charging –
Looking for a way to keep your mobile devices charged while out hiking or primitive camping? With all the advancements in solar cell technology, there are literally hundreds of options when it comes to portable solar panels. Gearjunkie.com recently field tested a new compact solar charger manufactured by Bushnell and called the SolarWrap Mini.
PHOTO COURTESY OF GEARJUNKIE.COM
What makes the SolarWrap Mini unique is the solar cells retract into the body of the unit making it very compact as well as protecting the cells when not in use. The unit sports an internal battery for storing the energy obtained during the day, to charge devices even after the sun goes down. To learn more, and read Gearjunkie’s review, click here: http://gearjunkie.com/bushnell-solarwrap-mini-review
Have you ever wished you could compete in the Dakar Rally? Or at a minimum, be a spectator to one of the most exciting and challenging offroad events in the world? For most of us, the locations of many of these offroad events make it difficult to ever do more than watch the highlights on the television or the internet. Starting next year, that may change. Dakar veterans Darren Skilton and Scott Whitney are introducing a new event they call Rally Diabolico.
remove lid, place the roast in the oven and sear the entire roast
pour half the soup around the roast and half on top
quarter the potatoes and onions and surround the roast
place carrots around evenly
sprinkle the onion soup mix on top of everything
Cook until desired doneness
Offroad APPtitude
Ultra4 Racing –
It’s not always easy to find the time to get out on the trails or do a little rock crawling. Not to mention, many of of us have to drive several hours to find a trail even remotely challenging for our rig. Well if you have a smart phone or tablet, you might be in luck. There is an app that might help tide you over until you can get back out on the trail. Ultra4 Racing is an app that combines the challenges of offroad courses, with option of choosing six different offroad vehicles with a range of features from independant suspension systems to solid axles.
The SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world. It draws the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to one place, the Las Vegas Convention Center. In addition, the SEMA Show provides attendees with educational seminars, product demonstrations, special events, networking opportunities and more.
There is way more to see and do than any one person could accomplish in the duration of the show. Its also not all just offroading related products so maybe you could see everything you wanted to see. For this episode we’ve enlisted the help of someone would actually made it to the show. And while this isn’t a complete listing of everything offroading at the show, its a run down of the stuff that really caught our eyes. What caught your eye? Leave us a comment below!
Be sure to also check out the pages for everyone we interviewed for the show!
***UPDATE-16 Nov 13, 5:00 PM EST*** Caselli may have not hit a booby trap which resulted in his death. Early reports are usually littered with inaccuracies but it is a well known fact that booby traps are common along the course. The traps set by locals are one of the main reasons that so many desert racers refuse to race in Mexico. Hopefully the new owner of Score-International (Roger Norman) will be able to work with the fans in Mexico to discourage this type of behavior from spectators. ***UPDATE***
While watching the Score-International coverage of the Baja 1000, it was reported that 2X (a KTM motorcycle team lead by Kurt Caselli) was out of the race within 100 miles of the finish line. All they stated was that the rider had a head trauma and was on the way to the hospital in Ensenada.
I did my best to follow up on the incident and as it turns out, the rider was Kurt Caselli and his injury was fatal. The initial word from the KTM pit team is that he hit a booby trap, which is not an uncommon thing. Some of the racing fans in Mexico are thirsty for blood and they set out obstacles and hide them just so that they can see accidents. As if racing through the Mexican desert wasn’t dangerous enough, the booby traps make racing even more treacherous.
My prayers go out for the family and friends of Kurt Caselli.
In this exciting episode we have Brandon Walsh from Team Homemade Motorsports talking about the Baja 1000, which at this point is less than 2 weeks away. He’s busy prepping the truck with the team but has taken some time out of his busy schedule to talk about how he got into racing, the truck and how its built, and why racing is important to him. I want to say another huge thank you to Brandon, his family and the whole team for welcoming me last year and I’m really looking forward to the next chance I have to join them for the 1000 or any other race. Like Team Homemade Motorsports on Facebook. Follow Brandon on Instagram.
