Greetings from a new member

[thegoodtexan]

You guys have a great website here. There's enough material to keep me busy reading for years!

I've been an novice smoker for about 10 years...with varying degrees of success. I love to do it...but I learn by my mistakes. I recently got a Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn...

...and I'd love to really learn how to use it best, and impress my friends and family with some great Texas-style brisket (which cannot be found in Tennessee).

Other interests?

I'm an avid guitar player....a weight lifter....running a 1/2 marathon at the end of April...and the accomplishment that I'm most proud of?....I recently ate 5 pounds of brisket in less than 24 hours.

 

[mossymo]

TheGoodTexan
Welcome to SMF, you are gonna fit in good here; we like people that enjoy eating !!!

 

[fireguy]

Welcome... 5#er....bet you didnt run for those 24 hours....

 

[desertlites]

welcome to SMF tex,glad to have u.

 

[thegoodtexan]

Oh I ran alright...ran for the border, if you know what I mean!

I live in Nashville, TN (11 years now)....but I'm from Texarkana, TX. I grew up on fine smoked briskets. So much so, that I probably just took it for granted that you could get good brisket anywhere.

Not so.

Can't find authentic Texas-style brisket in Nashville. A lot of people here don't even know what "brisket" is. And when you do find it at a resturant, you're likely getting a slice of rump roast.

So every time my family comes to Music City for a visit, they bring me a 5 pound tin of brisket from Big Jake's BBQ in my home town. I usually eat it all, very quickly.

My wife hates me for it....cause I don't even gain a pound from it!

 

[cowgirl]

Welcome to the forum Good Texan, looking forward to your input and Qviews.

 

[flyin'illini]

Welcome, goodtex. Lack of decent local que I grew up on (smoked pork shoulder in my case/opinion) drove me to create my own as well. Good luck with creating that brisket. That is one my next challenges myself. The SMF always has the info and it is probably already posted.

Enjoy that half marathon at the end of April. I assume is the Country Music one. I ran that in 06. (intended to go the entire way but had an injury and got to the finish line via the Half instead)

 

[thegoodtexan]

Yep, The Country Music Marathon, April 25th.

I've been lifting weights for years, but I just started running last year, purely as a way to burn calories. I hated it at first, but I had to trim some of my own fat pad!

Now I'm into it. I've surprised myself so much, that it's entirely self-gratifying to know what I'm capable of. When I get back from a long run, I'm on top of the world.

I wish I could run the full marathon, but I'm just not built for it. At 5'10", 210 lbs, I carry too much weight.

 

[travcoman45]

Welcom aboard!

 

[badss]

welcome Tex....talking about all that runnin is making me hurt already...and hungry! LOL. Have a great time here....lots of great people.

 

[thegoodtexan]

What type of mods?

I never really thought about it.

Mine is not identical to that picture that I posted. My side-fire-box does not have the pull-out ash drawer. So I have a little hand-held garden shovel that I remove the ash with.

Other than that, it's a great little grill. I can either "smoke" with it, or "grill" with it...whatever the ocassion calls for.

ALSO...

I subsribed to Jeff's Smoking Basics 5-Day eMail Course. Learned a few things about picking out meat yesterday. Today is "building the fire" I think...

 

[thegoodtexan]

I'm following you perfectly. I can do that.

What is the advantage/purpose? Obviously, the mod effects the manner in which the smoke vents...effecting how much smoke can build up inside the smoker....is that it? So that you can have the smoke "hang around" longer before it exits?

Similar to the one at the other end of the fire box?

This would....hmm...better control the flow of heat/smoke from the fire box into the grill....correct?

Thanks a ton for the info. This is why I joined here...to get better at smoking. Up to now, it's just been a shot in the dark for me....sometimes I get great results...other times I don't (like the first -and only- time that I used hickory....more on that later).

 

[kookie]

Welcome to the site...........Great looking smoker.......Glad to have you here........