Hello, I'm Dalton325

[dalton325]

Hey Smokers,

I just joined this site, and hope to get plenty of helpful tips for smoking. I've really been into the idea of smoking for a few years and just got my first smoker for my birthday a few months ago. I fired it up for the first time about a month ago and it didn't go well. :) Honestly, though, I expected the first time or two to be a throw away and knew I couldn't be an expert right off the bat, so I didn't let it discourage me.

What originally got me into smoking was the fact that I despised Thanksgiving turkey. That is until one of my uncle's older friends started smoking one for us every Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was delicious and I started eating it over the honey baked ham that was previously my favorite holiday food.

Sadly, he died a few years ago and I've been wanting to make a smoked turkey since then. So that's why I got started on my smoking journey. Not to mention the fact that I really like BBQ and love ribs. I plan to get a lot of use out of this smoker.

The email I got on signing up suggested that I give as many details about myself and my rig as I felt comfortable with, so here they are. I'm a 28yr old male as of 2015. I live in South Carolina, USA. I prefer, in order, vinegar base, ketchup base, and mustard base, though I really don't like mustard base at all and that's supposed to be SC's thing. I have a Weber Smokey Mountain, 22" smoker. I also bought, on the suggestion of another site, a Maverick digital thermometer with a food probe and a grate probe. It also has a cool little remote so that I can monitor the temps from inside the comfort of my house. I probably also need to pick up an instant read thermometer and some heat resistant gloves as well. I like to do a lot of research and study before taking on a new task. I'm all about solid numbers, so I really like it when someone can tell me to cook at such and such a temp till the breast reaches this many degrees. I'm not a big fan of the pinch of this, dash of that, around this much method.

I think that about sums me for now. I hope to get to know some of you guys/gals better and that you can help me create some awesome meals.

Dalton325 

 

[bluewhisper]

Welcome to the board! You'll find a huge amount of information here like recipes and technique - no jealous guarding of secrets here. You're right about the learning curve.

BTW none of the restaurants here offer either a vinegar or mustard BBQ sauce. It's all thick and sweet like a KC style, sometimes peppery.

 

[joe black]

:welcome1:Welcome from the Upstate, Dalton. This is a great site with lots of good folks who are always eager to share their ideas and tips. All you have to do is ask and keep reading. The WSM is a great way to get started. It's very user friendly and will give you some really good cooks. I would suggest a Thermowand instant probe. It's just as good as the Thermopen, but is much less expensive. For hot gloves, I got mine at Northern Tool for about $7.00. If you need gloves to handle hot meat, look on Amazon. A good rub and sauce to start with is Jeff's recipes that are available here for a small charge. They are a basic starting point that are made so that you can tweak them a little bit for more or less heat or more or less sweet. A great thing about the price is that the proceeds are used to maintain this great site.

Where in SC are you located? Good luck and good smokin', Joe:

 

[dalton325]

Joe, I'm actually pretty close to Rock Hill, SC. About 45min below Charlotte, NC. I probably will buy Jeff's recipes at some point. I've already got a recipe to try for this weekend and then again on Thanksgiving if it works out. I plan to try a bunch of different rubs and ways to prep and cook, so that I have a good idea of what I like. I don't want to stick with the first thing that works out and find out years later that there was another way I'd like much better. It'd get expensive trying that many methods on turkey, though. I may swap to chicken for test runs after the holidays.

 

[rabbithutch]

What Joe said!!!

Welcome from Texas (originally NC). Have a look at the Thermopop thermo before you stop your research. I bought it to use in the smoker but the Finance/War Department co-opted it for the kitchen.

 

[dalton325]

BlueWhisper, thanks. That's too bad about no vinegar base in your area. I have been told that I should be ashamed for not liking mustard base when I'm from SC, but I just tell them my dad is from the mountains of NC and they do lots of vinegar base up there. I hear they do it a good bit near Charleston as well. I can eat the sweet, just fine, but I prefer the vinegar. I especially like going to Smokey Mountain BBQ in West Jefferson, NC. They have really good hushpuppies and I like to bite the ends off and let them soak up their vinegar base. It's awesome.

 

[joe black]

That's the way to go, Dalton. Try 'em all. I did a lot of research before I thought I had got it right. I still like, but Jeff's is my family's favorite. I sweetened it up a little for our particular taste. Keep it up.

 

[gary s]

  Good evening and welcome to the forum, from a nice cool day here in East Texas. Lots of great people with tons of information on just about  everything. 

Gary

 

[dalton325]

Is there such a thing as a cool day in Texas? Seems sketchy to me. Thanks for the welcome.

 

[gary s]

 
Is there such a thing as a cool day in Texas? Seems sketchy to me. Thanks for the welcome.

We have a few now and then !!

Gary