Hello!

[joshsg]

Hey guys. Love the site, very cool.
I'm as new as at gets, never attempted smoking before. I'm very good grilling and most other aspects of cooking. I went to a tiny, obscure BBQ joint in Leesburg, VA called the Mighty Midget (www.mightymidgetkitchen.com)and tried their pulled pork sandwich. Hands down best pulled pork I've ever had, and now I'm dead set on copying it. I know it will take some time though.
On Friday (payday) I'm going to Barbeques Galore in Sterling, VA to purchase a Bar B Chef offset smoker/grill. I've searched the web and found only good feedback on this, and I'd like to have the grill option for burgers and steaks.
I've done a lot of research on smoking and I have three questions. First, should I be using a mix of lump charcoal and wood? And what would be better, chips or chunks? And lastly, what would be a good starter meat for a first try. I'm thinking ribs. Any suggestions? Thanks guys!

 

[ultramag]

Welcome to SMF Josh!!! I'm glad you found us.

It sounds like you have a pretty good plan on deck. If you haven't already you would probably find alot of good info in Jeff's 5-day eCourse.

I sure think the Bar B Chef is as good a choice as any to start with. Most users of them use lump and find chunks work better as I do in my Pitmaster Deluxe.

As far as your first project I'd say pulled pork is what drew you in so make pulled pork. A pork butt is pretty hard to make inedible and cheap to buy if you do. Search on the site and get all the advice you can beforehand and jump in with both feet. Be sure and look up SoFlaQuers finishing sauce. It is a sticky at the top of the pork section.

Good Luck and keep us posted and we Love Pics!!!

 

[joshsg]

Thanks Ultramag! I appreciate the welcoming words.
Any suggestions on seasoning the Bar B Chef? It seems to me as though I shouldn't use the device prior to a good seasoning.
As I said in my previous post I'm no newbie in terms of general culinary arts. For example, if I were to buy a new wok, I'd season w/ an oil and green onions, and perhaps a citrus (i.e. orange or lemon). Just curious. I'm a bit reluctant to use this thing straight out of the box.
I'm thinking that I might try to purposley oversmoke salmon, swordfish or shark with the sole intenet of seasoning the smoker. These are fatty fishes with pungent aromas that should reduce any metalic overtones. I could be wrong however!

 

[soflaquer]

Welcome aboard, Josh! Glad to see you got bit by the BBQ Bug!

Go buy a "good" spray botle (not a cheapo), about $4 @ Home Depot. Pour some regular cooking oil in it, and completely spray the inside of both the cooking chamber and fire box. Wipe it down or brush it with a new cheap paint brush. Be sure to give any hinges a good spray, it'll pay off later. Now grab some charcoal and fire it up for a couple of hours, no wood is needed to seaon it. When you're ready to cook on it, use that bottle to spray the rack(s) before the meat hits it, it'll make clean-up alot easier.

Depending on the size of the Fire-Box, I recommend using wood splits with your charcoal. You'll also need to fabricate a baffle for the smoke/heat vent into the chamber.

Good Luck and Happy Smoking!

Jeff

 

[Dutch]

Welcome Josh, nice to have you here at SMF. Folks have given you some great answers to your questions.

Looking forward to your posting in the forums.