Hey there everyone, my name is Erik - I live in southern Connecticut with my wife and 6 kids. I have been a griller since the age of 12 - my dad is a religious charcoal grilling fanatic and I inherited his love of charcoal grilling. Progressed from burgers and dogs to steaks, chicken, fish (salmon is the favorite in our family), ribs, turkey, and even prime rib (see my profile pic - our annual grill roasted prime rib!) The challenge I faced lately was running out of room on the 22" kettle that has been my go-to and culinary right hand for the last 10 years - I still plan to keep my trusty Weber on hand for good hot fires for steaks and such, but needed a little more room to juggle large meals and multiple courses on one surface. After a lot of research, I went with what seemed like the right balance of flexibility on modularity for my needs, and just got an Oklahoma Joe Highland for Father's Day this year. I made many of the suggested mods out there to seal up the chambers and distribute heat, and so far I have done a whole chicken, beef brisket, pork shoulder, and some ribs. It is definitely a different animal than my little kettle, so I am learning the nuances of real slow smoking now - fuel types, regulating airflow, cook temps, etc. Just trying to get comfortable and proficient at it all... I know it will take time (it took me a while as a kid to quit burning everything to crisp) and my family doesn't mind being guinea pigs as I dial it all in!
I have spent quite a bit of time gong through the forum just viewing comments and posts and result pics, and hoping to start utilizing the forum some more as I ask questions and post successes and fails!
I have spent quite a bit of time gong through the forum just viewing comments and posts and result pics, and hoping to start utilizing the forum some more as I ask questions and post successes and fails!
