New to the site, not to Q'n

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homestyle

Newbie
Original poster
Aug 27, 2013
4
10
Hey all! Name's Todd. Grew up in East Tennessee (near Knoxville) and Indianapolis, IN. so I've got the country and city boy sides of me. So depending on what conversation I'm in, I might be from somewhere different. ha And to add to the "where you from" confusion, I'm enlisted in the USAF. Been in over 11 years now and been all over. Got my 'start' in grilling at a young age. My dad's side of the family were alwasy grilling any time they got together, one of which is always memorial day weekend (read Indy 500). I didn't get big into grilling until I was stationed in Japan (of all places) and got good friends with a country boy who taught me the ropes. After Japan I got stationed in Texas. Perfect for BBQ, terrible for allergies. I bought a nice Kingsford charcoal barrel grill with firebox on the end. Can't remember the model. To this day though, that's the best GRILL I've ever used for both grilling and smoking. I immediately bought a few racks of pork ribs to try out some basic rubs and sauces. Fast forward a bit and I got a reputation in a very small unit as 'the grill guy'. Thecommunity held an annual brisket cookoff (it IS Texas after all!) and I was told I should join. I'd never done brisket before, but by now I'd gotten my own rubs and sauces down, so I figured what the hey! First one I did, well attempted, did NOT go well. I imagine it's like this for most newbies to brisket. Undercooked, tough, too much mesquite...you name it, it happened! 8lb hunk of food...wasted. Went through a few more before I finally got it *just* right to my liking. As for the cookoff, I think I fared pretty well being one of my first ever briskets and my first ever competition. Let me tell ya, these people go all out! I had my truck, my grill, a bag of coals, a couple bags of wood chunks and chips, a cooler for beer and a couple slabs of ribs (need SOMETHING to eat while I'm waiting!) and my brisket. Ended up finishing in the top 10 out of I don't know ho many, but I had lots of people tell me they liked mine a lot. So that's what officially got me hooked on smoking. I've since left Texas, and being in the military I can't bring my grill with me, so I sold it. Got to Korea, bought a cheapy grill to keep sharp and once I got to Germany, the house I'm renting has a little 'bbq pit' with a grate that's perfect for my grilling needs, so I opted to get a gas smoker. I've got the Smoke Hollow 34". Again for the time being. Once I move again depending on where I go, i'll get something else. (any reccomendations on cheapy barrel type grills are always appreciated). I never stop grilling though. I HAVE to grill something at least once a week. Steak, chops, burgers, chicken, etc (even while I'm deployed I'm the grill guy!). Joined this site to share recipes and experiences, learn to smoke more than just ribs and brisket, diffrenet styles, etc. Looking forward! Maybe once I get back to the States I'll run into some of y'all!
 
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Sorry for the novel, tried to break it down into paragrpahs but failing miserably.
 
also, I've got pics of old q's and myself and friends back at home, so bare with me until I can get those uploaded.
 
Hi Todd! :welcome1: to SMF!!! We're happy you found us! You've come to the right place, we have over 50,000 members who just love to share their experience and over 1,000,000 posts describing it! Yea that’s right over 1,000,000!

The search bar at the top can be your best friend when you are trying to find answers to your questions but you can still ask too if you want!

We have an ”Articles” section that is full of great information about smoking to include a lot of recipes and instructionals. Check it out there is a lot to learn in there!

Would you do us a favor and add your location to your profile, it helps others to know where you are when they offer advice, Thanks!

You might want to check out ”Jeff's Free 5 day E-Course”, it will teach you all the basics plus a whole lot more!
 
Welcome to the forums, Todd!  You'll like it here, its the best place I know for sharing ideas on smoking, grilling, curing, etc.  There are plenty of friendly, knowledgeable folks who really enjoy helping one another.  Looking forward to your input here, and just ask when you need anything...someone here will surely have the answer.

And Thank You for your service to our country!  
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to SMF!  We are so glad you joined us! Thank you so very much for your Service! 
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We love to see pictures of what you are cooking (or what we call q-views here at SMF).  To "upload the q-views" just follow the directions here and it will be easier. If you are using a cell phone, an IPad or a kindle, go to the main SMF page and click the Mobile button. Will make the uploads a bit faster too.

If you didn't read the "Terms of Service" notes.....please do.  There are a few things that everyone should know about those pesky little rules before plunging into the forums and some guidelines of how to interact within the forums. Off site links are not allowed here at SMF per Jeff. Not that you have done anything wrong....just a little bit of FYI for new members!

If you need any help roaming around the forums....just holler!  Happy to help out!

Kat
 
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