Looks like this is the place for introductions.... so here we go.
I'm Nathan and live near a lil town in south east Iowa, I've been grilling, and dabbling in smoking for years, and have decided I need to take it more seriously. I was a butcher for 7 years in a small farm town butcher shop, we did everything from custom butchering to supplying high end restaurants. While I was there I made a good majority of the summer sausage, ring bologna, smoked sausage and beef/meat sticks, helped with curing and smoking pork lions, hams, turkeys, and pretty much anything else we could fit in the smoker. I grew very found of the smoking process then, but fell in love with it my first summer as a butcher and I had the honor of meeting Mr. Willie. We supplied him with meat (baby backs, briskets, chickens, pork butts and hams) to smoke over his cinder block open pit. Mr. Willie was in his early 80's when I meet him, and treated me like I'd grown up in his neighbor hood my whole life, we talked about fishing, girls, and BBQ. Sadly Mr. Willie past away a few years after meeting him, I will cherish the times I spent with him on the river back smelling hickory smoke, telling stories and eating the best "Q" I've ever tasted.
Well that was long winded, sorry. Any way, I own and run a construction company now, and have the time to really give smoking the attention I desire to. I'm really wanting to take the lil things I learned form Mr. Willie, and use them both on a open pit fire like his, and in a smoker I'd like to build. Along with making my own ring bologna and smoked sausage again.
Glad to be here!
FarmHand78
Nathan
I'm Nathan and live near a lil town in south east Iowa, I've been grilling, and dabbling in smoking for years, and have decided I need to take it more seriously. I was a butcher for 7 years in a small farm town butcher shop, we did everything from custom butchering to supplying high end restaurants. While I was there I made a good majority of the summer sausage, ring bologna, smoked sausage and beef/meat sticks, helped with curing and smoking pork lions, hams, turkeys, and pretty much anything else we could fit in the smoker. I grew very found of the smoking process then, but fell in love with it my first summer as a butcher and I had the honor of meeting Mr. Willie. We supplied him with meat (baby backs, briskets, chickens, pork butts and hams) to smoke over his cinder block open pit. Mr. Willie was in his early 80's when I meet him, and treated me like I'd grown up in his neighbor hood my whole life, we talked about fishing, girls, and BBQ. Sadly Mr. Willie past away a few years after meeting him, I will cherish the times I spent with him on the river back smelling hickory smoke, telling stories and eating the best "Q" I've ever tasted.
Well that was long winded, sorry. Any way, I own and run a construction company now, and have the time to really give smoking the attention I desire to. I'm really wanting to take the lil things I learned form Mr. Willie, and use them both on a open pit fire like his, and in a smoker I'd like to build. Along with making my own ring bologna and smoked sausage again.
Glad to be here!
FarmHand78
Nathan
