Happy Saturday, SMF!
I sent out a mass informative email about OTBS, but just in case you missed it, I'm copying it below. I included some of the OTBS history, which was fun to learn about (and write about).
@pineywoods has handled OTBS nominations and members for quite some time (with @bmudd14474 providing an assist), and @pineywoods has requested to step down and have someone else handle OTBS going forward. @pineywood's hard work and attention on the forum over the years has been greatly appreciated, but it's completely understandable that he needs to lighten his load a bit.
@pc farmer is going to take over for @pineywoods, and I want to personally welcome him to that new (extra) responsibility, on top of his admin duties. I know he'll do a great job.
If you have OTBS questions, nominations, etc, you can direct all of that to @pc farmer in the future.
_______________________________________________
What is OTBS?
OTBS stands for “Order of the Thin Blue Smoke.” Thin blue smoke is a reference to the ideal amount of smoke you want flowing out of your smoker during a cook for optimal flavor.
The OTBS roster is a valuable list as it signifies some of SMF’s ‘resident experts.’ OTBS members have not only mastered the art of outdoor cooking and have a wealth of knowledge to share, they enjoy helping others see success at their own backyard smokers.
The concept behind OTBS was both to honor and signify members who not only have mastered the art of low-and-slow, but are also community minded and enjoy sharing their knowledge with others. If you see “OTBS Member” in someone’s profile, you can safely assume that they will welcome your questions and share their knowledge with you.
For this reason, OTBS members are chosen not only for their expertise and knowledge, but because they make a habit of posting their cooks with lots of pictures, details, and recipes. They routinely engage with the SMF community, answer questions about what they did, assist people who are new to the hobby, and are happy when others copy their work or use their recipes/tutorials.
How many OTBS members are there?
Currently there are 402 OTBS members. You can view the full roster by clicking here:
OTBS Roster
What makes SMF special and how do OTBS members fit into that?
SMF is a unique part of online communities - combining a vast library of posts, photos, tutorials, recipes, and knowledge of smoking with members who actively encourage and help others in mastering outdoor cooking. The human touch, user-generated content, and old-school approach in a world full of AI and bots and copy/paste/robotic sounding content is what sets SMF apart.
OTBS members fit into our unique online community by helping to maintain that “real people” feel and bringing lots of knowledge and expertise to other barbecue enthusiasts—all for free and for the fun of it.
Who heads up OTBS?
OTBS was a group within a group started all the way back when Smoking Meat Forums was actually a how-to-smoke-meat Yahoo Group. A true old school message board. The group was the brain child of a member named Dutch, who doled out the first few numbers in order of the members joining the board. Dutch was member #3, and later Monty (OTBS member #6) joined Dutch to help out with managing the group. In 2010 or so, Pineywoods (OTBS member #143) stepped in to help out, helped with accepting and managing nominations. OTBS member bmudd0124 has assisted with OTBS for many years, and now Pineywoods is stepping down and handing the baton to OTBS member and administrator pc farmer.
Can anyone be a member of OTBS?
Anyone can be nominated, and the OTBS staff decides each year or a couple of times a year who will be inducted. The number of people inducted per year is not limited; nominations are made to OTBS staff privately, who then decide on who has met the qualifications and will be offered the opportunity to be added to the OTBS roster.
Does it cost anything?
No, membership is free.
Are there rules?
Yes, there are some simple guidelines in place that help guide which nominees are selected, and those guidelines must continue to be followed by OTBS members to retain their status.
OTBS Credo
OTBS Rules
I sent out a mass informative email about OTBS, but just in case you missed it, I'm copying it below. I included some of the OTBS history, which was fun to learn about (and write about).
@pineywoods has handled OTBS nominations and members for quite some time (with @bmudd14474 providing an assist), and @pineywoods has requested to step down and have someone else handle OTBS going forward. @pineywood's hard work and attention on the forum over the years has been greatly appreciated, but it's completely understandable that he needs to lighten his load a bit.
@pc farmer is going to take over for @pineywoods, and I want to personally welcome him to that new (extra) responsibility, on top of his admin duties. I know he'll do a great job.
If you have OTBS questions, nominations, etc, you can direct all of that to @pc farmer in the future.
_______________________________________________
What is OTBS?
OTBS stands for “Order of the Thin Blue Smoke.” Thin blue smoke is a reference to the ideal amount of smoke you want flowing out of your smoker during a cook for optimal flavor.
The OTBS roster is a valuable list as it signifies some of SMF’s ‘resident experts.’ OTBS members have not only mastered the art of outdoor cooking and have a wealth of knowledge to share, they enjoy helping others see success at their own backyard smokers.
The concept behind OTBS was both to honor and signify members who not only have mastered the art of low-and-slow, but are also community minded and enjoy sharing their knowledge with others. If you see “OTBS Member” in someone’s profile, you can safely assume that they will welcome your questions and share their knowledge with you.
For this reason, OTBS members are chosen not only for their expertise and knowledge, but because they make a habit of posting their cooks with lots of pictures, details, and recipes. They routinely engage with the SMF community, answer questions about what they did, assist people who are new to the hobby, and are happy when others copy their work or use their recipes/tutorials.
How many OTBS members are there?
Currently there are 402 OTBS members. You can view the full roster by clicking here:
OTBS Roster
What makes SMF special and how do OTBS members fit into that?
SMF is a unique part of online communities - combining a vast library of posts, photos, tutorials, recipes, and knowledge of smoking with members who actively encourage and help others in mastering outdoor cooking. The human touch, user-generated content, and old-school approach in a world full of AI and bots and copy/paste/robotic sounding content is what sets SMF apart.
OTBS members fit into our unique online community by helping to maintain that “real people” feel and bringing lots of knowledge and expertise to other barbecue enthusiasts—all for free and for the fun of it.
Who heads up OTBS?
OTBS was a group within a group started all the way back when Smoking Meat Forums was actually a how-to-smoke-meat Yahoo Group. A true old school message board. The group was the brain child of a member named Dutch, who doled out the first few numbers in order of the members joining the board. Dutch was member #3, and later Monty (OTBS member #6) joined Dutch to help out with managing the group. In 2010 or so, Pineywoods (OTBS member #143) stepped in to help out, helped with accepting and managing nominations. OTBS member bmudd0124 has assisted with OTBS for many years, and now Pineywoods is stepping down and handing the baton to OTBS member and administrator pc farmer.
Can anyone be a member of OTBS?
Anyone can be nominated, and the OTBS staff decides each year or a couple of times a year who will be inducted. The number of people inducted per year is not limited; nominations are made to OTBS staff privately, who then decide on who has met the qualifications and will be offered the opportunity to be added to the OTBS roster.
Does it cost anything?
No, membership is free.
Are there rules?
Yes, there are some simple guidelines in place that help guide which nominees are selected, and those guidelines must continue to be followed by OTBS members to retain their status.
OTBS Credo
OTBS Rules
