WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO SMF?

[daspyknows]

I was at home recovering from Covid in spring 2020. My existing Weber kettle which I had used for over 10 years was in need of replacement. When they announced the stimulus checks I was ready to upgrade to a better smoker/bbq and started doing research. I found SMF in my research and learned a lot here that helped me decide on the Horizon offset which I ordered in June and which arrived in October. Up to that point I had done one brisket on the Weber with so so results. With the knowledge obtained here I have upped my game and am now making things like bacon which I never even though to make.

 

[forktender]

Well, Judy & I were vegetarians for 30 years, until one day we were in Sam’s & they had a MES 40 on sale. I said why don’t we buy one, and Judy said, “ What the hell are you gonna smoke? LETTUCE? I said no, why don’t we buy some meat. She just looked at me like all the times that I come up with some crazy idea, and just rolled her eyes. So we bought a MES 40, a couple of racks of spares, wood chips, and a butt. We came home & I started searching the net for a recipe to smoke a rack of ribs. Of course SMF came up & I got on & went to chat & a real nice lady gave me all the instructions on how to smoke ribs & she gave me a coleslaw recipe that I still use to this day. Then from then on I just learned how to smoke, cold smoke, make sausage, dry cure, and on and on. I have made a bunch of friends on here over the years, and hope to make many more! I was just wondering what brought the rest of you here. Oh, and by the way that first rack of ribs was awesome, only because of that nice lady here on SMF, and as I said earlier, her coleslaw recipe is the best I have ever had!
Al

I've smoked my fair share of Nocal home grown lettuce in my day.

 

[forktender]

With a name like "The Smoking Meat Forum" I'm surprised that I chanced clicking on it may years ago.
I was pleasantly surprised by the recipes and friendly, knowable, and helpful people that were more than willing to help with my newfound addiction to slow smoked goodness.
I really liked that you could be right in the middle of a smoke and ask a question, and it would be answered in minutes most of the time.

 

[SmokinAl]

SmokinAl ... Want to share that slaw recipe?? I've tried about a dozen and I'm still looking...

This is the original recipe:
If you use one bag of coleslaw mix, just cut the recipe in half.
COLESLAW DRESSING
2 bags of coleslaw mix
5 TBS white vinegar
2/3 cu sugar
1/4 cu canola oil
1 cu mayonnaise
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1/2 tsp CBP
With a wire whisk, blend each ingredient one at a time.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before adding to cabbage.
Add cabbage & refrigerate for at least 3 hours stirring often.
Hope you enjoy it as well as we do!
Al

 

[SmokinAl]

I've smoked my fair share of Nocal home grown lettuce in my day.

Me too!!
Al

 

[bauchjw]

SmokinAl , Not trying to divert an awesome thread, but I'm really curious how your body reacted to 30 years vegetarian followed by Ribs? I intentionally go through meatless periods of 7 days or more for health and weight management. Ive found that I have to ease back into rich meats with low fat meat, high veg/fruit diets first. After one long meatless period I broke it with a buddy's brisket and my stomach cramps were out of control (Nobody else who ate it had problems). So did your bodies just accept it without adjustment?

 

[chilerelleno]

Heck, not sure I remember the who, what, where and why of how I came here.

 

[tx smoker]

Heck, not sure I remember the who, what, where and why of how I came here.

I can answer that.You came here to teach me how to create excellent Mexican food. Once done you decided to stay

Not really but it seems viable

Robert

 

[fxsales1959]

was poking around the interwebs deciding on my next smoker and stumbled on this gang. Now you csn't get rid of me.
thanks for everything!

 

[HalfSmoked]

Has been a very interesting thread Thanks to all for their comments and all the likes laughs and etc. We all appreciate them.

Warren

 

[jcam222]

I got an MES40 a few years ago after my brother in law had one for a few months. My quest to be good at it led me here. Been here since and man I have learned a lot about smoking , general cooking and plating for sure. Aside from cooking I’ve also made life long friends and that’s priceless.

 

[Cody_Mack]

I had been with The Virtual Weber Bullet site for many years. I than joined Facebook Texas Recipe Club. The guy running that is a total control freak and gets his kicks from banning people which he does constantly and with any notice. He has a long list of rules that are crazy. The people there are really nice though. You can only make posts with pictures and recipes. Can not discuss anything but a recipe. Someone posted a recipe that used a kit for making chili that was hard to find. I found one at Market Street and took a picture of it and where found and posted it thanking the person you recommended. Next thing I knew I was banned. I did not post a recipe with pic! I could not even send him a message. I sent one of the other people in forum a message who talked to him and got me back in. I was the only person he did this for I guess. Later on in one of my recipe post I recommended an oil sprayer in the post. You can't talk about equipment I guess and he banned me again. Thing was he has to approve every post and he approved mine. I did nothing wrong and was very upset as I really enjoyed the people other than him! Started looking for other recipe clubs and found this one.

I am a relatively newbe on that FB page and I agree with all you said! Do you still follow the page?

 

[Cody_Mack]

My father is awesome, but BBQ/Grilling Cook was not something he ever really got into to teach me technique. When I moved on and joined the Marines I bought a Weber Kettle and winged it for years, but one random day I was at Home Depot and, on impulse, bought a Weber's Real Grilling Cook Book. Reading through the introduction it was the first time that I was introduced to techniques and recipes for BBQ/grilling and the change was huge. Using that book literally changed my life, It was the first time I was really proud of the food that I prepared for friends/family and how I met my wife. I started getting cocky and bought a Bar-B-Chef offset when Box stores had offsets that were actually heavy duty. Then disaster, I screwed up bad on was a Brisket that I absolutely destroyed to the the most atomic charcoal level. It was unsalvageable and that terrified me to ever spend that kind of money and ruin a cook again. But, returning from my third Iraq deployment a Cajun friend in my team showed me how BBQ was really done, and when my new Bride and I got orders to the Mojave Desert, I was motivated to get back on the Brisket horse. I asked Google and came here and the change was once again dramatic. @foamheart took pity on a Marine and worked with me and taught me a ton and became a great friend. @noboundaries was the first to message me. @chef jimmyj was also a big help, and so many others. After my hiatus, due to life and work, its been so great being back on and make more new friends with the same passion. Whenever I get compliments on my BBQ or cooking I refer people here.

Sir, thanks for your Service!

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

I am a relatively newbe on that FB page and I agree with all you said! Do you still follow the page?

I was banned for suggesting that oil sprayer so can't even look at the page now. That Moore guy is a real piece of work. The people on there had become like family as there are here which is why it really hurt. I really think he was jealous of me taking away to much of his spotlight. A lot of people got to where the where afraid to post fearing getting ban for one small rule break.

 

[SmokyMose]

I honestly don't remember what got me here. I had an electric smoker that fried a circuit and moved to a gasser and was looking for info.
I guess I stumbled on the site, and when I found out you could actually make your own sausage I was hooked....

 

[Cody_Mack]

Sorry double post!

 

[Cody_Mack]

I was banned for suggesting that oil sprayer so can't even look at the page now. That Moore guy is a real piece of work. The people on there had become like family as there are here which is why it really hurt. I really think he was jealous of me taking away to much of his spotlight. A lot of people got to where the where afraid to post fearing getting ban for one small rule break.

Yeah I had my own run-in with him. A couple of times. The second time I called him out for his double-standards and surprisingly he owned up in public that I was right, and re-instated my post. Some folks were arguing about beans/no beans in chili, so instead of dealing with the folks that got rude he banned all chili posts; on a Texas Recipe page for gosh sakes. I'm sure he didn't like it that he had to own up in public. And like you say, bunch of nice folks there, too.

 

[Cody_Mack]

I came here first looking for ideas to build a brick smoker. Didn't hang around long then, but a smokin' bug hit me several months later and I came back and now on here every day. Lots and lots of wonderful gentlemen and ladies on here, and I can easily say this is the friendliest and most civil forum I have been on, and that's over 30 years banging on a computer!

Rick

 

[Winterrider]

I started on the larger scale smoking venison ring sausage and summer sausage in a 3'x3'x7'. Wanted to get into doing jerky other than the use of dehydrator so purchased a King Kooker propane smoker. Alright but hard to regulate lower temps. Started researching electrics from a co-workers recommendation, and came up with the MES 40 as many here were using. A few modifications from the great folks here and has been the best smoker I could have ever purchased.

 

[JckDanls 07]

My wife bought me a cheap Char-griller grill for Christmas one year... No side firebox... Had no clue how to do anything other than grilling... So I started researching how to smoke with it... brought me to this site.. I lurked for a long time as I don't do social sites .. But when Al ( smoking al ) and Doug ( dougmays ) started a thread about doing a S. Fl, Gathering I signed up just to see If a stranger/newbie/lurker could come to the Gathering or if it was for members only ... Of course they said ALL people were invited even lurkers.... Well.. I went and haven't missed one since... Next will be the 11th Annual ...

Then I seen Jerry's ( pineywoods ) N. Fl. Gathering and decided to go to that one as well... This is where I got the hands on training/learning of how to make sausage from Joe ( boykjo ) and Rick ( BGKYSmoker )...

So all the things that I know now about smoking and sausage making are all a result of Smoking Meat Forums... Jeff ( TulsaJeff ) I want to THANK YOU again for such a friendly/knowledgeable web site ...