WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO SMF?

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Sorry about some of my previous ranting. This post brought back some really hurt feelings that in turn brought me to my SMF home. Now I have to have a drink so I can try to forget them again.

 

[HalfSmoked]

Make it a double and I will join you after all I've had going on.

Warren

 

[MJB05615]

Forget what? I've already started drinking.

 

[chopsaw]

Sorry about some of my previous ranting.

LOL . I get it completely .

I've already started drinking.

I started once . I was 14 ,, never stopped .

 

[texomakid]

Been around the casual cooking of BBQ & smoking meats for most of my life with dad, uncles, relatives, & friends smoking briskets & spare ribs from back in the day as well as the many old classic BBQ joints we used to stop at - It's been a fun journey. Along the way at some point I wanted to "make my own rub". Got on the inner webs and found TulsaJeff rub & sauce recipe so I purchased them and enjoyed mixing & using them. Then he introduced the "Texas Rub" so heck I purchased that recipe too and around that time I stumbled into the forum - I lurked for several years prior to joining and finally jumped in around the time I purchased the Pellet cooker. I've had many smokers over the years - a couple of electric, had a few stick burners, ect ...

but it all started with the Brinkmann Bullet.......

Around 40 or 50 years ago I saw my first bullet. These were popular in my circle since they were very affordable. The recipe back in the early days was simple - charcoal, pepsi (that was the secret fluid in the water pan) and brisket or ribs with lots of salt & pepper on them. LOTS of Cold Beer and about 12 hours of cooking & adding charcoal. Slipping in a little chunk of wood was really next level.

Slap yo momma! I've seen a lot of really good food come out of one of these and even more memories of friends and family.

I'm glad I found this place. Nice to be able to discuss smoking meat & BBQ without all the static.

 

[boykjo]

I was searching website's that were about making sausage. Most websites were all about BBQ which I knew very little about. SMF had a sausage forum. I finally found people that had the same addiction. Here I learned how to make BBQ, share what I had learned over the years making sausage, met some awesome people at gatherings and made a few friends along the way.
My first post back in 2010

Hello from Raleigh NC

I have been surfing this website for a while and you all are a great group of people with a lot of knowledge about building, smoking meat, poultry and fish. I decided to join in and share with many of you. First I would like to introduce myself and tell you a little about me. My name is Joe and...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Boykjo

 

[pc farmer]

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 ...

You need to make it to a pa gathering

 

[SmokinAl]

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?

Yes there was a long period of adjustment. After going so long without eating any flesh, including fish. Our boldies did not make the enzyme’s that it takes to break meat down. The meat just sat there in our stomachs & in our intestines. It seems like it would take several days to make it thru our digestive systems. I would say it took about 6 months before we could fully digest a piece of meat. Actually we still go most days vegetarian, and when we do eat meat, we go for quality instead of quantity.
Al

 

[nanuk]

the smell of smoked sausage
the taste of bacon

that's what brought me here

 

[justplainbob]

Yes there was a long period of adjustment. After going so long without eating any flesh, including fish. Our boldies did not make the enzyme’s that it takes to break meat down. The meat just sat there in our stomachs & in our intestines. It seems like it would take several days to make it thru our digestive systems. I would say it took about 6 months before we could fully digest a piece of meat. Actually we still go most days vegetarian, and when we do eat meat, we go for quality instead of quantity.
Al

went veg when I "fell in love" at 20
5 years or so
gained weight
big adjustment getting back to normal

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Around 40 or 50 years ago I saw my first bullet. These were popular in my circle since they were very affordable. The recipe back in the early days was simple - charcoal, pepsi (that was the secret fluid in the water pan) and brisket or ribs with lots of salt & pepper on them. LOTS of Cold Beer and about 12 hours of cooking & adding charcoal. Slipping in a little chunk of wood was really next level.

Those things put out amazing ribs!

 

[HalfSmoked]

Masssmoke, and crazymoon Thanks for the like I appreciate it.

Warren

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

Always loved grilling going back to when I was a kid and then when I was in high school running the tailgates for high school football games. Spent most of my 5 years in college drinking beer and eating ramen noodles and totinos party pizzas. Got married, bought a house, had kids. Continued grilling. Bought a Masterbuilt analog smoker from Aldi's about 8-9 years ago for $100.00. Lurked here for a long time checking out recipes and techniques teaching myself how to smoke. Finally joined almost 4 years ago now. 4 grills, 3 smokers, countless other cooking utensils and outdoor cooking equipment later, I have made several lifelong friends and learned more than I could ever give back. Appreciate you all for putting up with me for this long!

As an added bonus I am now a master at making peach dump cake and smoked chex mix.

 

[crazymoon]

I had figured out sausage making/ stuffing/smoking by reading books ( there was no internet back then). I bought a new smoker(PK 100) for sausage and decided to expand my smoking by doing some ribs. I found this site while looking for rib info. I loved the friendly folks and have been hanging around ever since. The ideas,tips,recipes and other information have been invaluable over the years. SMF is an awesome site to belong to !

 

[mosparky]

I worked for a Head Meatcutter who also runs a butchering business from home. He did a bit of cold smoking and brought in some cold smoked snack sticks. I have always been interested in sausage making. That was enough to get me to start looking into doing my own. A google search landed me here and a little reading convinced me that was not the place to start. A little more reading got me to thinking about a whole new world of smoking meats and sausages I never thought I could do myself. Very soon after that I decided my ECB just wasn't going to cut it. This place has been spending my money and expanding my aspirations ever since.

 

[JLeonard]

COVID struck the country. Restaurants were closed down. The whole dang country was in lockdown. I was bored sitting at home. Got to looking on the Neighborhood app and ran across a Masterbilt Propane smoker for sell. $50 still in the box. I thought what the heck. Bought it then got to searching trying to figure out what the heck to do with it. Then I ran across this forums and thus began my trip down the rabbit hole of cooking. I was always a basic cook, But now I'm a basic cook with a bigger repertoire. LOL. Lots of great info gleaned from here. Some really great friends that I've never met (my wife calls 'em enablers but whatever ).
Jim

 

[BandCollector]

COVID struck the country. Restaurants were closed down. The whole dang country was in lockdown. I was bored sitting at home. Got to looking on the Neighborhood app and ran across a Masterbilt Propane smoker for sell. $50 still in the box. I thought what the heck. Bought it then got to searching trying to figure out what the heck to do with it. Then I ran across this forums and thus began my trip down the rabbit hole of cooking. I was always a basic cook, But now I'm a basic cook with a bigger repertoire. LOL. Lots of great info gleaned from here. Some really great friends that I've never met (my wife calls 'em enablers but whatever ).
Jim

Enablers?. . .LOL. . .Love it!

John

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

(my wife calls 'em enablers but whatever ).

 

[ravenclan]

I started a new job and one of my co-workers had a BBQ restaurant back in the day. He still smoked meat and invited me over to his place to help him.

And that started my "have to smoke meat and buy bigger, better smokers and every thing that goes with it!!!"

I did a lot of grilling before that but the taste of the meat from a smoker was a new level of taste that I wanted to do at my own place.

After buying a cheap Brinkman smoker and failing many, many times, I started looking on the internet and this forum popped up first. I joined and did a lot of reading before I would try and smoke any thing but after about a week of reading I tried my hand again and went with spare ribs.

That first bite and the reaction of the family and friends, I knew I was on to some thing big.

I still blame my co-worker for this addiction.

 

[JLeonard]

View attachment 524488

You dont know how close to home this meme is!
Jim