What is it that makes us different?

[bigarm's smokin]

Hey my friends. I attended my weekly spirtual meeting today. We all bring some food to share in. As usual for me, I brought something BBQ. Today it was soup made from the left over BBQ turkey from thanksgiving. Everyone loved the soup, the largest pot I own came home with one bowl left in it. It seem that no matter what I bring, chicken, spare ribs, brisket, smoked scalloped spuds, etc, everyone just loves the food.

And the thing is, is that my food is a long way from the excellence that many of you have put out for many years, don't get me wrong, my food is good, but I am just a novice, yet they always take some home and say, "when you gonna bring some more?" So given the love they have for BBQ, why is it that only one person there actually makes his own BBQ? Why don't they get the bug like all of us have? I will admit, I truely am addicted to smoked foods and it is my joy in life to BBQ every thing I can, to read this forum for the wonderful input and ideas from y'all, to enjoy the friendship of the many people that I have met here.
Again, I just don't get it. Why are we so passionate about BBQ, and others who love to eat our creations, are content to wait till the next time we fire the ole girl up?

 

[mossymo]

BigArm's smokin
I know plenty of friends like that, love what you make, want you to make them some, heck one of mine even has his own smoker; but far as I can tell, the bug just has not climbed up far enough for them. Personally I do not like bugs so as soon as it presented itself to me, I started smoking so it wold not climb up !!!!

 

[homebrew & bbq]

Some of them are just plain afraid to try or don't have the experience or knowledge to even cook on a stove.

My wife has worked with people who won't ever make a substitution in a recipe because they are afraid it won't turn out. Not even things as simple as putting pecans in cookies instead of walnuts.

A friend of my mom's won't or can't double a recipe. If she wants twice as much she makes the entire recipe twice... two separate batches.

Some folks just didn't get the training or experience at home to make their own food.

 

[ajthepoolman]

I would also add that so many families today are both working which means that Chili's is about as close to BBQ as they ever get.

 

[bustedluckbarbq]

good question.... I dunno.... My bud Gramason was smokin' up his place... and i started being one of those people.... and he was tellin about this site and trying more and more things at our horseshoe tourns... the food was coming out awesome... under his advice i went and got my char griller.... and started jumpin' on here.... and i was hooked.... i had cooked before but nowhere near as good as now.... just tips tricks i learned watching him and from here.....

 

[scotty]

people have other passions/hobbies and wonder why everyone elese doesnt feel the same way about them.

This bunch on SMF seems to be a group that has quite a few diferent hobbies/passions.

Fishing
hunting
mountain bikes
horses
motorcycls --we have 7 i think
sausage making isnt necessarily a smoking thing
brewing beer
making wine
collecting buttons
photography
some raise livestock ((YUCK POO POO LOL LOL))
dogs
cats
Family is definitely a great passion for us all

I was a magician before the stroke
Ham radio nut
i have more electric appliances than wall mart


But now that I am smoking food, i must wonder


WHY THE HECK ISNT EVERYONE INTERESTED IN DOING IT?????

 

[ds7662]

After talking with sevreal friends and family members who love smoked food I have come to a conclussion as to why not everyone is smoking their own yet.
Simply put it is TIME. Some say it takes to long and they don't have the patience. Some say they dont like the idea of having to tend to the food or a fire. Some say that the entire process takes to long, from prep to finish.
We all lead busy lives now with everything that everyone has to do.

I say you have to make time. Like you make time to go to church or to go to the gym, or anything else that we all make time for.
To me it is work but, the kind of work that relaxes me. I have tried telling so many this. That once the fire is going just sit back with a cold one and relax.

 

[bigal]

BBQ takes work, time, patience, and practice. We(30 somethings) are in a "I want it NOW" society that can't wait for anything. Instant gratification, everything needs done now, something is going on week nights and most weekends..........it is just our world today.

Hamburgers are quick and easy to make, yet we go out to eat them in a restaurant and anymore don't have time to even go inside to get it. And God forbid if we have to wait 30sec at the drive up!

Money may be the biggest factor. People have enough money to pay someone else to cook for them(ie restaurants, fast food, etc), drive fancy cars, yet can't pay the elec bill or put close on their kids.

This is just what I see. I'm the same way, although I pay the elec bill so my pellet smoker will still work

.........the kids run around naked(thank God we live in the country!)

Good question, made me think.......which is a rare thing for me to do.

 

[wavector]

I get most of my enjoyment watching others enjoy what I cook. I enjoy the process of maintaining the smoker and watching the fire/coals. It gives me time to enjoy nature, my cats and deep thought. I don't use alcoholic beverages in my body, so that's not it. I don't hunt or fish, I did before I got into smoking. If I was to be completely honest about it you guys would really laugh. But, if you want to know I'll PM you.

 

[t-bone tim]

Terry my friend , for me firing up the smoker is my therapy, cleans out my mind of all thoughts at least for awhile ... helps keep me sane ...

then there's all the bonus that comes with it ,the great tasting foods, sharing with most appreciative friends , learning from one another here , making new friends , and the list could go on and on !


like what was already said , most people think ther'ye just to busy and prolly are , with the way life tends to be now

..........

for me it was easy to become hooked on this smoking thing , can't imagine life without it now

 

[hawgheaven]

That's a great question Terry.

I can only guess that others don't want to make the time commitment and would rather eat what is prepared for them. No muss, no fuss.

Ya' gotta love to cook and feed people in order to make the commitment to real BBQ... there's alot of folks out there that don't know a stove from a cinderblock, and they're content with that.

 

[rip]

Alot of good points here but I think like Big Al on this one. People want everything NOW! For me I live in the country when I fire up my smoker I sit out there and enjoy the peace and quiet, watch deer and fox in the pastures and enjoy what god gave us, and I thank him for it everyday. I can't even think of myself living in the city.

 

[cowgirl]

Me too RIP, me too.

In my area, there is no place to get together socially outside of church.
So we have "get togethers"....one friend is a wiz at fish fries, another friend has a calf fry every year. Another has a chili/gumbo party in the winter.
I have pig roasts, cook on the smoker and cinder block pit or bury meat in the underground pit.
Due to the fact that I raise shrimp, I also have crawdad/shrimp boils at least once a year.

I forgot......there is a group of elderly men that have a wild game feed once a year. They use a backhoe to dig a long trench 6'x20' long...burn wood in the trench to get a nice bed of hot coals, then lay rods across the trench to hold the food. Meat is seasoned and layed right on the rods, beans and tatoe dishes are in foil pans or iron pots right on top of the rods.
They use long poles with hooks to turn the meat.
It goes on all day and most of the night.
Those fellas put out a good spread.

 

[deejaydebi]

Terry -

I've been bringing in BBQ to work since I started the job last March and everyone raves. In August the Navy Exchange had a clearance sale and 3 people bought the last of the ECB Gourmet smokers for $25 each.

I helped put them together and season them all after work. Gave them all links to my website and SMF and guess how many got used so far? NONE! No one "has the time." When they found out it wasn't like grilling steaks or chicken no body even tried it - yet. I have hopes that the season was late and they didn't get around to it.

 

[hawgheaven]

Hey Deb, check and see if any of those folks want to get rid of them... I am getting my sister and BIL out in Michigan hooked on BBQ, I could use an "affordable" Christmas gift for them...

 

[deejaydebi]

Ya know Phil if they hadn't wanted to buy them I would have just for traveling and leaving at the places I have to carry stuff to all the time.

I am tempted to ask though. I wonder if they'd be insulted?

 

[hawgheaven]

Yeah, that could be a problem... doggone shame for those little gems to just sit around and not get used though!

 

[richoso1]

Terry, I just experienced that same thing yesterday. My wife took some red pork tamales and green chile and cheese tamales to a tailgate. As soon as we were there, they all said "we've been waiting for those tamales", but no one else ever brings tamales. When we were leaving they said, " We thought you were going to bring some chicken salad sandwiches too", but nobody else ever brings any. I think in some cases, some of us are just creatures of habit, not really giving thought of contributing. You are A Good Man Terry, bless you and your Q.

 

[bigarm's smokin]

Thanks for all the replys on this. You helped me get a different view point.

I love the food and the pleasure of producing it so much, I couldn't understand why others didn't, as Marty says, "get the bug". I guess it boils down to, "to each, his own". My own is, BBQ and the SMF. It is my absolute joy to be associated with all you fine people.