what started the addiction for you

[brandsbay]

Can you remember the very first thing you smoked and what was it that got you into smoking

 

[brandsbay]

The first thing I ever smoked was some Mackerel on an ECB.It was after my 3rd hunting trip to Arkansas where my buddy had smoked some turkeys and a butt ,it was the butt that did it for me ,I was hooked for life,came home and bought an ECB,

 

[smokin365]

I never had anything smoked till my freshman year in high school when i got a job at a q joint. We smoked hams, ribs and butts for the buffet. My first thought is "Whats the deal with the big smokey thing outside, and why would a restaraunt take that long to cook anything?" But after i tried a rack of smoked ribs, i knew the answer and was hooked. the first thing that i smoked outside of the restaraunt was a turkey.

 

[richtee]

Long, long ago, in a country far away...
Got no recollection on what I had first or first helped smoke. Twas knee-high to a grasshopper. The Hungarian side smoked sausage, hams and bacon from the beginning of time.

 

[smokin' dick]

Went to visit my sister who lives in Winston-Salem,NC about 10 years ago.
We went to a place called Pig Pickins', had the pulled pork. I was hooked.

 

[fatback joe]

I can tell you it was 1993, since that is when I got my first smoker to call my own...........but unfortunately I don't remember what was the first cook. If I had to guess, I would say it was a ham since I did a lot of hams when I first started out.

Edit......I forgot to mention that what got me interested in the first place was the ham and sausage that my grandpa would churn out in his smokehouse. Wish I would have paid more attention when I was young.....still can't duplicate the taste.

 

[sandman67]

My brother in law had this small electric smoker and one weekend while we were visting he decided to smoke some salmon and tuna as a snack for us.

I was done. Man what flavor! I went home and brought an ECB and have been working at getting better at this style of cooking ever since. That was 8 years ago.

I'm working my way up to a brisket.

 

[biggiesize]

I stumbled across this Q joint, this guy had a huge pile of wood and two huge smokers out front of his shop. had to stop and try some. You could smell it a mile away. started talking to him and after and hour and getting a tutorial on the fine art of the smoke, I devised a plan to build a monster my self. Once the old lady saw what I had planned she ran out and bought me a treager for fathers day. Its not my monster smoker but It got me started. My first brisket was great and hae had good luck with my pork. this forum has brought my level of cooking to a whole new level. I still plan on building my monster, just dont tell my wife.

 

[ga84gw]

This is an easy one for me. I just got started a month or so ago. I have always loved pulled pork and a neighbor had this really nice smoker. In talking to him earlier this summer, he told us he was moving. Somehow the smoker came up in conversation and he said he wasn't moving it again as it was too heavy and he just didn't use it enough. My wife immediately said "we will take it". We didn't even ask the price but it turned out to be a steal of a deal. You can see it in my avatar. Only paid $300 for it

Once I found out we were getting it, I got online and found this site pretty quick and started reading. Soon as i dragged it(literally) across the yard to my house, I fired it up and have done about 7 smokes in about the same amount of weeks. Nahhh...I'm not hooked. As others have said, I can quit any time I want, I just don't want to.

 

[flash]

Long ago, 35 years or so, Merrit Island, FL. North Bananna River Drive. One of my oldest best friends introduced me to the ECB and smoked turkey. Pretty much I thought that was all you smoked for awhile. My ECB was bought shortly after that and I still use it to this day.

 

[sooner fan]

Don't know why but one day went out and bought a ECB took it home, seasoned it, and put on a 5pnd bologna chunk and have been hooked ever since. Haven't done bologna in years but just thinking about makes me think I may have to go back to my roots this weekend.

 

[richtee]

Nothing like being sure and confident before the "B" word smoke eh? LOL!

 

[lcruzen]

For me I was just out of High School(late 70's)and visiting my parents. Their new neighbors(2 female nurses at the VA hospital in Ann Arbor) were having a family reunion. These 2 ladies were cooking a small pig on a homemade spit in a 55 gal drum. It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen and was in amazement that these 2 ladies had this kind of cooking ability. They invited me over to check things out and I hung around long enough to get invited to try some pig. I was hooked and went to my room mate and told him about it and over several beers we decided if they could do it so could we. Party was planned and we pulled our first all niter(as far as cooking goes). Friends and family arrived the next evening and that became a yearly event for several years until we both got married(we both met our eventual wive at the first pig roast). Jobs, kids(theirs), and other responsibilities kept us from continuing the tradition but those parties are still talked about when we get together.

 

[longshot]

Hello my name is Longshot and I am a smokeaholic. It started innocent enough, just some venison jerky after hunting season, then I did some trout. It was just a small Little Chief electric, a few years ago I decided to make some sausage again venison so this was just a hunting season thing. I was innocently looking for sausage recipes and stumbled across this forum, that was the end it was a quick fall and crash. I went and bought a gas smoker and did pork picnic and a brisket my life has never been the same and I BLAME THIS BOARD!!!! Sorry, this is my problem it is nobody else's fault.......

 

[grothe]

BEEF RIBS, BEEF RIBS ,& MORE BEEF RIBS!!!!! I was out in Tennessee visiting when we stopped at a little BBQ place. Never had beef ribs before (always porkers). After trying beefies, I had ta figure out how ta make em. Now I'm addicted ta burnt ends LOL!!!!

 

[ryf]

My father and i used to eat pulled pork sandwiches regularly at a place called "Johns Open Pit" in Huntingtown, Md growing up. in '97 moved to NC, and stopped eating bbq for about 10 years, was not into the vinegar, though I like it with seafood. moved to southeastern Ohio 5 years ago, not much of a smoking scene where we are.

I went to Louisiana earlier this year and went to a BBQ joint with some fellow truck drivers who knew the area, and the sliced pork was so good it got me thinking about me and dad as a kid, and next thing you know I'm burning food learning how to smoke in my gas grill, now I'm learning with my Brinkmann Square Vertical.

 

[solar]

A few friends of mine have been smoking for many many years, and I always loved their food. Being that I was in the restaurant business back then I really had no interest learning to cook a new way because my friends were doing just fine, and it was nice to be able to relax while someoen else cooked. They both started families some years ago and the smoking craze kinda cooled down.

Then a year ago or so, I really wanted some good smoked BBQ, but there's no good places around here that have great grub. So I decided after trolling this site for a couple months to buy a smoker and join this site. Since then I've smoked every weekend except one, and hope I don't miss many other weekends in the future.

 

[surgem7]

My addiction started seventy years ago when my great uncle allowed me to step inside his smoke house during a smoke. Took me seventy years to get my own smoker. Now making up for lost time. Smoke on brothers!

 

[nitrousinfected]

My addiction was born through a combination of occurences and situations. Went to a family reunion and some distant uncle was smoking meat for the gathering and to date have never tasted any better Q, then came the pursuit to find a good "dealer" for my new drug, and turns out there arent alot of GOOD places to get Q around here. Was eating at one of the "best" around here one day and my wife said "I think your ribs are better than these ( yes I was a boil and grill guy),only thing is yours dont have that smokey flavor" Stopped at Wally World on the way home from there and bought my ECB. First smoke was 3 fatties ( it happend to be Blue and Gold sausage time around here) and some turkey legs.

 

[motorhedd]

Being an otr truckdriver afforded me the luxury of tasting "q" all over.what style is my favorite? All of them!
when i got my C/G pro and joined the forum i was amazed(and continue to be amazed)that i could pull it off in my own back yard!
The truly amazing part is all of the off the beaten path bbq joints i have been to that were competition quality with old beat up equipment.