Hello from Atlanta

[slefkoff]

I've been lurking around the amazingribs.com pages for a long time now and finally joined the club. Glad I did, and I'm looking forward to picking your brains, giving advice (when I can), and learning. I've been grilling and smoking with my dad since I was a little kid, and now I've got a 2 year old son that loves nothing more than to "cook outside with daddy". I don't have all that much experience - I cook as a hobby - but one thing I know is that if I could cook every meal outside, I would.

Will update my signature, but I'm working with a Kamado Joe Big Joe, Weber Genesis LP grill, and a firepit that we use for hotdogs and smores (although I'm going to try the iron shovel steak someday soon on there).

I keep Kosher, so while I may salivate looking at pictures of baby backs, I won't be cooking or eating them (no pig). That also means that the meat I buy is super pricey, so I'm somewhat judicious about it (and get unnaturally upset when I mess it up). Such is the life. If you have any questions about keeping Kosher, don't hesitate to ask!

I'm a general practice attorney in the Atlanta area, home of BGE and KJ. I guess we're a bit spoiled here. I've got 2 favorites to cook right now on the Big Joe - thick ribeyes and pizza. Pizza is a big hit with the family. Of course brisket is probably my all time favorite (and I compare it to playing golf...just you and the course), but I don't have that kind of time too often.

Anyway, this is probably too much info for the intro post, but I have learned so much from the amazingribs.com site and I really wanted to join this club as a thank you to everyone. Looking forward to becoming a part of this community.

[fuzzydaddy]

Welcome to The Pit slefkoff! Great intro and not too much info at all. Glad you're here. I have a BGE and Weber Kettles. Brisket is on my to-do list.

[DWCowles]

Welcome slefkoff

[Danjohnston949]

slefkoff, Welcome to The Pit! I for one would Like to Know More About Kosher and keeping It! As a North Dakota Farm Boy if it Mooed, Clucked, Oinked, Flew or Swam we Ate It! In general the Dogs and Cats were spared at least on our farm, Not sure about the Neighbors! The Native Americans On the Turtle Mountain Reservation(Chipewyan) had different dietary custom! We also had a strong contingency of Muslim People most were of Lebanese Decent! Point of interest, Pres. Obama made reference to the first Mosque in the USA that was established in Ross ND, I believe in the 1920's. Neither the town or the Mosque exist anymore! To my knowledge there were no Jewish Families in our neighborhood. There were in the larger ND Cities! Didn't mean to bore you to death! Eat Well and Prosper! From Fargo ND, Dan

[Jerod Broussard]

Welcome and thanks for the support!!!

Never too much info in an intro post....

[Materialgirl]

Welcome! Looking forward to some pictures of your results! If you're ever hungry and don't have something on the smoker, try Moonie's out in Flowery Branch. :-)

[slefkoff]

Haven't been to Moonie's but it sounds like a place I need to try. I'm a good bit from there, but like to get up to FB for Falcons training camp once every summer. Will put it on my list!

[MBMorgan]

Welcome aboard!

[slefkoff]

slefkoff, Welcome to The Pit! I for one would Like to Know More About Kosher and keeping It! As a North Dakota Farm Boy if it Mooed, Clucked, Oinked, Flew or Swam we Ate It! In general the Dogs and Cats were spared at least on our farm, Not sure about the Neighbors! The Native Americans On the Turtle Mountain Reservation(Chipewyan) had different dietary custom! We also had a strong contingency of Muslim People most were of Lebanese Decent! Point of interest, Pres. Obama made reference to the first Mosque in the USA that was established in Ross ND, I believe in the 1920's. Neither the town or the Mosque exist anymore! To my knowledge there were no Jewish Families in our neighborhood. There were in the larger ND Cities! Didn't mean to bore you to death! Eat Well and Prosper! From Fargo ND, Dan

Haha looks like you had everyone but us! The Kosher rules can get complicated (how the animal is killed, oversight by a Rabbi, etc.), but to keep it simple these are the basic rules on what qualities the animal itself must have to be a Kosher animal:

Land:
Must have split hooves and chew its cud
Example: Cow, Lamb, Deer
Common exclusions: Pig, hog, squirrel

Birds:
Must have feathers and cannot be birds of prey (can't eat other birds)
Example: Chicken, turkey, duck
Excluded: Hawks, owls (do people eat those?)

Water:
Must have fins and scales
Example: Salmon, tuna, tilapia
Excluded: Shellfish (Crab, lobster, oysters, muscles, etc.), catfish

Then there are the issues of preparation. There's a prohibition against mixing "meat and milk", which comes from the old testament passage (someone may correct me on this) that says "thou shalt not cook a baby in its mother's milk". Historically there was/is a ton of controversy regarding animals that don't produce milk (like chickens), but the prohibition extends to all land animals. No cheeseburgers, no chicken parm, no blue cheese on steaks, etc. Fried chicken is really tough because most of them have milk or buttermilk in the batter. Fish can be mixed with milk, so tuna melts (and other fish sandwiches with cheese) are ok.

And finally there are issues of certification. This is where the "business" comes in. The rules require that in order for a meat product to be "certified" Kosher, the entire process (from the killing of the animal to the packaging of the product) must be overseen by a Jewish person certified to oversee the Kosher process. Between that step and the simple economics of supply and demand, kosher meat is way more expensive than non-kosher. For example, I bought a whole brisket recently for $12.99 per pound. Damn thing cost me over $150. A few months ago I bought an 8 pound bone-in rib roast for $18.99 a pound (that one was so expensive that I have since switched butchers). And if that's not complicated enough, there are parts of the cow that are not kosher, because of their proximity to some vein (I'm not completely up on that info), but that usually includes tenderloin (although there are some that say the tenderloin can be trimmed or sliced in such a way as to be Kosher. Depends on your perspective for that).

For a few complicated reasons, fish doesn't have to be certified (it just has to be a Kosher fish). I can (and do) go to Costco and pick up the fresh salmon fillets for $7/lb. or so and cook it at home.

Long answer to your question, but I hope it provides some good info. There are so many more issues (I could teach a class on it!) relating to keeping Kosher, including eating at restaurants (some will, some won't). Like any religious practice, you can go full out or pick and choose what you do. Personally, I keep strict Kosher at home but "Kosher style" at restaurants. I'll eat non-certified meat out of the house, but won't eat non-Kosher animals and won't mix milk and meat. So while in my house I will only bring in certified ground beef to make hamburgers or certified chicken for Super Bowl wings, I'll eat a hamburger or wings at my local sports bar even though I know the meat wasn't certified. I won't eat from a non-kosher animal (pig, shrimp, etc.) or mix milk and meat, regardless of where I am.


I hope that all makes sense. Happy to answer any other questions!

[Danjohnston949]

slefkoff, Thanks for the Explanation albeit Abbreviated! I have always had a natural curiosity about Other People's Religions, Traditions and Foods! Please Posts some Pics and Recipes of Your BBQ in the Future! I better not take any more of your Time I know how you Legal Beagles Bill!
Eat Well and Prosper! From Fargo ND, Dan

[Angrygator]

Welcome sir. I just joined the site also. I have one of customers that does some competition cooking and he competed in this one last year, http://www.theatlantakosherbbq.com/, you might want to check it out and get some info.

[slefkoff]

I'm a huge fan of that event. Haven't participated on a team, but have gone to eat. It is a blast.

[LA Pork Butt]

Welcome to the Pit! If cow is okay you must try beef ribs, a gigantic beef clod or settle for a well marbled chuck roast. Happy kosher smoking! I am sure there other others who can give you more help with deciding what to cook.

[slefkoff]

Absolutely love beef ribs. Love them

[josht138]

Welcome! Whereabouts in atlanta are you located? I'm up in Woodstock. Not a lot of kosher options up this way like some of the areas in atlanta proper, the North ATL burbs, and in marietta.

[slefkoff]

I'm in Sandy Springs. A few choices around here, but none are as good as my backyard

[josht138]

Oh well. I don't keep kosher anyway. I'm about to sink in to some glorious treyf spare ribs this evening.

[slefkoff]

Haha bon appétit!

[BigBear]

Welcome to The Pit slefkoff . We're glad you're here!

[Huskee]

Welcome to The Pit slefkoff! Great having you here, and great intro post. We love learning about folks and making new friends. Thanks for sharing your Kosher information too. I assume not mixing milk & meat means cheese as well, as in no cheeseburgers or beef nachos?

Since this is one of your first posts, please check out our homework assignment post for new members, it contains a few how-tos and please-dos. This will help you learn your way around so you can get the best experience from our forum.

Also, it's very important that you add the domain AmazingRibs.com to your email safe list in case you are ever drawn as our monthly Gold Medal Giveaway winner!

Hope to hear & see more from you!

[slefkoff]

Yep - any products made with milk would be excluded from being eaten with meat. No cheeseburgers, beef nachos, hamburger pizza, etc.