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Greetings from North Florida

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    Greetings from North Florida

    Hi, my name is Don. My journey here is a journey born of frustration. I was never a big bbq fan until about 15 years ago when I found a place that made what I thought was good bbq. 10 years ago they had the nerve to close on an Easter Sunday when I was really craving some q(lol, I know, but I was young and didn't know better). So, being frustrated with them, I decided I would start making my own ribs and show them. That led me to Bass Pro Shops and a little bullet smoker from Brinkmann that cost $25. And I was off and running. Man those 1st ribs were absolutely horrible. You couldn't get the meat to come off the bone if you had a tow truck helping you. But i was happy because it was something I made, and I was hoping there was no way it could get any worse, or at least I was hoping that was the case. They got worse. The next few times, I tried boiling them for 10 minutes prior to smoking(if you decide to suspend my membership over that, I understand). needless to say it was a nice failure. Then I found the Texas crutch. The 1st time I unwrapped the ribs, was the moment I officially had the bug. I always hoped, but wondered if I could get ribs that tender. After playing around with seasonings and sauce for a few more years, I ended up with a rib that I deemed acceptable. My next challenge was pulled pork. Which came along very quickly. I didn't know until this site it was actually a more forgiving meat than ribs.

    About 2 years ago, I realized that little bullet smoker had served it's purpose, and it was time to take the training wheels off and find something bigger. So I started looking online for smokers. I knew I wanted a big, woodburning smoker because I had eaten some q in Amarillo that I swear is still imprinted on my tastebuds. I also knew that I wanted a utility smoker that I could grow with as my knowledge increased. I knew it was gonna be a goal to make bacon and sausage at home eventually, and have the ability for massive cookouts without worrying about space. And my search kept coming back to the same pit, over and over. The price was a bit unnerving, but I figured if I did right by it on maintainence, I wouldn't have to buy another pit for a long time. So in October 2015, I took the plunge and ordered a Yoder, Durango 20 loaded. I'll admit it has been a steep learning curve going from a CBS(cheap bullet smoker), to what my friends and family call The Beast. But it has been an awesome journey. When people 1st see it, their 1st word is usually "Whoa". So far I have surpassed my previous ribs and pork butt, bacon, whole chickens, smoked a prime rib, and managed to even smoke some turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas. My current project is 2 fold; brisket and fire management. Fire management is coming along better than brisket now that I have found a good source of seasoned cherry, pecan, and hickory. Brisket will eventually get there with reps.

    I'm not really good at tech stuff, but I will try and post some pictures of the pit soon.


    #2
    Welcome edible hen

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      #3
      edible hen Welcome to The Pit! I just bought a house outside of Pensacola in Milton that we'll close on at the end of March. What area are you in?

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      • edible hen
        edible hen commented
        Editing a comment
        I'm over in Tallahassee

      • Stoney
        Stoney commented
        Editing a comment
        I'm in between you two, in around Destin

      #4
      Welcome to the Pit! After my non-ceramic original kamado from Japan wore out I cooked on a bullet smoker for 10 years or so. There wasn't much info on the web or many BBQ books available back then, so the learning curve was slow, but I could get good results. I finally got tired of getting up at 3 or 4 in the morning to add more fuel on the 12 hour plus cooks, so I bit the bullet five years ago and bought a Big Green Egg. This site has given me some great insights to up my game.
      Last edited by LA Pork Butt; March 20, 2016, 06:08 AM.

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        #5
        edible hen - welcome to The Pit and welcome to The Addiction!

        I have a friend who has a Yoder that I've cooked on a few times while we sit, listen to some hard driving rock 'n roll, shoot the bull, and stay in shape doing our 12 ounce curls! It's a very good cooker and it pops out some really good BBQ.

        Glad you're on board!
        Last edited by CeramicChef; March 19, 2016, 07:19 AM. Reason: Dadgum typos!

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          #6
          Welcome to The Pit edible hen! Glad to have you here. That Durango 20 is definitely a BEAST! Nice one.

          Since this is your first post, 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!

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            #7
            edible hen, Welcome to The Pit! I enjoyed your intro! It's obvious you have lost your Pin Feathers when it come to Q!
            Eat Well and Prosper! From Fargo ND, Dan

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              #8
              Welcome to the pit, enjoy.

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                #9
                Thanks for the warm reception. I'll admit I do alot of reading and not much posting. And it's all quality reading. I really enjoy the fact that people are willing to help build the next pitmaster.

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                  #10
                  I finally was able to upload some pics.

                  Comment


                  • Twharton
                    Twharton commented
                    Editing a comment
                    I'm in Gulf Breeze (Pensacola / Pensacola Beach)...Florida's westernmost speed trap! I've been cooking on a Komodo Kamado for 10 years now. What is your source for seasoned cherry, pecan, hickory? Or is that DTS (Double Top Secret) Thanks in advance...Tom

                  • edible hen
                    edible hen commented
                    Editing a comment
                    No big secret, I found a local supplier on Craigslist. It's all seasoned logs.

                  #11
                  Twharton I have a house in Milton, close to I-10, so not too far from you! Welcome to The Pit!

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