Checking in

[Black Phillip]

Hey guys..and gals,

I've referenced this site so many times over the last few years, I figured I better get my act together and purchase Meatheads book and get into The Pit. I live in the Hudson Valley, New York, about 2 hours north of NYC. There's a lot of great places to eat and drink around here as the last few years have seen a huge push for farm to table and local breweries and distilleries have popped up almost every other month.
Within two miles of my house I have two wineries, two breweries and a distillery literally in my back yard. Now, with all that being said, the one thing that's missing is a great BBQ joint! I mean, they exist, but nothing to really warrant dropping the kind of money they want. I've always enjoyed cooking outdoors, do it year round, so I searched around on the web for something that could make me a better cook and crank out some seriously great food. After a few false starts I came across this website and was immediately hooked.
As of this point I'm just banging away with a Weber Kettle and a Ducane Affinity gas grill, but want to move up into a decent smoker. I want something with a little more cooking surface than the kettle can provide and will probably pull the trigger in the next month or so whenever I can get some money back from the IRS. Ha...right.

[Huskee]

Welcome to The Pit Black Phillip! A great smoker/cooker that wont; break the bank is the Pit Barrel Cooker (PBC). ~$300 delivered and it's plug & play so no extensive assembly. If you have already heard of it, forgive me. If you need any help deciding just holler, lots of members can offer pros and cons on an array of cookers. Don't forget to check out the Slow 'N Sear for that kettle. Both these products are listed in the sidebar at the right (if you're on a desktop or widescreen device).

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:

1. Give us an email address you actually use. You can set or change your email on file with us by clicking your name in the upper-right, then User Settings, then the Notifications tab.
2. Add the domain AmazingRibs.com to your email safe list. We NEVER spam! This is important to receive notices about your account, such as if you’re up for renewal or are ever drawn as our monthly Gold Medal Giveaway winner, which is open to all USA members or those with a USA delivery address (we’d hate to have to pick another person because you don’t answer us)!

Hope to hear & see more from you!

[Black Phillip]

Thanks for the response Huskee! I've been going through my homework assignment, but as this is a Saturday and New Years Eve, I may have to hand it in a little late. I actually have checked out the PBC via the site and am really psyched to pick it up.

[lschweig]

A very hearty welcome from Illinois.

[Black Phillip]

Thanks everyone, looking forward to reading everything and showing my brother in law who's the better cook

[RonB]

Welcome to The Pit.

[Shane Rakow]

Welcome from Nebraska!

[LA Pork Butt]

Welcome to the Pit!

[Nate]

Welcome from Indiana..,

[fuzzydaddy]

Welcome from Florida!

[DWCowles]

Welcome Black Phillip

[Mr. Bones]

Howdy from Kansas Territory, Black Phillip ! Welcome to th' Pit!

[Lowjiber]

Welcome to The Pit from Las Vegas, Phillip. Lot's to learn here. These folks can cook.

[MBMorgan]

Welcome aboard from Colorado!

[Steve B]

Hey neighbor. I'm in rockland county. Welcome aboard. What kind of smoker are you looking for? And you're right not to many good bbq places around here. Finks is pretty good and I can walk there if I wanted to. Looking foreword to another NY'ers input.

[Black Phillip]

Hey Steve, thanks for the post.. I'm not looking for a huge smoker so probably the PBC from what I've been reading. It's mainly me that eats meat in this family so I don't need to crank out 8 racks of ribs during a cook, but want the option for a cookout or what not.

[Steve B]

Same here. Just me and my wife and she won't eat alot of what I smoke. Everyone seems to love the PBC. Think that's a good way to go. I'm thinking about one myself.
Where about in NY are you?

[Black Phillip]

Right on the Dutchess/Columbia County line. It's a cool area. My wife has been a vegetarian for about 15 years and my son, who's 9, only likes chicken and god forbid it has something other than Italian dressing marinade on it. So, yeah, I'm just doing this for myself

[Spinaker]

Welcome to the Pit! We are happy to have you here. I don't know how close Syracuse is to where your at but, Dinosaur BBQ is an awesome spot for Que. They also have a restaurant in a few different cities in NY. Check them out!

[Black Phillip]

Thanks Spinaker, I'm in Columbia county...about 2.5 hours from Syracuse. Been a while since I was up there, but remember going to the Blue Tusk and they had a great beer selection. Ended up taking a taxi and crashing some college house party and that's about all I can tell you about Syracuse, lol.

[Spinaker]

Hahahaha sounds like a solid Saturday night. Black Phillip