New members just a bit of advice from my experience as a new member.

[Guy]

Hey hope everyone as a rookie pit master and new member reads this in time. Try not to purchase any new equipment until you read some of the topics on this site. There is a lot of info here that I did not know. A good example is if I had known about the PBC (Pit Barrel Smoker) I doubt I would have brought a (WSM) Weber Smokey Mountain. Not at first anyway. However, this site does a good job of persuading you to pull the trigger or is that just us men and our toys?

[Huskee]

This site and the members here do a great job of quelling the fear of the unknown, and giving folks the confidence, knowledge and science, and at the very least- recipes, to tackle something that's well within their reach as a backyard cook!

[Guy]

Huskee, you are right and I have learned a lot I wish I had known before. However, better late than never.

[smarkley]

That is a good idea, Guy. There is so much info here on toys and useful tools, it makes real good sense to wait and do research here before buying anything.

A good resource besides the Pit member is AR's Equipment reviews >>

http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment_reviews_ratings/reviews_ratings

It is a veritable gold mine of info... and in fact is the place where I made the decision to get my Pit Barrel. My mantra now is do not buy anything before consulting Equipment reviews section!

Also an area EVERYONE should read, more than once probably, is the Tips and Techniques area... it will give you all kinds of ideas on how to do things and tools you may need to do them >>

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/index.html

[Guy]

What a great site.

[Huskee]

Good job smarkley!

[David Parrish]

True words smarkley! Both are great sections to read before any purchase.

[HC in SC]

Consumer Reports for all things BBQ!

[KenD]

I absolutely agree with not buying until you've read the reviews on an item in this site. I made that mistake on an cheap off-set smoker. Depot was good enough to accept it back and I bought a PBC which I love. Now I almost over research if that's possible. :-)

[David Parrish]

Consumer Reports for all things BBQ!

I am so hoping you mean AmazingRibs is the "Consumer Reports" of BBQ and not "we should all read Consumer Reports for BBQ". We need to clarify or Huskee is going to get befuddled!

[Guy]

LMAO, about Huskee.

[Huskee]

I am befuddled. You are befuddling me.

[Beefchop]

Good advice--I bought a PBC before it was featured here on amazingribs.com and made my buying decision after viewing the instructional videos that Noah has produced for the PBC.

While I think the review here is awesome (Max does a nice job of underscoring the point that this is a product designed to work right out of the box without modification), I still think those vids are a must see for anyone considering the PBC set up and wish they were linked on the review. That's the only thing I'd add to the amazingribs review.

I think the PBC should be billed as the perfect "first smoker" for any BBQ enthusiast who wants something reliable and easy to use. Not a satisfying option for the hands-on BBQ enthusiast...

[HC in SC]

Although I do hit up Consumer Reports for many items, their threshold for anything BBQ is pretty low. You are right Pitboss - I totally left out the "this site is the". My bad .

[David Parrish]

No "My Bad" necessary. We all knew what you meant

[fracmeister]

I am befuddled. You are befuddling me.

I hope now you can become just "fuddled" instead of "befuddled"....

[Huskee]

If I was befuddled, then fuddled again.... was I refuddled??

[Breadhead]

I as a new member from an hour ago have been lurking around this website for about 5 years. After grilling and smoking meat for the last 45 years I finally learned how to do it properly. I learned to make my own rubs and sauces. I learned that the touch and feel method of determining when a steak is done is a foolish thing to do when can get a thermopen for less than $100. I've studied all of the different sections just out of curiosity some I use some I don't but i love to learn. I always give Meathead credit when my friends and family comment on how good their food tastes that I prepared for them. They too have become Meathead fans. Low and slow and lots of beer... What a life!

[Guy]

Welcome to The Pit. I agree. What a life.

[Huskee]

Welcome aboard Wartface! please head on over to the Introduce Yourself channel and give us a little bio if you wish. Then tackle that signature by reading Pit Boss Welcome & Announcements channel.

[Marauderer]

Welcome to the "Pit Nation Wf. you are going to like it here. I look forward to your Posts and Pics.

[Devildog]

I've been grilling and smoking meats for the last 10 years and have followed meathead for the last 5. My specialty is wild game, especially ducks and geese. I started out with 2 Lyfe Tyme smoker grills but now have a MAC 1 General pellet grill and a Meadowcreek 36 smoker grill which I recently purchased along with 2 Weber gas grills! Always interested in new rubs, recipes and sauces especially for wild game!

[Huskee]

Welcome Devildog! As I stated to another member above, please head on over to the Introduce Yourself channel and give us a little bio if you wish. Then tackle that signature by reading Pit Boss' Welcome & Announcements channel.