Hi Everyone, PapaKnight here (You can call me Papa if you like)

[PapaKnight]

Just wanted to say "Hey", I am a grandfather of exceptional grandchildren. A veteran, I was a Navy corpsman with the Marine Corps infantry based out of Camp Lejeune in the late 1970's I live in the northwest, not a BBQ Mecca, but I have family in Arkansas, and until recently in Texas. I lived in Montana and Wyoming much of my life.
I love the ribs and the last few years have been more focused on beef ribs. Right now I just use an old Weber that I rig up for indirect heat, often with a piece of Aluminum separating heat from the ribs) and smoke my food on that. I am looking to upgrade, maybe to a Pit Barrel Cooker. I also have an inexpensive gas grill and have discovered the rotisserie and basket in the last few years. I love to spatchcock chickens. This last Thanksgiving I did a Turkey in the oven that way, thanks to guidance for AR.com.
What else? I enjoy getting outside, like geocaching, hiking, medieval history (I like to get out and shoot my bow) and weightlifting.
I have really enjoyed reading what you guys have been posting and like and like the feeling of fellowship here I look forward to getting to know you guys better and making some smoke! Just to let you know though. I am not a part of any other forums, nor am I particularly tech savvy. But, I am a good sport and despite some denseness, I am a willing learner. Thank you for inviting me in.

[DWCowles]

Welcome aboard Papa and thank you for your services

[fuzzydaddy]

PapaKnight Welcome to the Pit!

[Jon Solberg]

Hey PK. Welcome!

[David Parrish]

Welcome Papa! We're glad you're here.

[PapaKnight]

Thanx for havin' me Mr. PB

[jmott7]

Welcome, Papa. I was, and still am, a Weber Kettle man. You can make great barbecue on them! I recently got a PBC and am still learning. It's sometimes frustrating when my food doesn't turn out as well as it used to, but there are plenty of people on here who offer help. And their pics give you something to shoot for.

[PapaKnight]

Thank You Jordan. So, do you regret getting your PBC? Or do you think it will serve well, for hose times you want to set it and forget it?

[jmott7]

I don't regret it. I just think I haven't mastered it yet. I know it's supposed to be dummy-proof, but that's never stopped me from trying. Seriously, I think altitude and humidity play a huge part in the ease of use of this thing. I don't live in a very humid place (Los Angeles), but for some reason I have had problems getting chicken skin to crisp. Also, I've done ribs once so far, and they were done so fast they didn't have time to develop any bark. I hope to get better.

[Guy]

Welcome Papa, thank you for your services to our country. You will like it here and with these folks there are no dumb questions. Ask anything. Take a look at the Weber Smoky Mountain for a smoker. There is plenty of research info on this site.

[PapaKnight]

Thank You Guy. so, would you recommend the Weber. I know I love my Weber Kettle, and I do like to fiddle with things as they cook. It is part of the fun I might miss with a PBC. Any ideas?

[Guy]

This is just my opinion but I love my Weber's both the kettle and the WSM. I have the 18.5 WSM and if I buy another one it will be the 22.5, however I have to look at Harry Soo winning a lot of competition with an 18.5 WSM. I know competition cooking is different but still he wins. The food has to be good. At the moment I am making a device to allow me to hang meat on my WSM. You may have seen the tread on this from rpg421. Once I get this I don't feel like there is anything I can't do for grilling and barbecue. Again this is just my opinion.

[JeffJ]

Papa,

If you have a Weber kettle and you love using it consider trying the Smokenator with the hover grill. It works as advertised. I got mine for Father's Day 2014 and used it roughly 10 times and each cook with it was a success. I got a mini Weber Smokey Mountain for Christmas and have used it 3 times. I would say that it looks to be a better smoking experience than the Smokenator, but it's also a more single-purpose device. The Smokenator is a great tool for learning the fine art of smoking (the techniques for the Smokenator and the WSM are pretty much the same) for not much cost and without tying up valuable patio space. It has a big following and its own forum. If it's something that intrigues you the best advice I can give is to go to Youtube, type "Smokenator" and watch a few of the countless videos that pop up.

[Marauderer]

Pk, Welcome!! You are going to like it here.

[PapaKnight]

Thank you Mr M.

[Dr ROK]

Welcome to the Pit!

[Breadhead]

Thank you Sir for your service. Welcome to our club of Pyromaniac's. We like to start fires and we are so proud of it we take pictures of it. The food just makes it legal and gives us a reason to drink some beer as we do it.

Welcome to the Pit... Now start some fires and take lots of pictures.

[David Parrish]

We do like fire and pictures!

[Gunderich_1]

Welcome Papa. Navy Vet here as well. Did most of my time in San Diego. I have a Weber and many accessories for it, so it can be made into a heck of a smoker. I also have a PBC and it is a great tool, it just takes some getting used to as it's a bit different from regular grills/smokers. I really like mine. Glad you are aboard.

[BigEnchilada]

Welcome aboard. Many people take pictures of the one plate of food they're eating. This groups takes pictures of large parts of big animals over fires. Nothin' like paleo cooking. . . .