Greetings fellow smoke lovers!
My name is Ray, and I live in the far west suburbs of Chicago. I'm in my early 50's, have a wife and 2 young kids. I only discovered the beauty and art of smoked meats about 2 years ago (yes, such a waste of my adult life...decades of smoked brisket I should have been ingesting!!).
I started officially smoking about 2 years ago - my wife bought me a cheap smoker from a garage sale for $12.00. My first try was with a gorgeous 15 pound brisket (I kid you not, it was the most beautiful piece of beef I have ever purchased). I had no good working thermometer, the smoker relied on charcoal, so maintaining the temperature was a challenge. All I knew was that it would take about 16 hours, and needed an internal temp of about 200 degrees. Through sheer dumb luck, this brisket achieved a level of perfection I had never imagined was possible. It was served at a Labor Day party to a large group of friends, who regarded me thereafter as some sort of smoke god. I was forever hooked!
My results since have been anywhere from complete disaster, to various levels of success, but my love for the art has only increased. I now have a far superior propane smoker, a top of the line digital thermometer (courtesy of this websites 'rating and reviews'), create my own dry rubs and sauces. Becoming a member of this site was a no brainer, this site has a wealth of information I have only begun to tap. Fellow members are equally enthusiastic, and take this all as seriously as I do (wish we could get together yearly for a smoke off...now there's a win win event!).
I have a great deal of comments I will write, in the appropriate forum, on my specific success and failures, with the hope that they help others out. Well, this initial greeting is far longer than I had intended (which is how it usually goes for me) so will stop now.
Looking forward to knowing all of you better. Oh, one last thing...weather has FINALLY broke in Chicago, I will be smoking again soon! (can I get a hoo-waa?)
Ray
My name is Ray, and I live in the far west suburbs of Chicago. I'm in my early 50's, have a wife and 2 young kids. I only discovered the beauty and art of smoked meats about 2 years ago (yes, such a waste of my adult life...decades of smoked brisket I should have been ingesting!!).
I started officially smoking about 2 years ago - my wife bought me a cheap smoker from a garage sale for $12.00. My first try was with a gorgeous 15 pound brisket (I kid you not, it was the most beautiful piece of beef I have ever purchased). I had no good working thermometer, the smoker relied on charcoal, so maintaining the temperature was a challenge. All I knew was that it would take about 16 hours, and needed an internal temp of about 200 degrees. Through sheer dumb luck, this brisket achieved a level of perfection I had never imagined was possible. It was served at a Labor Day party to a large group of friends, who regarded me thereafter as some sort of smoke god. I was forever hooked!
My results since have been anywhere from complete disaster, to various levels of success, but my love for the art has only increased. I now have a far superior propane smoker, a top of the line digital thermometer (courtesy of this websites 'rating and reviews'), create my own dry rubs and sauces. Becoming a member of this site was a no brainer, this site has a wealth of information I have only begun to tap. Fellow members are equally enthusiastic, and take this all as seriously as I do (wish we could get together yearly for a smoke off...now there's a win win event!).
I have a great deal of comments I will write, in the appropriate forum, on my specific success and failures, with the hope that they help others out. Well, this initial greeting is far longer than I had intended (which is how it usually goes for me) so will stop now.
Looking forward to knowing all of you better. Oh, one last thing...weather has FINALLY broke in Chicago, I will be smoking again soon! (can I get a hoo-waa?)
Ray
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