Hi, my name is Patrick and I live in Arroyo Grande on the beautiful central coast of California between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. My house is only a few miles from the exact coastal center of the entire state. The weather is pretty fair almost all year round and perfect for barbecuing. I was a chef for 20 years so I can really cook up some mean meals. I am an experienced BBQer but just starting out with smoking. I have the Char-Griller Grillin' Pro with the side smoke box. I am planning to make the charcoal basket as soon as I can find some Diamond expanded steel. We have a steel company about 20 miles from my house and they are supposed to carry it. If I'm lucky, I will talk them into also cutting it and bending it into a basket shape for me. I've already cooked a pork butt and made delicious pulled pork from it and also chicken and baby back ribs which also were delicious. The big problem is the uniform heat from the smoker which I will be working on with the help of this forum! I'm glad I found it!!!
