For months i have searched for a place where brothers come together to share a love for all things BBQ/smoking and it would appear that this is the place to be! I'm definitely not an expert or anything but i do have a good bit of knowledge from reading books and just good ol fashioned trial and error. My fiance just doesn't "get it". She tries to keep fit for me so smoked food is totally wasted on her. Still... i love spending hours tending that charcoal hoping the meat comes out juicy and tender as a mother's love. I first got into smoking with the El cheapo brinkmann... i still have it and use it from time to time. I sold my gas grill and purchased a char-griller Duo which i love. I just like the flexibilty of having charcoal and gas right there in the same unit (along w/ the smoker box) I'll be learning things from you guys and hoping to pick up tips along the way. Like i said... i'm not an expert... just a big time enthusiast. I've had many a successful smokes but i'll share a few embarrassing mishaps just for fun
1. I decided to smoke some baby back ribs and was quite liberal with the vinegar i used in the mop. The ribs came out a little tough and even drenched in BBQ sauce, all you could taste was the stinkin vinegar. A whole rack ruined. My lady was out of town so i was the only one that suffered this debacle
2. My future in-laws as well as my parents were coming to our house for the first big get-together. What better way to meet each other's folks than my famous angus beef ribs? I had never messed these up. It was a windy day and i was very stressed out in the backyard trying to maintain a low even temperature in the el cheapo. The cooking had taken 2 hours longer than it should have so i wrapped em in foil and said a prayer as i "finished them off"on the gas grill. They looked good from the outside but when you bit into them, to my horror they were RED and fleshy. My dad was a total sport and said they were just a little undercooked while everyone agreed and tried to give me a pat on the back. Corn came out hard too and had to go back on the grill. DISASTER!!
3. My first run at beef brisket was also the first time i broke in my Duo. Low and slow was the name of the game for 5 hours but i could see the thing was drying out after the first 4. i was convinced that aluminum foil would magically fix this and placed it back in after wrapping it. It just didnt have the moisture like the el cheapo brinkmann that i was used to. (no water pan) I misted it w/ apple juice but it didnt help. I had a nice bone dry brisket for dinner and my lady was thoroughly dissapointed! we didnt even keep the leftovers it was so bad.
I look forward to hearing some stories from you guys but just wanted to introduce myself first and say hey!
1. I decided to smoke some baby back ribs and was quite liberal with the vinegar i used in the mop. The ribs came out a little tough and even drenched in BBQ sauce, all you could taste was the stinkin vinegar. A whole rack ruined. My lady was out of town so i was the only one that suffered this debacle
2. My future in-laws as well as my parents were coming to our house for the first big get-together. What better way to meet each other's folks than my famous angus beef ribs? I had never messed these up. It was a windy day and i was very stressed out in the backyard trying to maintain a low even temperature in the el cheapo. The cooking had taken 2 hours longer than it should have so i wrapped em in foil and said a prayer as i "finished them off"on the gas grill. They looked good from the outside but when you bit into them, to my horror they were RED and fleshy. My dad was a total sport and said they were just a little undercooked while everyone agreed and tried to give me a pat on the back. Corn came out hard too and had to go back on the grill. DISASTER!!
3. My first run at beef brisket was also the first time i broke in my Duo. Low and slow was the name of the game for 5 hours but i could see the thing was drying out after the first 4. i was convinced that aluminum foil would magically fix this and placed it back in after wrapping it. It just didnt have the moisture like the el cheapo brinkmann that i was used to. (no water pan) I misted it w/ apple juice but it didnt help. I had a nice bone dry brisket for dinner and my lady was thoroughly dissapointed! we didnt even keep the leftovers it was so bad.
I look forward to hearing some stories from you guys but just wanted to introduce myself first and say hey!