Rookie From Ottawa (Stittsvile)

[plugger613]

Hello All!

Plugger here from Stittsvegas (Stittsville/Ottawa) Ontario, Canada, eh!

Just starting out in the world of smoking foods.  Always interested me.  My European family used to smoke meats and sausages when I was small.  Hasn't been done for over 30 years.  I'm gonna try to give it a shot and rekindle some traditions (pun intended!).  Wish me luck.

Got myself a new Master Forge Vertical Propane Smoker from Lowe's (40% off) as my first unit.  I'm a busy guy and don't have a lot of time to 'mind the fire' during the day.  Figured the 'dial' would help me do that.  Smoker is gasket-ed and seasoned.  Got some apple wood from my cousin I need to split and dry.  Already have Hickory and Mesquite.  Lock and loaded ready to get some smoking done!

Any recommendations on what to smoke first to cut my teeth on?  I have so many ideas on what to smoke.  Was thinking of pork belly to get some bacon.  Thoughts??

Cheers All!

 

[bluewhisper]

Welcome to the board, Plugger! Maybe start with chicken parts as they're inexpensive and they don't need a long cooking time. Play with fish for some quick smokes, too.

 

[themule69]

Glad you joined the group. The search bar at the top of any page is your best friend.
About anything you wanna know about smoking/grilling/curing/brining/cutting or slicing
and the list goes on has probably been posted. Remember to post a QVIEW of your smokes.
We are all smoke junkies here and we have to get our fix. If you have questions
Post it and you will probably get 10 replies with 11 different answers. That is
because their are so many different ways to make great Q...
Happy smoken.
David

 

[gary s]

  Good morning and welcome to the forum, from a wet and humid day here in East Texas. Lots of great people with tons of information on just about  everything.

Gary

 

[plugger613]

So I took your advice and tried Chicken.  As my kids would say "OMG".

Turned out awesome.

Wifey invited some guests for my first smoke so the pressure was on.  Two thumbs up from everyone.  Even me.

Did chicken legs and a "pressed chicken".  Also had some spuds on the top rack.

I'm hooked!

Doing Turkey legs this weekend.  Keeping things small until I get comfortable with the process.

Priced some brisket at local butcher.  $90 Cdn.  Need more experience before I try something like that.

I will be visiting the Bacon forums.  Can't wait to smoke some pork belly and have my own smoked bacon.

Keep Calm and Smoke On!!

 

[sota d]

Welcome to the forum Plugger! Glad your chicken turned out so good. Brisket can be a little tricky to get right. I would advise smoking a pork butt for some pulled pork first. That's a very forgiving hunk of meat. And it turns out so good! Happy smokin', David.

 

[rmmurray]

Welcome to SMF! :welcome:
We're glad to have you. The search bar at the top is your most valuable resource here. This forum has been around for over ten years, so there is a good chance that any questions you may have, have already been answered (they may have 10 different answers, but you'll get an instant response non the less).
Please be sure to post your smokes along with your process and recipes. We will be glad to help you along the way and we may also learn something new ourselves in the process. Also, don't forget the very important Q view! (We're mad for pics on here [emoji]128513[/emoji])
Always remember to have fun because it's not fun if you have to work at it.
Thanks for joining,
- Ryan

 

[plugger613]

Hey all.

So I don't consider my self a "rookie" anymore...

Check out my latest results...

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/220612/master-forge-vert-2-dr-lp-smoker-results-1st-post