Hello!
My name is Patrick and I'm new to smoking. Started grilling 16 years ago at the ripe 'ol age of 14. Did some volunteer work alongside my aunt and uncle (she worked for Pac Bell and was a Telephone Pioneer) BBQ ribs at the local farmers market. We were a smash hit and I got hooked. Getting hooked on grilling is bad considering what else kids get hooked on in their teens.
At home we had a Weber kettle, then moved into an apt and the Kettle went...well, actually I'm not sure. I guess the landfill. So I cooked on a little propane portable for a few years.
Easter of '95 I picked up a Brinkman Smoke and Pit. This one is like the offsets, without the offset. I've been using that thing since. It's like a rundown house and in serious need of a remodal. All the wood is just trashed. :( It still makes good food, just looks neglected.
The last couple of years I've grilled some turkeys. We get them at work, and considering my brother works at the same place we end up with a LOT of turkey. So this year we decided to try something different. Smoke 'em!
Yesterday we picked up a Brinkman Gourmet Charcoal Smoker. That's a story in an of itself. Went to the local edition of a large national "hardware" store and the only unit they had the box was oepn, the instruction manual & temp. gauge were gone. Sooo...out across town to ANOTHER edition of same store to find they had none. :( So in the same parking lot we hit a BBQ place. Ended up getting the floor model with free assembly. $15 premium over the big box was worth not having to put it together.
Picked up a thermometer to go alongside the idiot gauge. These things remind me of Ford's truck gauges. (And I'm a Ford guy.) "You don't need to know the actual temp, but things are ok, for now." Also picked up an Oregon Scientific digital remote thermometer for the meat.
Anyways.... Got a free turkey from granny who didn't want one she was given. So this makes 3 birds this year. So it's out in the smoker as the trial run for Turkey Day.
The weather isn't the best today. It's REALLY foggy. Started out at about 500' this morning around 6am. Smoker is holding right about the "D" in Ideal. I was busy yesterday evening so I didn't get a chance to install the thermometer in there. Any recommendations on where I should mount it? It's got a pretty good sized dial on it.
Smoking with mesquite lump I grill with (pick it up at restaraunt supply shop for $15 /40# bag.) Laced that with some apple we picked up at the BBQ place. Sure seems to be cooking fast. At about 8:15 is was 54F. Now at 9:15 it's at 92F.
My name is Patrick and I'm new to smoking. Started grilling 16 years ago at the ripe 'ol age of 14. Did some volunteer work alongside my aunt and uncle (she worked for Pac Bell and was a Telephone Pioneer) BBQ ribs at the local farmers market. We were a smash hit and I got hooked. Getting hooked on grilling is bad considering what else kids get hooked on in their teens.
At home we had a Weber kettle, then moved into an apt and the Kettle went...well, actually I'm not sure. I guess the landfill. So I cooked on a little propane portable for a few years.
Easter of '95 I picked up a Brinkman Smoke and Pit. This one is like the offsets, without the offset. I've been using that thing since. It's like a rundown house and in serious need of a remodal. All the wood is just trashed. :( It still makes good food, just looks neglected.
The last couple of years I've grilled some turkeys. We get them at work, and considering my brother works at the same place we end up with a LOT of turkey. So this year we decided to try something different. Smoke 'em!
Yesterday we picked up a Brinkman Gourmet Charcoal Smoker. That's a story in an of itself. Went to the local edition of a large national "hardware" store and the only unit they had the box was oepn, the instruction manual & temp. gauge were gone. Sooo...out across town to ANOTHER edition of same store to find they had none. :( So in the same parking lot we hit a BBQ place. Ended up getting the floor model with free assembly. $15 premium over the big box was worth not having to put it together.
Picked up a thermometer to go alongside the idiot gauge. These things remind me of Ford's truck gauges. (And I'm a Ford guy.) "You don't need to know the actual temp, but things are ok, for now." Also picked up an Oregon Scientific digital remote thermometer for the meat.
Anyways.... Got a free turkey from granny who didn't want one she was given. So this makes 3 birds this year. So it's out in the smoker as the trial run for Turkey Day.
The weather isn't the best today. It's REALLY foggy. Started out at about 500' this morning around 6am. Smoker is holding right about the "D" in Ideal. I was busy yesterday evening so I didn't get a chance to install the thermometer in there. Any recommendations on where I should mount it? It's got a pretty good sized dial on it.
Smoking with mesquite lump I grill with (pick it up at restaraunt supply shop for $15 /40# bag.) Laced that with some apple we picked up at the BBQ place. Sure seems to be cooking fast. At about 8:15 is was 54F. Now at 9:15 it's at 92F.