# what started the addiction for you



## brandsbay (Sep 10, 2008)

Can you remember the very first thing you smoked and what was it that got you into smoking


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## brandsbay (Sep 10, 2008)

The first thing I ever smoked was some Mackerel on an ECB.It was after my 3rd hunting trip to Arkansas where my buddy had smoked some turkeys and a butt ,it was the butt that did it for me ,I was hooked for life,came home and bought an ECB,


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## smokin365 (Sep 10, 2008)

I never had anything smoked till my freshman year in high school when i got a job at a q joint.  We smoked hams, ribs and butts for the buffet.  My first thought is "Whats the deal with the big smokey thing outside, and why would a restaraunt take that long to cook anything?"  But after i tried a rack of smoked ribs, i knew the answer and was hooked.  the first thing that i smoked outside of the restaraunt was a turkey.


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## richtee (Sep 10, 2008)

Long, long ago, in a country far away...
Got no recollection on what I had first or first helped  smoke. Twas knee-high to a grasshopper. The Hungarian side smoked sausage, hams and bacon from the beginning of time.


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## smokin' dick (Sep 10, 2008)

Went to visit my sister who lives in Winston-Salem,NC about 10 years ago.
We went to a place called Pig Pickins', had the pulled pork. I was hooked.


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## fatback joe (Sep 10, 2008)

I can tell you it was 1993, since that is when I got my first smoker to call my own...........but unfortunately I don't remember what was the first cook. If I had to guess, I would say it was a ham since I did a lot of hams when I first started out.

Edit......I forgot to mention that what got me interested in the first place was the ham and sausage that my grandpa would churn out in his smokehouse.  Wish I would have paid more attention when I was young.....still can't duplicate the taste.


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## sandman67 (Sep 10, 2008)

My brother in law had this small electric smoker and one weekend while we were visting he decided to smoke some salmon and tuna as a snack for us.

I was done. Man what flavor! I went home and brought an ECB and have been working at getting better at this style of cooking ever since. That was 8 years ago.

I'm working my way up to a brisket.


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## biggiesize (Sep 10, 2008)

I stumbled across this Q joint, this guy had a huge pile of wood and two huge smokers out front of his shop. had to stop and try some. You could smell it a mile away. started talking to him and after and hour and getting a tutorial on the fine art of the smoke, I devised a plan to build a monster my self. Once the old lady saw what I had planned she ran out and bought me a treager for fathers day. Its not my monster smoker but It got me started. My first brisket was great and hae had good luck with my pork. this forum has brought my level of cooking to a whole new level. I still plan on building my monster, just dont tell my wife.


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## ga84gw (Sep 10, 2008)

This is an easy one for me.  I just got started a month or so ago.  I have always loved pulled pork and a neighbor had this really nice smoker.  In talking to him earlier this summer, he told us he was moving.  Somehow the smoker came up in conversation and he said he wasn't moving it again as it was too heavy and he just didn't use it enough.  My wife immediately said "we will take it".  We didn't even ask the price but it turned out to be a steal of a deal.  You can see it in my avatar.  Only paid $300 for it 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Once I found out we were getting it, I got online and found this site pretty quick and started reading.  Soon as i dragged it(literally) across the yard to my house, I fired it up and have done about 7 smokes in about the same amount of weeks.  Nahhh...I'm not hooked.  As others have said, I can quit any time I want, I just don't want to.


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## flash (Sep 10, 2008)

Long ago, 35 years or so, Merrit Island, FL. North Bananna River Drive. One of my oldest best friends introduced me to the ECB and smoked turkey. Pretty much I thought that was all you smoked for awhile. My ECB was bought shortly after that and I still use it to this day.


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## sooner fan (Sep 10, 2008)

Don't know why but one day went out and bought a ECB took it home, seasoned it, and put on a 5pnd bologna chunk and have been hooked ever since.  Haven't done bologna in years but just thinking about makes me think I may have to go back to my roots this weekend.


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## richtee (Sep 10, 2008)

Nothing like being sure and confident before the "B" word smoke eh?  LOL!


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## lcruzen (Sep 10, 2008)

For me I was just out of High School(late 70's)and visiting my parents. Their new neighbors(2 female nurses at the VA hospital in Ann Arbor) were having a family reunion. These 2 ladies were cooking a small pig on a homemade spit in a 55 gal drum. It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen and was in amazement that these 2 ladies had this kind of cooking ability. They invited me over to check things out and I hung around long enough to get invited to try some pig. I was hooked and went to my room mate and told him about it and over several beers we decided if they could do it so could we. Party was planned and we pulled our first all niter(as far as cooking goes). Friends and family arrived the next evening and that became a yearly event for several years until we both got married(we both met our eventual wive at the first pig roast). Jobs, kids(theirs), and other responsibilities kept us from continuing the tradition but those parties are still talked about when we get together.


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## longshot (Sep 10, 2008)

Hello my name is Longshot and I am a smokeaholic.  It started innocent enough, just some venison jerky after hunting season, then I did some trout.  It was just a small Little Chief electric, a few years ago I decided to make some sausage again venison so this was just a hunting season thing.  I was innocently looking for sausage recipes and stumbled across this forum, that was the end it was a quick fall and crash.  I went and bought a gas smoker and did pork picnic and a brisket my life has never been the same and I BLAME THIS BOARD!!!!  Sorry, this is my problem it is nobody else's fault.......


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## grothe (Sep 10, 2008)

BEEF RIBS, BEEF RIBS ,& MORE BEEF RIBS!!!!! I was out in Tennessee visiting when we stopped at a little BBQ place. Never had beef ribs before (always porkers). After trying beefies, I had ta figure out how ta make em. Now I'm addicted ta burnt ends LOL!!!!


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## ryf (Sep 10, 2008)

My father and i used to eat pulled pork sandwiches regularly at a place called "Johns Open Pit" in Huntingtown, Md growing up. in '97 moved to NC, and stopped eating bbq for about 10 years, was not into the vinegar, though I like it with seafood. moved to southeastern Ohio 5 years ago, not much of a smoking scene where we are.

I went to Louisiana earlier this year and went to a BBQ joint with some fellow truck drivers who knew the area, and the sliced pork was so good it got me thinking about me and dad as a kid, and next thing you know I'm burning food learning how to smoke in my gas grill, now I'm learning with my Brinkmann Square Vertical.


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## solar (Sep 10, 2008)

A few friends of mine have been smoking for many many years, and I always loved their food.  Being that I was in the restaurant business back then I really had no interest learning to cook a new way because my friends were doing just fine, and it was nice to be able to relax while someoen else cooked.  They both started families some years ago and the smoking _craze_ kinda cooled down.

Then a year ago or so, I really wanted some good smoked BBQ, but there's no good places around here that have great grub.  So I decided after trolling this site for a couple months to buy a smoker and join this site.  Since then I've smoked every weekend except one, and hope I don't miss many other weekends in the future.


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## surgem7 (Sep 10, 2008)

My addiction started seventy years ago when my great uncle allowed me to step inside his smoke house during a smoke. Took me seventy years to get my own smoker. Now making up for lost time. Smoke on brothers!


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## nitrousinfected (Sep 10, 2008)

My addiction was born through a combination of occurences and situations. Went to a family reunion and some distant uncle was smoking meat for the gathering and to date have never tasted any better Q, then came the pursuit to find a good "dealer" for my new drug, and turns out there arent alot of GOOD places to get Q around here. Was eating at one of the "best" around here one day and my wife said "I think your ribs are better than these ( yes I was a boil and grill guy),only thing is yours dont have that smokey flavor" Stopped at Wally World on the way home from there and bought my ECB. First smoke was 3 fatties ( it happend to be Blue and Gold sausage time around here) and some turkey legs.


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## motorhedd (Sep 10, 2008)

Being an otr truckdriver afforded me the luxury of tasting "q" all over.what style is my favorite? All of them!
 when i got my C/G pro and joined the forum i was amazed(and continue to be amazed)that i could pull it off in my own back yard!
The truly amazing part is all of the off the beaten path bbq joints i have been to that were competition quality with old beat up equipment.


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## motorhedd (Sep 10, 2008)

Theres room for all God's creatures...... right next to the mashed potato's.
*PETA = People Eating Tasty Animals* 
This sig gets my vote!


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## teeotee (Sep 10, 2008)

The wife came home one day after trip to the stores and had bought an ECB on ened of season clearance for $20. The first thing i smoked on it was a small pork loin.
That was 5 years ago, been hooked ever since.


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## smoking gun (Sep 10, 2008)

Came home from work on a friday after a LOOONG week and a lot of OT. I had been wanting a gas grill with a lid for some time because my flattop is useless if it's raining so with the wife's blessing I set off to buy a new gas grill. Hit the ususal places, Lowes, Home Depot, Meijers, and finally Wal-Mart. Saw some nice grills and had narrowed it down to three and was checking prices against the Walmart price. Walmart had a Chargriller set up with no side fb and behind it in boxes were a few Brinkman SNPs. none were set up but the pic on the box looked good and it had the adjustable charcoal pan for grilling. Only 138.00 so I told em "load it up!". Didn't even think about smoking at first and grilled some steaks and chops. Started looking for a grill cover and stumbled onto this place. Got to reading about mods and smoking, saw some great Qview and decided to try it. First smoke was ribs. Dry rub, sauce on the side and they were just great. That was probably about 2-3  months ago and I've been hooked ever since. I haven't used my snp to grill since then except to char steaks in the firebox.


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## smokedcaveman (Sep 10, 2008)

well, I started with 'campfire cooking' on campouts with my friends nearly 15 years ago...since at 15, I was the best versed guy at cooking anything besides weenies on a stick or char-burned burgers, it's how I got my alcohol (I'm not commenting about the legality of that action, I was young and fairly dumb..of course I also drank like a fish and swore like a sailor who finds himself in high seas, out of tobacco, and 6 weeks to port) I started with primitive dutch oven cooking, some grilling, then eventually started doing 'firepit smoking' where I'd drop a couple logs into the pit on top of the lowest coals, half cover them with some soil, lay out some meat on grill racks over it, and then lay sod in a dome over it. turned out some pretty decent grub, as me and my friends were fairly primitive in our camping, and eventually, as groups of friends do...people moved on, got married, had kids, and nobody ever had time anymore. Pretty soon, I was the only bachelor out of our group of friends, and moved about a bit. well about 6 years ago, I had some roommates, and we'd spend time to going events of a medevial recreation group, and they sampled my cooking, done same kind of primitive way, and they decided to get me a smoker. So I wound up with a cheap brinkmann vertical charcoal as a birthday present, (I picked it) since the place we were at wouldn't let me build a smokehouse or build an earth smoker. I've used that poor abused brinkmann ever since.

The first thing I ever remember smoking was some catfish and trout that me and my buddies fished up out of the lake. Turned out pretty nice, as I recall. Smoked over a mix of white oak and pecan, stuffed with some dill and crushed mustard seed that we'd found growing nearby.

Since then, I've smoked in everything from the brinkmann box to an old gas hot water heater I converted to a vertical cold smoker (hot-plate) for cheese, bacon and hams, to a big old veggie oil drum, to a big terracotta planter turned over, over the coals of a campfire, to pretty much whatever or however i could find.

What I've smoked? turkeys, fish, pork, beef, chicken, nuts, cheese...pfft...pretty much anything that way.

anyway, I'm rambling, so...next person up?


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## travcoman45 (Sep 10, 2008)

Geez, grandpa always smoked meats, so I sorta just grew up with it.  I thin the first item I smoked was more in likely fish.  Now, I hardly do fish cause I ain't had the time ta go!  Hopefully that will change next year!


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## boston (Sep 11, 2008)

Growing up my dad would take me to this awesome BBQ place, seemed wherever he was he'd seek out the best. 
I've wanted a smoker for some time, that combined with I just cant seem to find a BBQ place I really like anymore, I just decided I'll make my own. Don't get me wrong, there are some decent-good places around, just nothing that noteworthy. Surprisingly my wife is VERY supportive, something about the more I smoke, the less she cooks. She even made sure I have a decent wood supply for winter.


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## lamajo25 (Sep 11, 2008)

Well my dad used to smoke the turkey for Thanksgiving every year out camping.  I decided last year that I'd buy the Wal-Mart smoker and give some things a try.

I did pulled pork with a Picnic ham from there and it was amazing.  I've done some BBQ parties (one where we actually had about 40 people involved in a water balloon fight, yes adults and children alike).  I've done briskets at which I had to borrow my LT's small smoker to fight the 5 I had.  

Now I'm working on my big grill and hopefully it will be up and running before too long.


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## richoso1 (Sep 11, 2008)

First time I tried smokin' some spares on a Brinkman all in one. Spares gave me a hint of what it could be like, after that I was smokin' away to get that perfect one. I'm still working on it...


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## venture (Sep 11, 2008)

In the 80's.  The old orange ECB.  First was a butt, and I've been hooked ever since!


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## werdwolf (Sep 11, 2008)

I actually have a couple of medical problems and am supposed to stay away from most sugar and simple carbohydrates.  I started with making my own sausage, but then decided I wanted to try them smoked.  Then the addiction began...


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## scrapiron (Sep 11, 2008)

Grew up with grandpa making Cherizo in a smoke house. LOVE q, wife bought me a smoker and I love her more each day.


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## wutang (Sep 11, 2008)

Is the "her" your wife or your smoker???


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## tn_bbq (Sep 11, 2008)

I became addicted when I was invited to join a Memphis in May competition BBQ team some 10 years ago.


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## big game cook (Sep 12, 2008)

well. lets see. the first taste pretty well wrapped it up for me.


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## sea_munky (Sep 12, 2008)

The first thing I tried to smoke was a brisket!  Didn't know what the heck I was doing.  Just thought...Hey, I want to smoke something.  I know...a brisket!  I never even HAD proper BBQ brisket at that point, just saw it on TV.  Gave it a shot.  As I remember, it wasn't nearly tender enough cuz I took it off at 160*.  Wish I had known about this forum!


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## smokin365 (Sep 12, 2008)

Did she split it too?  That would be the berries.


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## mossymo (Sep 12, 2008)

I like to save money (I am a tight arse). About 22 years ago or so I started making my own venison sausage because of the processing fee's. Then I would bring the sausage to the meat locker for them to smoke it for me. About 9 or 10 years ago I had enough of paying for someone to smoke it for me and built a fridge smoker. Did quite a bit of research and my 1st smoke was successfull, as it did not take much for me to learn to cut back of the smoke and realize that smoke was just another ingredient to a recipe.....


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## oldschoolbbq (Sep 17, 2008)

I just thought it was a natural thing to go out back and smoke something. When one grows up in Cen-Tex you come by it naturally.LOL


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## shawnr5 (Sep 17, 2008)

I've always loved eating BBQ but never had a smoker to cook it in. Two years ago I was leaving the neighborhood and saw an ECB among the items in a neighbor's garage sale. I locked my brakes, slid to a stop and pile out of the car to ask what they wanted for it. They replied that they were looking for nine bucks. I gave them my $10 bill and told them to keep the change. A week or so later I got some spares and tried them. They came out as good as any I'd had at any of the local BBQ restaurants. That pretty much set the hook in me. After that initial success, I started acquiring more smokers and smoking more meats. I'm up to 6 smokers now and sent off an e-mail about another this morning. Now I'm looking forward to making one of my own design from 86 gallon water well pressure tanks.


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## shooterrick (Sep 17, 2008)

Hoppy, a man who was retired and sold smoked ribs curb side in our small Missouri town was the intrument of my addiction.  Twice a month we would put in our order for several slabs and more during camping season.  

Hoppy had a large chain driven smoker that moved baskets of ribs around the smoke chamber, the way Ferris wheels move kids.  Being from KC area to say Hoppys ribs were the best I have tasted was a tall compliment but true.  

Soon I began asking this man how hard it was to make those slabs and he said anyone with a little knowledge and basic equipment could do it.  I was hooked!  I have been smoking and learning since then.


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## brandsbay (Sep 10, 2008)

Can you remember the very first thing you smoked and what was it that got you into smoking


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## brandsbay (Sep 10, 2008)

The first thing I ever smoked was some Mackerel on an ECB.It was after my 3rd hunting trip to Arkansas where my buddy had smoked some turkeys and a butt ,it was the butt that did it for me ,I was hooked for life,came home and bought an ECB,


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## smokin365 (Sep 10, 2008)

I never had anything smoked till my freshman year in high school when i got a job at a q joint.  We smoked hams, ribs and butts for the buffet.  My first thought is "Whats the deal with the big smokey thing outside, and why would a restaraunt take that long to cook anything?"  But after i tried a rack of smoked ribs, i knew the answer and was hooked.  the first thing that i smoked outside of the restaraunt was a turkey.


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## richtee (Sep 10, 2008)

Long, long ago, in a country far away...
Got no recollection on what I had first or first helped  smoke. Twas knee-high to a grasshopper. The Hungarian side smoked sausage, hams and bacon from the beginning of time.


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## smokin' dick (Sep 10, 2008)

Went to visit my sister who lives in Winston-Salem,NC about 10 years ago.
We went to a place called Pig Pickins', had the pulled pork. I was hooked.


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## fatback joe (Sep 10, 2008)

I can tell you it was 1993, since that is when I got my first smoker to call my own...........but unfortunately I don't remember what was the first cook. If I had to guess, I would say it was a ham since I did a lot of hams when I first started out.

Edit......I forgot to mention that what got me interested in the first place was the ham and sausage that my grandpa would churn out in his smokehouse.  Wish I would have paid more attention when I was young.....still can't duplicate the taste.


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## sandman67 (Sep 10, 2008)

My brother in law had this small electric smoker and one weekend while we were visting he decided to smoke some salmon and tuna as a snack for us.

I was done. Man what flavor! I went home and brought an ECB and have been working at getting better at this style of cooking ever since. That was 8 years ago.

I'm working my way up to a brisket.


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## biggiesize (Sep 10, 2008)

I stumbled across this Q joint, this guy had a huge pile of wood and two huge smokers out front of his shop. had to stop and try some. You could smell it a mile away. started talking to him and after and hour and getting a tutorial on the fine art of the smoke, I devised a plan to build a monster my self. Once the old lady saw what I had planned she ran out and bought me a treager for fathers day. Its not my monster smoker but It got me started. My first brisket was great and hae had good luck with my pork. this forum has brought my level of cooking to a whole new level. I still plan on building my monster, just dont tell my wife.


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## ga84gw (Sep 10, 2008)

This is an easy one for me.  I just got started a month or so ago.  I have always loved pulled pork and a neighbor had this really nice smoker.  In talking to him earlier this summer, he told us he was moving.  Somehow the smoker came up in conversation and he said he wasn't moving it again as it was too heavy and he just didn't use it enough.  My wife immediately said "we will take it".  We didn't even ask the price but it turned out to be a steal of a deal.  You can see it in my avatar.  Only paid $300 for it 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Once I found out we were getting it, I got online and found this site pretty quick and started reading.  Soon as i dragged it(literally) across the yard to my house, I fired it up and have done about 7 smokes in about the same amount of weeks.  Nahhh...I'm not hooked.  As others have said, I can quit any time I want, I just don't want to.


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## flash (Sep 10, 2008)

Long ago, 35 years or so, Merrit Island, FL. North Bananna River Drive. One of my oldest best friends introduced me to the ECB and smoked turkey. Pretty much I thought that was all you smoked for awhile. My ECB was bought shortly after that and I still use it to this day.


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## sooner fan (Sep 10, 2008)

Don't know why but one day went out and bought a ECB took it home, seasoned it, and put on a 5pnd bologna chunk and have been hooked ever since.  Haven't done bologna in years but just thinking about makes me think I may have to go back to my roots this weekend.


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## richtee (Sep 10, 2008)

Nothing like being sure and confident before the "B" word smoke eh?  LOL!


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## lcruzen (Sep 10, 2008)

For me I was just out of High School(late 70's)and visiting my parents. Their new neighbors(2 female nurses at the VA hospital in Ann Arbor) were having a family reunion. These 2 ladies were cooking a small pig on a homemade spit in a 55 gal drum. It was the coolest thing I'd ever seen and was in amazement that these 2 ladies had this kind of cooking ability. They invited me over to check things out and I hung around long enough to get invited to try some pig. I was hooked and went to my room mate and told him about it and over several beers we decided if they could do it so could we. Party was planned and we pulled our first all niter(as far as cooking goes). Friends and family arrived the next evening and that became a yearly event for several years until we both got married(we both met our eventual wive at the first pig roast). Jobs, kids(theirs), and other responsibilities kept us from continuing the tradition but those parties are still talked about when we get together.


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## longshot (Sep 10, 2008)

Hello my name is Longshot and I am a smokeaholic.  It started innocent enough, just some venison jerky after hunting season, then I did some trout.  It was just a small Little Chief electric, a few years ago I decided to make some sausage again venison so this was just a hunting season thing.  I was innocently looking for sausage recipes and stumbled across this forum, that was the end it was a quick fall and crash.  I went and bought a gas smoker and did pork picnic and a brisket my life has never been the same and I BLAME THIS BOARD!!!!  Sorry, this is my problem it is nobody else's fault.......


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## grothe (Sep 10, 2008)

BEEF RIBS, BEEF RIBS ,& MORE BEEF RIBS!!!!! I was out in Tennessee visiting when we stopped at a little BBQ place. Never had beef ribs before (always porkers). After trying beefies, I had ta figure out how ta make em. Now I'm addicted ta burnt ends LOL!!!!


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## ryf (Sep 10, 2008)

My father and i used to eat pulled pork sandwiches regularly at a place called "Johns Open Pit" in Huntingtown, Md growing up. in '97 moved to NC, and stopped eating bbq for about 10 years, was not into the vinegar, though I like it with seafood. moved to southeastern Ohio 5 years ago, not much of a smoking scene where we are.

I went to Louisiana earlier this year and went to a BBQ joint with some fellow truck drivers who knew the area, and the sliced pork was so good it got me thinking about me and dad as a kid, and next thing you know I'm burning food learning how to smoke in my gas grill, now I'm learning with my Brinkmann Square Vertical.


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## solar (Sep 10, 2008)

A few friends of mine have been smoking for many many years, and I always loved their food.  Being that I was in the restaurant business back then I really had no interest learning to cook a new way because my friends were doing just fine, and it was nice to be able to relax while someoen else cooked.  They both started families some years ago and the smoking _craze_ kinda cooled down.

Then a year ago or so, I really wanted some good smoked BBQ, but there's no good places around here that have great grub.  So I decided after trolling this site for a couple months to buy a smoker and join this site.  Since then I've smoked every weekend except one, and hope I don't miss many other weekends in the future.


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## surgem7 (Sep 10, 2008)

My addiction started seventy years ago when my great uncle allowed me to step inside his smoke house during a smoke. Took me seventy years to get my own smoker. Now making up for lost time. Smoke on brothers!


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## nitrousinfected (Sep 10, 2008)

My addiction was born through a combination of occurences and situations. Went to a family reunion and some distant uncle was smoking meat for the gathering and to date have never tasted any better Q, then came the pursuit to find a good "dealer" for my new drug, and turns out there arent alot of GOOD places to get Q around here. Was eating at one of the "best" around here one day and my wife said "I think your ribs are better than these ( yes I was a boil and grill guy),only thing is yours dont have that smokey flavor" Stopped at Wally World on the way home from there and bought my ECB. First smoke was 3 fatties ( it happend to be Blue and Gold sausage time around here) and some turkey legs.


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## motorhedd (Sep 10, 2008)

Being an otr truckdriver afforded me the luxury of tasting "q" all over.what style is my favorite? All of them!
 when i got my C/G pro and joined the forum i was amazed(and continue to be amazed)that i could pull it off in my own back yard!
The truly amazing part is all of the off the beaten path bbq joints i have been to that were competition quality with old beat up equipment.


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