# Hello from San Jose, CA



## mdharmon (Feb 29, 2008)

Howdy all,

So i have been lurking around this site for a couple weeks and I have finially found the time to try my first attempt at smoking.  So let me introduce myself, my name is Matt, I BBQ year round, spend much of my free time in the ocean SCUBA diving, and Hunting for fish.  I have a nice little Char-Broil Offset smoker.  nothing big or fancy but it does what i need it to and since i am an apartment dweller, space is at a premium on my deck.

This weekend i am going to give the Pork Butt recipe a go, using some hicory chips on top of mesquite charcoal.  Figure a few beers, a nice cigar, and a warm and sunny California day will be the prelude to a great dinner.  I look forward to many more smoked dishes, especially some fresh fish.

Matt


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## bassman (Feb 29, 2008)

Welcome to the forum!  If you have any questions about smoking, just ask.  There are a lot of knowledgable folks here willing to give you a hand.           Keith


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## kookie (Feb 29, 2008)

Welcome aboard .....Glad to have you here...........


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## jbee-smokin (Feb 29, 2008)

Welcome to SMF. My sister, and niece live up your way.


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## gramason (Feb 29, 2008)

Welcome to the *SMF*.


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## mdharmon (Feb 29, 2008)

Thank you for the welcomes, i look forward to asking many questions in teh quest for a better BBQing experience and hopefully being able to add my $0.02 now and then!!!

Matt


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## travcoman45 (Feb 29, 2008)

Welcome aboard!  Let us know if we can help with info!  Remember, we like to see q-View!


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## mdharmon (Feb 29, 2008)

and as a newbie, my first newbie question is, what is q-View?


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## mossymo (Feb 29, 2008)

mdharmon
Welcome to SMF !!!
q-View is posting pictures of your smokes and the final product from the smokes !!!


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## mdharmon (Feb 29, 2008)

thanks for the explanation.  I hope to have pictures to share.


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## desertlites (Feb 29, 2008)

welcome Matt,boy I sure don't miss stevens creek Blvd.good folk here with lotsa help-glad to have ya.


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## bustedluckbarbq (Feb 29, 2008)

Welcome to the *SMF*!! Youll find lots of friendly folks here!!


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## cowgirl (Feb 29, 2008)

Welcome to the forum Matt!


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## papadave (Feb 29, 2008)

Welcome Matt. Used to do a little Abalone diving up at Bodega Bay when I lived in Sacramento. On the Gulf Coast now. You'll find this forum great for smoking recipes and help when you have a question. Enjoy!


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## mdharmon (Mar 2, 2008)

I'm looking forward to the Ab season, only another few weeks away!!!  BTW, have you ever tried to Smoke an Abalone?


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## mdharmon (Mar 2, 2008)

So I spent a good 6 - 7 hours on Saturday working the BBQ as i enjoyed a nice warm CA day.  and ended it with a great dinner!!!!  I followed the directions pretty much as is, and didn't deviate much at all.  and gosh, it worked great.  Only problem i had was that the temp on my smoker didn't stay warm enough, but by the end i had good heat management going on.  Had  my temp closer to 200 than 250 but oh well.  Next time I'll do better with that.

Here are some pictures - 
After marinating in Stubbs BBQ Dry rub over night -







On the Smoker - 






During the process - 







After it is all done and ready to be pulled- 






TIME TO EAT!!!!


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## travcoman45 (Mar 2, 2008)

Mighty fine plate of vittles indeed!


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## mdharmon (Mar 2, 2008)

Thank you.  Yeah, my sister, and neighbor had no complaints with their plate!!!  And I'm going to be forced to have pulled pork sandwiches for lunch for a couple days....aw shucks!!!


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## mdharmon (Mar 2, 2008)

Oh, one question.  So the thermometer on the grill ran hot, becasue of warnings i saw elsewhere not to trust it, i didn't.  i bought a $5 from Bed Bath and Beyond.  however, by the time I was done BBQing that guague was covered in smoke.  i got most of it off.

But is there some thermometer for inside the grill that is good and won't allow a build up of smoke on the glass?


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## bertjo44 (Mar 3, 2008)

I bought an electronic one from Wally World. Many places have them. Has a needle you put in the meet and a 2 ft cord runs to the thermometer you can set on something next to your smoker. Works pretty good. Course some have it really good and have a wireless one you can lay on the kitchen counter or clip on your belt.


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## mdharmon (Mar 3, 2008)

I have an internal meat thermometer, but what i'm looking for is a thermometer that tells teh temp of the grill.  There is one on the BBQ, but it tended to be off by 100-150F of the cheap one i got at the store.  But by the end of it, the glass on the dial was covered with smoke.


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## jbee-smokin (Mar 3, 2008)

Here's the name of a couple of thermometers you might look at. the first is Oregon Scientific. You can get this from Lowe's. It is a remote so you can sit inside you house and still get your readings, but only one probe. the second one is Maverick ET-7 Redi Check remote. You can get deals for this thermometer through Amazon.com , or go directly to their website WWW.maverickhousewares.com.  It comes with two probes so you can insert one in your meat, and use the other for your inside temp. Hope this helps.
JB


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## glued2it (Mar 3, 2008)

It appears that your web site isn't working, hence the red x's.

Yo might want to try storing your photo's with a image hosting service like Photo Bucket or Image Shack.


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## mdharmon (Mar 3, 2008)

Yeah, i had server problems this morning but it "should" be restored by now.


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