Sorry for the lengthy response, but you asked for it!
So here’s my barbecue story, albeit a lot shorter tenure than many folks on here. My first part-time job in high school was at Red Hot and Blue (a chain barbecue restaurant). I actually worked there for 6 years, starting at a host position, waiting tables, and then managing our caterings. That’s where it all started – I loved learning about barbecue, I loved serving folks the food. I began to learn how regional barbecue is, ranging from the sauces and types of barbecue. This fascinates me, I love food and my favorite part about traveling is experiencing the food. I’m getting hungry.
My parents bought me a “smoker” a year or so after I graduated college. I say “smoker” because it was an Orion smoker, which is not truly a smoker but it got the job done at the time. I was able to make my own barbecue, and this excited me. I found excuses to have folks over, and it really was perfect for the time – I didn’t have a ton of time, so I was able to experiment and cook quickly.
Fast forward a few years, my then fiancé bought me APL’s Serious Barbecue book. I read it cover to cover, taking notes, and it inspired me to learn more about the food I cook. In this book, I also realized that my ability to layer flavors was not easy to do on my Orion. I began searching the internet for smokers and anything to upgrade, which actually brought me to this site. I started reading about UDS’s and realized this would probably be my most cost effective option. As I was searching for 55 gallon drums and everything else, my wife bought me a Large Big Green Egg for Christmas (this past December). I was floored – she included a note: “A while back you mentioned barbecue was becoming a passion of yours, and I want to fully support your passion.”
As she says, she created a monster in me. I started doing even more research (I’m in Market Research for a living), trying to learn as much as I can from anyone and everyone. I’ve created a One Note document with the various tips / tricks / recipes in there, and I’ve been journaling my cooks to make sure I can find ways to improve in any way possible. So, there you have it!
Re: CBJ class in February – I actually emailed the main contact there last week asking about availability, and I’ve yet to hear back from him. I definitely want to attend, but I just don’t want to send in a check to only find out it’s booked up. I’ll ping him again today if I don’t hear back, but I was hoping to take that class. Like I said above, I’m looking for all sorts of ways to learn and improve my passion.
I’ve been to barbecue competitions, but only to eat. I’ve never actually been behind the lines and what not.
Thanks for reading!
