Hi all,
My name is Richard. About 8 or 9 months ago I was watching the Memphis in May cookout on TV, lamenting the generally sad state of BBQ in california, and decided to take matters into my own hands. I live, work, and play in the SF bay area, and though we have a few decent soul food places, authentic BBQ seems hard to come by (as if I knew what authentic really was).
So I bought a smoker and started reading everything I could and talking to everyone that would tell me anything. I found tons of good info on the net, but this was the place I kept coming back to. I can't express my gratitude for the wealth of knowledge and help here. If I said thanks a thousand times, it wouldn't be enough.
So far, I've mostly focused on butt, and I'm getting decent at it. Family & friends shower me with compliments, but I think that's partly because it's just not common out here, and partly because it's pretty forgiving. I'm far from an expert, but I have kicked off the training wheels and made my own sauces, tinkered with different kinds (and ratios) of wood, etc.
I'd like to get better at ribs & brisket. Both times I smoked ribs, I overdid it and dried them out a bit. The brisket had good flavor, but was not very tender.
Anyhow, thanks a bunch!