quote:Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
We're getting lots of new members (and lurkers) so thought I was time for a "roll call".<br /><br />Tell us who you are?<br /><br />
Hi everybody,
I am Ron, and I am located in SE Denver, CO. I just bought an SM045 and while it is busy smoking my first Pork Butt, I thought I would take a few minutes to introduce myself.
I moved back to Denver from San Francisco a couple of years ago and was devastated when I realized my favorite BBQ restaurant was gone!
I used to love going to Bennett's Pit BBQ in Englewood (now Centennial?) but they closed that location and the other is too far to go for me, except on rare occasions. Not sure what got me interested in making my own "Q" but the bug bit recently and I became obsessed - something I am sure is unique on this forum, right? LOL 
I am a "backyard chef" by my own designation, though I am not trained. I just love cooking outdoors and do so even when it is winter here in CO. In fact, when I first got back here I took a horrible fall when carrying a beer can chicken out to the grill in a snowstorm. I could have broken my neck, but I didn't - I was saved by falling on my butt, where there is enough padding to soften the fall. The chicken was saved by falling into nearly a foot of fresh snow, thus extending the traditional "5 second rule" until I could retrieve it. After a good rinse, re-seasoning and applying about 10 pounds of ice-melt (to the patio, not the chicken) I cooked what was one of my best tasting BCC's ever.
What I miss most about CA, other than being able to cook outdoors year round is the short drive to wine country. Nothing goes better with good food than a nice bottle of wine. I'm pondering right now what to heist from the cellar for a dinner of pulled pork. I'm open to suggestions, but I suspect I'll need to go light on the finishing sauce or the vinegar will overpower anything I can pair it with. My current thoughts are for white, a Champagne, or a nice California sparkling wine, as the refreshing bubbles and palate cleansing aspect, combined with the creaminess that helps tame the spiciness and tartness of the vinegar should do well. For a red, I have some very nice Merlot based wines, and I think the combination of soft tannins and spicy, dark fruit will provide a nice accent.
I travel to lots of interesting places, including China, which has given me a whole new appreciation for duck, Europe, where I get to renew my food / wine obsession and spend two hours eating dinner without feeling guilty about it, and Brazil, where the Churascarias are sooooo yummy. I am looking forward to preparing a smoked duck soon, and I suspect it won't be long before I am buying a sausage maker attachment for the Kitchen Aid mixer to try to recreate some of the flavors of far away places.
I have done some smoking (sort of) on my Fire Magic grill, but it's a bit too hot for a low and slow, though it excels at searing and charring. This is my first "real" smoker, so I am sure I'll be doing a lot more reading than writing, and a lot more learning than teaching, and for all the work of the folks on this forum who have come before me, I thank you all sincerely.
I thank you still again if you have managed to make it through this entire manifesto, masquerading as an introduction.
Cook well, eat well, live well.
Ron