Hey Everyone, thanks for the warm welcome.
My name is Matt and I LOVE barbecue! I love to eat it and I love to cook it. I grew up with some pretty good barbecue at home (my dad is from Chicago and cooks some pretty mean ribs and chicken). I first started grilling when I was about 8 years old... on a small square Weber that I payed $2 for (I actually got more than $2 worth of charcoal with the small grill. The grill is still with me and I use it a little bit now and then when we are out. When I got married I tried to cook some barbecue myself... let's just say that my first attempt at chicken is still referred to as the "bat wings" fiasco (you know what I mean, black on the outside and raw in the middle). I was thoroughly convinced that the ability to barbecue was an an inherent trait. Boy did I have (and still have) a lot to learn! The funny thing is, the more I learn the more I realize how little I know!
I have been blessed with the opportunity to eat barbecue in a number of shrines throughout the South like the Rendezvous in Memphis (my first introduction to dry ribs), and Kreuz Market and the Salt Lick in Texas (my first introduction to brisket... I am wearing a patch to try to quit but it just ain't helpin'!!!!) just to name a couple. And I am hooked. You can ask my wife... I've got the bug bad!
This weekend I attended my first competition (Get Your Pig On). Boy was that fun! I really learned a lot and ate some really good barbecue. I don't have a competitive nature, but I plan on going to a lot of those to enjoy watching different techniques and styles and tasting the results. I also plan to register for a KCBS barbecue judge class at some point just to learn and improve my own backyard productions. These days I have a couple of Weber grills (a 18.5 OTS that my brother gave me as a wedding present and a classic 22.5" red Weber that my grandfather bought in Chicago in 1972) I am seasoning a brand new 18.5" Weber Smokey Mountain that my dad bought and boy is it sweet. I will be saving up for the next couple of months to pick one of those up!
That's all for now. I look forward to learning a lot from all of you here on the forum.
-Matt
