Smokin'!

I am pleased to announce that for Christmas I received from my husband a charcoal grill/smoker. As people ask me what I received and I tell them, I hear things like "Oh really, how nice?" It seems no one can wrap their minds around a woman being gifted with, in other words, a mans gift. Au contraire!

Long gone are the days when grilling was just for men, and in the world of the Kansas City Barbeque Society, women make up a large portion of competitors; and some are famous winners. I know; I have met them at various competitions with a smoking team I belong to called, Green Mountain Smoke Shack. Some of these ladies sweep the competitions and if the men end up ruling the judging, I know first hand that behind every great man is a woman! Almost all of the men's teams include woman mates. As it should be, if you ask me!

I never imagined that I would be so hooked on the day I showed up for my first KCBS championship. I was there to lend support to a fellow cooking contester and was pleased to just be there for him. I could not have known that by the end of the day, I would have my hooks in something I never imagined possible! I was bitten by the smoking bug and haven't looked back since. As a matter of fact, when I arrived home after that first competition, I announced to my husband in a very matter-of-factly tone, "I must have my very own smoker!" He in turn looked at me as if I were speaking another language and said, "Yeah, add it to the list."

I never gave up though and continued to educate myself via internet and books. It seems hubby noticed and was convinced this wasn't a passing ‘thing'. My reward was not diamonds, furs, or any other girlie thing for Christmas, but a full blown charcoal grill/smoker! I love that my hubby paid attention to my hopes and dreams and did something to facilitate them. Now, that is true love! I can not wait to smoke my first brisket in his honor.

Now, you must know that die hard ‘smokers' cook outside in any weather, and as much as I would love to do the same; my garage is detached by a good distance and my yard is covered in thirty some odd inches of snow. But no mind, I now have time for theory work, and plenty of it. Which now means it is time to put down the Shannara series by Terry Brooks, which I aimed to read over the winter, and trade it in for BBQ education? Okay, so maybe that is a stretch; who in their right mind would put Terry Brooks down for anything? Actually Terry smokes a lot of evil guys in his books; so maybe, just maybe I can combine the two? Sorry, I digress.

Seriously, the matter at hand becomes, what wood to use while smoking what meats, and the times and temperatures of each. Mostly, it is trial and error; the battle for the perfect barbeque lies not in what you know but what you have done or are willing to do. I, as a woman am willing to smoke until I have achieved perfection in my own eyes or those of the KCBS judges. We shall see.