Roll Call (Start Here First)

[megajunk]

Jonathon

I do indeed, and that’s a great idea. I’ll try it.

[sstory]

Hi all - new to the group. I live in Broken Arrow, OK. My wife and I started doing KCBS competition BBQ back in 2008 after a buddy helped me build a large gravity-fed insulated smoker. I’m a little on the tech side, so I added a controller system that would monitor the pit and meat temps and would control the fan that was blowing into a ball valve to control the temp in the smoker. I then connected the controller to a wireless router that I could pick up with my laptop and run a piece of software that would graph out the temperatures and show when the fan was running. During competitions, this made it very easy for me to put our large cuts of meat in the smoker around midnight and then get a good night sleep in our trailer. I’d wake up occasionally and look at the laptop to make sure my pit was still running within 2 degrees of my target temp. We competed for about 5 years and then had to stop due to job related issues. A couple of years ago, I decided I wanted to get into making sausage. I watched all sorts of videos. We had a KitchenAid mixer but the reviews for the grinder attachment didn’t sound good. So the plan was just to get a grinder and then also use it for stuffing. When I went to look at the grinder, they had it on clearance so I was able to get the #12 grinder and a 5lb stuffer for a great deal. I’ve mainly made some basic brats or our favorite has been chicken, spinach and feta.

I found Walton’s when I was searching for some supplies for some venison summer sausage I wanted to try to make for the first time. So my first order from Walton’s was seasoning, meat binder, casings (both summer sausage and 21mm snack stick) and high heat cheeses to make a 25lb batch of venison summer sausage. More info about that in another section.

Looking forward to learning more from everyone here.

Steve

[Jonathon]

sstory Glad to have you on the board! That sounds like a pretty amazing set up you had, do you still have it? If so please post some pictures of it. Hope your summer sausage came out nice and tasty!

[sstory]

Jonathon yes, I still have that smoker, just don’t use it as often unless I’m doing a cook of a lot of meat. I also have those Masterbuilt smokers (the 40 size), that I used most of the time. The next time I get the big smoker fired up, I’ll get some pics and post them here.

[Jonathon]

sstory Looking forward to the pictures!

[sstory]

Jonathon I forgot I had this video that sort of shows my smoker in action. This was from 2008 at the Bixby BBQ and Blues Competition – this was our very first competition.

Bedlam BBQ

[Jimbo]

This post is deleted!

[Joe Hell]

This post is deleted!

[sstory]

Joe Hell Hi Joe, I’ve seen a few of your posts, so you must have been on here awhile.

[Fred]

sstory Welcome, I’m a KCBS Master Judge going on my 12th year. Lots of information to get and share here.

[sstory]

Fred Thanks for the Welcome. I got certified to be a KCBS judge, just so I’d know what judges are looking for when we started competing. I judged at a couple of comps to see what other teams were turning in. Looking forward to learning a lot from everyone here – and hopefully, some day, I’ll be able to help out another newbie to this wonderful hobby.

[Joe Hell]

sstory Good strategy!

[ttinidaho]

Tom T from Boise, ID

[Teamfour]

Hi, Lee from northern Virginia here. Long time KCBS competitor and quarter finalist in the 2014 Terlingua International Chili Championship. We are from southern LA/MS originally, so andouille is our primary sausage. Also Texas red hots, Chaurice, breakfast, and cajun sausages. We cure and smoke our own bacon and Tasso. Hope to learn and contribute here.

[Jonathon]

Teamfour If you make a lot fo Andouille I am sure we will have people wanting your recipe, we will eventually make a video about it but the two times I have tried I added too much sodium erythorbate one time and the second time it was amazing, but the video was out of focus!

[Brownie]

Cyrus, MN I’m fairly new at smoking meats.
I like sweet beef jerky/tangy jerky.
I have a MB 30,Big Chief and I smoke on my Akorn kamado.

[Mr. A.]

New to the community. I’ve been buying Walton’s products for a couple years. Love the info on this site. I’ve been making restructured jerky for 20 years, I feel like I’ve mastered that. I built a smokehouse this year and decided on making some snack sticks.

[mikehoots]

Austin

I joined this web site last week [Hooter111]. I’m a senior who has been deer hunting since 1979. I live in Hobart, Indiana, which in the northwest corner of the state. I started my hunting career hunting public properties, but for the last 15 years I have been fortunate enough to be hunting only privately owned property. About 18 years ago a friend [butcher and deer processor], taught me how to butcher my own deer. I learned how to make sausage and snack sticks through friends and the internet. My favorite seasoning to date, for the last ten years, is “Hunter’s Snack Stick / Sausage Seasoning, by Buckland. Which I believe comes from Reicherts wholesale. I own a new 40” Masterbuilt electric digital smoker. Since logging on to your website I have had quite a few questions answered by watching your videos.

[velvet1116]

Visiting from Norwich , Connecticut . I was watching how you cooked the back strap ,looks so good . I know my son and daughter in law would love to try. We all enjoy trying different spices. The kids have both a grill and smoker . Thanks for all the different videos

[Bodey30]

Jason checking in from Central Point, Oregon (Southern Oregon)…Co-owner of Off The Bone BBQ our part time catering gig. Owner of a Bewley Pit, WSM, Smokin Tex, ABS and the trusty old Weber Kettle. Love smoking for Family, Friends, Co-workers and our amazing customers.