re: Looking for a hobby

Hiking, photography, travel...

learn how to prepare food.

make your own sauerkraut.

make bread.

eating.

a lot of people will appreciate it if you are any good. you can have people over to have it. tie in with Nth game of the Eastern C Champ vs Golden State Warriors.

Church
Golf
Projects around the house
Get a dog
Learn a foreign language
Play an instrument

If you have no genuine intellectual interests or sports habits, just do things you think will help you get laid:

-buy a dog. Take dog to dog park to play with dogs owned by single women
-volunteer for pediatric cancer charity (but only do fun stuff like work at their annual gala or fun run)
-lots of music festivals and big events have volunteer opportunities, and are usually tied to some sort of charity you can claim to support while getting free admission to concerts

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Looking for a hobby

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I live in Dallas.

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Traveling

I'm interested in smoking meat. What's a good starting point? Any recommendations for a decent smoker? I grill but would like to expand into something that takes more time/skill.

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I'm interested in smoking meat. What's a good starting point?

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i'd start with the char broil 300 offset smoker. it's less than a hundred bucks, and is pretty reliable at holding temp. I like the r2d2 smokers, but the surface area on them isn't big enough for a brisket or a big pork shoulder.

start with pork before you try beef. Spare ribs, pork shoulder, then brisket once you get the hang of it.

you can find done temps online and recs for cooking temps. I like to cook higher and quicker, but still "low and slow," so i try to avg 325* per cook no matter what cut. People will say that's too hot, but i'd put my meat up against anybody's and I'm not patient enough to spend 12 hrs or longer cooking.

you can get a good "wireless" thermometer for pretty cheap, this is a necessity.

then you figure out what kind of wood you like, this takes the most time because each cook is like an ongoing experiment. I use about 2/3 white oak and 1/3 pecan for long cooks. quick cooks like ribs i'll use 50/50.

All smokers are pits, but not all pits are smokers.


Also, despite what people say, both can be used indoors with just a few minor modifications.

So that char broil posted above.. Just the box on the left is the "smoker" right