The last thing I am is a snob about any food. On one evening, we went to a high class restaurant in the city, and after on the way back to the car, stopped for a Papaya King hot dog. If it taste's good, I will eat it. If I doesn't taste good, I will still eat it - why hurt feelings.

Sometimes we think our way is the best way...the only TRUE way. When we get closed minded and snobbish about it and down right nasty to others, we drive away members who we could have made into friends. Closed minded certainty gives the impression that one must find the BEST way to do every step and then follow those steps exactly.

Painting by the numbers does not create a masterpiece.

Calling someone else and their methods inferior to your own opinions does not make you better just because they are worse. On the other hand, ignoring the wealth of experience being offered for free on this forum is just plain stupid. Try things and find what you like...then try more things.

I love the tolerance and friendship posted about here. Does it extend to folks that prefer well done steak? My experience on this forum has been it is not safe to post a well done steak cook thread.

I will say - if you like a steak well done, then thats your choice and you alone have to decide how you like your food.
It should not be other people who decide what you like or what you should eat.

Keep an open mind and accept that people are different with different taste and food preferences.

^ Thank you for that. :becky:

I am new to this forum, in my third year of minimalist BBQ with a brinkman 2 door vertical. My observations: the smoker works fine in good weather, but becomes almost useless when it is cold and windy. I suspect this is because the firebox is capable of raising the temp maybe 150 degrees, on a 70 temp day 70+150 = 220, but on a 35 degree day 35+150 = 185. Then there is wind chill, which drops the top temp even more.

When all goes well, a good load of briquettes will burn about 6 hours at about 180-220. The usual heat arc is for the temp to go up in the first hour to about 240 then drop down to around 180-200 for a long time.

I have sealed the doors with stove gasket material, and of course drilled holes in the fire pan. I am going to replace the fire pan with a bigger one, since I just bought a $13 walmart grill for parts.

I also have a bullet smoker that is about 20 years old, made in America, stored outdoors, and no rust - but have not used it in years.

I favor brining, applewood, my standard base rub is black pepper and the cheapest mustard.

All comments and suggestions will be welcomed

Hi, twinwasp! Welocme to the forum. A good place to discuss what you wrote above is in Qtalk, (where this thread is but the bottom section). Use a title that has 'Brinkmann 2 door vertical' in it and something about looking for suggestions. You will get a lot more traffic that way. If the type of smoker you want to discuss is in the title of your thread you will draw people that have experience or would like help themselves. Also, look to the bottom of this page, below the "Posting Rules" box and you will see the google custom search. I wrote "Brinkmann 2 door vertical" in it and clicked on 'search' at the right and had quite a few threads come up for that specific smoker. You might even find the information you need without having to wait for people to show up and comment on your thread. Good luck! :becky:

I like medium well to well done steaks too, but I know how to cook all of them for my family members who don't like them that done. It's just preference, and not everyone is the same. I find that medium well give me the perfect amount of tenderness and juicy-ness I like...

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/...ps46c4c228.jpg

^ That's perfect, looks tender and juicy. I make a juicier and more tender well-done steak now than I did before joining this forum, I've learned a lot about meat the last three years. I made shoe leather too often before that because I didn't know better. My next freezer half-beef order looks like it will be steak-heavy because of who I'm sharing the whole cow with. I'm looking forward to perfecting a well-done, might even post a thread or two to show what I've learned. The support in this thread is the reason I'm thinking about creating a cook thread again, I'd pretty much given up on doing that. Thank you, BBQDane, Cajun Ty, RevZiLLa and Tony, you just made a difference. :becky:

Thanks Turkey Leg. Well put. I'm fairly new to smoking, brand new to this forum, and certainly no competitor. It's the process I love and the camaraderie I seek. Great BBQ is icing on the cake.

Cheers to that.

Might be off post here, and not my intention to offend anyone, but in my world it's not how you start the q but how it is finished. Boiled, baked, pressure cooked, hell microwaved, whatever you need to do, but its gotta be finished in the smoker, or grill. Plenty of matches here, WHAT IS MATCHLIGHT??

This is what Match Light briquettes look like, made by Kingsford. They come already infused with lighter fluid so they "light with just one match". Consumers Reports tested them because of numerous complaints, link below. Match Light works as marketed under some circumstances, mainly, if they have been protected in the necessary ways to stop the lighter fluid from evaporating. Storing an open bag in the back yard metal shed all summer will allow the lighter fluid to evaporate -- then you're just left with regular briquettes that will not light with one match held to them. The reason they are made fun of here is the lighter fluid…. which permeates the cooked food with an undesirable flavour.

http://i.cubeupload.com/aOkgZT.png


http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/m...heck/index.htm

Hey to Kathy, Thank you for the reply. Just funnin about the Matchlight, I am well aware what it is, been smokin meat for 30 years, im old school charcoal for the grill wood only for the smoker:clap2:

Well said
 

WOW you said a mouthful there. smoke on Bro. :clap2::thumb::cool: