LeeBo
Knows what a fatty is.
Well, I finally joined in. I was one of the original 5 that started the original yahoo Bandera group back in 1998(?) and still serve as the moderator. Yes, LeeBo, as trained by the great "Unka Pete" - an old black man in SE Oklahoma. Unka Pete always said, "I been BBQ'in fo fo'tty years 'n been doin' right fo least 37. Now listen up!"
My smoker is an Old School Bandera as originally designed, purchased in 1997. I have the gasket, baffle, basket, and expanded metal mods. In fact, I think with at least two of these I was one of the first. Heck, I remember when I first started talking about using a cooler and nobody had heard of it ('cept me and 'ol Unka Pete!).
I suppose my techniques are like my smoker: Old School. I use salt & pepper only. In fact, I only use salt if it has a bone in it. I've tried the rubs, sauces, etc. and while they're good, my guests always say the like "the other ones" slightly better. Another Unka Pete lesson.....
So where have I been? Admittedly, I was a little resistant to come over. Phil was an absolute gentleman when he started up this site. In fact, he and I discussed his idea via eMail a few times and have somewhat stayed in touch since. I was very supportive of "The Brethren." However, some of the members were infantile toward the original group. This rubbed (no pun intended) me wrong after all the good times, moderating, doing the Tee Shirts & caps, and hearing gripes from both sides. We have too few hours away from work to deal with people that bring 'ya down. Oh well, the Kumbaya has been sung.
I'm still working full time and school has become part time as I (hope I) am on the downhill slide. I think last year I only smoked twice. Got tired of the fire tending, and by not being as active with BBQ on the net, I simply didn't think of it or get the mood as often.
Wednesday night I saw the "Top 10 BBQ Joints" on the travel channel and have been salivating ever since. Today I brushed the rust, painted, and prepped my dear Oakie. In fact, she's sleeping with a loaded basket and racks & deflector properly placed. At day break she's coming out of retirement with two pork loins, ribs, sausage ring, and bologna.
I came to this site to see if anyone has used a Longhorn Deluxe (see post in Q talk). However, I had to join before I could search. Wow! The site has done well since I last checked in. Phil's done a lot of great work. I've also missed on learning a few things: The deflector, the addition of dividers to the basket, fatties, 3-2-1 and on and on.
What can I say? It's good to be home.
- LeeBo
My smoker is an Old School Bandera as originally designed, purchased in 1997. I have the gasket, baffle, basket, and expanded metal mods. In fact, I think with at least two of these I was one of the first. Heck, I remember when I first started talking about using a cooler and nobody had heard of it ('cept me and 'ol Unka Pete!).
I suppose my techniques are like my smoker: Old School. I use salt & pepper only. In fact, I only use salt if it has a bone in it. I've tried the rubs, sauces, etc. and while they're good, my guests always say the like "the other ones" slightly better. Another Unka Pete lesson.....
So where have I been? Admittedly, I was a little resistant to come over. Phil was an absolute gentleman when he started up this site. In fact, he and I discussed his idea via eMail a few times and have somewhat stayed in touch since. I was very supportive of "The Brethren." However, some of the members were infantile toward the original group. This rubbed (no pun intended) me wrong after all the good times, moderating, doing the Tee Shirts & caps, and hearing gripes from both sides. We have too few hours away from work to deal with people that bring 'ya down. Oh well, the Kumbaya has been sung.
I'm still working full time and school has become part time as I (hope I) am on the downhill slide. I think last year I only smoked twice. Got tired of the fire tending, and by not being as active with BBQ on the net, I simply didn't think of it or get the mood as often.
Wednesday night I saw the "Top 10 BBQ Joints" on the travel channel and have been salivating ever since. Today I brushed the rust, painted, and prepped my dear Oakie. In fact, she's sleeping with a loaded basket and racks & deflector properly placed. At day break she's coming out of retirement with two pork loins, ribs, sausage ring, and bologna.
I came to this site to see if anyone has used a Longhorn Deluxe (see post in Q talk). However, I had to join before I could search. Wow! The site has done well since I last checked in. Phil's done a lot of great work. I've also missed on learning a few things: The deflector, the addition of dividers to the basket, fatties, 3-2-1 and on and on.
What can I say? It's good to be home.
- LeeBo
