I am proud to announce that as of last night, Chef Reiton has become a graduate of Low & Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons, Gary Wiviott's cookbook "course" on smoking a rather fantastic array of meats.
Wiviott has, in a rather tongue-in-cheek manner, created a cookbook that, in "boot-camp" style, teaches a cook to become a master smoker. Last night (or shall I say, all day yesterday) was the graduate course: 20 pounds of pork butt to make pulled pork. And, man, was that the kicker... Even Marley the dog enjoyed it. He ate one of the shoulder bones in ten minutes flat.
I have to say: I am so proud of my partner. The hours that it takes to properly smoke a piece of meat is daunting to me. As much as I love smoked food, I never would have smoked anything if he hadn't wanted to learn how to do it (and I honestly haven't done anything except watch him at the smoker as we drink beer, and then eat his amazing food). It's been a little lesson to me, watching him do this whole "boot-camp" process and tasting the flavor that I fantasize about every time I think of "grilling:" if you want to learn something, DO IT. Don't be daunted by the steps or the time or the expense. You can always find a way to make it work for you and still learn the lessons that need to be learned.
Gosh, don't you love it? Food really does teach you so much about Life. It's a fantastic teacher. And you get to eat it.