The First One

Well I have done it, I have gone out and started a blog.  I have been threatening people with this for a while now and I have finally followed through.  Like many "firsts" I don't expect that it will be pleasant for all involved, nor do I initially expect to be all that good at it!  In fact, I do not fully know why I'm starting this, other than I do get a sense of catharsis when I express myself in written form and can release much of my pent up sarcasm.  I mean I write one hell of an email.  You know what I mean?!  When something or someone has gotten me all riled up and that first draft of an email is blistering, full of hyperbole and genuinely how I feel at that moment.  Then come the revisions, I realize I could have more clear here or there, and sadly I am not gifted at grammar, nor do I spell well.  Many drafts later, I feel better, and oftentimes much of the venom is gone.  Heck there have been times when the email is never even sent, but I feel better about it, I still have that feeling of "I told them".  I'm sure no one else does this, am I right?

So why blog about grills and BBQ?  Well for better or worse I think it's sexy.  Stop being weird! I mean it's like some guys have a thing for cars or sports, while some get into gambling or making their own beer.  It's just my thing, my vice, if you will, as it goes beyond just a hobby.  It's fascinating and timeless really.  Cooking on the grill with fire is primal, but yet some of the newest grills are state of the art.  I love the old ways of cooking meat, the way my deddy, and his deddy, did things.  While at the same time I try to be opened minded about new methods.  Ways that my granddeddy would have scoffed at; until he tasted it and then he would have been like "dang Jeff that sous vide thingamajig and that reverse sear deal makes for one heck of a steak".   Also I have a degree in Biochemistry, so naturally I enjoy science and appreciate data.  I realized years ago that cooking is nothing more than chemistry when you get it down to it, you know, down to the bare bones of it.... sorry I couldn't help myself.  When you think about it much of cosmetology is the same way, but you don't want me doing your hair, but I'll cook you a mean flank steak roulade!

I have a twitter dedicated to all things grilling, smoking and barbecuing (@grill_porn), but sometimes 140 characters is just not enough to express myself fully.  I don't have a plan that is set in stone for this blog experiment, so I'll likely be all over the place.  I do know that I want to write about my cooking adventures, share some tips, make observations and see where that leads me.  Although I'll never be half the cook these guys are, I try to model myself after the likes of Meathead Goldwyn (@meathead) and Chris Grove (@NibbleMeThis), my mentors in this BBQ journey!

Let's get started!!!