Greetings from central Missouri! I'm a single mom of five and I'm brand new not only to this site but to grilling. We may have done burgers and dogs once or twice a year on something similar to a Smokey Joe, but never anything done with skill or any serious passion.
My best friend is an amazing man and a grilling guru in my eyes. He loves grilling and even though he viewed it as sacrilegious, he always grilled my veggie burgers and vegetarian dishes. (Been a veggie since I was little). We built many fond memories while he grilled. I always got to sit back, drink a beer, and eat some amazing food!
Two weeks ago, my friend accepted a job across the state. Last week he moved. I want him to be happy but I'm devastated. He swears we will stay in touch and still hang out but with conflicting schedules I'm not as optimistic as he is about how often we will be able to see each other.
In an odd, sentimental moment, I went out and bought my first real grill, an Oklahoma Joe's Highland. Maybe not the best but it's a HUGE step up from anything I've ever had before. Two nights ago we had our first dinner on it. Two of my kids eat meat and three are vegetarian so we had a good variety of things. It was fun! Today I'm attempting to smoke a pork butt. I read to go low-and-slow and with some minor temperature slips here and there, things have been going pretty smoothly. As I type, I'm 11 hours in and stalled but things look good so far! Wish me luck!
I recently have been checking out various sites and discovered I can smoke cheese! How awesome!!! I love smoked cheese! Cheese is a huge part of our diet since we don't eat meat but as a single mom, I simply can't afford it often.
I'm hoping to buff up on grilling techniques and discover some awesome dishes, both meat and vegetarian. While I don't think I could ever make my friend jealous of my skills, I'd at least like to make him proud.
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