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FAQ OF THE INTERNET BBQ LIST Version 2.0 Section 1 Introduction |
1. Introduction to the BBQ List
1.1 Who we are
Why, we're just a bunch of down-home folk, a lot like you. We're carpenters,
paleontologists, home-makers, plumbers, farmers, cooks and engineers (and just about
everything in between). We're a diverse group that has one thing in common--we like
barbecue.
1.2 What we do here
We like to sit on the front porch, around the barbecue pit, watching the smoke rising out
of the stack, drinking a beer or a Dr. Pepper and having us a real good chat about
barbecue, the size of the universe, the meaning of life and other important stuff.
We also, from time to time, if the feeling strikes us just right, and we've got a beer or Dr. Pepper in hand, will impart our "Q" knowledge to newcomers to barbecue that will enable them to increase their barbecuing skills to levels unheard of a hundred years ago. So stick around, read the posts and join the fun. Who knows, you might just learn a thing or two about barbecue, the size of the universe, the meaning of life and other important stuff. BTW, if we don't know the answer to your question, we'll just make one up.
The BBQ Mailing List was started in early 1996 by Richard Thead to facilitate the
discussion of barbecue and grilling.
Here Rick's Charter for the BBQ List:
"The charter is really pretty broad. We include in-ground pits, log burning pits, water smokers (gas & electric), grilling, etc. We should try not have our discussions drift too far off. The long-term goal of this list should be to show that BBQ is a subject that can be well defined enough to carry on meaningful discussions about it."
We don't discuss religion, or politics and we post no obscene pictures (provided you
don't look at the mugs of some of our members on Garry's Web page). 
Click here to see them if you must, but it's pretty scary and
people have left the List after seeing them.
We talk about Q here. We answer questions about Q. We fight about Q. We take Q seriously. That's what we do. Sometimes, opinions and prejudices border on religion, but just keep in mind that most of the time a post that sounds critical, or even hostile, is most likely done tongue-in-cheek. Don't take everything you read on this List too seriously, in fact don't take anything you read on this List too seriously! (Except safety.)
Here is what Rick used to send to new List subscribers:
" I'd like to keep this list fun and informative for everybody. Hopefully, we can keep the flames to a minimum. We all need to keep in mind that BBQ means different things in different places. I'm as guilty as anybody of being a BBQ snob. However, for this list, anything having to do with smoking, grilling or any other type of 'outdoor' cooking is welcome. The only thing I'd like to discourage is the so-called 'oven BBQ,' where you throw something in the oven with a bottle of liquid smoke and call it BBQ. There are plenty recipes for that in the recipe archives already, and it has no place here.
Rick thead@azstarnet.com"
If you are a new member and discussion topics seem to be wandering, just stick around awhile and see what happens. Many of the BBQ List members have been participants for many months and have grown to be friends. Some members even get together occasionally around the country to share barbecue and swap stories (more likely lies). Consequently, other topics of discussion may spring up temporarily but the discussion will come back around to barbecue. Just be patient.
If you are a new member and discussion topics seem to be wandering, just stick around awhile and see what happens. Many of the list members have been participants for many months and have grown to be friends. Some members even get together occasionally around the country to share barbecue and swap stories (more likely lies). Consequently, other topics of discussion may spring up temporarily but the discussion will come back around to barbecue. Just be patient.
--------------------[I'm new to the Internet and this BBQ List. Just what is a FAQ, anyway?]
Jerry Ward--
I will take a stab at letting you in on some Internet etiquette. FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions. Most groups on the Internet have a FAQ. It is recommended that you read it first before posting any questions, as it may contain your answers. That way, the same basic questions don't need to be answered over and over each time a newbie (new person such as yourself) joins the list.
Editor-- We have included many World Wide Web URLs to various barbecue resource sites. Please be aware that the content and availability of Web sites change rapidly. We cannot be sure that the Web URLs given in this FAQ will be available or will not change in the future. Here is what Rick Thead used to send to new list subscribers:
Bandwidth A term used to describe an undefined amount of traffic on the Internet. An example would be: "Posting pictures to the BBQ List is a waste of bandwidth." Creosote A chemical that forms during the burning of wood in an oxygen-starved environment. Creosotes are gases and will condense on cooler surfaces, like barbecue meat and the metal walls of smokers. Creosote on your meat will give it a bitter, nasty taste and is to be avoided. ECB El Cheapo Brinkmann smoking pit. Refers to a vertical water smoker made by several manufacturers that costs in the neighborhood of $30. Can produce, in the hands of a skilled pitmaster, prize-winning barbecue. Hondo A smoker made by New Braunfels and called the Hondo. It is a wood or charcoal burning off-set firebox type smoker. It is almost identical to the NB Black Diamond and is functionally equivalent to the Brinkmann SnP Pro. IMHO In My Humble Opinion. KCBS The Kansas City Barbecue Society. They sanction many barbecue competitions. Larding A technique for use with very lean meats where slabs of fat are placed on the outside of the meat. This acts like a fatter piece of meat and the fat bastes the meat as it smokes. The slabs of fat can be 1/2 to 1" thick and can be held in place with cotton string, the kind you'd use to tie a rolled-roast. Discard the fat when the meat comes out of the pit. Lazy-Que A somewhat-derogatory term used by wood-burning smoker traditionalists referring to those who choose to barbecue by using gas or electricity to fuel their pits and wood chips and or chunks for smoke. The Lazy-Q'ers thereby relieve themselves of the necessity to expend any but the most trivial effort in the act of barbecuing. Lurking Reading the posts on a mailing list or newsgroup but not contributing to the discussion. This is what most newcomers do, read for awhile before they post anything. MIM Memphis In May. A barbecue society and a barbecue competition held each May in Memphis, TN. MD Mindless Drivel. Mindless Drivel. A term used for postings to the BBQ List that are utterly without any redeeming social merit. When you wish to post a non-barbecue message to the List, place the letters "MD" in the subject/title to identify the post as such. Mr. Brown The crust that forms on the outside of barbecued meat. Also the trade name of a commercial barbecuespice rub. NBBD A wood or charcoal burning smoker made by New Braunfels and called the Black Diamond. It is identical to the Hondo except it has a wooden front shelf instead of a metal shelf. Pit A term originally used to describe an in-ground barbecue pit now used synonymously with the term 'smoker'. Pseudo-Q or Faux-Q (don't say this one out loud). Meat that is boiled in water (parboiled) and then finished on the grill and served with a BBQ sauce containing liquid smoke product. Also used to refer to foods cooked in the oven that simulate real BBQ. These are taboo on the BBQ List. SnP Pro A wood or charcoal burning smoker made by the Brinkmann Corporation called the Smoke'N Pit Professional. It is an off-set firebox type smoker, with a wooden front shelf. SWOCS A barbecue pit made by Southwest Outdoor Cooking Systems. A vertical pit that uses gas for fuel and to heat and burn wood chips or pellets to produce the smoke. The company ceased operations in early 1997. Thread On Internet mailing lists or on newsgroups, a discussion on a particular topic that goes on for days, weeks, months, or in some cases years. An example could be a 'thread' on how to smoke chicken. WSM Weber Smokey Mountain charcoal bullet water smoker. The Cadillac of bullet smokers manufactured by the Weber Grill Company. URL Uniform Resource Locator. An Internet Web page or FTP address.
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BBQ FAQ Ver 1.0, 2.0 ©1997, 1998 William W. Wight. All rights reserved.