When and how did everyone get started? Is it a passion, hobby, or just something that you do? I think it would be fun to hear some stories of how people got into smoking.

I grew up in Idaho, which means a BBQ for me was hamburgers and hotdogs. My dad would grill steaks occasionally, but that was the extent of my family's forays into backyard cookin'. I moved to Texas 6 years ago, tasted brisket, and fell in love. I bought my first smoker 3 years ago, and have tried to smoke something at least once a month, sometimes more. It really just depends what is on sale.

My first couple of briskets didn't turn out as well as I would have liked. On the first one, I didn't realize that I had to let the meat settle for an hour or two after taking it off the pit, so It turned out really chewy and dry. The second one turned out the same because I undercooked it. I have probably done 15 or so briskets now, and they are consistently delicious. I was surprised that there isn't some magic voodoo to smoking. You can make great Q just by understanding the basic principles of good smoke vs. bad smoke, and the cooking characteristics of whatever meat you're smoking. I love it.

I'm curious whether other CBers have been pitmasters their entire lives, or if they started recently like me.