Patience...


 

Chris Allingham

Administrator
Staff member
I've been dabbling in the art of barbecue since 1997, and grilling all the way back to 1987, when I graduated from college, got my first solo apartment, and bought my first grill: a Weber Go-Anywhere charcoal grill.

I started participating in online discussion of these topics in 1997, and in the past 16 years, I've seen most every topic discussed. If you've spent any significant amount of time on TVWBB or other forums, you know there are certain topics that keep coming up again and again, sometimes to the point that you just get tired of them. For example: gas vs. charcoal; briquettes vs. lump; Texas BBQ vs. Carolinas vs. Kansas City; brisket fat side up vs. fat side down; foil vs. no foil; water vs. no water; pork butt fat cap on vs. fat cap off; low & slow vs. hot & fast. I'm sure you can think of many more.

When you see these topics coming up in new posts for the millionth time, it's easy to dismiss them, ignore them, or even reply saying, "we've already talked that to death". But I always have to remind myself that not everyone has been at this for 16 years...that these questions are brand new for some people, and they are looking for helpful answers.

It's incumbent upon us to provide a helpful answer, to include a link to an existing discussion thread or online article that provides more detailed information, and to do so in a way that does not make the poster feel bad for asking their question.

For me, it always helps to remember the thirst for information I had when I first started out. There were a lot of guys and gals who answered my beginner questions in a kind, helpful way, even though they'd probably heard the same questions a million times before.

We've got a great tradition here on TVWBB of helping new members in the same way I was helped years ago on other forums. I want to thank all of you for doing that every day, in every way. Let's keep making new members feel welcome, and make them feel that their questions are important and interesting and worth talking about...because they are. :)

Best regards,
Chris
 
I know I myself came here to this forum with only a vague idea of what bbq'ing was about. I asked many of those same questions myself and was greatful for the great advice I was given by the many members of this forum.
 
Absolutely! My entire way of bbq changed here. Sometimes you see an inquiry that honestly, with a search
could be answered. But that doesn't embrace the new member so we should be a bit more diligent in our replies.
 
I sometimes ask a question that I could easily goggled.... But then realize maybe someone else maybe have the same question. Then I don't feel that dumb.
 
I could also throw in that searching the forum for specific answers could be quite a daunting task for some people. Not everyone is as comfortable online as many of us are.
 
Absolutely! My entire way of bbq changed here. Sometimes you see an inquiry that honestly, with a search
could be answered. But that doesn't embrace the new member so we should be a bit more diligent in our replies.

Marc seems to have summed it up pretty well. Nice job.
 
Well stated Chris.
Of the various forums that I have been a part of or lurked around over the years, TVWBB is by far
the friendliest most helpful one I've seen.
Thanks to all that are a part of this great online community!
 
I often overlook a lot of posts, as you said, "been there, done that". However, if we did not continue to read and explore, we would still think that searing "seals" in the juices, that yeast only rises in a warm place (yea, that's right, it works in the fridge also, just takes longer), and so on and so on..........But still, I see no purpose of water in the wsm:cool:......................d
 
I've learned a lot from this forum. We all started here as newbie's, some of us were just more experienced newbies. :) Sometimes I get tired of reading the same questions over and over again tool but when that happens I just do as David does & bypass the post or maybe refer them to a thread I have saved or know where to search for it. After all sharing our knowledge is also a large part of what this is all about.
Tom S is quite right about computer skill levels varying from member to member and I was certainly intimidated by that when I joined.
This is a great forum offering a wide variety of topics and it definitely is friendly. I'm glad to be here, and most often it's my early morning reading.
Thanks Chris for doing a great job and thanks to all the members.

P.S. I do my dry rub ribs over water all the time :wsm::rolleyes:
 
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I agree this site has elevated everyone to a level of comfort and appreciation of BBQ. I continue to learn and am amazed at the genuine support that the TVWBB community has for newbies and experienced BBQ fans. Thank you Chris for starting this great site.
 

 

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