Knoxville, TN
Contact information:
Author of
The Kamado Smoker and Grill Cookbook
Ulysses Press 2014
The Offset Smoker Cookbook
Ulysses Press 2019
Love At First Bite
I fell in love with barbecue when I was 7 years old. I was visiting my grandparent's farm in North Carolina and the adults brought back some BBQ from the local volunteer fire department's annual fundraiser in Lisbon, NC. I didn't know what it was at the time but I remember the tangy vinegary taste of the Carolina BBQ between two pieces of white bread. It was the first time I ever had REAL BBQ and it is the first time I can ever remember thinking to myself, “That was the best thing I ever tasted!”
That one bite would resurface some 28 years later when I wanted to replicate that flavor experience. I bought a cheap offset smoker in pursuit of a quest and stumbled into the lifestyle of live fire cooking – all things BBQ, smoking, grilling, fire roasting, cold smoking, “stir firing”, etc.
A Fiery Journey
I don't have any formal culinary training, but after over 10 years I have been fortunate enough to take classes from and work hands-on with world championship-winning BBQ competitors. I have spent countless hours on BBQ forums trying to learn more. I have read and re-read dozens of grilling and BBQ books. I have connected with some phenomenal BBQ folks willing to share. I have gotten to work with excellent companies in the BBQ/grilling arena.
I have learned a wealth of information from all of those sources but my best learning experiences have come from the University of Fire, Trial, and Error. And that is what lead to starting this blog. Nibble Me This is a collection of my culinary misadventures in live fire cooking.
Honestly, don't you think the best way to learn something is to screw it up extraordinarily and then realize, “Wow, I won't do it that way again!”?