Ordered my birthday present the other day!

I had a couple of choices of gifts for my upcoming birthday. One was to go out to Kansas Speedway and drive Nascar, one of the packages that Sandra had looked into was to drive around the track for 8 laps, since each lap is 1.5 miles the total distance would be 12 miles or 19 km. Considering that you drive at 150 mph (240 km/h) it only lasts for a few minutes and then all you have left is the memory.

So instead I choose to get a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker. It is not a regular grill but a smoker that cook the meat with much lower temperature for several hours. Usually you cook the meat around 225-250 F (110-120 C) for a several hours. Ribs will take about 4-5 hours to cook and a chicken takes about 3 1/2-4 hours. If you want to smoke a brisket then you need to cook it for 10 hours or more.

The principle is that you put the charcoal in the bottom of the smoker and add chunks of wood on the lit charcoal. Right above the charcoal is a large pan that you fill with water. The water helps to keep an even temperature inside the smoker and prevent overheating. Then you have the first cooking grate above the water pan and on top of the smokers middle section is a second grate. At the very top is a lid that seals the whole thing.

I thought that this is a present that I can enjoy for a long time and the rest of the family will enjoy it as well.

So on this Super Bowl Sunday I'll make my first baby back ribs and beer can chicken, provided that I have received the smoker. I know it's on its way and should arrive tomorrow or Friday.

Earlier today I went to the store and bough a rack of baby back ribs and a whole chicken. What I have understood is that real barbecue is done in smokers, and the barbecue slogan is "slow and low" meaning cooking the meat very slowly over low heat.

And by adding rubs to the meat before cooking and basting it with barbecue sauce or glaze during and after cooking is what makes it taste fantastic. If the meat turns out nice then this is what I will serve on my birthday party.

I'll update the blog once I have received the smoker and write about the cooking process as well. Unfortunately they are talking about snow the following days but that should not effect the result, the only enemy to a smoker is wind.