Fantastic!

Everything turned out great!  This BBQ Rookie knocked it out of the park in his first at bat.  The ribs were moist, fall-off-the-bone tender and flavorful and the loin had a nice pink ring around it and juicy and the rub was just enough spice to compliment the meat.  I'm looking forward to my next meal and have already begun planning the menu.  More to come later.

The First Meal

In planning for our first meal, we decided to go for a pulled pork and loin back ribs.  For the ribs, I chose Mansmith's low sodium rib spice.  Can't go wrong with Mansmith's, they catered our wedding reception (great tri-tip) and have great sauces and rubs.  Plus, as a new guy, I didn't want to leave my rib rub to chance.  For the 4.5 lbs of pork, I made my own blend of salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder, cumin and paprika.  Now time to let the goodness soak into the meat overnight (or what's left of the night).
As an aside, everything I read indicated the need to trim the membrane from the back of the ribs.  After about 30 minutes of trying to accomplish this, we pulled up a how-to video on youtube.  On closer inspection, the membrane of the ribs had already been mostly removed.  Rookie mistake, one I'm sure not to repeat.

I will update as the meal progresses...

Introduction

I don't know if this happens to you, but every time we go to Costco, we come away with more than we had bargained for.  Last summer, we saw a Traeger grill rep selling grills and I was immediately interested.  You see, I've already got a regular 3 burner gas grill, but after spending my college years in Oklahoma, I knew deep down that I was not able to get a real BBQ flavor out of my Home Depot special.  Fast forward to last Thanksgiving and another rep was again at Costco.  Trouble.  However, having just had our second child, I figured our money would be best used elsewhere and we decided to put off any purchase until 'next time.'  Well, next time is here.  As of April 13, we are the proud owners of a Traeger Lil' Tex Elite.  As I pondered the best way to keep record of my culinary adventure, I thought a blog would be the best way to keep track of my BBQ adventures.  Don't look for daily posts, or insights from a grill master, just look for stories from a grilling novice.  I have a penchant for cooking and entertaining, but mostly that's just a guise for my eating.  Tomorrow, the carnivore's symphony begins.  Pork loin ribs and a pork tenderloin...  more to come.