I was lucky to have my dad and Uncles who all hunted, fished , made sausage and cooked outdoors. Uncle Bob owned a diner in Brookhaven Ms way back then as well. I was always really excited to go there and get chilli and a Pepsi when we went up there.
So we had Fish frys with the Uncles at the camps over near Lake Mary, Ms . I sure miss those days!
My dad had a Smoker made out of blocks For hams , turkeys and a hibachi he loved to cook Steak, burgers & hot dogs on. He always involved me in these things from a very early age.
When I joined the
BOY scouts I got lucky again. Our troop was run by all Military guys who had us cooking over fire...
During this same time period my dad would take some of us friends down to Fort Morgan all night fishing. We would build a camp fire and the first shark or redfish that was caught went on the coals.
Later I moved out to my Grandmother's old house and we made a brickpit out under the Magnolia tree. Roasted many oysters in the shell out there! Rabbits , fish, squirrels were often on the menu. Then a friend started butcher school and brought cheap beef in a couple times a week. Man we were living then!
When I got married we always had a fire pit that we cooked over for years to come. I remember my son got a compound bow from one of his uncles. I guess he was 11 or so then. He came out of the house with it that afternoon headed out into the field behind the house. A friend and I just started a fire and opened a cold beer when he passed by us. We ask what are going for? He said with confidence "I'm going to kill a rabbit to cook on that fire". Sure enough a while later he shows up all excited with a rabbit! We were a little shell shocked but hey, We helped him do the cleaning. Salt and peppered it good and he cooked it. To this day that is one of the best things I have ever tasted...
Years of grilling on that fire pit and a gas grill went by. Sundays at my parents with daddy cooking on the hibachi right up until the day he past in fact. Col Moreland was the Father in Law back then and he cranked out some really fine Prime Ribs too.
Then a major life change happened and I moved to the old farm house I'm still in today. Found a mini weber on the side of the road. Nursed a dozen or so broken bones back to life and started back to cooking on that little weber... Burned ribs so bad once the dog looked at us like we were crazy when we tried to give them to her.
Then 2006 I got a Char Broil Commercial gasser and met Barry Martin online. Then on to the SOTG gatherings where I met some really great folks that are here on this site now. It's just been smokin , grillin, boilin from there on...great fun! and still going...
So I guess I went a little past "Starting out".
P.S. I tried to get Tommy to eat some fresh half shell oysters a week or so ago. Some flaming ones as well. He would not go for it. So thats my new goal...