Eating BBQ in Texas

"After turning 35, men must make a decision; to either get really into World War 2 history, or really into smoking various meats". While I do own an unread copy of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, barbecuing is my thing. I am still very much a novice and have a lot to learn but I am very much looking forward into getting back to barbecuing after the winter (BBQ is an all year thing but it just rained so much this winter).

Last weekend I found myself watching loads of BBQ videos on Youtube. Not just how to cook different meats, but a Day in the Life of the #1 BBQ in Texas or How this Pitmaster makes Texas #1 BBQ. Watching how these pitmasters spent days preparing their meats and selling out in a number of hours made me really want to be there to eat their BBQ. And why not?

Life changes

When I started financial planning in 2010, I had no interest in BBQ. I had a gas barbecue (an outdoor grill to the BBQ snobs ??) that was just used in the summer. I now have three charcoal BBQ's and a big list of different meats I want to cook and perfect (there has been LOTS of fails!).

I also had one child, with another on the way. My priorities were on my family and my new job. Stating my own business wasn't even a consideration at that point! Now both my kids are in secondary school and the education part of my financial plan is in full swing. I'm also fast approaching eleven years as my own boss.

We can now start thinking of other things that we would like to do. Texas is a BIG state and I would like to spend some time travelling around it, so I am in no hurry to get there. But it is certainly something I I really want to do (I hate the term Bucket List so I won't use it here).

Having a plan

That is why it is so important to have a plan. Accumulating as much money as you can is not a plan. Of course, you will need to save money but it is always harder to do if there is no goal in mind. But if I have plan to spend a month travelling around Texas in an RV eating the best BBQ in the world, that focuses the mind a bit. And if there is an opportunity to do it before I decide to slow down on work, I will do that too, because it is in the plan as something to do.

And who knows, I may stop smoking meats and read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and head off around Europe looking at the significant sites of World War II (I have seen a lot of them already ??). That's why we need to have a plan and keep on changing it as our priorities and life changes.

Steven Barrett

11 March 2024