All Hokie, All the Time. Period. Presented by First Bank & Trust Company

Coach McGuirk Coach McGuirk OP
Jul 01, 2026 at 08:10 AM ET
Day 2 of my smoke fest is underway. I got up in the dark to start the pork
butt so I can be done with it in a reasonable hour. I bought about 25 lbs of chicken thighs at .99/lb from Winn Dixie the Beef People. What am I supposed to do when they are giving it away? And everybody loves it, so...This is it, though. No more buying until everything in the freezer is gone! I may be googling a 12 step program or something soon. The addiction is real.

27 Replies

bigbadbird bigbadbird
1mo
is it hot?
Galenahokie Galenahokie
1mo
I used to smoke pork butts for 12 hours, then my wife tried cooking one in
the crock put with liquid smoke and I truly couldn't tell the difference.
ElbertoHokie ElbertoHokie
1mo
I've got my spare ribs from costco and am ready to smoke them saturday
morning. i cut them up individually. They smoke faster and they behave like finger foods. Just walk on by and grab one.
Brown Water Brown Water
1mo
♫ I am a thighman for the county...
Hokebury Hokebury
1mo
"Thighway Man"🎶
I was a thighwayman Along my girlfriends thighs I did ride With sword and pistol by my side Many a young maid lost her baubles to my trade Many a soldier shed his lifeblood on my blade The bastards hung me in the spring of 25 But I am still alive
RhinoVT RhinoVT
1mo
I have ribs set for prepping then onto the smoker on Friday.
vt90 vt90
1mo
My smoker is still in storage and it is killing me. I also sold my Weber
charcoal grill before I moved. In desperation, I bought a $55 butane griddle that I put on a table in the back 'yard' of my rental. I can do chicken, burgers, flank steak, etc but I long to do a real cook. Hopefully soon. I am building a full outdoor kitchen in the next house. My one non-negotiable. Covered cook area, sink, refrigerator, storage, and a bar area with stools on the other side so I don't have to cook and drink alone. ** Edited by vt90 at 7/1/2026, 8:19:13 AM
N
No Clue
1mo
I built mine the summer prior to Covid. Turned out to be great timing.
In addition to all those things you mentioned, I put IR heaters in the ceiling. They are awesome when the temps drop below 60.
Coach McGuirk Coach McGuirk OP
1mo
I have the same plan. I only use the inside oven for frozen pizza now. But
I don't have a full outdoor kitchen like I want. Been trying to move for a long time. It's going to be the last one, so it has to be right, and there are a lot of considerations (for me) that have to be met here without much supply on the market. We keep lowering our expectations and compromising, and the clock of my life keeps ticking...
vt90 vt90
1mo
Good luck. We just found a great 'opportunity' and are under contract but
our 'due diligence' period ends on Saturday and we are asking for quite a bit of money for needed repairs. If they don't get close we will walk. But it has a giant back yard perfect for a screened porch, pool, and outdoor cooking area. Have it all planned out in my head for lighting, speakers, and will wire it for an outdoor TV but with Charleston weather that may never happen.
Coach McGuirk Coach McGuirk OP
1mo
It's tough. I would probably just buy it, even if they come up short. You
took a shot, but it's brutal when you have to go back to square one over and over. We took a short trip to Charleston once in the fall. It had some fun bars down by the water for watching football. The town reminds me of St Augustine a bit. But I think you may have to buck up with that summer heat, ha.
vt90 vt90
1mo
For sure, though I think it is hotter in VA right now than Charleston. I
am prepared for a brutal period of heat the next few months. All the more reason to have a pool.
Coach McGuirk Coach McGuirk OP
1mo
Getting as close to the coast as possible helps with the heat with the
seabreeze phenomenon. But that is no place to be in a hurricane. Go with the pool and a little higher ground =). I'd want to be 25 feet up there, if you can get it.
vt90 vt90
1mo
The property we are trying to buy is not in a flood zone but we will get
flood insurance anyway because it is relatively cheap. But yeah, always a concern for sure.
RhinoVT RhinoVT
1mo
We might be neighbors in a couple of years! We are in the area vetting
process now to narrow down where we want to be down there, then we'll get serious about specific properties.
MP4VT2004 MP4VT2004
1mo
Born in Charleston...may end up there again eventually.
My sites are definitely set on South Carolina long-term.
V
VTMojo
1mo
Just moved to Beaufort ("bwewford" and not "boford" :-).. no regrets
MP4VT2004 MP4VT2004
1mo
Beaufort is my other target. I love it there.
In fact, the desktop background on my PC is this photo I took along the waterfront park in Beaufort.
vt90 vt90
1mo
We spent a day in Beaufort and liked it a lot. Just decided that after ..
almost 40 years of living in the suburbs, we wanted to live closer to more things to do. South Mt. Pleasant gave us the best of all worlds (at a steep price). 5 minutes from Sullivan's Island, 10 minutes from Isle of Palms, tons of great restaurants and bars that are walkable, dozens more reachable by golf cart, and only 15 minutes to downtown Charleston. Beaufort is peaceful and beautiful but is a bit 'out of the way', which is perfect if that is what you are looking for.
V
VTMojo
1mo
We started looking at Mt Pleasant first
but the prices were sky high for what we wanted and the newer builds seemed to be subdivisions which we wanted to avoid. We figure that we'll have to schlep up to Charleston once a month to get the shopping and restaurant fix. Absolutely love the Charleston area but I'm good with a slower pace at this stage.
vt90 vt90
1mo
Oh yeah - sticker shock is real. We are still negotiating and if we get the
Property we will probably be putting $650k or more into it. We are either committed or we should be. But we love it and have worked our entire lives to be able to do this. I may pass you on the road occasionally heading to Beaufort to avoid the crowds 😂
MP4VT2004 MP4VT2004
1mo
Yep, that sums it up very well. I am a major introvert...
...and the older I get, the less and less interest I have in visiting any crowded place, so Beaufort's low-key feel and "off the beaten path" location are pretty much exactly what I have in mind for my latter years.
vt90 vt90
1mo
That is what I always thought I wanted until we started renting in ...
Mt. Pleasant. We still looked at Johns Island, West Ashley, James Island, Daniel Island, as well as north Mt. Pleasant. However I have always been drawn back to near where we are renting. It feels like you are on vacation even when you are working and I love being able to be at a stunning beach 10 minutes after having a crappy day at work.
vt90 vt90
1mo
Amazing how many people mispronounce that area. Enjoy!
vt90 vt90
1mo
The Brick is a grate Hokie bar downtown. Will be there in the fall ...
frequently. Met the bartenders and a couple of servers there a few weeks back and they are excited about Franklin. Said business was 'down' a bit the past several years. :)
RhinoVT RhinoVT
1mo
Looks like we have game-watching parties at the ready!
vt90 vt90
1mo
Welcome in advance. You won't regret it.