Morgan McArthur, DVM for Vetscript, 8 June 99

I have a passion for barbecue.

To me, barbecue is a smoky, slow-cooking experience that is far different than backyard burn it-and-turn it cuisine. Both involve cooking meat outdoors and they go by the same name. There the similarity ends.

Floyd Oberg inspired me to barbecue. The BBQ ribs from his little restaurant were so good you didn't know whether to eat them or to smear 'em all over your body (either way, the result was the same). Unfortunately I shifted to NZ before I could get him to teach me how to cook with smoke. I missed my chance to learn from The Man.

The lingering memory of Floyd's ribs motivated me to master the art of BBQ. My early attempts provided me with heaps of experience. Most of it bad. I call it "learning by burning." There is more to good barbecue than just putting heat to the meat.

I needed guidance. Fortunately, I found BBQ masters on the internet. I sought and got their advice. I practiced. I read books. And I practiced. Gradually I acquired the tools, techniques, and tricks of barbecue.

After a couple of years (and the equivalent of several carcasses), I got good at it. A leg of lamb done my way takes 18 hours to barbecue. A long time, for sure, but you ain't never tasted lamb like this! Smoky...garlicky...fork-tender... and dribble-out-of-the-corner-of-your-mouth good. Pause. Smack.

There are similarities between a career in veterinary medicine and my fetish for barbecue. We have Floyds in our profession, too. Just look around. There are colleagues who excel at running a business or have enviable technical skills. Someone may have a talent for growing the consulting side of the practice. Can you think of vets who are great at building rapport?

If there is someone out there with a skill or a knack or some information that you wish you had, then I say go to work on getting it. Now.

Don't wait until the opportunity to learn from a master has passed and you end up doing it the hard way. That's my trick. Arrange to go and spend time with these people. Encourage them to share their recipes for success with you. Using the BBQ metaphor, this interaction will minimise your burning and increase your learning.

Not only that, you'll be inspired to return to work and cook with gusto!

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