First we built an offset smoker named Bodrog Smoker. But how did we reach this point?
When BBQ and smoke reached our small country, there were not many who fell for this genre. As I love slow-cooked meat, as soon as I got to know that there are people in the country who cook meat with their weird machines for hours, I immediately wanted to call them up.
My good friend, Norbert Ban gave me the first piece of BBQ ribs. Strange and sensationally deliciously smokey, but not the traditional smell and texture of smoked meet I got to experience before.
The next encounter was in Tahitótfalu at the Őrház, where I could taste the BBQ meats and admire the grill.
There they used a modified container, and they told me how they made it, what to be aware of, what to keep in mind for the flow of smoke, also tips on what kind of spices we use. The meals were amazing. So amazing that if you didn’t arrive on time, you didn’t even get a number to stand in line for the meals.
Then I went to Etyek, where I met Máriusz Adorjányi and we talked about smokers, cooking and experiences. I respect him ever since for his great knowledge and help.
After these intense trips, I talked to my uncle who built my first offset smoker oven based on a draft I drew on a piece of paper.
I named it Bodrog Smoker and later, this became the name of our brand.
Why Bodrog? I was born in Borsog-Abauj-Zemplen county of Hungary, and grew up in Szerencs. We have a guesthouse with my wife in Bodrogkisfalud, hence the name, Bodrog.