c/bbq-pitmasters

Why does nobody mention resting ribs in the cooler longer

I was at a comp in Kansas City last summer and this guy with 20 years experience told me to wrap my ribs and toss them in a dry cooler for 3 hours before serving. He said the carryover heat keeps them hot while the collagen sets up perfect. Has anyone else tried holding ribs that long without them turning to mush?

The day I stopped trimming my brisket like a fool

I spent 3 years trimming every brisket into this perfect aerodynamic shape, like the competition guys on YouTube. Then I went to a class in Kansas City with this old pitmaster named Ray. He looked at my trimmed meat and said 'son, you just threw away 2 pounds of the best flavor.' He showed me to just square up the edges and leave the fat cap thick in some spots. Next brisket I cooked that way was way juicier. Has anyone else had to unlearn a technique that seemed standard?

Bought a fancy smoker thermometer and my cheap one was more accurate

I dropped $80 on a Bluetooth thermometer last month because I thought my old $15 probe was junk. Set it up for a pork shoulder, left the house to run errands, and came back to a cold smoker. The new one lost connection halfway through, and I ended up pulling the meat way early and it was tough. Has anyone else had a fancy gadget fail on them during a long cook?

Wasted $200 on a cheap offset smoker from the hardware store - total junk

Bought this thin metal offset smoker for $200 at the local hardware store in Tulsa. First cook, the firebox rusted through within 3 hours. Couldn't hold temp above 200 no matter how much fuel I added. Tried patching it with high temp sealant but it just fell apart. Anyone else get burned on those bargain barrel smokers?

Finally gave up charcoal for wood splits after a 10 year brisket battle in Kansas City

I was a diehard charcoal guy since I started smoking meat back in 2014. Thought wood was just for show or flavor that burned off. Then my buddy at Smokehouse BBQ in KC let me try his brisket cooked on straight oak splits. The bark was way better, not as bitter. He said I was overcomplicating it. Switched last month and my first full packer came out way juicier. Anyone else make the switch and struggle getting the fire right with splits?

Wasted $60 on a fancy smoke tube that barely worked

I bought one of those stainless steel smoke tubes for cold smoking cheese, figuring it would be a game changer for $60. Thing barely held a flame for more than 20 minutes before dying out, even with dry pellets. Anyone else get burned by a gimmick gadget or is it just me?

I used to think charcoal was the only way, but now I'm all in on wood splits for smoking

For 8 years I insisted on using briquettes for my overnight cooks, thinking wood was too unpredictable for steady heat. Then I grabbed a bag of hickory splits on a whim during a trip to Kansas City last fall, and it completely changed how I approach pork shoulders. The flavor difference is huge, even with the same rub and cook time, and I actually have to manage the fire less than I expected. Am I the only one who made this switch and can't go back to charcoal now?

Saw a guy arguing with a brisket on YouTube and it got me thinking

I was watching some old BBQ Pitmaster episodes last night and there's this one dude who stood over his smoker shouting at a brisket for 10 minutes straight. He said 'you WILL render that fat cap' and actually shook his finger at it. Honestly cracked me up but also made me realize how much passion some people put into their cook. Have any of you ever talked to your meat like it can hear you?

The day my WSM hit 250 and held it for 14 hours straight without me touching it once

That was the best day I ever had with my 18 inch Weber Smokey Mountain back in 2016. I loaded it up with two pork shoulders and a rack of ribs, kicked back with a beer, and it purred like a kitten the whole cook. Has anyone else had one of those magical sessions where everything just lined up perfect?

That smoker I got for $50 on Facebook Marketplace turned out to be a late 90s Weber Smokey Mountain... so much better than my cheap offset ever was

I came across a rusted out smoker on Marketplace for fifty bucks. The guy said it just needed some grates. I figured for that price I could use it for parts. Got it home, cleaned it up, and realized it was an old WSM from 1998. That thing holds temps like a dream compared to my off-brand offset that I could never get dialed in. I ended up spending about $30 on new grates and a gasket kit. Way better than the $400 I was about to drop on a new one. Anyone else have a lucky find like this that flipped your opinion on something?

That $80 brisket I ruined by trimming too much fat

I bought a prime packer from Costco last weekend, about 14 pounds, and got way too aggressive with the trimming trying to look like those YouTube guys. Ended up with maybe 8 pounds of meat after I hacked off all the fat cap and point, and the flat came out dry as cardboard after 10 hours on the smoker. Has anyone else ever gone full butcher mode and regretted tossing that much fat in the trash?

Got roasted by a pitmaster at a competition in Memphis last fall

I was at a small backyard competition outside Memphis and this old timer walked past my station while I was pulling pork. He looked at my rub, shook his head, and said 'son, you're using way too much brown sugar, it's gonna burn before the bark sets.' I thought I had it dialed in but I changed my rub that day, cut the sugar by about 40 percent. Next week I tried it on a brisket flat and the bark came out way darker and crunchier without being bitter. Now I keep sugar way lower in my base mix and add a little for finishing if I want sweetness. Has anyone else had a random comment from a stranger totally change their approach?

I always thought trimming fat before smoking was better until a guy at a competition changed my mind

Ran into a pitmaster from Texas at a local comp in Des Moines last June. Told me to leave a 1/4 inch cap on my pork shoulders. Said the fat renders down and keeps the meat moist. I was skeptical because I hate chewy fat. Tried it on my next cook and the bark came out way better. Juiciest shoulder I've ever made. Anyone else had someone tell them something that goes against what you always thought was right?

Used to think pellet grills were cheating. Tried my buddy's Rec Teq last weekend in Austin.

Read a forum post about soaking wood chips that changed my whole approach

Some guy said he soaks his apple wood chips in apple juice for 12 hours before smoking. Tried it on my last pork butt and the flavor was way better than just dry chips. Anyone else do something weird with their wood prep?

Was a charcoal snob until my gas grill propane tank ran dry mid-cook last Sunday

Tbh I always talked down on gas grills, thought they were for people who didn't wanna put in the work. But last Sunday I had 6 racks of ribs on my offset smoker and the firebox hinge snapped at 3pm. Ended up finishing them on my neighbor's Weber Spirit and honestly they came out just as good, had better temp control too. Anyone else switch teams after a equipment fail?

Invested $150 in a flame boss controller for my offset, totally worth it

Last weekend I ran a brisket overnight and got maybe 2 hours of sleep because I kept running out to check the fire. So I dropped $150 on a Flame Boss 400, which controls the dampers to hold temp steady. It kept my smoker at 225 for 10 hours straight without me touching it. Has anyone else tried a temperature controller for their stick burner, or do you prefer the old school method?

Stick burner vs pellet grill - I went old school and nearly quit

After a year on my Traeger, I was tired of that same clean smoke flavor. I swapped to a used Oklahoma Joe offset I found for $200 on Craigslist and figured I could handle the work. That first brisket took 16 hours of fiddling with dampers and adding splits every 45 minutes, and the bark turned out better than anything I ever got from pellets. But my wife said she missed the ease of set-it-and-forget-it, and now I'm stuck having to convince her to let me fire up the smoker at 5am again. Anyone else make the switch and regret it or feel like it was worth the extra hassle?

Pro tip: Don't waste $50 on that fancy ceramic heat deflector

I grabbed one of those pricey ceramic deflector plates from a BBQ supply shop in Nashville last weekend, thought it would be a game changer for my offset smoker. First cook, it cracked clean in half after about 45 minutes of heat, completely ruined a $40 brisket I had going. Stick with a simple steel plate or even a firebrick, those ceramics are way too fragile for real pit cooking. Anyone else get burned by these things?

Rant: Smoked a pork shoulder on a Weber kettle vs my buddy's Traeger and it wasn't even close

Honestly, I always thought pellet grills were the easy way to go for smoking. My buddy has this Traeger he spent like $900 on and he swears by it. But last weekend I brought over my Weber kettle that I paid $150 for at a garage sale and we did a side-by-side with two pork shoulders. Same rub, same temp around 225, same cook time of about 10 hours. His came out with this nice smoke ring but the bark was soft and kinda mushy. Mine had this crunchy, dark bark that cracked when you bit into it and the meat was way juicier inside. The kettle just gives you that real charcoal and wood chunk flavor that pellets can't match. He kept saying his was more consistent but I'd take flavor over easy any day. Anyone else find that off-set smokers or kettles beat pellet grills on taste?

That old pitmaster in Lockhart who set me straight on rubs

I was down in Lockhart Texas last spring at this little spot off 183 and this old timer saw me loading up on a pre-made rub. He pulled me aside and said "son you're paying for sugar and salt, the meat does the work." He showed me his mix right there on the counter, just black pepper and kosher salt with a little garlic powder. Has anyone else had a random encounter with a pitmaster that totally changed how they season things?

Was dead set against pellet smokers for years until my buddy brought his over for a brisket cook.

Honestly, I figured it was cheating but that thing held 225 degrees for 14 hours without me touching it once. Now I'm looking at them on sale at the hardware store down the street - has anyone else made the switch?

Vent: Stop soaking wood chunks before you throw them on the fire

I used to think soaking hickory chunks made them smoke longer. Took a class with Myron Mixon in Georgia back in May and he straight up said it just steams the meat and drops your pit temp. I tested it side by side on a pork butt the next weekend and he was right. Why do so many beginners still push this trick?

After 20 years of smoking ribs I finally stopped wrapping in foil

I was at a competition in Memphis last summer and noticed the top teams were all using butcher paper instead of foil for the Texas crutch. That got me curious so I tried it myself on my WSM 22. The bark came out way better and the ribs weren't as mushy. Has anyone else switched and noticed a difference in texture?

Pro tip: Stop soaking wood chips if you want actual smoke flavor

Was at a comp in Kansas City last summer and watched a guy soak his hickory chips for two hours before tossing them on. His ribs came out pale with barely a smoke ring. I've been doing dry chips for about 5 years now and the difference is night and day. Soaking just steams the wood before it burns, so you get less smoke and more moisture. Anyone else ever run side by side tests with soaked vs dry on a long cook?