c/bbq-pitmasters

I was wrong about wrapping my pork butt in foil for the whole cook

My buddy in Kansas City convinced me to try the foil boat method after the stall, and the bark was way better (and the meat still tender). Anyone else have a wrap method they swore by and then switched?

A judge told me my brisket was too salty at a Memphis competition last fall

He said the rub was overpowering the meat flavor. I'd been using a full cup of my usual rub mix on each packer cut. For the next month, I cut it back to a half cup and focused more on the smoke. The bark still formed well but the beef taste came through much better. I placed third at a smaller event in Nashville after making that change. Has anyone else had a judge give specific advice that actually improved your results?

My brisket flat kept drying out no matter what I did

It took me almost a year and a dozen attempts to figure out my smoker was running way hotter than the gauge said. I finally used a separate probe at grate level and saw a 50 degree difference. Has anyone else had a smoker that lied to them?

My firebox door hinge gave out right before a big cook in Austin

It was last Saturday, about two hours into a 12-hour brisket smoke on my old offset. The whole hinge just sheared off at the weld, dropping the door and sending sparks everywhere. I had to rig it with some heavy gauge wire and a pair of vice grips to finish the cook, but it was a real mess. Anyone know a good welder in the Austin area who works on smokers?

That time a sudden downpour in Memphis nearly ruined my brisket

I was four hours into a cook when the sky opened up, so I dragged my whole offset smoker under the carport and wrapped the meat early. Ever had to save a cook from a total weather disaster?

Remembering the old way I used to manage smoke on my offset

I got a new offset smoker last year and figured I'd just run it like my old one, but I could not keep the temp steady. The fire kept wanting to go out or run too hot, which was a real pain during an overnight cook for a family thing. It took me about four full cooks (and a lot of lost sleep, you know how that goes) to realize the firebox design was totally different and needed way smaller splits. I was adding big chunks like before and it just choked everything out. Anyone else have to completely relearn their fire management when they switched gear?

My brisket stall lasted 8 hours yesterday and I'm not mad about it

Everyone says a long stall is a problem, but mine hit 165 and just sat there, letting the fat render perfectly. Anyone else find a long stall actually helps sometimes?

PSA: My brisket flat turned into a brick at the Austin cookoff

Last Saturday, I was sure I had a winner with a prime packer from the local butcher. I kept the fire steady at 225, but after 8 hours the flat was already hitting 205 while the point was still at 185. I pulled it anyway, and the flat was so dry you could have used it for a doorstop. My buddy just laughed and said, 'You cooked the moisture right out of it.' Anyone else ever have a cut cook that unevenly on a stick burner?

A fire at the Kansas City Royal last year made me rethink my whole smoker setup.

Saw a guy's pellet grill flare up and nearly torch his tent. Grease fire got out of hand fast. He was using a cheap drip pan that bent and spilled. Now I always bring a metal bucket for ash and a fire blanket. Anyone else change their gear after seeing something go wrong at a cook-off?

Watched a guy at a cook-off wrap his brisket way too early

He pulled it off the smoker after just 4 hours, when the internal temp was maybe 150. The bark was still soft and pale. I asked him about it later and he said, "It keeps it from drying out." But that just steams the meat and ruins the bark texture. I learned the hard way myself a few years back in Kansas City. Anyone have a good rule for when the bark is actually set?

A judge at the Memphis in May contest said my ribs were 'too clean' off the bone

I always thought fall-off-the-bone was the goal, so I'd cook my baby backs for exactly 4 hours at 250 degrees. He pulled me aside and said that texture is for crock pots, not competition. Real pitmaster ribs should have a slight tug, leaving a clean bite mark. I switched to a 3-2-1 method but cut the wrap time down to just 1 hour. Now they have that perfect pull I was missing. Anyone else get dinged for being too tender?

A guy at a Memphis rib cook-off told me to stop poking my meat

I was checking my ribs with a probe thermometer, like I always do, and this older guy next to me just shook his head. He leaned over and said, 'Every time you poke it, you let the good stuff out. You're just letting the heat out for a number.' He was using a small offset smoker that looked ancient. I've been thinking about that for months now. Has anyone else had a pitmaster give you advice that made you change a basic habit?

Just learned the original Franklin Barbecue pit was built from an old propane tank

I was watching a documentary on Aaron Franklin and they showed the first smoker he used in Austin. It was a 500 gallon propane tank he got for free and cut in half himself. I always pictured him starting with some fancy custom rig, not a scrap yard find. Has anyone else built a smoker from something unusual like that?

Met an old pitmaster at a contest in Lockhart years back

He was just sitting by his offset, watching the smoke. Told me 'Kid, you're looking at the fire too much. Listen to the meat, it'll tell you when it's ready.' Happened over a decade ago, but I still think about it every time I get impatient with a brisket. Anyone else have a simple piece of advice that stuck with them like that?

I was struggling with a dry brisket flat until I tried wrapping it in butcher paper with a half cup of beef tallow at the 160 degree stall.

Has anyone else found a specific fat or liquid addition that really saved a lean cut for them?

Watched a guy in Memphis smoke a brisket for 22 hours straight last month

He kept his pit at 225 the whole time and only opened it twice to spritz. The bark he got was almost black, but the meat pulled apart like butter. How do you all handle those super long cooks without drying things out?

Figuring out the right wood for my brisket took me almost a full year of trial and error.

I kept getting a bitter taste with hickory until I switched to post oak and let it season for 8 months, so what's your go-to wood for a long smoke?

My brisket stalled for 8 hours at a comp in Kansas City

I was at the Smoke on the Plains event last fall and my 16-pound packer just sat at 155 degrees forever. I ended up wrapping it in butcher paper with a little tallow and bumping my pit temp up to 275 to push through. Has anyone else had a stall that long and what did you do?

My uncle told me to wrap my brisket in a beach towel for the rest and I thought he was nuts

Question about using a water pan for the first time on my pork shoulder last month

Question about going all wood versus charcoal for a competition brisket

I had to pick between running my offset smoker with just oak logs or mixing in a charcoal base for a brisket at the Springfield fair last month. Everyone in my crew said charcoal was more steady and easier to manage overnight. I went all wood, just oak splits, because I wanted that pure smoke flavor you can't get from briquettes. Let me tell you, it was a fight. I was up every hour and a half feeding the fire, and the temp swings were wild, like a 50 degree drop at 3 AM. The bark came out incredible, super dark and peppery, but the flat got a little dry. I got a decent score, but not a ribbon. Was that extra flavor worth the lost sleep and the risk? For a backyard cook, sure, but for a timed turn-in, maybe not. Has anyone else won with a 100% wood fire on a tight schedule, or is that just asking for trouble?

TIL I've been trimming my brisket wrong for years

I was watching a video from a pitmaster in Kansas City and noticed he left way more fat on the flat than I usually do. I always trimmed mine down to almost nothing, thinking it would be better. Last weekend I tried leaving a quarter inch on one brisket and my usual trim on another, cooked them side by side. The one with more fat stayed way juicier and didn't dry out at all. Has anyone else made a simple change that gave you way better results?

I finally listened to a judge who said my brisket bark was too peppery

At a Kansas City comp last year, one judge wrote on my score sheet 'bark is aggressive, pepper overpowers the meat flavor'. I started mixing my black pepper with a little paprika and brown sugar, which mellowed it out a lot. Anyone else get that kind of note and find a good fix?

A guy at the Memphis in May contest said my ribs were 'too perfect'

He told me to mess them up a bit before saucing so the bark could really grab on. Anyone else get a piece of advice that flipped your method around like that?

A judge at the Memphis in May contest told me my ribs were 'mush' and it stung but he was right.

I was sure my 3-2-1 method was perfect, cooking at 225 for the full six hours. The judge, an old guy who looked like he'd seen it all, wrote on my score sheet 'texture like baby food, no bite.' That hit hard. I went home and started testing. I found out my wrap with brown sugar and butter was steaming them too much. Now I do a 2-1-1 method, skip the butter in the wrap, and only use a tiny bit of apple juice. The ribs have a clean pull now, not a fall-off-the-bone mush. It took me three cooks to get it right. Anyone else get a harsh score that actually fixed a big flaw in their process?