c/bbq-pitmasters

Took me 6 tries over 4 months to get a consistent smoke ring on my brisket

Turns out I was pulling the meat too early from the smoker every time, and now I leave it on for at least 8 hours before even peeking, has anyone else fought with this dumb of a problem?

Pro tip: check your gasket before a long smoke

I had a brisket going on my offset last Saturday, about 6 hours in, and suddenly I couldn't hold temp. Walked around and found the door gasket was completely shredded on one side, leaking smoke like crazy. Had to scramble and used a wet towel clamped to the door to finish the cook, which actually worked okay. Anyone else ever had a surprise gasket failure mid-cook and rigged something up on the fly?

Showerthought: why do people bother with wood chips for smoking?

I drove 45 minutes to a specialty store last week and caught a guy buying a bag of hickory chips for $12. He's putting them on a gas grill. That's just wasting money. Chips burn up in 20 minutes and give off almost no real smoke flavor. I told him to get chunks or a tube smoker instead. He looked at me like I was crazy. Any of you actually get decent results from chips or am I right that they're a scam?

Guy at the Franklin BBQ line told me my brisket was trash

I was waiting in that 4 hour line at Franklin in Austin last month and got to talking to this older pitmaster about my first brisket cook. He straight up said my 12 hour smoke at 225 was way too hot and I probably ruined it by not wrapping in butcher paper. Has anyone else run into random strangers giving unsolicited advice like they know your smoker better than you do?

Just realized my brisket stall was lasting 5 hours because I kept opening the smoker lid

Spent a whole Saturday babysitting a 12-pound packer on my offset in Waco, and it took that long to dawn on me that every time I checked the bark I was letting out all the heat and steam, so now I just trust the probe and leave the door shut.

Update: That terrible weekend at the BBQ comp in Kansas City

I used to think Harry's BBQ was overrated, always got annoyed at the hype. But after that weekend in June where our brisket came out like shoe leather and Harry's crew offered us a whole rack of their spare ribs to cheer us up, it totally shifted my view. They didn't have to do that, and those ribs were perfect. Has anyone else had a bad comp turn around by another pitmaster being cool?

Stopped by a competition BBQ spot in Lockhart last weekend and noticed something strange

I took a drive down to Lockhart Texas to visit Kreuz Market and Black's, hoping to pick up some tips for my backyard smoking. What caught me off guard was how many teams were using electric pellet smokers instead of stick burners at a local qualifier they had going on. Is this a common thing now or did I just stumble into the wrong group of pitmasters?

Went to Franklin BBQ in Austin last month and noticed something weird about the pit crew

I finally made it down to Franklin BBQ in Austin last month after hearing about it for years. Waited in line for about 3 hours which was rough but the brisket was definitely good. What caught my attention was how quiet the pit crew was compared to other places I've been to. They were working like a machine, barely talking to each other, just moving in this organized rhythm around the smokers. Has anyone else noticed the pit crew vibe being totally different at different BBQ joints?

Charcoal vs. pellets show I did at my cousin's place near Austin

Honestly, I ran a side-by-side comparison last weekend with a brisket I got from HEB. The charcoal setup gave it a way deeper smoke ring and that bark was just crunchier all around. Has anyone else tried both and noticed a big difference in the crust?

Myron Mixon said to stop basting my brisket, and I argued with him in my head for a year

I watched a video from 2018 where he flat out said mopping or spritzing doesn't do anything for a brisket once the bark sets. I thought he was crazy because every competition guy I followed on YouTube was spritzing every 45 minutes. On my 4th cook without spritzing, I pulled a brisket off my WSM that had the deepest black bark I've ever gotten, and the inside was still perfectly moist. Has anyone else dropped spritzing after getting solid results, or do you still believe in the moisture?

A competitor told me my bark was too dark at a comp in Kansas City

I was at the American Royal last fall and a guy from a neighboring tent said my brisket bark looked burnt, not smoky. He told me I was probably running my pit too hot in the first two hours and that was charring the outside instead of building a good crust. I went home and tested dropping my pit temp from 275 to 250 for the first 3 hours, and it made a huge difference. The bark came out darker but way more even, and the meat stayed juicier. I started paying more attention to when the smoke goes clear too, not just how dark the meat gets. Has anyone else gotten feedback like that at a competition that made you rethink a basic step?

Drove 3 hours to Franklin Barbecue last month and finally got why they don't sauce their brisket

Local pitmaster told me to stop wrapping my brisket in foil at the 170 mark, so I switched to butcher paper and got my best bark ever at the Memphis BBQ festival last month

Has anyone else had their whole timing thrown off by that change or did it just take me 3 tries to nail the temp right?

Talked to an old pitmaster from Texas last weekend

He's been cooking since the 70s. Told me he never uses a thermometer. Just touches the meat and knows. Said all these fancy wifi smokers are making people forget how to actually cook. Made me realize I rely on my probes way too much. Been a week now and I'm trying to do one whole cook without checking temps. Just feeling the wood, watching the smoke, listening to the fire. Any of you old school guys still cook by feel?

Spent $300 on a fancy smoker and it flamed out on me during a comp

Bought a pellet smoker from a local shop in Austin for $300 and it died mid-brisket at a competition last month. Controller board fried and ruined my whole cook. Anyone else have luck with cheaper stick burners instead?

I used to wrap my brisket in foil every single time until a guy from Lockhart told me to try butcher paper back in 2018

Switched to peach butcher paper after that conversation and the bark comes out way crispier without that mushy steamed feel, has anyone else made the switch and noticed the same thing?

Tried smoking a brisket on a Weber kettle with no water pan. Fire went out twice and I ended up with shoe leather.

Thought I was being clever skipping the water pan for more bark. Temps dropped like a rock around hour 4, had to relight. Then same thing at hour 8. 14 hours total for a piece of meat that chewed like a dog toy. Learned the hard way that water pan isn't just for humidity, it's a heat battery. Has anyone else had luck going panless on a kettle or am I the only dummy who tried this?

Hot take: Smoked some brisket at 275 instead of 225 at Franklin's style pit

Honestly, tried a higher temp last weekend at a buddy's backyard rig cause we were short on time, and it came out way better than my usual low and slow - anyone else found that works with certain cuts?

Spent $300 on a FireBoard 2 Drive and it saved my brisket overnight

I left it on a 14-pound packer at 225 degrees while I slept and the alarm woke me up at 3 AM when the pit temp dropped to 190 because I ran out of charcoal, has anyone had a fan controller actually ruin their cook or am I safe to trust it again?

Found out the original Texas Monthly BBQ list had a judge who didn't eat meat

I was reading an old article from the Austin Chronicle about the 1997 list. They mentioned one of the five judges was a vegetarian food writer who just evaluated sides and atmosphere. My brain just stopped for a second. I guess it makes sense for a full experience review, but still. Has anyone else heard of a BBQ judge who didn't actually taste the meat?

Tried a full packer brisket on my pellet grill versus my offset smoker last weekend

The pellet grill held 225 degrees steady for 12 hours, but the bark was soft and the smoke flavor was weak. The offset gave a much better smoke ring and a crisp bark, even with the extra work of managing the fire. Anyone have tips for getting more smoke out of a pellet grill without ruining the meat?

I spent $200 on a 'competition grade' brisket injection that was basically salty water

I saw a pitmaster on a show talk about his secret injection for moisture, so I ordered a gallon online. It arrived, and after using it on three briskets over a month, the results were just okay, nothing special. I finally read the ingredients list closely, and it was basically water, salt, and some phosphates you can buy for pennies. I could have made the same thing myself for maybe $5 total. Has anyone else fallen for a fancy sauce or rub that turned out to be simple stuff in a branded bottle?

Dropped $300 on a fancy wireless meat probe set and it's been a total game changer

The constant temp graphs on my phone let me nail a perfect brisket flat last weekend without babysitting the smoker all night. Anyone else using these or still sticking with the old-school dial thermometers?

Had a flare-up that nearly ruined a whole brisket at a cookout in Phoenix

I was about four hours into a cook for my neighbor's birthday, using my offset smoker. The temp spiked out of nowhere when a grease pocket in the fat cap caught fire... I saw flames through the vent. I shut all the dampers to cut the oxygen and sprayed a light mist of water through the top vent, not directly on the meat. It took about ten minutes to get back under control, but the bark on one end got a little scorched. Anyone else have a good trick for sudden flare-ups besides just closing things down?

TIL most people don't let their brisket rest long enough

I see it all the time, people pull a brisket off the smoker and slice into it after 30 minutes. That's way too soon. I used to do the same thing until I ruined a 16-pounder last year. The juices just ran out all over the cutting board. Now I wrap mine in a towel and put it in a cooler for at least two hours, sometimes three if it's a big one. The difference is huge. The meat holds onto its moisture and gets way more tender. I learned this from watching a pitmaster from Austin talk about it on a show. He said the rest is just as important as the cook. How long do you all let yours sit before you cut it?