c/bbq-pitmasters

The day my brisket point crumbled on a 14 hour cook in Austin

Your post must be about BBQ. Have you ever had a brisket that passed the bend test, looked perfect, then just fell apart into mush when you sliced it, and if so what did you change about your rest or wrap process to fix it?

Hit 500 briskets this weekend and the 500th one was the worst yet

Honestly, I've been keeping count on a dry erase board in my garage since 2019, and Saturday I hit 500 total briskets smoked. The 500th one came out tougher than a tire, just completely dry and chewy, while the 499th was probably my best ever. Has anyone else had a milestone cook just completely flop on them, or is my streak just cursed?

My neighbor's 2 word critique about my brisket bark finally clicked

I've been chasing that perfect dark bark for like 5 years, always adding more pepper or paprika, checking temps every 30 minutes. Last Saturday at a cookout in Tulsa, my neighbor Frank took one bite of my brisket flat and said 'too sweet.' I was floored since I barely used any sugar in my rub, but then I realized my wood choice was the problem, I had been using mostly cherry and apple chunks which add that sugary flavor. Swapped to straight oak and a little mesquite on my next cook, 6 hours at 275 before wrapping, and the bark came out nearly black with a clean smoky bite. Now I question my fuel source before I touch my spice blend, has anyone else had a wood selection totally mask their intended flavor profile?

Watch out for cheap gaskets on offset smokers

I was at a comp outside Austin last weekend and my gasket blew out mid-cook on a $800 smoker I barely broke in. Had to use wet towels to seal the firebox door the rest of the afternoon, anyone else had this happen with the stock stuff?

Hit my 100th brisket last weekend and finally got the jiggle right

Been keeping a log of every cook since I started 2 years ago. Number 100 was just a regular Saturday brisket for the family, no big occasion. But when I picked it up off the grate it had that perfect wobble in the flat. Never really believed people when they talked about the jiggle test until I felt it myself. Anyone else keep track of their cook counts or am I just weird about it?

Had a competition BBQ judge tell me my bark was 'pretty' not 'bite'... fixed my rub game

Can we talk about people who sauce their ribs before the last 30 minutes?

I was at a block party in Austin last Saturday and this guy pulls his ribs off the smoker, slathers them in sauce, and then puts them back on for like 5 minutes. They came out all sticky and burnt on the edges. I mean, I'm no expert but I've been doing this for about 6 years now. Don't you want the sauce to set and caramelize a little, not cook into a crust? His wife said they were "the best she ever had" but I saw her grab a napkin to wipe half of it off. Has anyone else seen people rush the sauce like that?

Why I switched from a stick burner to a pellet smoker after 15 years

I used to swear by my old offset smoker, tending logs every hour at 3am for a brisket. But after a friend loaned me his Traeger for a family reunion last summer, I got the same bark and smoke ring without babysitting it all night. Has anyone else made the switch and found it hard to go back?

Watched Myron Mixon's brisket wrap demo at a local comp last month

He folded the paper tight like a Christmas present before putting it back on the smoker - no crinkled edges or loose spots. Has anyone else tried that method versus just rolling it up loose?

Pro tip: My neighbor told me I was choking my brisket with too much smoke

I used to load up my offset with wood chunks every half hour, thinking more smoke meant more flavor. Last month my neighbor Steve, who's won 3 local comps in Austin, watched me cook and said I was basically suffocating the meat. He told me to only add wood when the fire needs it, not on a timer, and my last brisket actually had clean smoke ring instead of that bitter tar taste. Anyone else learn that lesson the hard way or was I just being a bonehead?

Just had a competition judge tell me my bark was too chewy and it made me rethink my whole wrap process

They said I was pulling my pork butts at 203 instead of letting them ride to 210 and spritzing every 45 minutes, and now I actually get that crispy bite-through texture instead of leather, anyone else had to adjust their timing after feedback?

My brisket almost ruined a family reunion in Austin last summer

I was cooking for 30 people at my cousin's place in Austin. I put a 15 pound brisket on at 6 AM and thought I had the temp dialed in on my offset smoker. By noon the fire had dropped way down and the internal temp was only at 140. I panicked and cranked the heat way up to speed things up, which dried out the flat something fierce. Ended up separating the point and chopping it into burnt ends to salvage the meal. Have you ever had a cook go sideways like that and had to change your whole game plan on the fly?

Shoutout to the old pitmaster who told me to stop flipping my ribs every 10 minutes

I used to open my smoker like every 15 minutes to check on ribs and flip them around. Back in March at a comp in Kansas City, this old guy named Roy said 'boy you're letting all the heat out each time.' He showed me his method where he just sets them and forgets for 3 hours with a water pan. Now I only touch my ribs once to wrap them and they come out way more tender. Anyone else used to micromanage their smoker like I did?

Finally figured out why my ribs were always dry after 3 years of trying

I'd been cooking ribs at 225 for like 6 hours every time, thinking low and slow was the only way. Last weekend my neighbor came over and asked why my bark looked more like charcoal. He told me he runs his offset at 275-300 and only goes 4 hours. Tried it next day and the ribs actually stayed juicy. Has anyone else been stuck on the wrong temp for way too long?

Heard a pitmaster say wrapping in foil ruins bark... got me thinking.

He said butcher paper is the only way. But I've seen comp winners use foil boats just fine. What's your take on paper vs foil for brisket?

Was dead wrong about offset smokers for years... blue smoke lie cost me 2 briskets

I always thought those stickburners were just for show. Thought you needed a $3000 pellet grill to get consistent results. Then my buddy in Memphis let me run his Lang for a competition last fall. I kept chasing that thin blue smoke nonsense and ended up with acrid meat twice. He finally grabbed me by the shoulder and said the smoke should barely be visible. Soon as I stopped overcomplicating it the brisket came out perfect. Anyone else fall for the clear smoke myth when starting out?

Rant: Visited Franklin BBQ in Austin and had a mixed reaction - anyone else feel this way?

I finally made the trip down to Franklin BBQ in Austin last weekend after hearing about it for years. The brisket was amazing, no doubt, but I waited 3 hours in line and honestly the ribs were just okay for the hype. I get that they set the standard for Texas BBQ, but does the wait really add to the experience or is it just a pride thing? I'm curious if other folks think the endless line is part of the culture or if we're all just putting up with it for the gram.

That time I stopped using a propane torch and went back to a chimney starter for my brisket

I was at a competition in Kansas City last summer and my neighbor pitmaster suggested I ditch the torch for lighting coals. He showed me his method over 3 briskets and the bark came out way more even than mine ever did. Has anyone else switched back to an old-school method and seen a big difference?

Found a way to fix bark that kept falling off my brisket

I kept having my bark slide right off when I wrapped my briskets around hour 8, even after trying different rubs. Last weekend I let the brisket sit unwrapped for an extra 90 minutes until the fat cap felt tacky and hard, and the bark stayed on perfect through the whole cook. Anyone else had luck delaying the wrap to fix bark issues?

Why does nobody talk about how long it takes to properly season a new offset smoker?

Spent the whole day last Saturday getting my new Oklahoma Joe up to temp and fighting temperature swings in my driveway in Tulsa. I figured it would be an hour thing, not a six hour thing. Anybody else have a shocker their first time firing up a new pit?

My offset smoker firebox rusted through after 2 years. Patched it with a beer can.

Happened last Saturday. Fired it up for a brisket cook. Noticed smoke coming from somewhere weird. Looked down. Hole the size of a quarter right on the bottom. Temps all over the place. Had a can of Bud Light in the cooler. Cut the top and bottom off. Smashed it flat. Riveted it over the hole with some self-tapping screws. Finished the cook. Brisket turned out fine. But I need a real fix. Anyone tried firebox cement or do I just buy a new one?

I found out the average brisket at a competition takes 18 hours and that blew my mind

I was reading through the KCBS rulebook last night and saw that the average competition brisket cooks for 14 to 18 hours depending on the pit. I always figured it was like 8 to 10 hours max like at home. But they trim and season the night before, then start burning wood at 3 AM for a 2 PM turn-in. That is a full day commitment with barely any sleep. So here is my question: does that extra time really make the difference in scoring or is it just part of the show? I have never competed but I am thinking about trying a local one in Austin next spring. Has anyone done a 16-hour cook and felt it was worth the effort?

Warning: My brisket stall took 8 hours to break and I almost cried

I threw a 15 pound brisket on my offset smoker at 6 AM thinking it'd be done by dinner, but the stall hit at 160 degrees and just sat there for nearly 8 hours. I kept cranking the heat up to 300 and it still wouldn't budge past 165 until I finally wrapped it in butcher paper around midnight. Has anyone else had a stall that long or did I just get a cursed piece of meat?

Watched a local pitmaster go from dry brisket to award winner in just 6 months

There's a guy named Mike who runs a food truck near my job site in Akron. Last summer his brisket was so dry you could use it for shims. I stopped by his truck again last Friday and he handed me a slice that literally pulled apart like butter. Turns out he spent $300 on a used pellet smoker and started watching YouTube videos about wrapping in butcher paper at the stall. Has anyone else seen a backyard cook turn it around that fast?

Found out wrapping brisket in butcher paper from a craft store works just as well as the stuff from BBQ shops

I grabbed a roll of uncoated butcher paper for $8 at Michael's last weekend and my point came out with that same bark and moisture, so has anyone else tried cheap alternatives like this?