c/bbq-pitmasters

Just realized how much brisket trim has changed in ten years

Back in 2014, the standard was to leave a quarter inch of fat and trim off the deckle and hard fat. Now, after watching a lot of the newer pitmasters, the move is to get it down to an eighth inch and shape it like a football. I think the shift came from the focus on bark and smoke getting through a thinner cap. It took me three tries to get the hang of it without drying out the flat. What's the thinnest you'll go on a brisket trim now?

Heard a guy at the Kansas City Royal say you need a pellet smoker to be consistent

I've used my offset stick burner for eight years and my temps are rock solid. It just takes practice, not a computer. Anyone else think we give tech too much credit over skill?

A guy at a comp told me my ribs were too salty and it changed my whole approach

Honestly, I was at a small event in Springfield and a judge pulled me aside after the turn-in. He said my rub was overpowering the pork and I was basically just tasting salt. I used to think more rub meant more flavor. For the next three cooks, I cut my salt by half and focused on a better smoke ring. The difference was crazy, my family said they could actually taste the meat. Has anyone else had a judge give them a piece of advice that really stuck with you?

I bought a $200 pellet smoker from a yard sale that looked great but had a busted auger motor.

Now I'm out the cash and stuck with a heavy piece of junk, so has anyone else gotten burned on a used smoker that seemed fine at first glance?

Finally tried the 'wrap in butcher paper' method for a brisket

I was a total foil guy for years, thought the whole butcher paper thing was just for looks. My buddy in Kansas City kept telling me to try it, said it changed his bark game. So last weekend, I did a 14-pound packer and wrapped it in pink butcher paper at about 170 degrees internal, right when the bark looked good. Let it ride on the smoker until it was probe-tender. The difference was real. The bark stayed way more firm and had a better texture, not soggy like foil sometimes makes it. The meat was still plenty juicy, but the outside had that perfect bite. I'm not saying it's the only way, but it worked great for me. Anyone else switch from foil to paper and have tips for keeping the paper from tearing?

Warning: I just found out a major competition pitmaster uses a gas assist smoker for the first 12 hours

Read it in a Texas Monthly profile, which completely changed how I view the 'all wood' purist argument. Anyone else run into a similar detail that made you rethink a rule?

Question about using pecan wood for a brisket in Dallas

I smoked a 14-pound brisket with pecan wood last weekend, expecting a mild, sweet flavor like everyone says. Instead, it came out with a really strong, almost bitter taste that overpowered the meat. I learned that pecan can burn hotter and faster than oak if you're not careful with the airflow. Has anyone else in a dry climate like Texas had this happen, and what's your go-to wood for brisket here?

I used to think wrapping brisket was a waste of time

Last Saturday in Phoenix, I tried a full packer brisket without wrapping it at all. The outside got way too hard and the flat dried out after 14 hours. My buddy convinced me to try the Texas crutch with pink butcher paper for the next one. I wrapped it at 165 degrees and the meat came out so much more tender. Has anyone else had a bad experience that made them switch to wrapping?

Shoutout to the guy who told me to wrap my brisket in butcher paper

I always used foil for my Texas style brisket and thought the paper thing was just for show. Last month at a cook-off in Fort Worth, a pitmaster I respect saw my setup and said, 'You're steaming it, man. Try the pink paper for one cook.' I did it on my next 14-pound packer, and the bark stayed crisp instead of getting soggy. The meat was still plenty juicy, just with way better texture. What's another tip you were totally wrong about at first?

A guy at a cook-off told me my brisket was too salty and he was right

I was at the Bluebonnet Smokeout in Austin and a judge pulled me aside after the turn-in. He said my rub was overpowering the meat, which I thought was just his taste. But then I checked my notes and realized I'd been adding an extra tablespoon of kosher salt per brisket for about six months. I cut that back to just two tablespoons total and let the pepper and smoke do more work. The next one I made was way better, more balanced. Has anyone else had a simple piece of advice that fixed a bad habit you didn't even know you had?

Shoutout to Myron Mixon's old show versus his new stuff

I was rewatching some old episodes of 'BBQ Pitmasters' from 2010 and then caught his newer YouTube videos. The difference is huge. Back then, he was all about that super sweet, heavy sauce and really pushing the 'win at all costs' style. Now, his newer stuff from the last couple years seems way more focused on teaching basics and clean fire management. What do you think caused the shift, just getting older or the whole BBQ scene changing?

A pitmaster in Austin told me to wrap my brisket in butcher paper after the stall, not before.

I was at the Texas Monthly BBQ Fest last year, and this guy from a famous joint saw me checking my meat at the 5-hour mark. He said wrapping too early just steams it and ruins the bark, which was a total lightbulb moment for me. How do you all decide when to wrap, or do you even wrap at all?

The time my brisket stalled for 8 hours at a Memphis contest

I was at the Memphis in May festival last spring, and my brisket hit the stall at 165 degrees and just sat there. I mean, it did not move for over 8 hours. My fire was steady at 250, but the internal temp would not budge. I had a crowd of judges coming in 3 hours, and I started to panic. I wrapped it in butcher paper with a little tallow, cranked the heat to 275, and just prayed. It finally pushed through and finished with 45 minutes to spare. Has anyone else had a stall that brutal, and what's your go-to move?

Took me two full cooks to figure out why my brisket bark was turning out soft

Last weekend I was smoking a 14-pound packer on my offset, aiming for that perfect dark, crusty bark. I had my temps steady at 250, used a simple salt and pepper rub, and everything seemed fine. But when I wrapped it after the stall, the bark felt mushy, not set at all. I spent the next day trying to find the problem, checking my wood moisture and even my thermometer. Turns out, I was spritzing with apple cider vinegar way too often, like every 30 minutes, and it was keeping the surface too wet to set properly. I tried again yesterday, only spritzing twice the whole cook, and the bark came out exactly how I wanted. Has anyone else had a spritzing routine that totally messed up their bark? What's your go-to method?

Went to a competition in Kansas City and saw a judge dock points for 'too much smoke'

The pitmaster had a perfect bark and the judge just said 'overpowering' on the sheet. Has anyone else seen a call that subjective at an event?

I was wrong about wrapping brisket after seeing a guy in Memphis

I was at the Memphis in May contest last spring, watching a pitmaster from Texas. He pulled his brisket after 5 hours, right when the bark looked set, and just left it unwrapped in his offset smoker. I always wrapped mine in butcher paper at that point. His came out with bark so dark and crunchy it looked like meteorite, but the meat was still crazy juicy. I tried his no-wrap method on my Weber Smokey Mountain the next weekend, and it totally changed my game. Anyone else skip the wrap for a heavier bark?

Showerthought: I keep seeing people poke their brisket way too early to check for tenderness.

I mean, I learned from a pitmaster in Kansas City that you should wait until it hits at least 195 degrees internally before you even think about probing, because poking it before the fat has fully rendered just lets all the good juices run out and dries it up.

Rant: Dropped $500 on a fancy wireless meat probe set and I'm still not sure if it was worth it

I got the FireBoard 2 Drive last season after seeing a bunch of pros use it. It was a solid $500 with all the probes. On one hand, the graphs and remote monitoring from my phone are awesome, and it saved a brisket overnight when the temp started to dip. But honestly, for that price, I could've bought a whole lot of meat to practice with. My old $40 dual probe thermometer got the job done for years, just without the bells and whistles. It feels like a luxury tool versus a necessity. Has anyone else splurged on high end gear and felt kinda torn about it after?

I used to think wrapping brisket was cheating, but a guy at a Kansas City competition changed my mind

I was helping a friend at the American Royal last year and saw this older pitmaster, maybe in his 60s, carefully wrapping his brisket in pink butcher paper. I made some comment about how real barbecue doesn't need a crutch, and he just smiled and said, 'Son, the goal is to serve the best meat, not to win a tough guy contest.' He explained how the paper helps push through the stall without steaming the bark like foil does. I tried his method on my next cook and the bark was perfect. Anyone else have a moment that made them switch up a core belief?

My pork shoulder stalled for 8 hours in a Memphis rainstorm last month, so I wrapped it in butcher paper with a splash of apple cider vinegar and it powered right through.

Has anyone else found a good trick for a stubborn stall when the weather turns bad?

I finally get why some pitmasters swear by wrapping their brisket in butcher paper

I was talking to a guy at a comp in Kansas City who's been smoking for 20 years. He said, 'The foil steams it, but the paper lets it breathe just enough to keep the bark from getting soggy.' I always used foil because it was faster, but I tried his method on a 14-pound packer last weekend. The bark was way better, and the flat wasn't mushy. Has anyone else switched from foil to paper and noticed a big difference?

Just saw a pitmaster's brisket go from dry to perfect in one cook

I was watching a live stream from a guy in Kansas City who usually has okay results. His brisket was always a bit dry. This weekend, he showed his whole process and the difference was HUGE. He said he started wrapping it in butcher paper at 165 degrees instead of foil at the end, and let it rest for a full 4 hours in a cooler. The slice he showed just fell apart. Has anyone else tried switching their wrap timing like that?

My uncle told me to wrap my brisket in butcher paper, not foil, back in 2012.

I argued it was just a fad, but after my first competition in Kansas City where the foil-steamed bark was a soggy mess, I finally tried his way and haven't looked back since, so what's the one piece of old-school advice you guys still swear by?

A guy at a Memphis contest told me his secret for keeping ribs moist.

I was struggling with my baby back ribs drying out near the end of the cook. At a competition in Memphis, I saw this older pitmaster, Frank, spritzing his ribs with a mix that wasn't just apple juice. I asked him about it, and he said, 'Son, half apple juice, half red wine vinegar, with a big spoon of hot sauce mixed in. The vinegar helps the meat hold onto the juice.' He let me try a bit off his cutting board right there. I started using his mix, and my ribs stopped getting that tough bark on the bottom. The vinegar trick really works. Has anyone else tried adding vinegar to their spritz?

I used a whole can of Dr Pepper in my pork butt braise last weekend and it came out way too sweet