c/bbq-pitmasters

Tried pecan wood instead of hickory on a brisket last weekend

I always use hickory for brisket, but after seeing a Myron Mixon video where he talked up pecan, I gave it a shot on a 14-pound prime packer from Costco. The smoke flavor was way milder and sweeter, almost like a mix of oak and fruit wood, and the bark came out super dark but not bitter. Has anyone else switched to pecan for beef and found it works better than hickory for long cooks?

2 comments

emerym36•4d ago

Heard a competition pitmaster say "fat cap down" is a myth, now I'm confused

Was at a local BBQ class last Saturday and this guy who's won like 5 state championships said he always cooks brisket fat cap up. Said fat cap down is just for people with uneven heat. I've been doing fat cap down for 3 years based on what I read online. Anyone else hear different advice from actual competitors?

2 comments

gracec16•4d ago

Talked to a pitmaster in Kansas City who changed how I season ribs

I was grabbing some burnt ends at a spot near the highway exit off I-35, and the guy running the smoker noticed me eyeballing his setup. He walked over and said, 'You're overthinking the rub, just let the meat do the work.' He showed me how he does a simple salt and pepper mix, no brown sugar or fancy stuff, and pulls the ribs when they hit 203 degrees exactly. Has anyone else run into a pitmaster who completely simplified your approach?

2 comments

vera_johnson9•5d ago

Aaron Franklin's brisket from 10 years ago vs now, which era was better?

I watched his old BBQ Pitmasters episodes from 2010 and the bark looked way darker and more defined back then compared to his newer videos where it's almost too clean. Did he change his wrapping technique or is it just the camera lighting making us think different?

c/bbq-pitmasters

Tried pecan wood instead of hickory on a brisket last weekend

Heard a competition pitmaster say "fat cap down" is a myth, now I'm confused

Talked to a pitmaster in Kansas City who changed how I season ribs

Aaron Franklin's brisket from 10 years ago vs now, which era was better?

Spent $400 on a ceramic kamado and it cracked on first use

The week I cooked 4 briskets for a family reunion and my offset smoker decided to act up right before the guests showed up

I compared applewood to hickory on my last brisket cook and hickory just won hands down

I used to mop sauce on ribs during the whole cook, now I just glaze them at the end

Pro tip: I stopped trimming my brisket cold and started doing it hot

Found out Harry Soo uses a $200 offset smoker for comps, not the high-end stuff

My offset smoker fell apart mid-cook last Saturday

Myron Mixon vs the younger guys on the circuit now...

Swapped my cheap propane tank for a refillable one last summer after a brisket cook in Austin went sideways mid-session

My $6 dollar store spray bottle fixed my brisket bark disaster

Hot take: charcoal isn't always better than gas for smoking

Watched a competition pitmaster from Texas use apple juice on brisket at a park cookoff last month

Cooking ribs the same way for 5 years until a neighbor stopped by

Had to choose between a $300 pellet hopper and a $20 firebrick fix

My offset smoker door seal lasted exactly 2 cooks before it peeled off

Finally figured out why my brisket was drying out on the top end

Burnt my pork shoulder bad three times before catching my rookie mistake

Smoked a brisket at 275 instead of 225 and it came out way better

Always thought charcoal was the only way... then I tried wood chunks from a local orchard.

Shoutout to the guy who said leave pork shoulder alone for 2 hours before wrapping

Lost a whole brisket flat because I trusted a digital thermometer