Watching BBQ Pitmasters and got a question

why dont you find an old woodburning oven and tell her that you will be getting rid of the modern kitchen stove so she can cook on the same level that great grandmothers did............

Ok, now that we have that response out of the way, I would just offer that that tool alone doesn't make the bbq, but it is what the cook does.

Cheapbeer that's funnier than hell.

Different tools can be used to do the same job I s'pose... that said, I like fire.

Edit- sounds like your lady friend has a clue!

as a cooker, i think anybody who doesn't know how to burn sticks would agree it's a true art and real skill. wish i could do it.

as a competitor, i'd ask who's the fool, the guy who goes to the hotel room while the food cooks itself or the guy who gets to tend his fire all night.

well, the answer is, it's all in what you LIKE to do.

nothing more, nothing less.

The cooker doesn't matter. It's all about how much brown sugar, honey, butter, and other crap you can pack into the foil pouch while it steams to perfection.

She's right - there is something fun about watching fire management especially when it goes awry (not that I am unsympathetic). With all the electronics these comps sometimes seem to hinge on whether they brought spare batteries or a long enough extension cord. I do not argue that either way you had better know your Q.

But on another note.....Can't remember where I saw this but I have to agree - the current format sucks. Compared to watching a real BBQ competition as in the original program now Pitmasters has turned into a sad made up drama reality TV series. They've lost me.

marubozo said:

The cooker doesn't matter. It's all about how much brown sugar, honey, butter, and other crap you can pack into the foil pouch while it steams to perfection.

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do you compete?

jimstocks53 said:

She's right - there is something fun about watching fire management especially when it goes awry (not that I am unsympathetic). With all the electronics these comps sometimes seem to hinge on whether they brought spare batteries or a long enough extension cord. I do not argue that either way you had better know your Q.

But on another note.....Can't remember where I saw this but I have to agree - the current format sucks. Compared to watching a real BBQ competition as in the original program now Pitmasters has turned into a sad made up drama reality TV series. They've lost me.

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Couldn't agree more. I guess nowadays drama sells, but I ain't buyin'.

boogiesnap said:

do you compete?

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I have, and have won a few trophies and money, but it just isn't my thing. I know that's what it takes to win competition style BBQ, but I don't have to agree with it or like cooking that way.

bluzieq said:

Cheapbeer that's funnier than hell.

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What sparked that response was remembering my late Uncle Bill buying a wood stove for their cabin and my Aunt being dissatisfied and saying there was no way in hell she would cook on that thing.
I would like to have a stick burner to play with when I have time to monitor it but when I am busy the guru comes out. The exception being that I trust my uds to maintain temps for extended periods.
There is just something drawing me in that direction......... Perhaps a yearning for simplicity.....

marubozo said:

I have, and have won a few trophies and money, but it just isn't my thing. I know that's what it takes to win competition style BBQ, but I don't have to agree with it or like cooking that way.

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fair enough. maybe it is what it takes, maybe it's not. but no need to poo poo it just because it's not your thing.

boogiesnap said:

fair enough. maybe it is what it takes, maybe it's not. but no need to poo poo it just because it's not your thing.

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Well, to be fair, I should have used a sarcasm tag or smiley, since my comment was largely tongue-in-cheek.

I've cooked competition style many times, and sure, it's good, but that alone doesn't define good BBQ. But the original topic was about the "reality" show, and that's what they do, so I was more or less poking fun.

marubozo said:

Well, to be fair, I should have used a sarcasm tag or smiley, since my comment was largely tongue-in-cheek.

I've cooked competition style many times, and sure, it's good, but that alone doesn't define good BBQ. But the original topic was about the "reality" show, and that's what they do, so I was more or less poking fun.

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looked, but there ain't a handshake smiley. :wink:

As a back yard BBQ guy and using temps to make my living, I'm all over the fire control gig. All everyone is trying to do is to maintain a constant temp for the best possible product. When it goes wrong, how quickly can it be corrected? Neat stuff!

marubozo said:

The cooker doesn't matter. It's all about how much brown sugar, honey, butter, and other crap you can pack into the foil pouch while it steams to perfection.

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Bwahahahaha, so true.

Well I know that I'll probably get some hate mail for this post but here goes nothin'! I remember one episode last year with Bubba Q from Georgia was competing with a brand new gravity fed cooker and when he discovered that he had forgotten to bring his Guru he panicked because without it he had no way to get his pit up to temp.. Finally his teammate, (and wife) had the idea of putting coals directly in the insulated cabinet with the meat. Well not only did her idea save the day, but they actually won the competition! I guess on that day we found out who the pitmaster is in that family! I always thought that it would be cool if there were a different circuit that allowed only old school stick burners, no insulated smokers, Eggs, or any other "set it and forget it" cookers and no Gurus or Stokers. Also there would be no Waygu meats and no commercial injections. I think that we would get to see some true "pit masters" get an even playing field to show what they're really made of. It also wouldn't be about the sauce or glaze on the meat or the amount of parsley that is meticulously stuffed into a Styrofoam box but the quality of the MEAT itself! Let's see the teams take a choice brisket and turn it into a finished product that would make a prime rib pale in comparison. It's been many years since I went to a competition and it looks to me like it's gotten away from being about the BBQ and instead it's become about the gimmicks, gadgets and show! I watch guys on Pitmasters injecting a Waygu brisket with stuff that changes the very structure of the meat into something that it was never intended to be and I'm reminded of Lance Armstrong shooting up before the big race and getting an unfair advantage over the other competitors, which brings me to one more observation. There are a lot of amazing BBQ cooks I've known who will never stand a chance of competing today because they don't have an insulated cooker controlled with a Guru to cook a juiced up Waygu brisket! I think that we just need to get back to what Q is all about and that is a pit master taking a tough, fatty piece of meat that would otherwise be ground into hamburger or sausage and making something succulent and delicious out of it.:mmph:

Hate mail? Oldbill you may be my new best friend. I couldn't agree more and would love to see something like that in competition.

oldbill I was thinking pretty much the same thing, well said.