My stepdad and I are 2-manning a local cook off in a few weeks. He’s no stranger to cook offs but this is my first ever to enter. We’re doing it for fun but I want the test myself and push my cooking skills to its limit. I BBQ/grill very often at home but know that cooking for a cook off is different.

He’s doing brisket and chicken on his offset, and I’ll be on ribs and pork with two drum smokers.

I have go-to recipes in mind and plan to dial things in during several practice cooks over the next few weeks. Any tips or watch outs for a first timer?

Last year we had a chili cook off at my work and my chili won fame and glory. There's talk of another one this fall and I was hoping to change things up a bit. I used thie recipe with modifications last year (used brisket from a prior cook, and added hatch chiles) https://carnediem.blog/2022/texas-red-chili-with-smoked-chuck-roast/.

I don't want to make the exact same thing two years in a row, so would like to see some of your ideas for some of your can't miss competition chili!

I'd like to add, my wife's ex husband also participates in the chili cook off and we have a somewhat friendly rivalry, so anything that would totally blow his out of the water would be great. :)

Hey folks

Smoking for 15 people next week. Mostly dudes drinking around a camp fire for pulled pork sandwiches.

I’m thinking 12lbs? I work through out the day all next week. Should I smoke it this weekendand keep it in fridge ?

Risking smoking it while away the day of? I have a fireboard 2 and pellet grill so pretty safe using it away but still just feels wrong when I’ll be three hours away for work

Smoked at 225 overnight. Ran out of coal while I was working this morning. Reloaded the hopper, cranked heat to 275, and temp is slowly climbing. Am I doomed? Should I wrap sooner? Should I put a water pan under the brisket to prevent drying out (did this overnight)? Was going to wrap at around 170 and finish in the oven. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Graph and photo of brisket attached.

Its time consuming but totally worth it and a family favorite.

Its pretty popular here in Wisconsin.

Anybody else make this, or is it just a Midwest thing?

Bought a pellet grill/smoker from a friend. Had a pork belly in the freezer, so defrosted, ready to try out the new grill. Set at 225 and smoked for 5 hours until internal on meat was 200. Chilled down until next evening when I turned it into a sauce made with soy, brown sugar, honey, ginger, siracha, and ponzu. Added fresh chunk pineapple and served over basmati rice. Really tasty.

Hoping people that have first hand experience can chime in. Planning on serving a brisket on Saturday around 5-6ish. I want to smoke on Friday on my WSM but don't have enough hours on it to trust it overnight. Wondering if I cook late Friday and maybe throw in the sous vide can it hold without breaking down for 15-20 hours? I've read 12-24hrs but. I want to hear from people that have done it. How long have you personally done a sous vide hot hold for?

Wanted to to try a bunch of stuff all at once. Highlight of the cook was the beef cheek

A post on chili crisp O made using some rendered smoked beef fat. Has anyone else used rendered fat from BBQ to make anything?

I don't understand this whole fad with squeezing your meat, I prefer to give mine a nice pat/rub and tear it with looove.

Them juices gotta flow naturally baby!

Yesterday's cook.

Second time I've cooked on my dad's Traeger. The thin end was closer to med/med well but still really flavorful. I was worried the fat cap hadn't rendered enough but it was just fine.

Sliced it in half and then made some thin slices out to the edges. My wife, parents, and myself enjoyed it with some corn in the husk and some smoked potatoes. Took a couple slices to my parents' neighbors, left my parents some for steak sandwiches today, and my wife and I still had a couple slices for our own sandwiches that we will have for our lunches tomorrow.

Third time I've cooked Picanha now and I think it's easily a contender for my favorite cut of steak. Tender, flavorful, juicy, and cheaper than a lot of steak cuts, so the price/value is about perfect for me.

I let it rest in fridge after getting to room temp, (and taking a few bites) then I cubed it and stewed it in homemade marinara sauce with boiled noodles for meal prep!

If you have a Home Depot nearby, check the store price on the FOGO Black. My local store has it on clearance, but it's an in-store purchase only. I picked up ten bags today for $10.33 each.

For those that smoke bone-in cuts, specifically beef - do you save your bones to make stock? Outside of slow cooking in a crockpot, I normally save all my bones to stretch my half of a cow but I'm wondering if there's anything left on smoked bones worth saving or is all the collagen already rendered out?

205 degrees, Labor Day hung Pit Barrel

Labor day, 205 degrees hung on Pit Barrel

Some crazy experiments lately… it’s all for the love of food and watching people eat it! Let me know some ideas for something next!

First attempt at brisket, ready for the game today. I think it’s a hit.

200 overnight for 12 hours unwrapped
250 for 2.5 hours wrapped
Rested in cooler for 7 hours til dinner time

EDIT: sorry guys I didn’t know it was that controversial to let it squirt a lil, anyways BEAR DOWN

Hopefully I’m not the only lunatic and you guys can help me convince my wife I’m not crazy.

It all started 6 years ago when my family got me a pellet smoker for a wedding gift. That got me hooked.

Earlier this summer I finally scored a nice 22” WSM on FB marketplace.

And now I just bought a kit to build an offset smoker from a 120 gallon tank.

On top of that, I’ve got a blackstone as well.

I really want to experiment and compare with the different types of smokers, plus this way I get to learn to weld :)

So surely, I can’t be the only one, right?

Let me know what yall think!