That guy at the Memphis BBQ fest who timed my smoke ring with a stopwatch

I was at the Memphis in May contest last year, minding my brisket, when this older fella walks up and pulls out a stopwatch. He asks if he can check my pit temp and then starts timing how long I left the lid open between spritzes. Turns out he was a retired judge who just liked messing with new teams by making them nervous. He gave me a solid tip about wrapping in butcher paper at 165 instead of foil, which I still use today. Anybody else run into self-appointed BBQ inspectors at competitions?

2 comments

2 Comments

ben66212d ago

Haven't you ever actually learned anything useful from someone who annoyed you first though? The stopwatch guy gave you a real tip that changed your whole method, that's more than most bystanders at a competition are gonna do. Sometimes the pushy old-timers are annoying but they're also the ones who actually know what they're talking about.

hart.mark12d ago

Yeah I read something about how the best advice often comes from people who rub you the wrong way at first.