PSA: A guy at a Memphis gas station told me my brisket was too clean

I was fueling up my truck after a comp, still in my apron, when an older man leaned out of his car and asked if I was the one smoking that 'pretty meat' he saw on my rig. He said, 'Son, that bark looks like you washed it. Real smoke sticks like dirt, not sprinkles.' It happened so fast I didn't even get his name. Has anyone else had a stranger give them a tip that actually stuck?

2 comments

2 Comments

brookep6211d ago

Heard a similar story on a podcast where a pitmaster said the best advice he ever got was from a random guy at a hardware store who told him his fire was too polite. That old timer in Memphis might be onto something about the bark looking too clean, like maybe the smoke wasn't thick enough or the temperature was off. It's wild how those quick comments from strangers can point out something you've been missing. Makes you want to go check your own cook right now.

charles_cooper11d ago

That "too polite" fire thing is a great way to put it, @brookep62. I mean, a clean bark can mean you're just not getting enough dirty smoke on there, which is the whole point. Makes me wonder if my own setup is running too clean sometimes.