Vent: The pitmaster who yelled at me for using cherry wood on brisket

I was at a competition in Lockhart, Texas last fall and this older pitmaster named Earl came up to me while I was loading my smoker at 5 AM. He said 'cherry wood belongs on pork not beef, you're ruining that whole brisket young lady.' I told him I've been using cherry for years and my brisket always turns out juicy with a nice bark, but he just shook his head and walked off. Has anyone else run into gatekeepers who think there's only one right way to do barbecue?

2 comments

2 Comments

xenarobinson6d ago

Well dang, I guess my brisket's been wrong for years and just never told me.

stone.jesse6d ago

Rubbed mine with coffee grounds once and my family STILL won't let me live it down.