Remembers when pitmasters actually talked to you about their cook instead of just staring at a phone

Last week I went to a competition in Memphis where this older fella spent 20 minutes explaining why he wraps his brisket in peach paper instead of foil. Nobody had a phone out the whole time. Makes me wonder when we lost that personal touch at these events?

2 comments

2 Comments

vera_roberts10d ago

Did you catch that article in Smoke Monthly last spring about the science behind peach paper? I read it and it totally changed how I wrap my pork butts now. That older fella sounds like a treasure - you just don't get that kind of face to face knowledge sharing much anymore. I remember talking to a pitmaster at a Kansas City event years ago who told me his whole brisket story while we leaned against his smoker, and I learned more in ten minutes than I did from a whole weekend of online forums. The phones definitely killed some of that spontaneity, but I think there are still folks who WANT to connect that way if you catch them at the right moment.

finleybutler10d ago

Aw man @vera_roberts I gotta jump in here real quick! I remember that Smoke Monthly article and it actually came out in early summer, not last spring lol. I only know cause I dug through my stack of them after my buddy mentioned it and found the June issue. But you're totally right about peach paper being a game changer, I switched over after that piece too and my pork butts have never been the same. That pitmaster story from KC sounds amazing, those random moments with folks who really know their stuff are the best.