Just got my first smoker

[MileHighGrowler]

(01-15-2021, 12:18 PM)michaelsean Wrote: Does anyone do competition?  I have no desire even if I became proficient, and I doubt I ever will. But as a new person to smoking I watch a lot of videos, as you can imagine, and some of them are about how to cook for competition. And I hate them. They ruin my image of barbecue. They cut the ribs down to these perfect little McRib looking slabs, and they cut the brisket down to look like Spongebob dressing as a ghost. Ya’ll know what I’m talking about.)  I get trimming, but this cosmetic stuff is not what I picture when I think of southerners cooking barbecue. Play the lie you’re given. That to me is what takes talent.

Haha, that's very true.  I'm not interested at all in competition.  It's a lot of aesthetics and cheats to hit what judges are looking.  I have zero interest in competition BBQ.  For several years, I did competition homebrewing.  But it's the same thing.  It's all about hitting style markers and doing what judges what, not about just making great beer.  It's just frustrating and to me takes away the reasons why I brew, or smoke.