TIL an old pitmaster showed me why I was overcooking my brisket

I was at a competition in Lockhart last spring, just kind of wandering around the tents, and this older guy named Dale waved me over. He asked what I was cooking and I told him my brisket always came out dry on the flat. He just laughed and said 'bet you're peeking every 15 minutes'. He was dead right, I was popping my offset open like every half hour to check on it. He told me every time you open that door you lose 30 degrees of heat and all your moisture goes with it. He literally said 'stop being so nosey and trust the fire'. I took his advice on my next cook and just left it alone for 4 hours straight and it came out way juicier. Anyone else have a pitmaster call them out on a bad habit like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

stone.sarah23d ago

Bet that guy also knew opening the lid on a pork shoulder is just as bad but nobody talks about that.

lisa67123d ago

Three weekends ago at my niece's birthday party, my brother-in-law spent ten minutes lecturing everyone about how you're supposed to cut the crust off sandwiches for kids so they don't choke. Nobody said a word about the hot dog pieces he was feeding his toddler that were basically the exact same size and shape as a quarter. People love picking one random thing to be the expert on while ignoring the obvious stuff right in front of them.