BBQ Pitmasters TV Show

[Allon]

Anyone ever watch the Bbq Pitmasters show?

The North Carolina cook off was on today. I thought immediately about the big meeting in May.

Ribs & pork shoulder...

Ribs were very close. Actually the difference between 1st & 2nd was two tenths of a point.

I generally like most extrapolations of vinegar but I have trouble imagining it on ribs.
All applied a two step rub process. The first generally had spice. The second was sweet with white and brown sugar and some heat. All were glazed in sauce.
The difference between the 2 best ribs was the glaze was not fully set and slightly blotchy on one rib.

I can't really recall the shoulder judging. I was in the middle of several things and just getting home from dialysis (including a few hits from the peace pipe). It's not something I'm going to cook anytime soon and I was distracted.

All the cooks were male with two under 30 years old and the older looked mid to late 50's. The younger two were at each other the entire show. It was funny\sad in a way.
The elder kept to himself mostly as he was busy with a broken smoker and meat at 213° about an hour into the cook. Despite his disadvantages, he pulled it together and won!

[captainlee]

I have watched that show a bit, most of them are 10 years old. That is competition cooking style, totally different from what you would do at home. It's a one bite challenge, wow the judges with some type of a flavor pop. I don't competition cook, but i understand those that do. The competition, friends, challenges............ are what drives the teams.

[Allon]

I have a friend that competes. So I'm not totally unfamiliar with that style of of cooking.

I do pick up somethings. That two-step rub process looked interesting. I might play around with that a little bit.

I don't wrap my ribs, at least I haven't felt the need. Something else I noticed all three did. At first, I was constantly attempting to find how to tell they were done besides IT. Like the bend test... Watching them helped. I suppose I could go to Youtube.

[Jfrosty27]

I think I have seen every episode of that show at least five times. At least. I always seem to pick up something useful from it. I wish it would start up again with new episodes.

[Bkhuna]

That series was entertaining, but I'm not into the "brown sugar, squeezy bottle margarine, foil wrapped" rib thing. My favorite ribs are usually seasoned, smoked, with a sauce on the side.

[Panhead John]

+1

[Allon]

+2

[Skip]

I've watched it several times. The show seems to be sort of "made for TV" type entertainment but it's much better to watch than most of the shows that are on. I prefer the Cooking shows like Americas Test Kitchen that make things I might actually make myself.

[CHNeal]

I watched them years ago. There was a time I thought long and hard about competing so I watched everything I could find. Did a few small contests and one statewide. Did well but hated the stress it added to my favorite relaxation activity and I much prefer cookin eatin BBQ over judgin BBQ

[Oak Smoke]

My first and only bass tournament was the same way. It took all the fun out of fishing and made it stressful.

[WayneT]

Bingo! I’ll never be a competitive cook but I don’t even entertain the idea of ever working in a restaurant, age notwithstanding. I’d be too stressed out.

[texastweeter]

Stress relief comes in a bottle with a cork stopper.

[GolfGeezer]

I've watched a few of them. I'm always disappointed in the judging as it is so influenced by personal preference and bias. However, I have learned more about regional cooking from many of them, cooking I've never really had the pleasure of experiencing directly.

[Finster]

I feel the same.
The first one I watched, the judges trashed a guy for removing the bone from his pork butt before smoking it..
"He's ruining it". " He's removing the flavor" blah, blah, blag.
Then at the end, they pick him as the winner....lol.
Hard to take it seriously after that...

[Allon]

Finster

I haven't seen that one yet...
But I strongly agree.

I have a hard time believing that the judges don't know who cooked what. They're sitting right there and I don't believe the judges don't walk around and look.
Every once in a while when they say: Who cooked box #X? They are already looking at that team. Especially Myron.

I wish I had some of that meat though. Most of it looks like pretty darn good quality. I feel pretty lucky if the wife gets me a 3 pack of ribeyes at Walmart.
Really lucky when I get wibs.

When I watch TV, I don't think Ohhh. Pitmasters is on.
No, if I see it in the channel guide I might watch it. I couldn't even tell you what days it shows. I think it might be Sunday.

Anyway, I am always thinking about what you don't see.

[Bogy]

I've watched a bunch of them, and probably have at least 30 saved right now. I've picked up a few things by watching, but like a lot of the "reality" shows, there seems to be a lot of "drama" between personalities. A 2020 series I enjoyed was The American Barbecue Showdown on Netflix. One of the elimination reality shows, but they threw something at the contestants every episode that often was a challenge to cook. What was funny is when they would give them something like pork butt to smoke, and the guy who does thousands of butts a year in his restaurant, and is SURE this is the week he is sure to win, gets beat out by somebody who only smokes beef at home. Just one season so far.

[texastweeter]

Need a reality show where you have to cater for a 500+ crowd and the day before when you start, all the husband's want to come "help". Can't tell you how many logs I have yanked out of a firebox because "Bill" thought it was getting low.