Looking for thoughts and opinions

I do not believe it has ruined backyard bbq

It has influenced some. Me, I don't wrap, cook in muffin tins or any of that.

I am diabetic so the sweet fad aint made it to my house,now I do have sauces to apply after its cooked and some have no sugar.I don't baste with margarine and rarely with apple juice,rubs are lite on sugar.Also don't do facebook but I reckon hanging out here and a few other forums would amount to about the same?. monkey see monkey do aint always bad imo :-D

I don't know how much- but I'd think that some cooks have "upped their game" by adopting some of the technique on that (and other shows).

It's just how people are wired. Sure the back yarder's food is *good*... but those fellas (and ladies) are "professionals". Next thing you know, you are wrapping, injecting, scraping chicken thigh skins- and buying honey, brown sugar and Parkay in bulk.:grin:

I've watched a couple of seasons of Pitmasters. I don't think I ever saw anything that I wanted to copy. OTOH, I don't think there was any box judged that I would not gladly attempt to eat until it was gone.

Everyone has their own tastes. I've tried over the years to up my BBQ game and have tried competition style techniques. I think it definitely helped me achieve a better end product in a way that appeals to me. That's the key. I appreciate the attention to detail and the innovation and the desire to achieve the perfect BBQ from the comp guys and their willingness to share those techniques.

There's always knowledge to be gained in anything you do. When you think you know it all and your way is the best, you put a limitation on yourself. You end up not knowing what you don't know. The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.

Ruined? According to whose standards and tastes?

Ruined backyard BBQ? NO.
But it's ruined a lot of perfectly good meat with people trying some of the recipes and techniques. I've been caught a few times giving people's ribs a quick rinse in the sink to make it edible.

Ron_L said:

O cook differently at home than at competitions, but as pointed out, that's my preference. As long as folks trying competition techniques are happy with the results, why does it matter?

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I can think of two reasons why it matters.
One, they try to copy what they see on TV, fail but think that's how it's supposed to taste, and quit.

Two, they try the TV techniques and no one wants their cooking. That discourages them.
We do get to buy their cookers off Crags list, though.

My wife like “pretty Ribs”. Baby backs. Glazed with Sriracha Butter Honey And Stubbs sweet heat. So does my 86 yr old mother. I enjoy cooking them. My preference is spares with more of a traditional low no sugar SPOG rub.

Gotta keep the girls happy

Nuco59 said:

I don't know how much- but I'd think that some cooks have "upped their game" by adopting some of the technique on that (and other shows).

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Lawnguy said:

Everyone has their own tastes. I've tried over the years to up my BBQ game and have tried competition style techniques. I think it definitely helped me achieve a better end product in a way that appeals to me. That's the key.

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dadsr4 said:

Ruined backyard BBQ? NO.
But it's ruined a lot of perfectly good meat with people trying some of the recipes and techniques. I've been caught a few times giving people's ribs a quick rinse in the sink to make it edible.

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There are always great ideas to be adopted, and like 'Lawnguy' says, "There's always knowledge to be gained in anything you do."

I think 'dads4' caught the essence, "it's ruined a lot of perfectly good meat with people trying some of the recipes and techniques."

We have to took at things and realize that in competition bbq, you have basically one bite to "WOW" the judge with appearance, texture, and flavor. Transition these into a back yard cook and the first few bites would be good great, but soon the flavorings could become over-powering, the meat texture could seem off, making it not as enjoyable as one would think. I have also noticed, just as 'dads4' indicated, some given food a quick rinse just to make it more palatable.


The bottom line is that backyard bbq isn't a copy-cat technique simply because there is no single method or flavor profile. The major factor in creating good BBQ rub is that it is too subjective to our own individual tastes. I am sure that five different tasters could sample the same food at the same time and give you five completely different reviews. Regional and ethnic tastes are the greatest variables in our own personal likes and dislikes. Couple that with the fact that many people have no idea what real bbq is; I still know many who think that just because you use a sauce, that that is all that's required to constitute bbq (LOL).


I'm not saying to ignore what you see, because by all means, you can learn from the best as you experiment. Just don't confuse competition with backyard bbq.


Barbecue has always held a romantic allure ever since man first cooked meat over an open fire. Simply put, the best bbq in the world is the bbq you like best. My mentor once told me to always cook for yourself because you will always be your own worst critic. If you enjoy the bbq, then you have succeeded; if others also enjoy it, then that's like icing on a cake.

There is no cookie cutter method, technique, temperature, or flavor to making good bbq. If there was, we would only see one type of smoker, rub, or sauce available to use; there would be no differences. But fortunately for us 'we' are individuals with widely varying preferences and tastes.

If parkay and fake maple syrup is what it takes to get more people interested in our sport because it got exposure on TV, I'm OK with that.

I wouldn't go so far as to say ruined, but it has changed it. IMO too many people are trying to do "competition" cooking for the backyard. Are there things we can use in the backyard? Certainly. We modify our cooking and things we see competition cooks using, some we like, many we don't. All of our tastes and preferences are different. Life would be more boring if we all cooked the same, every time.

16Adams said:

My wife like “pretty Ribs”. Baby backs. Glazed with Sriracha Butter Honey And Stubbs sweet heat. So does my 86 yr old mother. I enjoy cooking them. My preference is spares with more of a traditional low no sugar SPOG rub.

Gotta keep the girls happy

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But that's cooking to someone's tastes and preferences, not "comp style". I like whole spares, un-sauced, and could eat them every time. My wife prefers CSR's, and likes sauce sometimes. So I alternate and ask if she want's sauce-sometimes.

Yes but Johnny Trigg and Tiger Sauce taught me how

No it has not ruined backyard BBQ. If anything it has inspired people to try their hand at competitions. It has been well explained that competition food and everyday eating BBQ are not the same thing. People like Aaron Franklin have done just as much if not more to inspire backyard cooks and he preaches more simple flavors. But websites like this, BBQ Pitmasters, Aaron Franklins book, oldschool famous pit masters becoming celebrities, and a whole host of newly opened excellent restaurants have contributed to making BBQ a very popular thing. And that is a good thing.

But if you follow the competitor cooks recipes and end up with a couple racks of sickly sweet ribs, all it might ruin is a single meal. I like competition style ribs every once in a while but mostly keep it simple.

D-Rell said:

I agree, they are not the same. I have been to several backyard bbq where this is their norm now, when cooking for friends and family.

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Rinsing under the tap does help some. Or wiping it off well with napkins.