Old Topic Revisited - Are We Pitmasters and Experts? Or Just Good Rookies?

[thirdeye]

My family and coworkers think I'm pretty good then I go to a bash (we've got one here in Texas next month) and i get reminded there's a bunch of phenomenal cooks on this site.

However, I can drink beer pretty good.

^^ This^^. It's always good to wait for compliments, and to acknowledge it when someone outshines you... the old 'it's a journey, not a destination' kind of thing. We can't ever stop learning.

 

[Mikhail]

Pitmaster is, to me, a job title.

As Stubbs says on his label, "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm a cook.". Anything else seems to me just patting oneself on the back.

 

[locolobo]

Definitely a rookie! I can do steaks, pork chops, chicken, sausage, loins, poppers etc. pretty good but have never turned out a good brisket. Mrs. Lobo does a great brisket so I bow to her on those occasions. Poor old OK Joe offset sits lonely too much of the time.
Recently it was sitting kinda crooked, the pads the legs/wheels sit on sinking into the ground, so I decided to level it up by myself. Couldn't lift it by myself so I put the hi-lift jack under the end of the fire box and started jackin it up. Metal was thinner than I thought and it cratered that end. got a fist size hole in the end. Still works but needs a new FB. Lookin for some pipe now.
Maybe, one of these days I will be fair to middlin on briskets!