Pro tip: stop chasing new pits, my $150 offset from a garage sale in Tulsa out-cooked a $2k rig last month
This guy at our Saturday cookoff showed up with a brand new $2k pellet rig and my rusty garage sale offset took second place with a brisket that cost me $38. I keep seeing folks dump money on gear when they haven't even learned to run a clean fire yet. What's the cheapest pit you've ever beaten a fancy one with?
Man this is the gospel right here. I ran a $40 craigslist special for like three years and beat guys with trailers worth more than my truck. Fire control and meat quality matter way more than how shiny your cooker is. Dude at a comp last summer had a $3k cabinet smoker and his ribs were dry as a bone because he never learned to read his fire. Meanwhile my buddy's $75 drum turned out chicken that made people go quiet. Gear don't cook the meat, you do.