Great BBQ starts with understanding what you're doing — and why.
Pitmaster Essentials is a focused, hands-on workshop built around two of BBQ's favorites — brisket and ribs.
You'll learn how to select and prepare the meat, season it properly, manage your smoker and cooking temperature, recognize when the meat is done, and handle the critical finishing steps.
But the class goes beyond simply showing you what to do.
Learn the Why
We don't just give you recipes and tell you what temperature to use.
You'll learn how heat, smoke, seasoning, moisture, time and temperature work together — and why the techniques we teach produce the results they do.
That understanding is what allows you to make adjustments when a cook doesn't go exactly according to plan.
Master Brisket & Ribs
Learn the fundamentals of selecting and preparing brisket, seasoning, managing the cook, recognizing doneness, and properly finishing and resting the meat.
Learn preparation and seasoning, smoker management, controlling color and tenderness, recognizing doneness, and finishing ribs for the results you're looking for.
Learn Why → See How → Do It → Put Your Skills to Work
We explain the principles first, demonstrate the techniques, and then give you the opportunity to put what you've learned into practice.
The goal isn't for us to cook great BBQ in front of you. It's for you to cook great BBQ after you go home.
Focused, Practical BBQ Instruction
Pitmaster Essentials gives you the fundamentals and techniques you can take home and apply on your own smoker.
You don't need to duplicate our equipment or memorize a collection of recipes. You'll leave with a better understanding of how BBQ works — and how to use that knowledge the next time you fire up your smoker.
