If I Had to Start All Over Again in Barbecue

Respect your craft enough to ask for respect in return.

Barbecue has a way of teaching you things you didn’t know you needed to learn. It’s fire, yes, but it’s also patience, failure, stubbornness, humility, and joy all wrapped together in smoke. Looking back now, after years of pits, podcasts, partnerships, and people, I sometimes wonder: if I had to start all over again, knowing what I know today, what would I do differently?

This isn’t regret talking. It’s a reflection. And maybe, just maybe, it’s a roadmap for anyone out there who’s staring at their first smoker, thinking about jumping into this world I love so much.

Start Small, Stay Consistent

If I had to rewind the clock, I wouldn’t begin by chasing the biggest rig, the flashiest tools, or the perfect setup. Truth is, barbecue doesn’t care what you cook on. It cares how you cook. I’d start with something humble, a small offset, a drum, or even a kettle grill, and I’d cook on it until I could close my eyes and know exactly what the fire was doing just by the smell in the air.

Consistency beats complexity. Too many of us, myself included, have fallen into the trap of thinking gear will fix what only practice can teach. Master one pit. One style. One protein. Build from there.