Just learned how few competition teams actually run a full wood fire

I was reading an old interview with a pitmaster from Kansas City, and he mentioned that in the 90s, almost everyone used just wood. Now, he guessed less than 15% of teams on the circuit run a pure wood fire, with most using charcoal or even pellets as a base. Found that in a forum archive from 2012. It makes sense for consistency, but it feels like a piece of the old craft is gone. I always figured the big names were all about that post oak smoke. Anyone still run a 100% wood setup for their comp cooks?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_margaret2mo ago

Didn't I see that Myron Mixon mostly uses charcoal now?

nora_park722mo ago

Yeah he totally did... I switched to charcoal last year and the flavor is just better.

holly89813d ago

Honestly, my first charcoal cook was a disaster. I ended up with chicken that looked like it had been through a campfire, and I swear I used half a bag of lump just to get it going. Tbh, I think I was so scared of the learning curve I just stuck with gas for years. Ngl, I'm still not great at regulating temperature, but even my burnt offerings taste better than anything I ever made on a propane grill.