Weeks 1–2 · Your cooker
Fuel, vents and where the hot spots are.
The programs, in detail
Four programs of 8 to 12 weeks, cooked on your own smoker in your own yard.
Program 01 · Everything starts here
Fire & temperature
Most barbecue problems are temperature problems. We work on fuel and airflow for your cooker, holding a steady 250 for hours, recognizing clean smoke from dirty, and placing probes where they measure something useful — never the lid thermometer.
Weeks 3–4 · Holding temp
Four hours within twenty degrees.
Weeks 5–6 · Smoke quality
Thin blue, and what makes it bitter.
Weeks 7–8 · Probes
Placement, calibration and what the numbers mean.
Weeks 1–3 · Pork butt
Forgiving, and it teaches the stall.
Weeks 4–6 · Ribs
Tenderness by feel, not by a timetable.
Weeks 7–10 · Brisket
Trimming, wrapping, probing and patience.
Weeks 11–12 · Repeat
Doing it again, consistently.
Program 02 · The big three
Brisket, pork & ribs
We cook each one properly, in order of difficulty. Trimming that actually helps, when to wrap and in what, cooking to feel rather than to a number, and resting long enough — which is where most home cooks lose the juice they spent twelve hours protecting.
Program 03 · Stop buying bottles
Rubs, sauces & sides
Commercial rubs are mostly salt, sugar and filler. We build rubs from scratch, get salt right for the cut and the cook length, make sauces balanced against the meat rather than drowning it, and cover the handful of sides that actually matter.
Weeks 1–2 · Salt
The variable that matters most.
Weeks 3–4 · Rubs
Building yours, and adjusting it by cut.
Weeks 5–6 · Sauces
Balance, acidity and when to apply.
Weeks 7–8 · Sides
Three you'll be asked for again.
Weeks 1–2 · Quantities
How much to buy, per person, honestly.
Weeks 3–4 · Timing
Working backwards, with a buffer.
Weeks 5–6 · Holding
Keeping food hot and safe for hours.
Weeks 7–8 · A full event
Planned, cooked and reviewed.
Program 04 · Ready when they arrive
Cooking for a crowd
Cooking for twenty is a logistics problem. We plan backwards from serving time, build in the buffer that a stall demands, cover holding food safely at temperature, and set up a cook schedule that lets you sleep and still serve on time.
Got a cook that didn't work?
Twenty minutes on your temps, your slice and what went wrong. Free.