Cheap Gear, Great BBQ

Keep It Simple

Try Something New

Lessons From Failure

Remember Why We Barbecue

SPEAKER_02 0:52

Welcome to Between the Fires from Okie Smoking, where I'm not a competition pitmaster, just an everyday backyard cook who loves good food and cooking outside. And around here, we believe great barbecue doesn't have to be expensive or perfect or complicated. And today I want to talk about the five biggest mistakes I think backyard cooks make. And honestly, I've made every single one of them myself. A mistake number one is trying to chase perfection. And I I talked about this at a previous episode recently. I think one of the biggest mistakes backyard cooks make is trying to make everything look competition perfect. And social media kind of messes with us sometimes. Perfect brisket slices, perfect ribs, perfect lighting. You see the bark and it just looks phenomenal. The perfect sauce all on it. And meanwhile, somebody is just standing at their grill stressing out because their chicken thighs, they just don't look Instagram worthy. You take a picture of it and you say, Does mine look as good as that photo they got over there on Facebook? You know, it just doesn't match up. But let me tell you something. Most people sitting at your table don't care. If your brisket would score a nine in a barbecue competition, they care about the fact that you invited them over. They care about the fact that you're hanging out with them and the memories that you're making. Some of the best cooks I've had would never win a trophy in competition cooks. It probably wouldn't make the top 50 in a big time cook. But everybody around the table loved it and had a great time. So uh that's the number one thing that I think of is trying to chase perfection. Just cook it, have fun, and people are going to enjoy it. Uh, number two is thinking you need expensive equipment. And this also kind of goes back to social media, doesn't it? You know, uh, because you don't need a thousand dollar smoker to make good barbecue. Uh, you know, don't get me wrong, I do love grills and I have several of them. I've had I've got the big green egg, I've got the pit boss, but I've cooked some great cooks on the Weber kettle and on some other low-end models as well. Uh you just have to start. And whatever setup you have, just get to cooking. You know, my pit barrel cooker has made great cooks as well. Uh, but yeah, just whatever grill you have, don't let it hold you back because good barbecue comes from learning your cooker, mastering the cooker you have, and not how much money you have or how much money you spent on the smoker. I also uh have found many cooking devices, not by paying full price, but you can find them on Facebook Marketplace at a significantly discounted rate, and sometimes find some in very good condition, fairly used. Maybe they got it for uh their birthday, maybe a dad got it for Father's Day or whatever, and they never did use it or they've upgraded or they had to move and don't want to take it with them. You can find one, they just want to get rid of it and almost give them away or at a fraction of the cost. So that's one way to also get a nicer smoker. But if you don't have one, no need to go get one. Just use what you have. A number three would be overcomplicating things. And this one's bigger than it sounds. I mean, complicated barbecue? Nah. It doesn't have to be complicated. It's simple. You know, you watch enough YouTube and TikTok where suddenly, uh, you know, you think you must need injections. You think you need a specific binder. Oh, what he put on that Worcestershire sauce or Worcestershire. Did he put mustard? Was it mayo? What do I need to put as a binder? Oh, he had three or four different seasonings. Maybe he had eight. He had a whole counter full and garlic and all this stuff. And then he had special paper. He had wrapping paper that was pink. And we had these thermometers that was all flashy to eat check to make sure everything is at an exact temperature. Meanwhile, just think back to your grandpa. He probably made incredible barbecue with just salt, pepper, and a fire. Maybe some garlic powder, maybe a little bit of his own little touch. But the point is, simple is fine. As a matter of fact, simpler is a lot of times even better. You're gonna get the flavor of the smoke, the flavor of the meat, you know, especially for backyard cooking. So don't overcomplicate things. It's very simple and keep it that way. Here's another mistake a lot of people make, and this is a fun one. This is one I try and sometimes I fail, but that's the fun in it. But mistake number four is never experimenting. You know, play with your food a little bit. Get creative, try something new. When you watch a YouTube video, or when I watch one or a TikTok and I see someone or I see a recipe, many times, most of the time, I am actually not copying the recipe. It's the foundation. It's a great ideal. I like what they did, but there's going to be different seasonings that I add. There's going to be maybe even a different protein I add, maybe different vegetables that I add. Heck, maybe they had a spaghetti and I did rice. I thought, well, that'd be good with this rice instead of the noodles, whatever it is. Um, but you know, experiment a little bit. You know, some people just get too scared to try new things or they're afraid they're going to mess it up. And maybe you do. But honestly, some of my favorite cooks came from experimenting. And what really sucks though is I've done it before and it came out so good, and I can't, I'm like, how did I do that? So try to remember what you do so that you can recreate it again. You know, different sauces. Maybe cooking it faster instead of the length of time they took. Maybe cheaper cuts is one way. You see someone cooking this expensive tenderloin that's$99 a pound, you know, or uh$99 for a full cut. Whatever it is, maybe you see a steak or a protein or a roast that's$20. You see a cut of meat, a chuck that is real inexpensive. Try it. You don't have to use the same protein. Experiment with different things. Maybe use some soda. Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper. I tell you what, we did Big Red one time on a pork shoulder. Come out fantastic. So try different things. Maybe use some leftovers to get rid of leftovers and add to it. Maybe you'll never cook it again because of those leftovers, but give it a try. Make it fun, make it creative. Also, some of the best stories come from failures, let me tell you. Uh, you know, whether you caught the grass on fire or whether the cook didn't come out quite right, or you ran out of pellets, whatever the case is, some of the best stories come from failures. And some of the funniest, I might add, too. I mean, I burned some sauce one time, and then the sauce had completely dried up, and I didn't have any to put that I was creating for a meatloaf. And I had to redo the sauce. I've forgotten seasonings. I've had flare-ups on the gorilla where you burnt something. You know, and a rainstorm, oh my, you ever been out there and a rainstorm comes in? That may not be a failure that you can avoid, unless you, of course, watched the weather, paid attention to the storms and made sure you're under a carport. Uh, but they do make great, great stories. Uh, I was actually doing a live about a month or a month and a half ago, and I had to go indoors, uh, take cover, kind of shut the uh the, I was using the big green egg, and I had to shut the top and the bottom off so that it would quit cooking and I didn't burn what I was cooking. I think I was cooking um, I don't remember now, pork chops or chicken or something. And then the tornado sirens was going off. And then I'm like, oh boy, there was a tornado coming. There was a warning. I had to get inside, it started hailing, it started raining. It went by, it missed us. We did get some hail. I went back out and resumed cooking. So always be prepared for a few things to make a good story, whether it's the weather or just something uh, you know. So that's something that as well. Why don't you go ahead and cook in the rain? Don't worry about the weather as much. It don't have to be sunny to barbecue. But that is number four. Never experimenting. Play with your food. Come on, play with it just a little bit. The last one, number five, very important, is forgetting why we barbecue. Now, this one is really important. Uh, this is the biggest mistake of all, really. You know, forgetting why we started cooking outside in the first place. Why is it you love cooking? Why is it you love backyard barbecue? It's not about the views. Sure, it's fun to get on here and post things. Sure, it's fun to get on here and talk about this and get people to listen. Sure, it's fun to get new followers if you are posting online. It's not really about impressing strangers online. It's not at all about that. As a matter of fact, you're gonna impress as many as the ones that think what your food looks like total trash to, even as good as you know it is. Happens all the time. But it is about slowing down, getting outside, lighting charcoal, getting the smoke in the air, standing around the grill with your family, with your friends, and that's the real magic. So number five is just forgetting why we barbecue. We don't barbecue the chase perfection. We don't barbecue thinking we need expensive equipment. We don't barbecue trying to overcomplicate things. We don't barbecue without experimenting, and we sure as hell don't barbecue without hanging out with your friends, with your family, letting them taste the food you cook, making moments. And honestly, that's what I want this oakie smoking to always be about. That's what I'm about. Not perfect barbecue, not fancy competition cooking, just a real backyard cook from an everyday guy who enjoys food, fire, and the stories that happen around both. So just remember if your ribs aren't perfect and if your burgers are a little burnt, a little overdone, that's another story to tell. If your smoker isn't the top of the line, don't worry about it because great barbecue doesn't have to be expensive, perfect, or complicated. This has been another episode of Between the Fires from Okie Smoking, and I'll catch you next time around the fire. Also, if you enjoy coffee as much as I do, check out Okie Smoking.com slash coffee. It's a flara coffee, and it is the only coffee I drink. Very rich, handpicked. Most of them come from El Salvador, and it is amazing. I get the beans and grind it myself, and they sell ground as well. You can type in promo code Okie to save 15% on a regular order. It's even less than the subscription price. So just do a one-time order. Save 15% with promo code Okie and Okie Smoking.com slash coffee. We'll get you straight there. It'll be in the show notes below.

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