BBQ Pitmasters on TLC - Thursdays @ 9:00 p.m.
BBQ Pitmasters on TLC - Thursdays @ 9:00 p.m.
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Post #31 - December 18th, 2009, 6:58 amout of the three this was the best one ? what do you thinkphilw bbq cbj for kcbs &M.I.M. carolina pit masters
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Post #32 - December 18th, 2009, 8:46 amJeffB wrote:Not to pile on, and I know the contestants are simply trying to win, which means appeal to the known tastes of the judges, but I was surprised to see pork shoulders/butts destined for 12-plus hours of cooking removed from a Southern Pride-type cooker and foiled after 3 hours because more smoke and color than that would start costing the team points. The pork wasn't even close to George Hamilton in complexion at the time. It's a whole different thing and it explains a gap in understanding I never fully appreciated before. No wonder so many BBQ comp experts pan traditional regional BBQ places. They are further apart in what they are trying to do than I had realized. Why would anyone going for the form suggested in the show to be ideal BBQ want to have anything to do with Mack's chewy, rustic tips & links, for example. I'd love to know how this evolved. At some point did consensus emerge that a jet black TX brisket or chewy Memphis rib was destined to be a "loser" regardless of how true to the historical ideal they might be? I'd be very interested to see how judges' tastes have "evolved" over time. PS, I don't doubt that the incredibly motivated guys on the competition circuit could make more traditional BBQ. I'm sure they could. Instead, as portrayed in this show, they are using a corn syrup, tinfoil, and Kingsford to make something different. (I don't mean bad -- I'm sure it tastes good, actually.) And I will again recognize that the show has clearly been edited to exaggerate personalities and conflict. However, the show seems way too unsubtle and unconcerned about BBQ to be purposefully over-exposing the use of candy cane sauces and such -- why, to get a rise out of food geeks? Unlikely. I also wonder whether the Memphis events have a different taste than the KC in terms of what's perfect BBQ.
Well said, as that's what I have been wondering since the show started.
Regarding the show itself-I'm not sure what I expected, but it was not what they're putting out. While I didn't expect secrets to be shared, more of the theory and or passion of what they do would have been nice instead of all the "character development".
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Post #33 - January 14th, 2010, 5:21 amshow #4 is on today , it is from K C the royal .philw bbq cbj for kcbs &M.I.M. carolina pit masters
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Post #34 - January 14th, 2010, 10:54 amNothing makes me happier than seeing Myron Mixon not win. In reality, he may be a fine person and a talented cook but on the show he comes off as neither; a complete a$$4ole, whose cooking ability is suspect at best. Aside from his continually abrasive comments, watching him bathe his wood/charcoal pile in lighter fluid pretty much sealed the deal for me.
But the continued focus on him (and the others) reveals the major shortcomings of the series and the choices the producers made. Rather than letting the action dictate their coverage, they've chosen to follow a few circuit participants who aren't very likeable and who haven't had much success. In short, they bet on the wrong horses. I guess that covering these events in a more meaningful way (e.g. having detailed footage of the winner, regardless of who it is) would have been too expensive. Instead, the show is comprised mostly of missed bets and artificial drama, and it really feels like it has been produced on the cheap.
=R=By protecting others, you save yourself. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself. --Kambei Shimada
Every human interaction is an opportunity for disappointment --RS
There's a horse loose in a hospital --JM
That don't impress me much --Shania Twain
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Post #35 - January 14th, 2010, 11:02 amI guess they need the drama to attract the casual bbq person or reality tv viewer. An over the top personality like Myron(or at least the Myron shown on the show) is the ticket.
I gave up on this show after 1.5 episodes. Didnt really capture my interest, and showed more bad than good aspects of competition. Most of the bbq folks I know are pretty cool, and like to discuss bbq, techniques, recipes, etc. Some of the folks on this show remind me of the handfull bbq folks Ive met that I dont care for.
Id like to see more info on their rigs, fuel(wood choice, etc.), temps, etc. They could do this without exposing too many of their secrets I think, but that wouldnt sell to the mainstream folks who may watch this show looking for a bbq version of Deadliest Catch, etc.
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Post #36 - January 14th, 2010, 11:22 amjimswside wrote:I guess they need the drama to attract the casual bbq person or reality tv viewer. An over the top personality like Myron(or at least the Myron shown on the show) is the ticket.
I gave up on this show after 1.5 episodes. Didnt really capture my interest, and showed more bad than good aspects of competition. Most of the bbq folks I know are pretty cool, and like to discuss bbq, techniques, recipes, etc. Some of the folks on this show remind me of the handfull bbq folks Ive met that I dont care for.
Id like to see more info on their rigs, fuel(wood choice, etc.), temps, etc. They could do this without exposing too many of their secrets I think, but that wouldnt sell to the mainstream folks who may watch this show looking for a bbq version of Deadliest Catch, etc.
Well said. I agree with all of this.
=R=By protecting others, you save yourself. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself. --Kambei Shimada
Every human interaction is an opportunity for disappointment --RS
There's a horse loose in a hospital --JM
That don't impress me much --Shania Twain
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Post #37 - January 16th, 2010, 5:46 ami had DVR show #5 from the royal,finley watched it & the show has goten better. i liked this onephilw bbq cbj for kcbs &M.I.M. carolina pit masters
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Post #38 - January 21st, 2010, 1:27 pmYeah, I just caught the first 3 episodes on demand cable. As has been said already, this stuff doesn't look anything like the BBQ I make, buy, and enjoy. "Cupcake" chicken? It looked like it was as cloying as a cupcake, and flabby. And the brisket all perfectly sliced, sauced with a swab, and arranged just so on curly lettuce, looked like the fake food I buy for my 4-year-olds' play kitchen.
The 10 kinds of sugar had me laughing as well. . . . if you must, pick a sweetener and go with it, but there is no need for sugar, brown sugar, molasses, honey, dehydrated honey, corn syrup, maple syrup, and God knows what else in one recipe.
And what is with all that foil with huge puddles of liquid steaming the heck out of that meat?
And how did that guy win anything after the lighter fluid shower and 4 hours on a brisket at 350?
I am glad to hear that the personalities as shown are not representative of the circuit. . . But that type of style over substance does look like it is promoted by the judges and the whole system in general. The question does remain, did competition BBQ really veer that far from BBQ tradition, and if so, why?Today I caught that fish again, that lovely silver prince of fishes,
And once again he offered me, if I would only set him free—
Any one of a number of wonderful wishes... He was delicious! - Shel Silverstein
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Post #39 - January 22nd, 2010, 5:16 amso the stress has hit most of the teams, leeann lost her boyfriend, harry soo lost his right hand man. & it seams like they dont know what to do when the weather gets cold? . it is funny to watch nowphilw bbq cbj for kcbs &M.I.M. carolina pit masters
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Post #40 - January 26th, 2010, 4:49 pmi had DVR show #5 from the royal,finley watched it & the show has goten better. i liked this one
I must admit it's starting to grow on me. Maybe because it's reality tv at it's most basic, you have all the usual characters stereotyped to their fullest -
Bad Guy - Myron (talks sh*t about everyone)
Old Wise Guy - Trigg (teaches Paul for free)
Pretty Girl - LeAnne (how many times did she say "he left me")
Dorky Guy - Harry (pretty sure his set-up with the Webers and all the wires makes GWiv throw up)
Nice Guy - Tuffy (gives Myron the better brisket)
Lovable Loser - Paul (always last)
It is absolutely painful to watch their techniques, and sadly sometimes they come up winners. It is some good mindless food television to get through the winter though.
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Post #41 - February 5th, 2010, 6:16 ami thought the show was good overall, started out bad.
but a show that i would watch more of if they change the players up some .
all for the love of bbq. got to love itphilw bbq cbj for kcbs &M.I.M. carolina pit masters
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Post #42 - February 5th, 2010, 11:18 amDid anyone see the disgusting amount of squeezable margarine that Leanne was slathering all over her ribs at the cookout down at Johnny Trigg's on this week's episode? Absolutely disgusting. At least she came in last place after that technique.
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Post #43 - February 5th, 2010, 11:25 amHopped Up wrote:Did anyone see the disgusting amount of squeezable margarine that Leanne was slathering all over her ribs at the cookout down at Johnny Trigg's on this week's episode? Absolutely disgusting. At least she came in last place after that technique.
gave up on this show weeks ago,
but for the bit I watched, and from things I hear from other competition folks I know there is a alot that goes on prep and finishing wise to bbq for competitions that isnt used alot in backyard bbq.
Makes me wonder about the judges, and what they think bbq is.
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Post #44 - February 5th, 2010, 1:00 pmI've read that what competitors enter for competitions isn't necessarily what they cook for themselves at home unless it's practice/fine-tuning. I don't know about adding all that butter/margarine though. I don't think I've ever seen anyone else do that. I'd wonder if that wasn't just some BBQ FUD for the weekend griller-wannabe-smoker viewers.
If the judges were all from Texas, and if most Texas BBQ cooking doesn't use much sugar in sauces or rubs, I could understand the judge comments about things being too sweet or not spicy enough. Then again, who knows what the judges' experience was; they could have been chosen by the show's producers rather than being experienced KCBS (or other BBQ organization) judges.
All being said, I watch the show for entertainment rather than learning about BBQ or competitions. There have been quite a few shows in the past that were more documentary than reality with good information but without so much drama.
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Post #45 - February 7th, 2010, 5:10 pmHopped Up wrote:Did anyone see the disgusting amount of squeezable margarine that Leanne was slathering all over her ribs at the cookout down at Johnny Trigg's on this week's episode? Absolutely disgusting. At least she came in last place after that technique.
Couldn't agree more. I've seen this technique before and it boggles the mind. There's a complete disconnect between bbq (especially thinking about its origins) and slathering it with the epitome of fakey-processed ingredients. If any margarine-assisted bbq has ever won a competition -- and I'm sure it has -- the judges who selected it should be de-credentialed and herded off a cliff. If that's what competition bbq is all about, there's really no point to it.
=R=By protecting others, you save yourself. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself. --Kambei Shimada
Every human interaction is an opportunity for disappointment --RS
There's a horse loose in a hospital --JM
That don't impress me much --Shania Twain
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Post #46 - February 8th, 2010, 2:50 pmgotta say this show really soured me on the whole bbq competition idea, and the credibility of what a KCBS title means.... parkay on ribs, muffin tin chicken thighs in parkay, jackazz attitudes, etc. If parkay ribs, foiled meat on the smoker etc is what wins I'm not down with that.
The bad taste this show left withme is also the main reason I cancelled the rib throwdown for the June Pig Roast. I make bbq how I my family, and friends like it, and that is good enough for me. I dont need any validation.
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Post #47 - February 16th, 2010, 10:47 pmLTH,
Myron Mixon might come off a bit harsh on Pitmasters, but he was very funny on a recent Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
Enjoy,
Gary
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Post #48 - February 16th, 2010, 11:14 pmG Wiv wrote:Myron Mixon might come off a bit harsh on Pitmasters, but he was very funny on a recent Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
A couple episodes back, 2 of the circuit cooks who the show's been covering placed first and second in ribs in a competition that was held in what was essentially Myron's home town. Myron seemed so pleased by the outcome and appeared to be genuinely happy for his fellow cooks. Seeing that greatly improved my opinion of Myron, who has clearly been, at least in part, a victim of some less-than-flattering editing.
=R=By protecting others, you save yourself. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself. --Kambei Shimada
Every human interaction is an opportunity for disappointment --RS
There's a horse loose in a hospital --JM
That don't impress me much --Shania Twain
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Post #49 - February 17th, 2010, 5:27 amG Wiv wrote:Myron Mixon might come off a bit harsh on Pitmasters, but he was very funny on a recent Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
that is funny
philw bbq cbj for kcbs &M.I.M. carolina pit masters
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Post #50 - March 17th, 2010, 2:36 pmIt looks like the show is coming back next year with a very different format:http://www.multichannel.com/article/450242-TLC_To_Revamp_BBQ_Pitmasters_Series.php wrote:TLC is hoping to add some sizzle to its freshman cooking reality series BBQ Pitmasters by changing its programming recipe from a docu-reality show to a competition-based series for its second season. ****The new season will feature a weekly competition between several chefs, with each weekly winner eventually squaring off against each other in the final episode, according to TLC officials. The show will feature BBQ Pitmasters stars such as Myron Mixon and Le Ann Whippen in "some capacity" on the show, said TLC officials.
There was show on the Versus channel some years back that had a competition format. It will be interesting to see if this makes BBQ Pitmasters more or less enjoyable to watch."Skin that smoke wagon and see what happens..."
- Wyatt Earp, Tombstone
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Post #51 - August 12th, 2010, 8:33 pmseason 2 started tonight..
pork butts
and a special catfish one hour "loser goes home" challenge.
Art Smith, Myron Mixon and Warren Sapp as the judges.
should be interesting..
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Post #52 - August 13th, 2010, 6:51 ameyewall opined hopefully:
should be interesting...
. . . nah. It really wasn't. I stumbled in by accident while channel-surfing; while the original show was not exactly Masterpiece Theatre, this unrecognizable revamp was dumbed down beyond belief. And is there a TV cooking show that Art Smith won't do? Good lord!
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Post #53 - August 14th, 2010, 8:28 amAt least they have these guys cooking food this year instead of showpieces. However, they spent more time talking about how they made the coleslaw and catfish than how they cooked the pork. The show is better than last year, I think. . . less bs between teams.
It doesn't show the competition BBQ circuit, which I'm glad for if last year's show is the result of trying to show competition BBQ. It takes competition BBQ folks and puts them on Top Chef. THe guy who won seemed to make a plate iof food I was most interested in eating.Today I caught that fish again, that lovely silver prince of fishes,
And once again he offered me, if I would only set him free—
Any one of a number of wonderful wishes... He was delicious! - Shel Silverstein
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Post #54 - September 24th, 2010, 9:59 pmSo, Season 2 is in the books and I think I enjoyed it a bit more than Season 1. I definitely came to appreciate Myron, who irritated me beyond belief in Season 1. He was much less insufferable as a judge than he was as a contestant.
I think the one really huge flaw of the show (in its new format) was the Pit-Fire Challenges, which really ended up cheating the viewers more than anything else. Since contestants would get eliminated without ever being able to turn in their main item, it meant that viewers never got to see how those contestants would have fared in the main events. In the finale, for example, I would have much rather seen how all 5 teams ended up with their whole hogs rather than seeing 2 teams get eliminated for their chicken dishes before the main event even happened. I think that was a huge missed bet. In the episodes where rattlesnake, alligator and frog legs were the focus of the Pit-Fire challenges, this was even more true (though, in one of these episodes, no one was actually sent home).
And please, can we get a new host for next season?
=R=By protecting others, you save yourself. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself. --Kambei Shimada
Every human interaction is an opportunity for disappointment --RS
There's a horse loose in a hospital --JM
That don't impress me much --Shania Twain
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Post #55 - September 25th, 2010, 8:23 amronnie_suburban wrote:So, Season 2 is in the books and I think I enjoyed it a bit more than Season 1. I definitely came to appreciate Myron, who irritated me beyond belief in Season 1. He was much less insufferable as a judge than he was as a contestant.
Myron is Myron! After sharing thegood part of a bottle of Templeton with him one nite in Tn found him to be real, honest and forthright! He is his only job
I think the one really huge flaw of the show (in its new format) was the Pit-Fire Challenges, which really ended up cheating the viewers more than anything else.
and really po'd some of the contestants too. Interesting how in the 3rd episode(actually 1st one filmed) no one was sent home--must have been that johnny Trigs gator was at the bottom--imo anyway
And please, can we get a new host for next season?
he was irritating to the max--and those eyes!!
=R=
One thing that most don't know is that Shad(winner) is a trained chef with great taste-- he was 2nd or so nationally in a cooking event(not bbq) sponsored by the National Pork Council. Viewership was up this year and most bbq sluts are hoping for another version next year. The producer loves bbq and is always trying to keep it on tv. Probably some of the food fed to these 'judges' was different then the cooks comp food profile too
