Online BBQ Pitmaster Class

Lesson 1 • Core Terminology and Concepts

Defines grilling, barbecue, smoking, and roasting with precise distinctions. Shared vocabulary prevents confusion throughout all subsequent technique chapters.

Lesson 2 • Fuels, Charcoal, and Wood Selection

Compares lump charcoal, briquettes, propane, and hardwoods by burn profile and flavor output. Fuel choice directly shapes every recipe outcome.

Lesson 3 • Grill and Smoker Equipment Overview

Surveys kettle grills, gas grills, offset smokers, kamado cookers, and pellet grills. Students match equipment type to intended cooking application.

Lesson 4 • Essential Tools and Accessories

Identifies tongs, spatulas, thermometers, grill brushes, and chimney starters by function. Proper tool selection reduces errors and improves safety.

Lesson 1 • Building and Lighting a Fire

Covers chimney-starter technique, fire-starter alternatives, and safe lighting procedures for charcoal and wood. Reliable ignition is the prerequisite for all temperature work.

Lesson 2 • Temperature Measurement and Monitoring

Explains dome thermometers, grate-level probes, and wireless monitors for accurate readings. Consistent monitoring prevents overcooking and undercooking.

Lesson 3 • Vent and Damper Control

Demonstrates how top and bottom vents regulate oxygen flow and temperature on charcoal and kamado cookers. Vent mastery enables precise low-and-slow control.

Lesson 4 • Sustaining Long Cooks and Adding Fuel

Covers the Minion method, snake method, and fuel-addition timing for multi-hour cooks. Stable long-burn technique is essential before tackling low-and-slow chapters.

Lesson 1 • Safe Protein Handling and Storage

Covers refrigeration temperatures, thawing methods, and raw-meat handling protocols. Proper storage prevents bacterial growth before cooking begins.

Lesson 2 • Holding, Serving, and Cooling Food

Explains hot-holding above danger zone, cold-holding below it, and rapid cooling for leftovers. Correct holding prevents foodborne illness at events and catering situations.

Lesson 3 • Cross-Contamination Prevention

Identifies contamination pathways from raw proteins to cooked food via surfaces, tools, and hands. Eliminating cross-contamination is critical in an outdoor cooking environment.

Lesson 4 • Minimum Internal Temperature Standards

Lists safe internal temperatures for beef, pork, poultry, seafood, and ground meats per food safety guidelines. Temperature targets are non-negotiable benchmarks for every cook.

Lesson 1 • Wet Marinades and Injection Brines

Teaches oil-acid-herb marinade construction and injection brine formulation for large cuts. Injections penetrate deep muscle where surface rubs cannot reach.

Lesson 2 • Flavor Science and Seasoning Principles

Explains salt, fat, acid, and heat as the four flavor levers and their interaction with proteins. Understanding flavor science guides every rub and marinade decision.

Lesson 3 • Building Dry Rubs

Covers base ratios of salt, sugar, and spice and how to adjust for protein type and cook time. Dry rubs form the bark and crust central to barbecue identity.

Lesson 4 • Dry Brining and Wet Brining

Compares dry-brine salt-only application with full wet-brine submersion for moisture retention. Brining is especially critical for lean proteins prone to drying out.

Lesson 1 • Chicken and Poultry on the Grill

Addresses bone-in vs. boneless timing, spatchcock technique, and preventing flare-ups from skin fat. Poultry requires the most precise temperature management of common proteins.

Lesson 2 • Burgers, Patties, and Ground Meat

Teaches fat-ratio selection, patty forming, smash-burger technique, and safe internal temperature for ground beef. Burger execution tests heat control and timing simultaneously.

Lesson 3 • Grilling Steaks and Beef Cuts

Covers sear-and-slide technique, reverse sear, and resting protocol for steaks from rare to well-done. Beef grilling is the benchmark skill for direct-heat mastery.

Lesson 4 • Vegetables and Plant-Based Proteins

Teaches oiling, seasoning, and heat-zone placement for vegetables, tofu, and plant-based patties. Vegetable grilling rounds out a complete menu and serves diverse dietary needs.

Lesson 1 • Ribs: Spare, St. Louis, and Baby Back

Covers membrane removal, the 3-2-1 method, and bend-test doneness for three rib styles. Each rib cut has distinct fat content and timing requirements.

Lesson 2 • Whole Poultry and Other Smoked Proteins

Addresses whole chicken, turkey, and smoked sausage with temperature targets and skin-crisping strategies. Poultry smoking requires balancing smoke absorption with food safety.

Lesson 3 • Pork Shoulder and Pulled Pork

Teaches bone-in shoulder selection, bark development, and pulling technique for competition-style pulled pork. Pork shoulder is the most forgiving entry point to long smokes.

Lesson 4 • Smoking Brisket

Covers whole packer brisket trimming, fat-cap orientation, wrapping decisions, and slicing technique. Brisket is the most technically demanding low-and-slow cut.

Lesson 1 • Carolina Vinegar and Mustard Traditions

Distinguishes Eastern Carolina vinegar sauce from South Carolina mustard sauce and their respective pork applications. Acid-forward sauces require different rub and cook adjustments.

Lesson 2 • International Grilling Traditions

Surveys Argentine asado, Korean barbecue, South African braai, and Japanese yakitori for technique and flavor contrast. Global methods expand the specialist's repertoire beyond American styles.

Lesson 3 • Memphis Dry Rib and Wet Rib Styles

Teaches the Memphis dry-rub finish and the wet-rib glaze application that define this tradition. Rib texture and spice complexity are the primary evaluation criteria.

Lesson 4 • Kansas City Sweet and Smoky Style

Covers tomato-molasses sauce construction, burnt ends preparation, and the broad protein variety of KC tradition. Sauce balance and burnt ends technique are the defining skills.

Lesson 1 • Consistency, Replication, and Cook Logs

Introduces cook-log documentation, variable tracking, and iterative refinement to replicate winning results. Systematic documentation converts one great cook into a repeatable process.

Lesson 2 • Perfecting Bark and Smoke Ring

Covers rub chemistry, humidity management, and cook-phase timing to maximize bark formation and smoke ring depth. These visual and textural markers are primary judging criteria.

Lesson 3 • Injection and Glaze Strategies

Teaches competition-grade injection formulas for chicken and pork and glaze layering for maximum color and sheen. Injections and glazes separate good barbecue from winning barbecue.

Lesson 4 • Competition Barbecue Format and Rules

Explains sanctioned competition categories, turn-in box requirements, and judging criteria for appearance, taste, and texture. Understanding the format shapes every preparation decision.