PIT MASTERS

 DAY 5: LESSONS FROM A BBQ ENTHUSIAST

Today was a more relaxing day after four days of going on the road and eating at a different barbecue place each day. We had Tripp Cantwell come in and teach us a little bit about smoking meats and had him show us his handmade smoker. After that, we put our pork in his handmade smoker with the dry rubs we made yesterday. We then watched Chef's Table: BBQ, about a couple pitmasters, and learned about their stories and their love for barbecue. Later in the afternoon, we checked on the pork, and watched more Chef's Table: BBQ, on a different pitmaster, and awaited our pork to be done. After, we came back together and ate the pork we made along with some classic barbecue sides.  - Alex Lobdell

PIT MASTERS

 DAY 4: DAY OF EXCELLENCE

We started this morning by sharing some ideas about our symposium for after the break, some of the kids in the group drew some options out on whiteboards for others to get a good visual.  We then researched where we were eating and got on the road. Smokehaus Barbecue in Amherst, NH (about an hour from campus) was the destination for today and it was very excellent. The restaurant was an old apple cider mill in Amherst with outdoor seating including a full standup heater for the winter. When you enter the restaurant they have a small seating area kind of retro with some fridges for beverages as well as a bar with some seating. It was a very pleasing environment and the service was amazing. With 14 people I believe it only took maybe 10 minutes for everyone to get their food and start eating. The meat was very juicy and flavorful. After we ate we had some time to sit down and speak with the owner Dave a little bit about his background/story. He proceeded to mention that his business partner is his father who handles mostly the books and financial parts while he just runs the restaurant. Dave is a local from Amherst and has a dream to try and create his own style of barbecue in New Hampshire which is unheard of thus far. He mentioned everyone gets their inspiration from other places and bases it off that, while himself he wants to create a new style and flavor of barbecue made all on his own. Not to mention a member of our group Alex Lobdell used to work there!  We thanked Dave for his time and food and headed back to campus to get hands-on with our homemade rub. Mr. Sampson cut up a pork shoulder for our four groups to season with their rubs. Once we were done seasoning we cleaned up our areas and that's a wrap for day four of project week.

Evan Moore

PIT MASTERS

 DAY 3: TASTE TEST

    We took a trip down to Brentwood New Hampshire, where we stopped at Goody Coles. It was an older establishment and the inside brought me back to an older western vibe. Even though the menu was small they had some really good food. They were famous for their Saint Louis Ribs.

This was a small house with a lot to offer, their employees were eager to meet us. They were very welcoming right when they opened. Finally, we drove back up to the school where we would get our ingredients ready for our own dry rub. Everyone will be creating their own dry rub. Then we ended the day with a reflection on Goody Coles!

PIT MASTERS

DAY 2:  FARM TO PLATE

We started today by reviewing the BBQ sauce competition. We all tasted all four sauces and invited community members to taste the sauces as well. Team South Carolina won with their amazing mustard-based sauce.

Next, we traveled to Smokeshow Barbeque in Concord, NH. The owner Matt shared how to make and dine on some classic Texas-style BBQ. 

Finally, we drove to Cascade Brook Farm where we meet with Ed and Cindy two local, eco-friendly cattle farmers. Who talked us through the process of taking care of cattle as well as showing us their farm. They also taught us the importance of humanitarian farming and that clean food is better food. They gave us some Red Angus ground beef that we plan to put to the test.

PIT MASTERS

DAY 1: EXPLORING BARBECUE

We began our exploration today by researching and tasting barbecue sauces from various regions such as Texas, Memphis, Kansas City, and the Carolinas. The Carolina sauces were a hit. and Rendevous sauce from Memphis was the clear favorite.

We then visited Smoke Shack in Boscawen, NH, which was about 20 minutes from campus. The owner Josh shared his journey in pursuing his passion for barbecue and the challenges he faced in owning a restaurant through COVID. We sampled the pulled pork, mac and cheese, cajun fries, fried pickles, and more.

We then created groups and researched barbecue sauce recipes and ingredients using the sauces from the morning as inspiration. We worked in our groups to cook sauces of our own and look forward to sampling them later in the week. 

Today we learned a lot and had some laughs!