Welcome to Andy's Barbecue Pit Stop, your ultimate destination for all things barbecue! I'm Andy, and I'm passionate about the art of smoking delicious food. Whether you're a seasoned pitmaster or just starting out, you'll find a treasure trove of tips, recipes, and techniques here. I love experimenting with my Blackstone grill & Traeger smoker and sharing that knowledge with you, so you can elevate your own barbecue game. Join me on this smoky journey and let's make some mouthwatering magic together!
My Story
It all started in 2019 when I was driving around on a Sunday with my then fiancé when we were discussing where we wanted to go for lunch. We drove by a BBQ chain when I said "now that seems like a great spot" since I haven't had real BBQ food in a long time. Her being from the mid-west said that wasn't a real BBQ place. If you want real good BBQ, you need to go to a small mom and pop shop. Well, that's what we did. We ended up a small BBQ restaurant, and I was hooked from that point on. A year later I bought my first smoker.... the Kamado Joe. I went crazy on this thing and bought all the gadgets and extras that go with it, and I was off to the races. Little did I know that I had a huge learning curve ahead of me. My first smoke was a Boston Butt, and it took me 18 hours before it was done. It came out awesome, but of course, I was tired since it took longer than I thought. My second smoke was a brisket, and this is where it got worse for me. If you thought that turkey looked dry from National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, well, I had that beat... and then some. My 10-pound brisket I started with basically turned to a 2-pound lump of dust. After about a year or so using the Joe, I have gotten better since I was reading recipes and watching all kinds of videos and picking one I liked the best to try. One thing I did not enjoy was babysitting a smoker because I just didn't have the time to play with the vents to keep the temperature constant. It was just too much work on my weekends off. I knew I had to do something different. I then started looking into the electric smoker and read a gazillion reviews and decided to pull the trigger on the vertical Pit Boss and let me tell you that it was a game changer for me personally. I absolutely loved it! This allowed more time for me to research other recipes and try new things, and it was all fun and exciting from that point on. I since bought a Traeger and this has been my go-to since. My now wife compliments me on every smoke I do saying that I make the very best BBQ she has ever had. Hey, I will take that from someone who grew up in Springfield, MO eating world famous St. Louis BBQ & Kansas City style grub! Today, I am still learning and trying new things, and I welcome anyone who has better ideas or better recipes to come my way so we can share to everyone. For those of you just starting out, welcome to the BBQ family, this site is for you. I look to build this site strictly for me to learn and try new things, while showing you what I have learned so you can enjoy all the good things BBQ brings to the world.
Want to see your recipe on here? I would love for you to share what your favorite dishes and how you prepared them!