Rant: A trip to a gas station in Memphis showed me what REAL smoke looks like

I was driving through Memphis last month and stopped at a random gas station off the interstate to fill up. Right next to the pumps, this guy had a small offset smoker going, selling plates. The smoke coming out of his stack was THIN and BLUE, like a wisp of morning fog. I've been running my own rig for a while, but I always thought a bit of white smoke was fine, you know? This was a total lightbulb moment. I watched him for ten minutes, and he was managing his fire with just a few small splits, constantly adjusting. He told me, 'If you're seein' the smoke, you're tastin' it.' My brisket that weekend was the cleanest it's ever been, no bitter bite at all. How many of you actually aim for that thin blue smoke every single time, or do you let it slide sometimes?

2 comments

2 Comments

anthony_fox9016h ago

My uncle in Texas swears by that thin blue smoke, but his ribs still taste like lighter fluid.

taylor92916h ago

Man, does he soak the briquettes in starter fluid or something? My neighbor does the same thing, and his whole backyard smells like a gas station every weekend. I've had his food, and you can still taste that chemical bite even under all his heavy sauce. It's like some folks get so focused on the smoke color they forget the basics of not poisoning the meat.