Stopped by a random BBQ joint in rural Georgia last weekend

I was driving through Macon and saw this tiny cinder block building with smoke rolling out the back. Figured why not, pulled over and ordered a chopped pork sandwich. The guy working the pit told me he's been running that same smoker for 22 years and never even cleaned the grates, just let the grease build up like a seasoning. The bark on that pork was insane, super dark but not bitter at all. Has anyone else had luck with older beat up equipment making better food than shiny new stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

hugow301mo ago

I'd push back a little on the romance of a never-cleaned smoker. I ran a pit for about 5 years in south Alabama, and while I agree that old equipment often cooks better, that grease buildup thing is more about luck than skill. A 22-year-old smoker that's never been cleaned sounds like a fire hazard waiting to happen. You can get the same dark bark from a clean firebox and good wood management. Unless that guy is pulling the grates off and scrubbing them once a week, that "seasoning" is just baked-on carbon and old fat. It's not some magic ingredient.

grace_fox31mo agoMost Upvoted

People do this with all kinds of stuff. Cast iron pans, leather jackets, old tools. We just love the idea that something gets better with age and neglect, even when the real secret is just taking care of it right.