During the most recent Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous in Driggs, Idaho, we brought in a legit barbecue pitmaster. So we made sure we sat down with Ron James of Captain Ron’s Smokehouse for some tips on upping our own BBQ game. This guy knows his way around a BBQ pit, and his brisket proved completely legit.

Captain Ron’s Barbecue Tips

Barbecue DO’s:

1. Get the best quality meat available.

2. Learn how to properly trim the different cuts: (there are tons of videos about this on YouTube). 

3. Use a good rub. If you buy a pre-made rub, check the ingredients. Avoid the ones where the first ingredient is sodium. Better yet, make your own.

4. Keep your fire consistent. The optimal temperature is 225 to 250 degrees.

Barbecue DON’Ts:

1. Don’t keep checking the progress. Try to keep the smoker box closed as much as possible. If you’re lookin,’ you ain’t cookin.’

2. Don’t play the guessing game. You have to check temperatures, especially at the end of the smoking process, so buy a good digital thermometer so you can check it—and get the smoker door closed—as quickly as possible.

3. Don’t over-trim your meat, especially brisket. The fat cap is where the flavor lives, so you want to leave that fat cap on. (Again, there are lots of great videos on YouTube that show how to properly trim a brisket.)

If you find yourself hunting, hiking or fishing in the amazing Driggs area, we highly recommend checking out Captain Ron’s Smokehouse. Check ’em out at rettaron.com.