Pitmaster Club Landing Page Update | | |
We are excited to announce the addition of a brand new landing page for the Pitmaster Club, effective Monday, March 31st!
None of the content you currently enjoy is going anywhere, nor is the Channels Page (a.k.a. the "classic landing page") that you are used to using. The only change is that when you first log into the Pitmaster Club, you will be greeted by a more graphically rich "tiled" landing page.
The purpose is to better help new members and those who do not log in often to see all options and member benefits easier.
To get back to our forum, The Pit, and the Channels Page you are used to using, simply click the first Join The Conversation In "The Pit" tile.
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Want to skip the new tiled landing page on future visits?
Click the red "Switch to classic landing page" button located directly above the "Ruminations from Meathead" tile, as shown circled here, and you will automatically bypass the new landing page on future visits.
| | | RIP To Our Friend, Ernest | | | | |
It's with sad hearts we share that our Pit friend from years past, Ernest Mtawali, known here for years simply as Ernest, sadly passed away back on October 13, 2024.
We do not have any other info. Many of us had noticed his absence from The Pit, when he had been such a regular presence. Periodic searches finally led to his obituary here: https://www.nuevavidafh.com/obituaries/ernest-mtawali
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Ernest was around from the early days of the Pitmaster Club — he literally joined in the first week or so, back in 2014 — and was a genius with eggs, meats, and all manner of cooking. His family was sure lucky to have his culinary skills, and from the many pictures in his obituary video, they were above all lucky to have him in their life as a wonderful father of 2 and a husband.
He also was a great Pitmaster, using his PBC, his 2 WSMs and his KBQ creations to make us all drool. He's been missed here for a long time, and will continue to be missed.
| | | Please enjoy a few of his pics which he'd shared in our Show Us What You're Cooking channel over the years. We're sure you'll agree that not only could the boy cook but he knew how to plate and display it! To see more of his creations, browse back in the 2022 SUWYC topics and prior.... | |
Welcome Our Newest Moderator, SheilaAnn! | | | | |
We'd like to welcome SheilaAnn to the mod team here at AmazingRibs.com and the Pitmaster Club!
Sheila Ann Anderzunas hails from Long Beach in southern California, by way of Chicago, and has been a very active forum member here for nearly 5 years. While she may consider herself an amateur at cooking & pitmastering (yes that's a word), we think otherwise. We love her and we're pretty sure you do too!
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Sheila Ann’s career has kept her in the hospitality and food world, working for both mom-and-pop joints as well as corporate gigs in which she was responsible for up to 60 restaurants. She used to be a partner in a whole animal butcher shop and spent seven years installing point-of-sale in hotels, restaurants, and bars around the world. She currently works as a bookkeeper and operations manager at a local cafe and market. She is also on the board of the Long Beach Grocery Cooperative organizing to open a community-owned grocery store.
She's a big fan of both MLB and the NFL. In her free time, she enjoys reading and collecting cookbooks, baking, and exploring culinary history with the Culinary Historians of Southern California. She says she discovered AmazingRibs.com while scouring the internet for BBQ and grilling content. She not only found the website to be an incredible resource for grilling and smoking but also discovered the Pitmaster Club which she refers to as a wonderful community of friends. She began her smoking and grilling hobby on a rusty Char-Griller Barrel style grill but is now the proud owner of a 22” Weber kettle charcoal grill; a Kamado Joe, Jr.; and a Char-Broil gas grill.
| | Great Giveaway Sweepstakes Winners | |
| | March 2025 Grand Prize Winner | |
Steve Yalisove, a.k.a. stevey, won this month's Grand Prize. He selected the Platinum Medal-awarded Weber Genesis SX-335 Smart Gas Grill, MSRP $1,349.00.
"Quite a shock to get the email from Huskee today. Thanks for pulling my name out of the hat!" he said.
The Weber SX-335 Smart Gas Grill is available in either propane or natural gas versions.
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| March 2025 Second Prize Winner | Ted Dinklocker, a.k.a. teddink, won Second Prize this month. He selected the Platinum Medal-awarded Green Mountain Grills TREK Prime Portable Pellet Cooker, MSRP $499. | | | | "Wow! Honored to have won second prize - thanks! I would love the Green Mountain Grills TREK Portable Pellet Cooker - it will pair nicely with my PBC and Weber Genesis - giving me a chance to try cooking with a pellet smoker!" he said. Congrats on the addition to your arsenal, Ted! | |
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March 2025
Third Prize Winner
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This month's Third Prize 'Backyard Pitmaster Gear Prize Pack' is lactive member William Fleet, a.k.a. BBillFleet.
"WHOOOAAAAA! really?
Oh wow! Too cool! ...I'd like the Thermapen in red, please, and the oak in chunks.
| | | | "Oh man, it's late, and now I feel like grilling something", he humorously said. | | Bill is a regular poster in our forum, "The Pit", and if you visit regularly you've likely noticed that each week he shares specials available at several grocery stores in the Charlotte area of North Carolina. If you live around Charlotte, mark the Discounts And Deals > Special Deals For Anyone channel and stop by to keep up on Bill's weekly posts! Here's his latest. | | This Prize Pack worth up to $312 features an assortment of great gear for grillin' & smokin' in style and comfort! Included is Pitmaster Club-logo swag, Grill Armor heat-resistant grill gloves, a Thermapen ONE in winner's color of choice, a stainless steel long-reach grill tool set from SnSGrills.com, and NEW THIS MONTH from CountryCraft Firewood, winner's choice of 1 box red oak chunks, bark bits, or 5", 8" or 12" splits, and a windproof, foldable, refillable lighter. All shipped free to the contiguous 48 states. | |
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March 2025
Fourth Prize Winner
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This month's Fourth Prize 'Backyard Pitmaster Edible Prize Pack' winner is Jim Smith, a.k.a. jimsmith1370.
"Grateful to have won Fourth [Prize] without having to do anything", he said.
| | | | And that's how it goes, all eligible paid members are automatically entered each month in the 4 prize drawings without having to do anything, easy peasey! | | Support Our Prize Vendors | | |
Instead of waiting for your name to be drawn each month (which of course can happen to anyone with a US address in the 48 contiguous states), why not show your support for our prize vendors by visiting their sites and purchasing some of their wares right now?
GEAR:
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"Do you notify winners in this newsletter?"
NO. WE NOTIFY ALL SWEEPSTAKES WINNERS BY DIRECT EMAIL sent to the email address you gave us. Check it and change it in the next section below.
We also announce the winners in The Pit's Great Giveaway Monthly Sweepstakes Winners channel. In there, we create a new topic for each month's winners on or around the 8th-12th of each month. Only AFTER you have responded and claimed your prize do we announce it here. So log in to the Sweepstakes channel regularly, and watch your email too!
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| Change Your Email? Don't Miss Your Chance To Be A Prize Winner | | |
Nearly every month 1 or more winners forfeit by not claiming their prize in time. Why? Maybe because they aren't getting our notification email? While unfortunate for them, it is always good news for the person picked next!
Don't miss out. Make sure the email used for your Pitmaster Club membership is one you use regularly. Check that email address at the button below. Update it if you need to. And if you get an email from us, open it!
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Want this newsletter at a different email address?
Please note that changing your Pitmaster Club registered email address using the button above will not automatically change the address this newsletter is delivered to. They're different systems so you must change that separately.
| | To do so, scroll to the bottom footer of this newsletter and click Update Profile, as shown in the picture here, and follow the on-screen directions. | | | | What's New On AmazingRibs.com? | | Here are the latest recipes & articles added to the public side of AmazingRibs.com in the last month, hot off the presses and freshly pulled from our Sneak Peeks channel, where members get notified first! | |
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Steven Raichlen's Favorite Marinade,
by Steven Raichlen
| We've recently teamed up with famed author, pitmaster, and TV host Steven Raichlen to share in a blog swap, where we'll each share our favorite recipes on our respective sites. | | | | The genius of this traditional Thai marinade is how it counterpoints flavors. First, there’s the salt in the soy sauce and the umami funk of Asian fish sauce. Lime juice makes it tart, while fresh ginger and chiles crank up the heat. Garlic and fresh cilantro give it pungency. | | | Brown sugar adds the right touch of sweetness. The backbone of the marinade is fresh lemongrass—one of Steven's all-time favorite flavorings. This stalk-like Southeast Asian herb has a haunting floral lemon flavor, without the fruit’s acidity. A spoonful of curry powder pulls it all together. | | On the other side of the swap, Steven recently shared a few of Meathead's favorite Mardi Gras recipes on his website, barbecuebible.com. | | If you haven't heard of Steven, he launched the barbecue revolution with his book Barbecue Bible. Steven is an accomplished food writer with a catalog of 32 books, is the winner of 5 James Beard Awards and 3 IACP Awards, and he hosts the popular TV shows Steven Raichlen’s Project Fire and Project Smoke, Primal Grill, and Barbecue University on PBS. He's also a sailor. To read more about Steven, see his bio page. | | |
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Meathead's Easy Smoked Fish Dip,
by Meathead
| Whitefish pâté, salmon dip, smoked fish salad…whatever you call it, and no matter what fish you use, this smoked fish dip recipe will be a welcome addition to your kitchen repertoire. | | | |
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How Did BBQ Get So Black?
by Adrian Miller
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Does American barbecue have African origins?
Culinary historian and barbecue fanatic Adrian Miller digs into the answer from pre-slavery to post-emancipation.
This essay has been excerpted with permission from Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue by Adrian Miller.
This highly readable book is well-researched and the author has a funny bone.
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The essay here is but a small slice of a much bigger history of American barbecue laid out in the book.
To read more, buy the book here.
To learn more about Adrian Miller, check out his bio here.
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Wait a minute — where did the Show Us What You're Cooking (SUWYC) section go?
As announced in last month's issue of this newsletter, we're now splitting Hot From The Pit into 2 separate issues. Show Us What You're Cooking now gets its own edition! Check your inbox, it was sent out 2 weeks ago.
| | You can help someone "Be Amazing" by gifting them a 1-year Pitmaster Club membership! Give the gift of learning, sharing, and better cooking to friends, family, or customers. What a nice way to give something that they will benefit from all year long. | | The AmazingRibs.com Pitmaster Club is a real BBQ community many thousands of members strong. As you've seen from this newsletter, it’s a place to learn, make friends, show off, possibly win a nice prize, and have fun. No flame wars. No BS. | | You can now pre-order Meathead's new book, The Meathead Method, with 114 inspiring and creative recipes from around the world. Check it out! | | Feast on The Ultimate Prime Rib, Smoked Brisket and Bone Broth Pho, Miso Maple Sable à la Nobu, Improved Nashville Hot Chicken, Flaming French Fish, Mussels with Smoked Fettuccine, Charred Octopus, Pineapple Foster, and much more. Elevate your cooking with out-of-the-BBQ-box ingredients like black garlic, gochujang, yuzu, zhug, miso, and koji. This innovative book shows you where BBQ goes next. | | | Click here for previews and other ruminations from Meathead. | | |
Don't forget about the original MEATHEAD book. Get yourself a copy of the New York Times Best Seller that Christopher Kimball of Milk Street and formerly of America's Test Kitchen calls one of his 25 favorite cookbooks of all time!
Having already sold over a quarter million copies worldwide, this book makes an impressive gift for those friends and family members of yours who still call burning hot dogs "barbecuing", and have no idea what a juicy pork chop tastes like.
| | | Give them a college course in understanding the thermodynamics of cooking, cooking to temperature instead of by the clock, mastering indirect cooking, making succulent, smoked meats even on a gas grill, and dispelling popular cooking & BBQ myths. They'll learn new recipes that actually work, and see the gadgets the pros use. It's all here. | | Click the button below to order copies for "those" family members and friends who need to up their BBQ game. You know who they are. | | Don't Forget Your FREE BBQ Stars Videos! | | | | If you haven't already, be sure to set up your FREE access to BBQ Stars, our premium collection of 120 broadcast quality step-by-step video tutorials and recipes featuring 12 top BBQ pitmasters and award-winning chefs. | | |
Formerly selling for $299, BBQ Stars is yours free as a paid member, and includes instructional videos from BBQ pros Meathead, Tuffy Stone, Matt Pittman, Harry Soo, Kent Rollins, Jack Arnold, Dave Bouska, Ken Phillips, Brett Galloway, Chef Dean Fearing, Chef Tim Grandinetti, and Chef Ariane Daguin.
For more info on BBQ Stars, click here.
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Do you enjoy whiskey, bourbon, rye and other spirits? Fellow member and founder of www.ForWhiskeyLovers.com, Doug Stone, has given us a special 10% off code for anything on his website. They ship to 47 US states and 27 countries.
| |  | The team at Grill Masters Club hand picks the finest BBQ sauces, dry rubs, marinades, mustards, hot sauces, wood chips, recipes and more, and sends them to you in their cool subscription boxes. It's a great way to discover new and delicious products! | | | | | | Grill Armor gloves are EN407 certified and can withstand heat up to 932°F! These are thick but lightweight gloves, with silicone super-grips, providing the highest protection! Whether using them as oven mitts or for moving racks on our stick burner, we love 'em! They are available in multiple colors, including glow-in-the-dark, and they even have waterproof and welding gloves if you need those! Get your 10% discount. | | | |
Heaven Made Products offers a wide variety of high umami, low salt, low MSG, gluten-free, soy-free and egg-free products.
From kitchen standards to barbecue rubs to Mexican and Cajun-style spice blends, they're a notch above your usual seasonings! They're Huskee's favorites.
| | | Porter Road is an online butcher shop specializing in meats from Kentucky and Tennessee, offering dry-aged beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and sausage, all hand-cut at their facility and shipped fresh whenever possible. First-Timers, Get $15 Off $100+ purchase here. | | | |
Located in Rusk, TX, Hassell Cattle Company is a 3-generation ranch and home of "Blue Collar Wagyu," a high-Prime Wagyu/Angus cross that the "everyman" can afford and enjoy. The products are 100% hormone and antibiotic-free, an F1 cross of certified Wagyu bulls and Angus cows.
Orders of $200+ ($150 for those in Texas) will ship free!
| | | Meat N’ Bone is an online butcher shop offering more than 350 premium quality meats from the best programs in the US, Australia, Japan and Spain. They focus on G1 Certified USDA Choice and Prime beef, Wagyu-Angus Cross Beef (Prime+), and Japanese Wagyu A5. They offer 24 different types of ribeye and 5 types of picanha! Subscription boxes available too. | | |
LIVE Monthly Chats With Meathead | | Join Meathead for his live monthly "Fireside Chat" on YouTube and Facebook.at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on the last Wednesday of the month. Note that the schedule will change if it's a holiday, Meathead's traveling, or his wife bought theatre tickets without clearing the date with him first. | | | You're receiving this because you're awesome and you're a member of the Pitmaster Club | | | | |
