Learn comprehensive barbecue cooking techniques for brisket, ribs, pork butts, and chicken during one intensive 10-hour instructional day.
Skills and Knowledge You Will Acquire:
- Competition-winning techniques for smoking brisket with flavorful au jus, authentic competition-style ribs with perfect bark and tender meat, succulent pulled pork with ideal moisture and tenderness, tender applewood smoked chicken with beautiful color, elegant spatchcock chicken prepared for even cooking, refined pork loin presentations, and other time-honored BBQ preparations
- Complete recipes for custom sauces, dry rubs, brining solutions, and flavor injections
- Comprehensive tasting experience with a range of premium commercial rubs and sauce products
- Detailed information on smoker design theory, operational mechanics, and control strategies for all popular smoker types, including Lang trailer smokers, ceramic vessels, unconventional drum smokers, pellet-fed units, water smokers, and enclosed cabinet smokers
- The Minion charcoal lighting and temperature management method
- Practical applications of foiling techniques and brining methods for improved results
- Strategies for advance preparation, proper storage, and effective reheating techniques for barbecued meats
- Event planning and coordination principles for serving large groups
- Methods for enhancing and customizing commercially available sauces to create signature blends
- Professional techniques for shredding pork, poultry, and rib meat
- Extensive opportunity for questions, conversations, and enjoying numerous barbecue samples throughout the day
What You Will Experience:
Throughout this comprehensive day, you will prepare more than 250 pounds of meat while working directly alongside professional pitmaster instructors. You will have ample time to interact with our experienced team and ask detailed questions about techniques and processes. We are confident you will enjoy the experience, likely establish new friendships, and undoubtedly depart with the knowledge and abilities required to become an excellent barbecue specialist in smoking brisket, ribs, pulled pork, and chicken.
What You Will Receive:
- 10 hours of hands-on practical instruction from experienced professionals
- Comprehensive step-by-step manual documenting everything covered in class for future reference
- Complete recipes for dry rubs, sauces, injections, and tested accompaniment recipes
- Three prepared meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner; you may also invite one guest to join us for the full banquet dinner experience
- Official diploma suitable for framing as recognition of course completion
- Southern Thunder Cooking School of BBQ branded apron to wear proudly
- Practical, usable expertise for becoming a skilled barbecue cook
Detailed Class Schedule:
7:15 a.m. - Upon arrival, we will provide you with a detailed, illustrated step-by-step manual to follow during class and take notes, plus an apron because you will need protection. Enjoy our comprehensive hot breakfast buffet while you wait for instruction to begin promptly at 7:30 a.m.
7:30 a.m. - Class begins with our professional demonstration of preparing a complete 12 to 14 pound whole brisket. You can observe on our live BBQ camera feed, and we will discuss not only the procedures but also the reasoning behind each individual step, which is critically important for mastery. Subsequently, you will proceed to a lab table where you and your assigned teammates, with assistance from a lab instructor, will prepare your own brisket exactly as we demonstrated. Once prepared, it enters one of our six or more smokers representing various brands and designs. Next, you will apply identical procedures with pork butts, ribs, chicken, pork loin, and whatever additional items we select for this particular day's instruction.
10:30 a.m. - All the large proteins are now smoking in our smokers, so we transition to preparing lunch components: pork loin portions, lollipop chicken with drumstick intact, smoked sausages, and drumsticks.
Noon - As described previously, we employ numerous smoker varieties, including ceramic egg cookers, traditional Weber charcoal grills, contemporary pellet-fired models, gravity-fed enclosed cabinet units, and large trailer-mounted smokers. Most competing cooking schools focus on a single brand and type, but developing true pitmaster skills requires knowledge of how different smoker categories perform and a foundational understanding of smoker engineering. After theoretical instruction, we will guide you outside to examine and learn about each different smoker style and the engineering principles governing their operation.
12:30 p.m. - Lunch break begins. Beer and wine are available at reasonable prices.
1:00 p.m. - Prepare whole hens for cooking in an applewood-fired traditional Weber smoker.
2:00 p.m. - We provide instructional materials and a detailed lecture covering the science and art of crafting authentic barbecue sauces. Then you and your teammates will go back to your laboratory station and work collaboratively on developing your own signature sauces. You will sample each team's creations, which greatly enriches the educational value of this segment. At the conclusion of this lab work, your team will select your best sauce and submit it for evaluation. The highest-scoring team will receive recognition during the formal evening banquet.
2:30 p.m. - The afternoon includes additional lectures addressing cooking ahead strategies, proper storage approaches, and effective reheating methods for smoked meats, plus other essential knowledge. You will actively participate in the final cooking procedures necessary to finish brisket, ribs, and pork butts. Additional instruction covers making burnt ends and preparing elegant spatchcock chicken.
5:00 p.m. - Students execute the shredding process for pork, chicken, and rib meat. Absolutely no advance tasting permitted; well, just kidding about that restriction.
5:30 p.m. - Students who have satisfied our rigorous academic expectations will earn a diploma worthy of framing and displaying. Guests begin arriving with beverages and healthy appetites.
6:00 p.m. - An elaborate barbecue banquet commences at 6:00 p.m. You may invite a guest to share dinner or carry some home with you. Feel free to bring your preferred red wine if you wish, and prepare to make an evening of celebrating your accomplishments.
Our Educational Objective:
We are committed to ensuring every student graduates from this program capable of cooking excellent barbecued brisket, pork butts, ribs, and chicken with confidence and skill.
To achieve this goal, we provide each participant with a detailed illustrated manual covering our practical and efficient barbecue cooking approaches, live demonstrations with expert commentary, and hands-on laboratory experience applying those techniques.
This intensive day is demanding but exceptionally enjoyable as you engage with our professional team and savor samples of delicious barbecue throughout the course.
