Boston butt, 12-hour smoke at 225F, apple wood. Bark is mandatory. Internal temp 203F and a rest in butcher paper makes it pull apart perfectly.

3-2-1 method: 3 hours smoke, 2 hours wrapped, 1 hour sauced. Fall-off-the-bone but with bite. Competition ribs don't actually fall off the bone.

Salt, pepper, smoke, time. That's the whole recipe. The rub is 50/50 coarse salt and black pepper. Everything else is cheating.

Competition mac and cheese: velveeta base for the protein strands, sharp cheddar for flavor, 2 hours on the smoker. Gets a crust. Changes people.

Not traditional, but very satisfying: Italian sausage crumbled into the soffritto. Makes it a full meal.

No sauce. Heavier on the paprika and cayenne in the rub. Memphis style is smoke and spice without glaze.

Thick pork shanks braised in white wine and stock. Cheaper than veal. Nobody is disappointed.

Pecan-wood chicken thighs. The Alabama white sauce on the side is not optional. Competition circuit secret: scrape off the rubbery smoked skin and replace with a butter-basted finish.

Add 200g dark chocolate chips. Swirl 2 tbsp cocoa in the batter before the final fold. The brown butter keeps it from being cloying.

Chicken thighs braised directly in the spinach sauce. Not traditional but absolutely delicious. Better macros than the paneer version.