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on a hot grill. Trimming it, seasoning it, misting it, wrapping it — it’s a lot, and anyone who has gone through all the effort of smoking one just to have it turn out too salty, or not salty enough, knows what a disappointing experience it can be. Pittman’s videos, though, make you feel almost like there’s a pitmaster with you in the backyard. He offers his guidance with an easy Texas charm and, using his online classes, not only do you get more from your smoker, but you also start to understand why people become so obsessed with barbecue. His rubs and sauces — things like The Gospel BBQ Rub, Holy Cow and Bird Baptism Brine — are well-regarded by professionals and amateurs alike for using fresh ingredients without fillers. Confident in the flavors you’ll get, you can focus on the challenge of getting the meats just right. Pittman is proof that you can have a second act in life. When he got his big break, he had been working in the corporate grind for 21 years. He made Meat Church his full-time job at age 43. Today, in addition to his own products, he is a brand ambassador for YETI and Traeger Pellet Grills. If you go to Waxahachie, however, one thing you won’t find is a Meat Church restaurant. As he told PaperCity magazine, when asked when he might open a barbecue joint, “Why would I want to do that? I’ll see you on my boat instead.” You’ll just have to do the cooking yourself — but the good news is he will show you how. – David W. Brown

TAKE ME TO CHURCH ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Before he was a barbecue tycoon,

Matt Pittman was a technology guy in the finance world. For him, barbecue was a hobby, albeit a hobby for which he

had deep passion. He got his big break in 2014 when he appeared on the show BBQ Pitmasters . It was an episode in which Texas pitmasters competed against one another, and Pittman came in dead last. Before the show aired, however, he had started a website that sold rubs and accessories, and had opened a little storefront in Waxahachie, Texas, to sell supplies. He was determined to make a go of it in barbecue. With a name like Pittman, how could he go wrong? He was taught to cook as a child by his grandmother, June. He found the barbecue “religion” years later, after a life-changing trip to Central Texas. (It was a plate of brisket — the “king of Texas barbecue” — that changed everything.) His TV appearance gave his side hustle, which he called Meat Church, a big boost. Hard work took him the rest of the way. Today, Pittman’s barbecue empire spans a YouTube channel with almost a million subscribers, and an Instagram account with just as many followers. His barbecue seasonings and rubs are bestsellers everywhere they are sold, including at your local Rouses Market. He teaches private classes and attracts students from around the world, and he participates in major cooking events across the country. He’s even been on the The Tonight Show . Meat Church is among the most successful brands in barbecue — and Pittman is just getting started. His fans even call themselves “the Congregation,” and among the most popular items at his store are hats with stained glass “windows” on them and rubs with religious-inspired named. Part of the success of Meat Church is that Texas-style barbecue can be an hours-long, and sometimes days-long, process. You commit to that kind of work, and you want to know that it’s possible. Smoking a pork butt, for example, involves a lot more than slapping meat

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