If it made us stop scrolling, it probably deserves a spot here. From gear to techniques to the occasional internet chaos, this is the stuff we’re paying attention to this week.

🥩 PITMASTER OLYMPICS: Hundreds of teams. Three days of smoke. One champion. The Houston rodeo cook-off, AKA the “World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest,” crowned its winners for 2026.

🥩 BRISKET PTO: If Rus or Kyle loses their job after this, we know why 👇

🥩 MEANWHILE… MEAT: Beyond Meat, the “plant-based” giant, is shifting strategy and moving beyond fake burgers into drinks and other protein products. And I think I speak for all of us when I say… “gross.”

🥩 TINY PIT ENERGY: Proof that barbecue is less about equipment and more about commitment 👇

🥩 SHRED HAPPENS: Smoke it long enough, and the pork gives up 👇

🥓 FAT BALANCE: A little fat makes steak better. A huge fat cap just makes fires.

🥓 TACO NIGHT RUB: Ten pantry spices, one jar, and suddenly every grilled steak thinks it’s taco night.

🥓 TEMPERATURE TRUTH: If you’re serious about barbecue, the probe thermometer is the most honest tool in the pit.

🥓 TOUGH CHOICE: Spoiler: she was the one who had to go 👇

🥓 BIRD BAPTISM: When chicken gets this treatment, nobody asks where the brisket is 👇