HogPit.com

Welcome to the Hog Pit!

Hog Pit is about one thing: real American barbecue. Slow smoke, honest wood fire, and the kind of brisket, pulled pork and whole hog that make people line up and go back for seconds. With a name like HogPit.com, you know we are serious about BBQ and smoked meats.

We scour the country's best barbecue traditions and bring them together in one place. Some of the best smoked meat in the country never leaves the town it is cooked in, so we focus on two things: the smoked meats you can have shipped to your own table, and the know-how to cook great barbecue yourself, whether that is a brisket on a backyard offset or a whole hog over a cinder-block pit.

Smoked meats by style

Every great barbecue region has its signature. We organize our smoked meats the same way, so you can pick by the style you love.

Browse all four in the shop.

What makes barbecue "barbecue"

In the American sense, barbecue means cooking meat low and slow with the heat and smoke of a wood or charcoal fire, usually with the meat set away from the flames rather than directly over them. Tough, hard-working cuts such as brisket and pork shoulder are full of connective tissue. Hours of gentle heat turn that tissue soft and juicy, while the smoke and seasoning build a dark, flavorful crust known as bark. That is the difference between grilling a steak in minutes and smoking a brisket through the night.

The details change from place to place, and that is half the fun. The Carolinas are pork country, with whole hogs and vinegar sauces. Texas is beef country, where brisket is king and the rub is often little more than salt and pepper. Kansas City smokes a bit of everything and is famous for burnt ends and thick, sweet sauce. Memphis is known for ribs served "dry," with a spice rub, or "wet," brushed with sauce. Our regional styles guide walks through each one.

Learn to cook it yourself

Hog Pit is also a place to learn. Start wherever your appetite takes you:

• How to smoke a brisket, from trimming and seasoning to the stall, the wrap and the slice.
• How to smoke pulled pork, the most forgiving big cook in barbecue and a perfect first project.
• Whole hog barbecue, including how to roast a whole hog and how to throw a proper pig pickin'.
• Barbecue pits, with plans for a cinder-block pit and the old-school in-ground hog pit.
• Smokers compared: offset, pellet and kamado.
• Rubs and sauces, including Carolina vinegar sauce and Kansas City sauce.
• Wood and fuel, gear, and a barbecue glossary for every pitmaster term you will hear.

Barbecue styles at a glance

Choosing a cooker

The best cooker is the one that fits how you like to cook. Here is how the common choices compare.

Pellet grills and smokers

A pellet cooker feeds hardwood pellets into a small fire pot and uses a controller to hold the temperature you set. It is the easiest way to get real wood smoke with very little fire tending, which makes it a favorite for overnight briskets and pork shoulders. It needs electricity, and the smoke flavor is usually milder than a wood-burning offset. Read more about pellet smokers.

Gas grills

A propane gas grill lights quickly and heats fast, which makes it ideal for steaks, burgers, chops, chicken and vegetables on a weeknight. It is built for direct, high-heat grilling rather than long smoking, though many cooks use one burner on low with the meat on the other side for indirect cooking. If low-and-slow barbecue is your main goal, pair it with a smoker.

Griddles and grill-griddle combos

A flat-top griddle cooks on a solid steel surface instead of grates, so it handles smash burgers, cheesesteaks, fried rice, pancakes and eggs. Combination units let you swap grates and griddle plates on the same frame. A griddle is a great partner for barbecue too: crisp leftover pulled pork for tacos or hash, or toast buns for brisket sandwiches.

Compact electric outdoor grills and smokers

Compact electric outdoor cookers combine a heating element with a small amount of wood pellets for smoke flavor. They suit patios and small spaces where a charcoal or wood fire is not practical, and many also grill, roast or air fry. Capacity is smaller than a full-size smoker, so check that your brisket or ribs will fit. Always use outdoor appliances outdoors.

Offsets and kamados

For the deepest smoke flavor, an offset smoker burns wood splits in a side firebox and rewards attention. A kamado is a thick-walled charcoal cooker that holds low temperatures for hours and also sears. Compare them all in smokers compared.

Essential tools

A few tools make the biggest difference, whatever you cook on:

• Thermometers. One for the cooker and one for the meat. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service recommends both when smoking, and lists safe minimum internal temperatures in its temperature chart.
• Long tongs, a sturdy spatula and a basting brush for turning, flipping and saucing.
• A grill brush or cleaner to keep grates clean between cooks.
• Heat-resistant gloves for grates, fireboxes and hot pans.
• A sharp slicing knife and a large cutting board for brisket and roasts, with separate boards for raw and cooked meat.
• Butcher paper or heavy-duty foil for wrapping and resting.
• Grill baskets for vegetables, shrimp and small pieces that would fall through the grates.

See the full gear guide for more.

A quick guide to the site

• Shop: smoked meats and barbecue cuts organized by style.
• How-to guides: step-by-step brisket and pulled pork.
• Whole hog and pits: roasting a whole pig, hosting a pig pickin', and building a cinder-block or in-ground pit.
• Smokers: offset, pellet and kamado cookers explained.
• Flavor: rubs, sauces and wood and fuel.
• Reference: temperatures and doneness, the glossary and the FAQ.

Safe and delicious

Great barbecue is also safe barbecue. Low cooking temperatures and long cooks mean a good thermometer is the most important tool you own. Our temperatures and doneness guide lists the safe minimum internal temperatures published by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, plus the smoker temperatures it recommends, so you can cook with confidence and still chase that perfect, tender result.

Why Hog Pit?

Because barbecue deserves a name with some smoke on it. A hog pit is where barbecue began for a lot of American cooks: a hole in the ground or a ring of blocks, a bed of coals, and a whole pig cooking slowly while friends and family gather around. That spirit of patience, fire and feeding a crowd is what this site is about. Read more about HogPit.com, or jump into the barbecue FAQ.

Pay later, eat sooner

The smoked meats we feature are sold through Amazon, so the checkout, delivery and payment options are the ones you already know, including any pay-over-time plans offered at checkout. Pick your style, follow the link, and get USA-style BBQ delivered to your door.

We love BBQ, and we think you will too.

Start here

New to barbecue? Read the FAQ, then pick a style from the regional guide and cook your first pork shoulder.

Sources

• USDA FSIS: Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart
• USDA FSIS: Smoking Meat and Poultry

Affiliate disclosure: HogPit.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, HogPit.com earns from qualifying purchases. If you buy through a product link on this site, HogPit.com may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.