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ARE YOU BRAND LOYAL TO YOUR COOKER? Do you stand by one brand for your backyard or competi- tion cooking? We all know some folks do, and that’s just fine. It’s like being a fan of your favorite sports organiza- tion, “Red Sox or Die!” Some peo- ple just don’t waiver. Whether it’s their Weber Smokey Mountain or 22 Kettle, or perhaps the Gateway Drum or Pit Barrel Cooker, or even a competition and backyard smoker like a Humphrey’s Pint, or the incomparable Big Green Egg or Kamado Joe, and yes, even Treager pellet cookers – folks have a brand. Like many of you, I’ve bought the entire gamut: small stick burners, Humphrey’s Battle Box, dozens of Weber 22’s, a Caja China, and few strange odd-balls to boot. Also, like so many of us, I’ve joined multiple Facebook groups, chat pages, and organizations. Some for example, like the WkcGrillGiants on Facebook, is strictly a Weber cookers and recipes only group. And of course there’s the Humphrey Users Group, and so on. They all have their ad- vantages and purpose. Now, I do love being a part of all of these different chat rooms, clubs, and FB groups. And I’ve also been pretty loyal to the Weber products for years now. But it took some effort to move on to other cookers and brands. And, it was one of the smartest things I’ve done in ad- vancing my pit-skills to date. Try Other Cookers! So I urge all the brand-loyal, ride-or die pit freaks out there to take the leap. Go grab a used cooker you’ve always thought about trying. Hang some ribs in a barrel, reverse sear a tri-tip on lil’ Weber Go Anywhere, or make the move to a competition cooker like a Humphrey’s, and see what you discover and learn! Trust me, whipping up your weekly masterpieces on the same cooker is great and practice makes perfect Que, but when you challenge yourself, learn new skills on new grills, and even make new friends with different knowl- c edge in the process, you will find even more satisfaction and fun in your barbecue life! SEPTEMBER 2019 BarbecueNews.com - 17 9 a