Smoking and grilling meat is a primal skill that our ancestors passed down through the generations as a necessary part of life. The word barbecue originates from the Caribbean from the word barbacoa. It refers to smoking whole meats over an open flame. As a society we are now granted with many luxuries for cooking meat and no longer have to use a fire to cook our dinner. Modern grilling and smoking is a perfected art of cooking that involves access to ingredients around the world and the science of culinary mastery.

However, there is a reason why the techniques used centuries ago are still being used today. You would be hard pressed to find anything that can simulate the true flavor of grilled or smoked meats by using something other than an open flame. Big Mike has mastered that flame and is a true pit master.