Smoking meat is a popular topic among chefs, TV cooking shows, and social media. To help Bullitt County residents incorporate new flavors and a new cooking technique into their repertoires, the Family and Consumer Sciences and Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agents from the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service in Bullitt County teamed up to provide educational information to some new and some seasoned pitmasters.

Outside of the usual cooking classes provided by the Cooperative Extension Service, this program captured a new, mostly male audience of meat smokers—an uncommon audience in Family and Consumer Sciences Extension programming. With greater than usual interest, registration was capped at 25, and 18 faithfully attended the three-part series on smoking meat. The first class covered food safety and choosing different types of rubs, marinades, and sauces. Once the participants were taught the basic recipe for a rub, participants had the opportunity to create their own rub from a buffet of spices at the end of each class.

Participants enjoyed mixing spices to make rubs to take home and try.

The second class in the series covered choosing cuts of meat including beef, pork, lamb , chicken, and fish. Agents also discussed smoking nuts, fruits, vegetables, and wild caught or hunted foods. Smoking meat is a great way to add a new flavor to healthy foods. The final class taught participants to choose the best smoker. The class covered the advantages and disadvantages of each category of smoker helping participants balance affordability, user-friendliness, and versatility. Many attendees reported joining to learn about how to choose and operate the proper equipment for smoking meat.Participants learned proper handling, storage, and preparation of meat.

In a survey of participants before and immediately after the class participants reported the following:

• 84% gained knowledge and understanding about the types of smokers and how they operate.
• 75% increased their understanding of how to make and use rubs, marinades, and sauces to improve the quality of their smoked food.
• 74% learned ways to incorporate smoked meats into their food preparation and cooking.
• 100% used their homemade rub and planned to incorporate more smoked meats into their home-prepared meals.
• 99% reported the program was practical and educational.

One participant reported, “I signed up because I wanted to expand my cooking experiences. I wanted to learn how to help and share cooking responsibilities with my wife and family.” Another reported, "I've smoked meat for years. I am grateful to finally have an educational class to help me improve my skills." Others reported being glad to learn about cooking times, safe cooking temperatures, and safe food handling practices.

In a follow-up evaluation four months later, those who responded reported the following:

• 66% gained confidence in picking out cuts of meat for smoking.
• 100% implemented 1 or 2 food safety practices while smoking meat.
• 100% were able to recognize various types of BBQ at a restaurant based on the description.
• 100% reported the class on types of smokers clarified which smoker would work best for their needs.

One individual shared that the classes were "fun and took me off the rookie list".