Why would perfectly sane people ice up 50 lbs. of raw meat, then drive 24 hours straight, stay up all night in the cold and wind and inhale many lungfuls of smoke, all for the hope of a payday big enough to cover just the expenses of getting them back home? Because it ain’t about the money. It’s about having a weekend that ends with you earning bragging rights as The Best BBQ in America.

“These are my people. I’ve been competing since ’02. I mean, 10 years ago, if someone told me I’d be able to identify the “money muscle” on a pork shoulder, or, with the clock ticking, be using tweezers to arrange beef slices perfectly on parsley in a takeout box, I’d be wondering if I’d slipped an axle and gone off the deep end. But this pastime of competition BBQ’ing has brought me more joy than I would’ve imagined, and given me friends for life.

“‘BBQ Pitmasters’ features one of my favorite categories: whole hog.

Myron Mixon — considered by those who know to be the greatest whole-hog cooker in the world — is a great showman, and observing as he preps the 215-lb. hog before it’s loaded up into the cooker is a sight to behold.

“Imagine the jug that sits atop a large water cooler, then multiply the amount of liquid it holds by three, and you have an idea of what Myron injects into this hog. All apple juice, sugar, vinegar and spices. With the hog split open on its back, the injecting starts, using a huge needle and hand pump that resembles a bicycle pump.

Classic Whole Hog at it’s finest. That’s why you should watch BBQ Pitmasters