Whether you’ve been smoking meat for years or just starting out on your barbecue journey, you are bound to make a few mistakes. Barbecue is not an exact science, and there is a good amount of trial and error involved.

So let’s talk about some of the biggest mistakes beginners make while barbecuing and how to avoid them.

Mistake #1: Pulling your meat too early

Patience is key when it comes to barbecue. One of the biggest mistakes I see beginners make is pulling the meat off the smoker too early.

Maybe it’s getting close to dinner time and your family is asking when the meat will be ready, or maybe you’re just tired of babysitting a brisket for hours on end. It’s tempting to pull meat off early so that you can be done sooner, but this can result in tough meat that no one wants to eat. So you may have to push dinner time back an hour or two.

Take a breath, crack open a cold beverage and be patient. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.

Mistake #2: Not resting your meat

If you’ve spent the last 12 hours cooking a hunk of meat, the last thing you want to do is wait another hour or two for it to rest. But resting meat is arguably the most important part of the smoking process.

I see this mistake often when people are working with large cuts of meat like brisket, beef ribs and pork shoulder. Smoked meat comes off the smoker at temperatures of up to 200°F, and it needs time to rest before you can slice in.

Remember that meat is a muscle. The muscle fibers in meat contract when they get hot and this pushes the moisture in the meat out from the center. The resting period allows the muscle fibers to loosen back up and redistribute the moisture evenly throughout the cut of meat, making every bite tender and juicy.

Mistake #3: Overcooking your meat

Another common mistake I see is overcooking meat. This is especially problematic with proteins like chicken and pork that can dry out quickly when overcooked.

A good instant-read meat thermometer will be your best friend when you enter the world of barbecue. Chicken should be pulled around 165°F internal, and pork is done at 145°F. Overcooking proteins like this—even by 5-10 minutes—can be the difference between tender, juicy meat and dry, chewy food that no one wants to eat.

And while chicken and pork are the usual suspects for drying out, don’t forget that bigger cuts like brisket, pork shoulder, or even ribs can suffer from overcooking too. These cuts are more forgiving in terms of cook time, but even they can dry out or become tough if you overshoot your target temp. Use that thermometer, and keep an eye on your smoker or pellet grill.

Mistake #4: Adding sauce too early

If you’re planning to sauce your meat towards the end of the cook, it’s important not to add the sauce too early. Most barbecue sauces contain sugar, and sugar can burn quickly when cooked for too long.

Ideally, if you are using sauce, you want to add it during the last 15-20 minutes of cooking time. This will ensure the sauce has time to tack up but eliminates the risk of burning the sauce.

Mistake #5: Opening the smoker too frequently

You may have heard the old saying “if you’re looking, you ain’t cooking.” While it’s important to check the temperature of your meat while it cooks, you don’t want to open the smoker too often.

When you open the smoker or pellet grill lid, you lose the smoke in the chamber which will cut down on the smoke flavor in your food. You will also drop the ambient temperature, which takes time to recover and increases the overall cook time.

It’s important to only open the smoker when you need to check temperature, then quickly close it and let the meat do its thing.

Mistake #6: Not cleaning your grill or smoker regularly

There is a common misconception that a dirty grill equals more flavor, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Just like you wouldn’t cook in a dirty pan on the stove, you don’t want to let grease and food build up on your grill over time.

It’s important to keep your grill clean to prevent grease fires and to keep your food tasting fresh and flavorful every time. For more details on best ways to clean your pellet grill, click here.

What to do when you screw up a cook

As much as you want to avoid mistakes when cooking, they are bound to happen occasionally. I’ve been smoking meat for more than a decade, and I still make mistakes from time to time.

The key is to learn from your mistakes and work to avoid them in the future. Take notes on what went right and what went wrong.

Don’t get discouraged when a cook doesn’t turn out as you planned. Mastering the art of barbecue can take years, and we’ve all made mistakes before. Just take a breath, go back to the drawing board and try again next time!