pitmaster

noun

pit·​mas·​ter ˈpit-ˌma-stər 

variants or pit master

plural pitmasters or pit masters

: a person who oversees the cooking done in a barbecue pit : a professional or skilled barbecuer

"This is good, really good," Allan says, tasting pitmaster Scott Smith's first cured pork belly. "I wouldn't change a thing."

—John T. Edge

He was one of Houston's most celebrated pitmasters and helped to kick off the barbecue renaissance here.

—J. C. Reid

Robert Polk, the pit master I met earlier this morning, comes in carrying a gorgeous brisket fresh from the smoker and hands it off to Smitty, who starts slicing it to make sandwiches and plates.

—Patricia Sharpe

Examples of pitmaster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Now restaurants that had been open for decades suddenly had lines out the door; customers were asking pitmasters for autographs. —Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2025

Bodacious opened in 1991 as part of East Texas pitmaster Roland Lindsey’s barbecue empire. —Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 May 2025

The team leaders are legendary celebrity chef Bobby Flay, and expert pitmasters Maneet Chauhan and Antonia Lofaso. —Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 28 May 2025

Barbecue pitmaster shares his 5 favorite and 'simple' Memorial Day side dishes Josh Cooper, owner of Cooper's Next Level BBQ in Tallahassee, Florida, showed Fox News Digital some of his favorite and easy-to-make side dishes to go with this year's Memorial Day cookout. —Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

pit entry 1 (in barbecue pit) + master entry 1

First Known Use

1984, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pitmaster

• bandmaster
• broadcaster
• cadastre
• disaster
• forecaster
• headmaster
• newscaster
• paymaster
• pilaster
• postmaster
• roadmaster
• schoolmaster