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We're 7 years old and last month we crossed the 17,000 member mark! That's more than KCBS! Just as thrilling, while some experts say a retention rate of 60% is doing great, we enjoy an 87% retention rate!

Pitmaster Club membership is our most important revenue stream and we thank each and every one of our members for helping us survive and continue to grow and bring you more value.

Onward & upward!

For the first time in the club’s seven years, we will be increasing the annual membership from $23.95 to $34.95 for new members only on September 1, 2021. That's still less that $3 a month, less than a large Caffè Americano at Starbucks!

If you are a paid member or start a 30-day free trial before that date you will remain at the $23.95 annual rate for the foreseeable future. We have no plans to increase the price for you or for any current members.

Repeat: This price increase is for new members only.

If you know someone who has been thinking about joining, tell them to get in now and lock in our lowest price and save, and if you are a trial member, make sure to pay before September 1!

Last month several of your fellow Pitmaster Club members and their +1s assembled in Rockdale, Texas for a few days and lived it up, meeting & visiting with each other, hitting some famous BBQ joints, and, according to member Panhead John, there were no arrests!

The cast of characters included Loren, Uncle Bob & his wife, Captain Mike, 58limited, LA Pork Butt & his son Andy, Panhead John, wcpreston and his wife, TxF & his wife, and Troutman.

Some steak grillin', beverages, and "solving some of the world's biggest problems" happened the first evening.

Then they split up and visited some different big-name BBQ joints including Snow's, Louie Mueller's, 1701, and Brett's Backyard BBQ; a couple of them even went to Kreuz's and Black's. Are you jealous? I am!

Here's LA Pork Butt and his son with the amazing Tootsie at Snow's

To see more of the fun and the [mostly legal, so we're told] shenanigans Panhead John and Captain Mike got the group involved in, check out their topic here.

If you missed it live or just want to revisit it, the July "Virtual Single Barrel Bourbon Tasting w/ a Master Distiller" Happy Hour is posted.

On Thursday July 1 we happily tasted 4 single barrel bourbons and a vodka from Smugglers Notch distillery in Vermont. We sipped, talked, asked some questions and learned some stuff, and things seemed to get a little funnier as the evening progressed!

Each month we draw 3 Pitmaster Club members' names out of the hat for Grand, Second, and Third Prize and add them to the winner's list, 36 winners each year.

Grand Prize winners get to choose a cooker from about 10 of our favorite Gold & Platinum medal-winning cookers, which range in value up toward $2,000.

Give a congratulations to our fortunate winner, John Hall, a.k.a Cajunrph!

"Holy dog mess. I won. The only other drawing I won before was in elementary school. And I highly suspect Sister Edmund rigged it for me", he said.

John selected the Platinum Medal-winning Hasty-Bake Gourmet 256 Dual Finish Charcoal Grill, MSRP $1,599. "I've been watching Kent Rollins cook on one", John said.

With about only a week from being notified and claiming until his prize was delivered, it wasn't long until John was cooking on one himself! Last we heard he was still deciding what the inaugural cook would be.

July 2021's Contingent SECOND PRIZE winner is Thomas Schliep, a.k.a. TommyKins.

"Whoa, serendipity strikes! I claim second prize on the very day of my 6th AR anniversary", Thomas said. After mulling it over for a few days, Thomas ultimately selected the Slow 'N Sear Deluxe Kettle Grill Package from SnS Grills, MSRP $515.

Third Prize winners get the full Backyard Pitmaster Prize Package with a variety of cool stuff as shown here:

July 2021's THIRD PRIZE winner is David Cuddeback, a.k.a. "kauschovar".

"Well this was a nice surprise to find in my inbox. I've been curious about the online meat shops. The gift certificate for Porter Road Meats is just what I need to encourage me to give it a try", he said. Congrats David!

Click here to learn why you must have a US address. Click here to see past winners and what they picked.

In April 3 Grand Prize winners forfeited their prize by not answering us, and in May 3 more did the same! This month the Second Prize winner forfeited so we drew another name. Make sure the email address in your account settings is one you use regularly, and make sure you have us (@amazingribs.com) whitelisted or added as a contact. And when you get an email from us, OPEN IT!

NOTICE: If you change your email with us, YOU STILL NEED TO CHANGE IT WITH THIS NEWSLETTER SYSTEM HERE. They are different systems and are not automatically connected.

It's easy- just scroll to the bottom footer of this newsletter and click the "Update Profile" link as the red arrow shows in the example below. There you can change the email address to which this newsletter goes.

The team at Tappecue have created an exclusive 15% discount for our members!

To take advantage of this amazing offer, explore their various products in their online store here then use promo code RIBS15 at checkout.

And now for everyone's favorite part! The following shots are member submissions from the past month in our "Show Us What You're Cooking (SUWYC) Volume 22 - Summer 2021" sticky topic, from our Show Us channel.

I think we need to kick this month off with some amazing barked up brisket from Captain Mike. He's always been a great pitmaster but it really looks like he took notes during his recent trip to central Texas!

How about some no-sauce baby back ribs? These were smoked for 5 hours on Richard Chrz's Weber Kettle.

I think it is time we all get in touch with our inner caveman with this tomahawk ribeye cook from Eric2662.

Now we take a look at the ever popular tri-tip cut. These two mini tri-tip cuts were grilled up by Macktechie.

Next up we have some St.Louis style ribs from gboss. These ribs were rubbed down with Meathead's Memphis Dust.

new2smoking crushed this sous vide rib roast cook. All topped off with some homemade chimichuri.

Now let's head down to the state of Texas for some pichana steaks. Served with shiitake mushrooms and compound butter. Nice work Troutman!

Let's head east to Alabama and check out these NY Strip steaks from jfmorris. Front seared on his SnS Deluxe Kamado. Now that is a meal.

Red Man had the oak fires going this month to cook up this tri-tip on his Weber Kettle. This meal was served with chimichurri, potatoes and asparagus.

Texas Duke had his rib game on point this month with these amazing baby back ribs.

ecowper made up some steakhouse burgers with cheddar cheese and all the fixins'.

While I would certainly want more than two ribs from TWBarbecue, I will take what I can get. Nice work on these St. Louis style ribs.

How about these spiral cut dogs from Dewesq55! Everyone could always use a good old fashioned grilled dog.

Simple steak tacos from our man, Ernest. Simply perfection!

I would really love to see what exactly the family rebellion salad is from skipsdaughter. It has great color and looks delish.

Next up we have some jalapeño cheddar hot guts and big old beef ribs from taffenhoffsbbq.

Now let's head up the east east coast to Rockland County, NY for some amazing shellfish from Steve B.

Polarbear777 used "QVQ" to cook up this leg of lamb, served with Brussels sprouts.

MarkN was pulling out all the stops this month with this grilled Peking Duck recipe. We always love it when members go outside and cook something a little different.

Hulagn1971 cooked up some grilled picanha for Sunday dinner. This was cooked over mesquite and hickory splits that were burned down to coals.

Jim White went to work in the kitchen when he made this chili. Made with Rancho Gordo Ayocote Negro beans with some smoked sausage

BradNorthGA knocked it out of the park with this smoked spaghetti squash.

treesmacker was able to indulge on some scallops and rice this month. What a meal!

Attjack grilled up some chicken and served it with nectarine salad with apples, carrots, cabbage, red onion, mixed greens, cilantro, basil, lime zest, and peanuts.

Your assignment: sharpen your photography skills and set up some great poses to help your pic get in the running for next month's issue. Make sure to consider proper lighting and unique dishes to make your cooks really stand out. For help with food shots, don't miss Meathead's Food Photography article.

To share your cooks, please visit the current "Show Us What You're Cooking (SUWYC)" topic. *If you share a picture with us, you consent to us using your shot(s) in our newsletters or social media, credited to you of course.

Father's Day is in the past now, but you can still share what you love about the Pitmaster Club with dear ol' dad, your other family members, coworkers, or your neighbor! Send them the gift of a 1-year Pitmaster Club membership. Next time you eat at their house you'll be glad you did!

Your gift recipient will be mailed a physical Visa card that they can use to join the Pitmaster Club, along with instructions on how to join. The card will go in the mail within 24 hours. Recipients must live in the US or Canada.

Price is $30 and includes one year membership plus printing, postage, and handling. Value of the card: $23.95.

The DigestThis.news Bulletin is the weekly newsletter from our companion website DigestThis.news.

Keep up on essential food news "from farm to fork", curated from credible sources by award-winning food journalist (and our chief editor!) Dave Joachim.

Add editor@digestthis.news to your address book so that it lands in your inbox, not your spam folder. The DigestThis.news Bulletin and its companion website, DigestThis.news, are published by AmazingRibs.com.

Don't forget about your FREE digital subscription to “Tailgater Magazine, Your Parking Lot and Backyard Entertainment Guide”. They feature great food & drink recipes, entertainment ideas, and cool gear and products to make your next tailgater super.

Founded in 1989, Barbecue News Magazine is the only magazine devoted to barbecue and it features columns from BBQ Hall of Famers Ardie Davis and Paul Kirk, recipes, news from BBQ associations, a calendar of events, a restaurant guide, book reviews, and ruminations by other experts including the team at AmazingRibs.com. Your FREE digital versions are especially cool because they're interactive. Many articles and ads are clickable linking you to more info.

The 'Cue Sheet, By Robert Moss - Want more tasty bites in recent BBQ news, events, and stories delivered to your email inbox each week? Sign up for The 'Cue Sheet, the email barbecue newsletter from Robert Moss. You'll love it!

Join Meathead on the last Thursday each month at 7:30 p.m. Central for his live monthly "fireside chats" on Facebook and YouTube. Bring your toughest questions and click the icons.

"HOT From The Pit!" is the exclusive members-only monthly newsletter of the AmazingRibs.com Pitmaster Club by Pit Boss Aaron "Huskee" Lyons

and Moderator John "Spinaker" Bowlsby.

For past issues check out the newsletter archive.

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