That 60 pound pig from outside Nashville sounds like it was a beauty. I'm curious though about your fire management strategy before the flare up. Were you using a split log fire or adding charcoal throughout the night? I ask because I've had good luck with water pans that are two inches deep and placed directly under the grate to catch drips, but I run a smaller rig for butts and shoulders. Did you have a drip pan positioned under the hog or were you relying on the offset's built in grease drain?

Oh man, "ate the tape" gives me flashbacks. I read somewhere that old Nakamichi decks have a known issue with certain tape formulations from the late 80s - something about the lubricant breaking down over time. I had a similar thing happen with a DAT player once, it just decided to mangle one specific tape out of nowhere. Total nightmare.

nah but the dirt isn't gonna magically transform bland genetics, you're better off just buying better seeds and using regular compost.

Guess I've been torturing my weed into surrender for nothing.

Honestly, I gotta say I don't see it that way. Tried one of those expensive ones last week and it was just okay, not life changing. The tangy bite was nice but not worth the extra cash for me, I'll stick with the regular store brand stuff. Maybe my taste buds are broken or something but I just didn't get the hype.