You’d think that the best part of Fire It Up!, Grand Wailea’s barbecue festival, was when Aaron Sanchez served his roasted pork tacos or when Hawaiian cultural ambassador, Kainoa Horcajo, unveiled a show-stopping Hawaiian imu. The whole farm-raised pig surrounded by sweet potatoes, taro, ulu, corn and sausage was an Instagramable spectacle. It took four men to hoist the feast from a burning pit. Impressive, yes! – but the highlight was savoring third-generation pitmaster Wayne Mueller’s succulent beef ribs. One bite made me appreciate the craftsmanship and skill required to smoke meat. Similar to how the Hawaiians revere their elders, pitmasters like Mueller honor tradition. Recipes equate legacy. You taste this sophistication when you bite into his smoked beef ribs. The only sad part is that I am forever ruined. Now I’m forced to compare every rib hereafter to this mind-blowing barbecue. Thanks, Grand Wailea …