How to be a BBQ Brand Ambassador
Interested in becoming a BBE Brand Influencer or Ambassador? You need to know this first!
New BBQ & Grilling Products for 2022
Every year, as Spring approaches, a slew of new grills, smokers, accessories, and other outdoor cooking products rush onto the market. In 2022 we are seeing some truly revolutionary products. Several offerings take grilling back to the basics in new and exciting ways. Below I have handpicked this year’s new BBQ & Grilling products that […]
Weber vs Traeger
Money, Marketing, and Patents: Fighting for control of Barbecue On July 5th, 2021, the day after barbecue’s biggest day, pellet grill maker Traeger announced their filing for an initial public stock offering. Almost simultaneously, Traeger had issued a press release confirming their purchase of wireless thermometer company Meater. Six days after Traeger’s IPO filing, grill […]
BBQ Online: The Early Years
We often hear the story of the young pitmaster learning the craft at the knee of an elder and how barbecue traditions passed from one generation to another. Travelers to the barbecue belt brought back some tips and hints, but little in the way of comprehensive instructions. Occasionally, a book might contain a recipe or […]
The Most Popular BBQ & Grilling Websites
While the world is talking about TikTok, the website still rules as the most popular source of information. While social media platforms display a creator’s following, websites don’t have an easy way to show their popularity. Many websites avoid sharing their metrics to stay out of the spotlight. This is a competitive landscape that pits […]
Traeger Über Alles
Does Traeger have a path to global domination? The pellet grill market isn’t just competitive; it can be downright ruthless. Companies fight for dominance, credibility, and the claim of authenticity. To gain the upper hand competitively requires a lot of creativity. I know most readers will agree on product innovation, but there are other forms […]
Ban the Bristle
On August 11th, 2011, a 50-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with severe abdominal pain. A CT scan found that a small metal wire had perforated his intestine. It was surgically removed, and he was released from the hospital the following day. An investigation determined that a metal bristle from his grill cleaning brush […]
Pellet versus Kamado
Every time I read the marketing materials on a brand of a kamado grill, it boasts the same story of the 3,000-year-old design and ancient craftsmanship. This isn’t really true. In Japan, there are still old-style ceramic cookers used today for cooking rice. In the early days of the US occupation of Japan, servicemen removed […]
The Pellet Grill Expectation Gap
My neighbor doesn’t clean his pellet grill. It’s a little Traeger that he has owned for several years. About 40 times a year, he fires it up. On Thanksgiving, he cooks a turkey. Other times, he cooks chicken. I’ve never seen him cook ribs. Certainly never a brisket or pork butt. For him, it’s a […]
Will Success Ruin Traeger?
Love or hate Traeger, you have to admit they have changed outdoor cooking forever. Certainly, many people make fun of pellet grills for not being real smokers or good grills. I tend to be one of them. I don’t hate pellet grills, but given a choice between my various backyard cookers, I seldom fire one […]
The Perfection of Barbecue
In this article, I am defining barbecue as a traditional and uniquely American style of cooking — namely cuts of meat bathed in smoke and cooked over low temperatures for an extended period of time. This includes central Texas Brisket, Carolina pulled pork and the ribs of Kansas City. Those vital barbecue traditions were born […]
The Death of the Holland Grill
Somewhere in the mid-1970s, Brad Holland became frustrated with his gas grill. It flared up. It burnt his food. And in general, it angered him that such a simple device could cook so poorly. For 12 years Brad worked to improve the gas grill, and in 1988 he began selling The Holland Grill. It was […]
Let’s End BBQ Season
By Derrick Riches Updated: July 1, 2019 Turn Barbecue and Grilling into a Year-Round Industry Not everything needs to have a season. Some things persist all year long. Why not BBQ season? After all, many people use their grills and smokers throughout the winter months. Yet, this receives little to no media coverage. It’s mid-July, […]
The Pellet Grill Arms Race
By Derrick RichesUpdated: October 21, 2019 For over 20 years, people have been telling me that the pellet grill is the new gas grill. Those people are wrong. Completely wrong. Pellet grills, while easy to use, are mechanically complicated, occasionally temperamental, and above the maintenance habits of many backyard cooks. Oh, and they seldom reach […]
BBQ & Grilling Gift Guide
You want to give the grill or smoker to that special someone, but you still want it to be a surprise. Certainly, hints have been dropped and you’ve caught them eyeing up a few models at the local hardware store. But how do you get them the grill they want without coming straight out and […]
