This Week In Barbecue

A $75 burger press, brisket at Chipotle, and Sour Patch Kids on chicken wings.

At what point did food become more about marketing than the actual meal?

The latest episode of This Week in Barbecue is live. James and I are getting into the strange world of fast food, independent restaurants, expensive kitchen gadgets, and whether growing a successful brand means you've sold out.

Follow the podcast and listen to the latest episode wherever you get your podcasts.

Real question: are we paying for quality or just paying for the name?

When did backyard barbecue become a luxury hobby? And is Michelin recognition really as straightforward as people think?

This week on This Week in Barbecue, Rasheed Philips and James Welch dig into the business, equipment, and culture surrounding barbecue.

The episode opens with National Chicken Fried Steak Day, a five-pound chicken fried steak in Belton, Texas, and an idea for chicken fried brisket. From there, Rasheed questions the financial arrangements behind Michelin Guide coverage and what that means for restaurants hoping to earn recognition.

The conversation also examines the rising cost of backyard barbecue. Do you really need expensive Wi-Fi smokers, thermometers, premium knives, and outdoor kitchens to make great food?

Rasheed then shares his firsthand experience at the Open Fire Meetup in Hondo, Texas, where 36 international teams showcased incredible open-fire cooking techniques, including a 450-pound whole cow, whole-hog cooking, Wagyu shawarma, and his own jerk chicken demonstration.

The crew also discusses the Melinda's wing competition, a winning Wagyu smash burger from Al's Chicken, barbecue safety, food marketing oddities, and why understanding profitability matters more than chasing sales.

It's a conversation about the difference between owning the equipment and understanding the craft.

Follow This Week in Barbecue on Spotify and tune in for weekly barbecue news, food culture, business insight, and hot takes from behind the smoke.

This week on This Week in Barbecue, Rasheed Philips and James Welch are back with hot news, hotter takes, and a full plate of food culture, restaurant business, barbecue craft, and internet foolishness.

The episode opens with National Gumbo Day and a conversation about gumbo, roux, tradition, and why family recipes can turn into full-blown debates. Rasheed talks about making brisket gumbo with rendered tallow and a dark roux, while James connects gumbo’s layered history to barbecue culture.

From there, the show moves into food delivery apps and why the same pizza can show up at different prices depending on where you order it. Rasheed and James discuss third-party delivery platforms, restaurant-direct ordering, dynamic pricing, and why someone needs to build a better food delivery price comparison tool.

The episode also tackles the idea that barbecue is easy if you just have patience. Rasheed argues that barbecue is the slowest way to cook and the fastest way to eat, requiring fire management, prep, maintenance, business sense, and far more than a timer. The conversation also gets into the Nikefication of barbecue, pellet cookers, technology, and why the craft still matters.

Rasheed and James also discuss AI-generated barbecue lists from computers that can’t eat, Dampf Good Barbecue backing out of a lease after community pushback, restaurants needing to understand the neighborhoods they serve, Goldie’s Barbecue receiving a Michelin star, Michelin’s impact on barbecue, Smellaque becoming the first Canadian pitmaster to win at the Jack, upcoming events, and KFC Netherlands’ pickle-filled Gherkin bag.

Listen now for barbecue news, restaurant insight, food culture, business lessons, and real conversation from behind the smoke.

This week on This Week in Barbecue, Rasheed Philips and James Welch are back with hot takes, hotter news, and a full plate of barbecue business, food culture, pricing debates, and global flavor.

The episode kicks off with National Taco Day landing on Taco Tuesday, thanks to Old El Paso, before turning into a full debate over the greatest food delivery mechanism: tortilla or potato. From there, Rasheed and James talk about a nine-year-old competitor from Croatia winning at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue, what that says about the global reach of barbecue, and how young talent is already stepping into the smoke.

The crew also digs into chopped brisket as a possible answer to rising beef costs, the difference between sliced and chopped brisket, choice vs. prime beef, hot-and-fast cooking, sausage programs, tallow tortillas, loaded potatoes, and why barbecue businesses may need to make small margin-saving moves to stay open.

The episode also covers Cup Noodles’ Halloween casket promo, 3D-printed cookies tied to plastic breakdown science, Texas expanding its cottage food law allowance, Maryland banning dynamic grocery pricing, and Sweet Auburn’s global barbecue menu featuring Chinese spare ribs, tandoori chicken, tikka pulled pork, hot honey smoked wings, and barbecue chicken fritters.

The episode closes with a bigger conversation about the Sazone era of barbecue, cultural flavor, fusion, and why there is room for everybody at the table.

Listen now for barbecue news, restaurant insight, food culture, business lessons, and honest conversation from behind the smoke.

In this episode, we explore the vibrant community of barbecue, the importance of humility and camaraderie, and the future of barbecue culture. Join us as we share insights from a recent event that brought together legendary pit masters and enthusiasts.

This week on This Week in Barbecue, Rasheed Philips and James Welch are back with hot takes, hotter news, and a full plate of barbecue business, food culture, pricing debates, and craft talk.

The episode opens with Rasheed reflecting on running his first 5K, why the treadmill lies, and what the experience taught him about doing the work for real. From there, the show moves into White Chocolate Day, rising chocolate prices, brisket bandits stealing half-cooked brisket from a church charity cook in Irving, Texas, and Butler’s Barbecue pulling brisket from the menu because raw brisket costs have climbed too high.

Rasheed and James also talk about creative ways to stretch brisket, including brisket ragu, the controversy around boiled ribs, what actually makes barbecue barbecue, and why the word pitmaster gets thrown around too easily. They also get into DaBaby’s No Knife Kitchen and its $45 waffle plate, Fresh Eats with a Z selling six full hotel pans for $950, catering math, portion control, and the $65 DinoRito from Bussin Q Barbecue in San Antonio.

The episode closes with Carey Bringle’s reminder that barbecue is not fast food, plus a real conversation about health, mindset, checking on your people, and why the barbecue community is better with you in it.

Listen now for barbecue news, restaurant insight, food culture, business lessons, and honest conversation from behind the smoke.

This week on This Week in Barbecue, Rasheed Philips and James Welch are back with a packed episode covering football season catering, holiday barbecue packages, National Biscuits and Gravy Week, Pizza Hut nostalgia, AI food creators, restaurant pivots, and a live Oreo tasting that gets way more serious than expected.

The episode opens with football season and why this is the moment for barbecue businesses, pop-ups, and caterers to start promoting game day trays, tailgate packages, holiday birds, and end-of-year catering. Rasheed and James talk about retainers, deposits, bulk pricing, forecasting product, and how to avoid coming out of pocket when booking large orders.

They also get into smoked pulled pork sausage gravy, Pizza Hut’s Book It memories, Rasheed’s barbecue literacy idea called Cue It, a Girl Scout-related scam involving Two Guys One Pit Barbecue, and why SOPs matter when people pull on your heartstrings.

From there, the conversation turns to AI in food content, fake creators, cloned social pages, AI-generated flyers, and the growing challenge of proving that real creators are actually real. Rasheed and James also discuss Terminus City Barbecue in Atlanta, a fine dining restaurant team pivoting into barbecue, and what that says about survival in the restaurant world.

The episode closes with a hot take on criticism around the Masters of Smoke event, learning from people ahead of you, and a live tasting of deep fried Oreos, banana pudding Oreos, and chicken and waffle Oreos.

Listen now for barbecue news, food culture, business lessons, creator talk, and honest conversation from behind the smoke.

The episode starts with National Eat Outside Day, a follow-up to the pineapple-on-banana-split debate, and a thank-you to listeners for helping the podcast cross 5,000 followers and reach around 30,000 monthly listens. From there, Rasheed and James react to a UK article criticizing barbecue smoke, a Char-Broil electric grill recall overseas, and Sweet Smoke Barbecue announcing that it will close at the end of the year.

The conversation also covers what happens when customers show up after a restaurant has already decided to close, the emotional reality of grieving a business, America’s beef supply concerns, questions around meat quality and grading, Oreo Gate, Texas Monthly Barbecue Homecoming, the Masters of Smoke Tour, and whether a restaurant can recover from damaging online allegations.

Drought, high costs, herd reductions, plant closures, and questions over meat grades could shape the next era of barbecue.

In this episode, we explore the evolving landscape of barbecue and food culture, the importance of business practices, and the impact of entertainment on traditional food experiences. Our guests share insights on industry challenges, community engagement, and innovative ideas to sustain and grow barbecue businesses.

In this episode, we explore the latest trends in thrifting, the impact of shrinkflation, innovative and questionable DIY cooking methods, and recent regulatory changes affecting barbecue events. Join us for hot takes, real stories, and insights into the challenges and ingenuity within the barbecue community. In this episode, we explore the cultural nuances of barbecue around the world, the importance of environment and circumstances in shaping culinary traditions, and the dedication required to achieve excellence in barbecue. Join us as we delve into global barbecue practices, innovative techniques, and the passion behind the craft.

In this episode, Rasheed and James discuss the challenges facing the barbecue industry, including restaurant closures, rising costs, and innovative dining concepts like nude dinners and Nitro Hog Barbecue's unique offerings. They also explore the broader implications for the future of barbecue and food entrepreneurship. In this episode, we explore the impact of economic shifts on barbecue and food industry practices, including food shorting, pricing strategies, and supporting local businesses. We also touch on social media's role in exposing unfair practices and the importance of loyalty versus return customers.

This week on This Week in Barbecue, Rasheed Philips and James Welch are back with barbecue news, hot takes, and listener questions that cover everything from streaming deals to event red flags.

The episode starts with National Watermelon Day before moving into Netflix picking up barbecue content from Tastemade, including Backyard Barbecue Hero and Barbecue Smokeout. James recaps his trip to Bark Barbecue in Brooklyn, where pitmaster Ruben Santana is serving Central Texas-style barbecue through a Dominican lens with brisket, beef ribs, sausage, rice, cornbread, mac and cheese, and a smooth restaurant operation.

Rasheed and James also break down the Black Smoke Invitational situation, what pitmasters should ask before joining an event, a 12,000-pound Canadian bacon recall, Travel and Leisure’s barbecue capital rankings, Austin vs. Lockhart vs. Kansas City, and why barbecue legacy matters more than a title. The episode wraps with listener questions about AI-generated food content, whether food creators need certification, safe Cambro temperatures at pop-ups, and catering pricing basics, including contracts, retainers, and portion control.

Listen now for barbecue news, restaurant insight, creator culture, event lessons, food safety, and honest conversation from the world behind the smoke.

This week on This Week in Barbecue, Rasheed Philips and James Welch are back with hot news, hotter takes, and a full plate of barbecue business, food safety, and culture.

The episode starts with National Moon Day, then moves quickly into the Taco Bell and Taylor Farms lettuce outbreak, why Rasheed is washing every green himself, and the internet’s reaction to seeing beef priced at $24.99 per pound. The guys also talk about rising food costs, buying whole animals, GLP-1 medications, protein snacks, and why everything from Doritos to coffee is suddenly chasing the protein wave.

From there, they get into Miller Smokehouse receiving a $50,000 grant after fire damage, the OC Smoke Show, Food Network’s Pitmasters, cooking at elevation, and whether H-E-B’s True Texas Barbecue or Buc-ee’s brisket sandwiches count as real barbecue. The episode wraps with a look at Zavala’s running 30 straight days during the World Cup, what it says about leadership, and how barbecue businesses can take advantage when the world shows up hungry.

Listen now for barbecue news, restaurant insight, food culture, event talk, and the kind of honest conversation that keeps the smoke moving.

In this episode of This Week in Barbecue, Rasheed Philips and James Welch cover a wild mix of barbecue news, culture, business, and food-world questions. The show starts with National Mac and Cheese Day and National Nude Day before Rasheed recaps cooking live fire at Windy City Smokeout in Chicago, including jerk chicken, bourbon jerk lamb chops, outside skirt steak with jerk chimichurri, and a memorable meal with Blake at Monteverde.

The episode closes with a deeper conversation on authenticity in barbecue. Is culturally driven barbecue really a “third wave,” or is this the Sazón Era? Rasheed and James discuss Egyptian, Thai, Chinese, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Jamaican, Czech, German, and Southern influences, and why the barbecue platter may be one of the most culturally diverse dishes in America.

Join us as we celebrate National Social Media Day and explore its impact on the barbecue community, from building connections to market opportunities. We also dive into current industry news, health tips for Pitmasters, and hot takes on grilling essentials. Bryan also opens up about a tough month of health issues, dehydration, lack of sleep, and the reality of pushing too hard in the barbecue business.

This week’s episode looks at barbecue in motion: Ribby’s temporarily closing in Fort Worth, Broad Street Barbecue making a smart early move during World Cup traffic in Atlanta, Rodney Scott’s name being protected from lazy “comeback” narratives, and the business lessons behind how events and brands treat the talent they rely on. We also get into Missfits’ to-go strategy, the debate over limiting special menu items, the new wave of barbecue shows, and why TV, social clips, cookbooks, and self-produced series are changing who gets to tell barbecue’s story.

A clean Five Guys bag might be one of the clearest signs of where the food economy is headed. In this week’s conversation, we get into spoiled meat, grocery packages coming in underweight, and why independent barbecue restaurants get punished for the same price increases customers accept from major corporations. We also break down how one YouTube feature created an overnight rush for Misfits Barbecue, why a viral moment does not instantly create more smoker capacity, and how preorders, shoulder clod, burgers, skewers, and smarter menu planning may help barbecue businesses survive the rising cost of brisket.

We started this episode arguing about bathroom etiquette and ended up exactly where we needed to be: who gets credit in food culture, how private equity “steps on” the products you love, why scams and AI deepfakes are making trust expensive, and why small businesses get attacked for price increases while corporations get praised for layoffs. Then I break down why I pulled out of the Rocky Mountain Barbecue Classic after deposit issues, why unqualified voices keep getting platformed in barbecue commentary, whether Ozempic and GLP-1s are impacting restaurant traffic, and why shrinkflation has people shopping with their own scales.

Al Frugoni is bringing the Open Fire Meetup and the Open Fire World Championship to Memphis in May, and it’s bigger than most people realize. This episode breaks down how Open Fire started as a small influencer cook in 2021 and turned into a movement that now unites pitmasters, competition legends, and fans around live flame. We talk why open fire feels different, how the competition sold out fast, the rigs and whole-animal cooks coming to Memphis, and why you should grab your ticket early if you want to see something Memphis has never seen before.

This episode features Tiffani Perry discussing the upcoming Memphis in May barbecue event, highlighting new competitions, activities, and tips for attendees. It offers a comprehensive preview of the event's highlights, including the OpenFire World Championship, youth contests, international participation, and exclusive experiences.

We break down the full experience: over 200 teams coming into Memphis May 13–16, the VIP “red carpet” option, Kingsford Tour of Champions ticket rules, sauce wrestling, the Junior World Championship contest, Ireland as the honored country, and a multi-day scavenger hunt with prizes like grills, high-end gear, and more.