The Current State of Barbecue (Elitism, Franklin’s Secret, & Why BBQ Is Changing)

Byamazingfoodstv


Barbecue is changing fast, and not always in a good way. In this episode I break down the current state of BBQ — the rise of elitism, the obsession with “Franklin’s secret,” why ribs are getting worse, how social media trends are reshaping backyard cooking, and what the future of real barbecue actually looks like. If you care about brisket, ribs, fire management, or the craft as a whole, this one’s for you.

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🌡️ ESSENTIAL BBQ TOOLS:
* Best Instant Read Thermometer:
* Hog Sprayer:
* Pink Butcher Paper:
* Butcher Paper Cutter:

🔪 MY TOP 3 KNIVES:
* Victorinox Fibrox Pro 12″ Slicing Knife:
* Victorinox Swiss Classic 8″ Fillet Knife:
* Mercer Curved Boning Knife:

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38 Comments

  2. Great video man. Well said on all points. Especially the "pellet grill hate" at 39:00 mark from elitism. I'll 100% stand on that for two reasons. #1. When I got into BBQ more than the everyday person (jumped down the rabbit hole) it was purely by accident. At the time I had a 22'" Weber kettle and a basic propane grill that were getting old and crusty. After seeing my coworker eyeballing a Traeger 6-7 years ago I asked some questions about it and next thing you know I got one. I watched hundreds of videos on how to do brisket. Never blindly trusting anyone, I took notes from all sides and made a master list of what to do that all videos seemed to agree on. Then, ON MY FIRST TRY, I made the best BBQ I ever had. So I'll 100% say a pellet grill can turn out a great product. Further, I've cooked ALOT of briskets, and pork butt on that grill for my workplace and always get rave reviews (my favorite one being ………coworker takes a bite, takes a dramatic pause, and says "Damn! that is slap yo mama good!"). #2. You never know people's circumstances as you also said. My case? I bought my Traeger sometime around January of 2021. Four months later I noticed a slight jerk in my right wrist and thought "eh must be a pulled muscle"……………..3 doctor visits later I found out I got Parkinson's disease. I didn't let it phase me as it wasn't that bad at the time. Over the next few years I kept cooking for my family and friends and coworkers. I bought a Weber Smokey Mountain to try it-great grill and vital as a backup cooker lol. I took in a donated vintage Kamado that I restored and use for small stuff, I even built (block by block) a 9 foot long by 4 foot wide cinderblock offset smoker that I used to cook 150lbs. of pork butt for my work one Labor Day. Fast forward from January of 2021 to 2025 Parkinson's is really kicking my ass now. My left arm is no longer trustworthy to lift the cover on my big cinderblock smoker, or to even hold a brisket!! So now that I basically have only one arm and other issues as well, I keep things simple and a pellet grill serves me fine. Also of note: Parkinson's causes a great deal more suffering with lack of good sleep. So, staying up and tending the fire on my big smoker is no longer an option. The Traeger lets me sleep more. All that being said, on the question of is pellet grill BBQ real BBQ? ………….to that EXACT WORDING I stand on my results with my friends and family and how many times they came back for 2nd's 3rd's and even 4th's. Yes it is "BBQ" in my humble opinion. Now is it "TRADITIONAL BBQ" ???……….My 9' concrete smoker and my Weber Smokey Mountain running logs or splits say "no." There is definitely a difference in flavor. BUT!!!!! I say this……..at the end of the day it's all about making YOU, YOUR FRIENDS, & FAMILY HAPPY with some good food and enjoying life. Period. People have to work within their limitations. Those may be time available, maybe financial, or in my case now severe physical limitations.

  5. Not sure how you came up in my feed but I took a listen on my way to work an got to the part about telling people to quite being a bitch about people using pellet grills. I’m that guy I use a pellet grill a lil ole Traeger pro 22 , 2 22” Weber kettles which one I got off marketplace for 15 bucks and a blackstone griddle and yeap I make great effin bbq. I don’t have time to be able to use an offset. Can’t sit there and watch and man the fire the entire time. But the social media people I follow they are now more of pushing a product instead of the food. Pushing yeti, Yoder, Traeger, a fucking 700 pecos table really? lol nah bro a 40 dollar white resin table from Walmart is better . They push a small charcoal grill that’s 700 bucks, really? You all know who thy are. They’re all the social media people that are just social media and not bbq champions but some of those guys are the same as well and to also push MKC knifes to bbq 450 dollar knife? Hell nah. If you’re a hunter then I can see that but my buck knife I’ve had for 30 years can’t be beat for skinning. They have to push all this materialistic crap because they’re given the product and paid by them sponsors and it just gets old quickly cause it’s more of an advertisement for a product than cooking food. I don’t compete I don’t buy all those high end products because you just don’t need them to do the job and can’t afford a 700 dollar table that has a 2×4 area of space that can hold 3500 pounds. WTF u putting on that table? A brisket is about it lol . 40 dollar Walmart table that folds in half that’s what I’m using lol

  6. Great video. Really agree with stopping with the pellet grills are not real smokers or any other cooker that is not what someone perceives to be what you should be cooking with. Would never discourage someone from getting into BBQ with comments like that. Have had a bunch of different cookers over the years and they all turned out a solid product after getting use to how they cooked.

  9. I’m 65 years old. I’ve been bbq’n and grilling for almost 50 yrs. My dad was an old school bbq’r. Most if not all of my techniques I’ve learned from him (grant it I’ve adjusted some to my liking). I was never taught any “rules”…just preferences. That’s has always driven me. This is why I like backyard bbq’n. It’s fun and relaxing to me. I turned to YouTub to get some info to repair a clothes dryer and to get an engine check light code and ran across some of these bbq vids. Boy oh boy, I was amazed on how much condescending attitudes there are towards those folks who don’t “follow the rules”. I don’t know of any rules…only preferences. You definitely hit the nail on the head with this cast. What you said needed to be said. The whole bbq scene has become almost unbearable. Thanks for the post and continue to keep it real.

  10. @MEATNGREET I agree on the Franklin brisket I have had better it’s very pepper forward and the flat seemed dry. Also on the rib method I think it’s what you like on tenderness or the people you are cooking for as most like it to be more fall off the bone compared to a bite through. You as the cook should be able to adjust your cook to how who you’re cooking for like it. That’s how you get them to come back especially if you’re trying to sell it.

  11. I smoked a turkey. Wet brine for 2 days, took it out the night before. On thanksgiving morning, put butter and rub under the breast skin and on the whole surface. Smoked on offset with oak and pecan woods. The legs/thighs got to temp a lot earlier than breast so I rotated the bird later in the smoke. Liked how the breast came out. I think the brine really got to the legs/thighs and the legs/thighs seemed over cooked.

  15. Only issue with this video and you also ignored me on your stories, you did not talk about how bbq is whitewashed and how black pitmasters are over looked. That is an extremely important issue that get swept under the rug….. But Talking about pellet smokers is a irrelevant topic bc it’s not real bbq but i definitely wouldn’t go out my way to shame anyway either

  23. Being a bbq guy. I went from open pit style to craft bbq. Back to open pit style. To me craft bbq is nice. However it doesnt itch the challenge for me. I cook direct heat everything. But i had to do years of learning from older men. I appreciate what they taught me. Specially my dad(rip). My goal is to keep the roots of bbq alive. The old black southern way. All bbq is good. Everyone has their twist. Everyone has their style. Its all good with me

  24. Saw this great video 12.3.25. Smoked a ham and it was great. Sorry for the late watch as I have been in the hospital and am watching form the hospital. FYI very nice to have a bbq brother to listen to while waiting for results. Be safe and please keep them coming.

  26. @MEATNGREET, i’m glad i stumbled into one of your videos like a year ago, i’ve always tried to perfect my briskets, all the videos i would watch was just youtubers saying you have to do this or you have to do that & when i came across your videos it was simple and that was refreshing keep it up 👍

  29. Yo, I love this! You weren’t being grumpy, I think like most backyard guys like myself you were just sharing our frustration with folks like Franklin. Nobody BBQ’s for just themselves. We do it because we wanna serve good food to our family and friends, you and Cooper are helping us do that. I’m about to follow you on Instagram!

  30. Texas monthly “ranking” bbque is incredibly subjective and overrated. I have eaten at a few of the top spots and was not overly impressed. Texas que has become too expensive. Years ago I bought a good affordable offset smoker, good seasoned wood, and always tweak and experiment with my recipes. I refuse to drop hundreds of dollars on a meal at a overpriced bbque restaurant, when I can produce a good product at home.

  33. My impression is that Franklin’s book really elevated Texas BBQ. The other joints all learned from his book and then made the content their own through experimentation. I don’t see Franklin as withholding secrets as much as being ruthlessly focused on quality ingredients and execution.

  35. @9:45 BBQ became a huge trend/fad by many who weren't really "about that life" the lore for many has worn off and they all figured out how to get "bragging rights" by just using a trager and just sticking to the rules. Am I a bbq "purest"? maybe but many don't appreciate the craft they just want the reward…i want people to appreciate the craft …….so in short, there was no need for them to ask the question because many have given in to the short cuts…i don't want to seem like i'm shaming but i just like the art and heritage of bbq

  36. I was a major gate keeper for stick burners being real bbq and pellets being easy bake ovens. Then I became a dad and realized it was more important for me to be present and spending my free time with my kids vs spending 8-18hrs of fire management. Now I own my first pellet grill and am just happy to be making BBQ again and spending time with my family. Nothing wrong with a pellet grill.

  38. Great video man. I will say, I do watch a lot of Meat Church. Yeah maybe his Montana Knife Co. Knife is $350 or he's got his Yeti bucket. But some things I can speak to are, he never makes you feel like you need those things to be successful. In fact he says things like " you can recreate these recipes on whatever cooker you have, I just happened to be using my 94 gallon offset" or "use whatever seasoning you like" and I can go to his website and get his recipes for free. I've made 3 or 4 of them.

    Also I'm pretty sure he called out some people on the whole "Salt & Pepper" only thing. Basically saying "most Texas bbq is claiming salt & pepper only, but I can tell you as Texas bbqer they're using a little something extra". And I for one appreciated that honesty because I thought "Salt & Pepper" only was Texas bbq gospel. It helped me not be so hardcore on my briskets. Anyway great video again, keep it up. Us backyarders need a voice in this bbq game.

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