This Week In Barbecue

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 busi...

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 s...

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 Barbe...

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...

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...

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...

In this episode of This Week in Barbecue , Rasheed Philips and the crew break down the week in barbecue culture, food media, and the business side of what we all eat. We start with a wild Atlanta story, then get into cookbook season and the real question: do you actually have to cook to put your name on a cookbook? From there, we unpack the changing economics of food, including “deal” meals that e...

Hill City Chop House earned real recognition in Texas barbecue, but Dustin Martin made a decision most people fear: he closed the brick-and-mortar and went back to the trailer, catering, and private events. In this episode, we talk about why the economics of barbecue can make four walls feel like a trap, how a house fire pushed him into the restaurant lane in the first place, what the Texas Monthl...

This week’s episode runs through everything from National Tater Day facts to real restaurant industry news, including Sysco acquiring Restaurant Depot and why that should matter to every small operator. Then the episode turns into an Atlanta barbecue conversation about community, decorum, and what happens when a new player shows up throwing shade at the pioneers who built the brisket market in the...

Join us as Andy Eldridge from the Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate discusses the upcoming Syndicate Smoke Down 2026, a celebration of barbecue, music, and Texas heritage that supports youth in agriculture through scholarships and community programs. If you care about barbecue culture, food community, and events built around purpose, subscribe and watch the full episode. Drop a comment with your fes...

In this episode, we break down the economics of eating out: hidden costs, real margins, shrinkflation, and why rising prices are forcing restaurants to rethink “value.” From smaller fry portions to surging brisket costs driven by fuel and cattle prices, we talk about how menus are changing, including pivots toward proteins like pork or lamb just to stay afloat. Then we go beyond the plate and into...

In this episode of This Week in Barbecue , Rasheed Philips sits down with Meat Dave for a wide-ranging conversation about barbecue, stand-up comedy, health, community, and the reality of building a career in modern food media. They dig into Meat Dave’s weight loss journey, the connection between crowd work and live-fire cooking, the rise of social media in barbecue, the pressure of performance, an...

Barbecue is bigger than smoke and meat. In this recorded segment, Rasheed and the crew dig into the business side of barbecue: restaurant rebrands, who gets to keep accolades when the team changes, and how misinformation spreads through “best of” lists. They also break down why trademarks and utilization matter, and how protecting your name is part of protecting your future in the food industry. T...

In this lively episode, the hosts explore the evolving landscape of barbecue, the influence of regional styles, the impact of technology on the industry, and the future of barbecue media and gatekeeping. They share personal stories, industry insights, and future plans, making it a must-listen for barbecue enthusiasts and industry insiders alike. key topics Regional barbecue styles and their global...

This week on This Week in Barbecue , Rasheed Philips and team run through a packed set of stories across barbecue culture and the food business, including Meat Church entering the charcoal chat, Carey “Pegleg Porker” Bringle’s warning about local tax increases hurting small businesses, and Char-Broil’s new dual electric and charcoal grill in the UK. Then the episode turns to the main course: can y...

Brisket prices are climbing, the US cattle herd is at its lowest level in 75 years, and even Texas is talking about “saving barbecue.” In this clip from This Week in Barbecue , Rasheed Philips and the crew break down what rising beef costs mean for pitmasters, restaurants, and the future of the craft, plus why some spots are turning to GoFundMe just to stay open. Then it gets spicy: pellet grills...

On this episode of This Week in Barbecue , we explore the future of barbecue through the lenses of wellness, technology, and economics. From Big Moe’s 100-plus pound transformation to new restaurant expansions and the growing concern over BBQ joint closures, this conversation examines what it truly takes to build and sustain a barbecue business in today’s climate. We also dive deep into the impact...

This week’s episode of This Week in Barbecue went far beyond smoke and fire. We talked about fear in kitchens, rising costs, recognition, and what happens when the people who make our food feel unsafe just showing up to work. This epsiode reflects on identity, labor, and why barbecue still matters as a place of community in a moment that feels anything but communal.

On Episode 121 of This Week in Barbecue , we step into one of the most uncomfortable conversations happening in food right now: authenticity, ownership, and what happens when technology forgets the people who built the craft. We open with a discussion around Black-owned versus Black-facing companies and why that distinction matters more than ever in barbecue. From there, we revisit the idea of ten...

This week on the podcast, Rasheed dives into the shifting realities of modern barbecue. From Traeger’s quiet hiring push and Smokeslam 2026 being put on pause, to the heated conversation around Tendernism, Keith Lee, and tipping culture after a visit to Destination Smokehouse, the episode explores how attention, money, and integrity collide in today’s food world. The conversation also highlights t...

This Week in Barbecue, Season 8 Episode 17, Rasheed Philips and Bryan Hull close out 2025 with an unfiltered talk about the state of BBQ. From canceled collaborations to Traeger’s meltdown, from the rise of “tenderism” to the future of open-fire cooking, the duo tackles what barbecue needs to let go of and what deserves to rise in 2026.Topics Covered: The MOVE challenge and the BBQ fitness wave Wh...

In today’s episode, Rasheed and Bryan sit down with the newest member of the misfitsss barbecue crew Tyler , a professionally trained chef from Canada who’s making the leap into the world of live-fire cooking. Fresh off our first big pop-up residency at RoundTrip Brewery, we break down: • What it’s really like transitioning from chef life to pitmaster life • The surprising similarities (and real d...

Welcome back to This Week in Barbecue , the podcast where we don’t care when you get your ‘cue, as long as it’s not drive-thru. We’re fresh off the Open Fire Meat Up, I’ll give y’all a quick recap and talk about what it was like cooking on Big Javi’s rig, the Fire Coop. We’ve also got an interview dropping soon with Tay from EatBobbys on YouTube, so keep an eye out for that. Now, this week we’re d...

This week, the mics get turned in a different direction. No headlines. No festival rundowns. Just two friends and one of the most honest conversations we’ve ever shared. Bryan Hull sits down not as my co-host, but as a man with a story. For years, Bryan poured his heart, time, and talent into a Texas-style BBQ restaurant outside of Texas, helping drive it to a Top 3 ranking and more than 5x its re...

This week, Rasheed sits down with Anthony DiBernardo , the pitmaster and founder behind Charleston’s beloved Swig & Swine BBQ , to talk about the journey from dream to legacy. Anthony opens up about betting on himself, the sacrifices and support that built his business, and the heartbreak of losing his son, Asher. Together, they reflect on resilience, faith, and how community and the Holy Smok...