This Week In Barbecue

Philips Media Network

This Week in Barbecue is a popular podcast that covers the world of barbecue and grilling. Hosted by barbecue Pitmasters Rasheed "The Gentleman Smoker" Philips and Bryan Hull, the podcast features discussions on the latest BBQ trends, recipes, and grilling techniques. Each episode also features interviews with notable barbecue Pitmasters, chefs, and other industry professionals. This Week in Barbecue is a must-listen for anyone interested in the world of barbecue and grilling.

  1. 6d ago

    You Can't Buy Your Way Into Knowing Fire

    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.

    You Can't Buy Your Way Into Knowing Fire
  2. Oct 13

    The Nikefication of Barbecue | EP 151

    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.

    The Nikefication of Barbecue | EP 151
  3. Oct 7

    The Nine-Year-Old BBQ Champion | Ep: 150

    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.

    The Nine-Year-Old BBQ Champion | Ep: 150
  4. Sep 15

    Football Trays and Fake Food Creators

    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.

4.5
out of 5
26 Ratings

About

This Week in Barbecue is a popular podcast that covers the world of barbecue and grilling. Hosted by barbecue Pitmasters Rasheed "The Gentleman Smoker" Philips and Bryan Hull, the podcast features discussions on the latest BBQ trends, recipes, and grilling techniques. Each episode also features interviews with notable barbecue Pitmasters, chefs, and other industry professionals. This Week in Barbecue is a must-listen for anyone interested in the world of barbecue and grilling.

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