Blog

The BBQ CEO Journal

Every cornerstone guide, recipe and gear teardown from Grillmaster John — the whole pit, newest first.

Why Is My Brisket Dry? 7 Causes and How to Fix Each OneSkills
April 26, 2026

Why Is My Brisket Dry? 7 Causes and How to Fix Each One

Dry brisket isn't bad luck — it's one of seven fixable mistakes, from over-trimming to slicing with the grain. Here's exactly which one got you.

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Korean BBQ at Home: Galbi, Bulgogi, and the Tabletop Grilling MethodSkills
April 23, 2026

Korean BBQ at Home: Galbi, Bulgogi, and the Tabletop Grilling Method

Skip the restaurant wait — bulgogi and galbi, exact temps and times, done right on your own tabletop grill.

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Hot-Smoked Salmon: Brine, Pellicle, Smoke, and GlazeRecipes
April 20, 2026

Hot-Smoked Salmon: Brine, Pellicle, Smoke, and Glaze

Dry brine, form the pellicle, smoke low and slow, then glaze — the full method for moist, flaky hot-smoked salmon every time.

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The Ultimate July 4th BBQ Cookout Guide: Menu, Timeline & How Much to BuyRecipes
April 17, 2026

The Ultimate July 4th BBQ Cookout Guide: Menu, Timeline & How Much to Buy

How much meat to buy, what to smoke ahead, and the exact 48-hour timeline that gets a full backyard cookout on the table hot, on time, and safe.

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Rubbery Chicken Skin on the Smoker? Here's the FixSkills
September 21, 2025

Rubbery Chicken Skin on the Smoker? Here's the Fix

Rubbery skin isn't bad luck, it's bad process. Fix the moisture, the temp, and the finish and you'll get crackling skin every single cook.

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Japanese Yakitori: Binchotan, Tare & Nose-to-Tail ChickenSkills
May 12, 2025

Japanese Yakitori: Binchotan, Tare & Nose-to-Tail Chicken

Binchotan, tare, shio, and nose-to-tail chicken cuts — the real technique behind proper backyard yakitori, skewer by skewer.

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Homemade Smoked Sausage: A Beginner's First GrindRecipes
January 3, 2025

Homemade Smoked Sausage: A Beginner's First Grind

Grind cold, smoke low, pull at 160°F: the beginner's complete, safety-first guide to your first batch of homemade smoked sausage.

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Lump Charcoal vs Briquettes: Which, and WhenGrills
October 5, 2024

Lump Charcoal vs Briquettes: Which, and When

Lump lights hotter and cleaner, briquettes burn longer and steadier — here's exactly which one to load for every cook you'll actually do.

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Hot-and-Fast vs Low-and-Slow: When to Break the RulesSkills
July 21, 2024

Hot-and-Fast vs Low-and-Slow: When to Break the Rules

300-350F isn't cheating — here's exactly when to run hot-and-fast, how to hit the same tender finish, and what you trade away to save four hours.

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Smoked Pork Belly Burnt EndsRecipes
April 12, 2024

Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends

Rich, sticky pork belly burnt ends smoked low and slow, braised in butter and honey, then glazed — the fastest, most forgiving burnt ends cook there is.

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Smoked Beef Short Ribs (Dino Ribs): Brisket on a StickRecipes
January 3, 2024

Smoked Beef Short Ribs (Dino Ribs): Brisket on a Stick

Brisket on a stick: how to pick, season, and smoke beef short ribs into fall-off-the-bone dino ribs, no wrap required.

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Why Are My Ribs Tough? 6 Causes and FixesSkills
October 5, 2023

Why Are My Ribs Tough? 6 Causes and Fixes

If your ribs fight back instead of falling off the bone, they're not overcooked — they're underdone. Here's exactly why, and how to fix it.

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Jamaican Jerk Chicken & Pork: Scotch Bonnet, Pimento & SmokeRecipes
July 21, 2023

Jamaican Jerk Chicken & Pork: Scotch Bonnet, Pimento & Smoke

Scotch bonnet, pimento, and patience — the real jerk method, with exact temps, times, and how to handle the heat without ruining dinner.

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How to Smoke a Tri-Tip, Santa Maria StyleRecipes
April 12, 2023

How to Smoke a Tri-Tip, Santa Maria Style

The Central California cut that punishes sloppy technique — smoked low over oak, reverse-seared hot, and sliced with a grain trick most people miss entirely.

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Brisket Burnt Ends: Turning the Point into CandyRecipes
January 3, 2023

Brisket Burnt Ends: Turning the Point into Candy

The fatty brisket point, cubed, glazed and re-smoked into sticky, jiggly-tender cubes of meat candy — Kansas City's finest invention.

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Essential BBQ Tools & Accessories: The Starter KitGrills
October 14, 2022

Essential BBQ Tools & Accessories: The Starter Kit

Skip the 20-piece boxed set — here's the short list of BBQ tools that actually change your cook, in the order you should buy them.

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Reading Your Smoke: Thin Blue vs White (Kill the Bitter Bark)Skills
August 5, 2022

Reading Your Smoke: Thin Blue vs White (Kill the Bitter Bark)

Thin blue smoke is the goal, thick white smoke is a starved fire ruining your bark — here's how to read it and fix it before your bark turns bitter.

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Argentine Asado: Cooking Over Live Fire the Argentine WaySkills
May 21, 2022

Argentine Asado: Cooking Over Live Fire the Argentine Way

Live fire, coarse salt, and two unhurried hours — here's how Argentines actually cook an asado, cut by cut and coal by coal.

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BBQ Food Safety & the Danger Zone on Long SmokesBasics
March 12, 2022

BBQ Food Safety & the Danger Zone on Long Smokes

Your brisket sits in the "danger zone" for hours and it's fine — here's the food science that explains why, and the three habits that actually cause food poisoning.

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The Maillard Reaction & Bark: The Science of Great BBQ CrustSkills
January 3, 2022

The Maillard Reaction & Bark: The Science of Great BBQ Crust

Bark isn't smoke magic — it's Maillard chemistry, rendered fat, and rub polymerization, and it lives or dies on one thing: a dry surface.

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Wood Chips vs Chunks vs Splits (+ the Wood-Pairing Guide)Skills
October 5, 2021

Wood Chips vs Chunks vs Splits (+ the Wood-Pairing Guide)

Chips burn out in 20 minutes, chunks run hours, splits fuel the whole fire — here's how to pick the right wood and pair it with what's on the grate.

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The Snake Method: 12+ Hours of Low-and-Slow on a KettleSkills
July 21, 2021

The Snake Method: 12+ Hours of Low-and-Slow on a Kettle

Turn a $100 kettle into an overnight smoker with nothing but briquettes, a C-shaped fuse, and a little patience.

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Where to Set Up Your Grill or Smoker: Clearance, Wind & Safe PlacementBasicsSkills
May 30, 2021

Where to Set Up Your Grill or Smoker: Clearance, Wind & Safe Placement

Before rubs or wood or temperature comes one skipped decision — where the cooker actually goes. Get placement right and every part of the cook gets easier.

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Collagen to Gelatin: Why Tough Cuts Turn TenderSkills
April 12, 2021

Collagen to Gelatin: Why Tough Cuts Turn Tender

Collagen doesn't melt at one magic number — it's time and temperature working together, and that's the whole secret to tender barbecue.

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What Is a Smoke Ring? The Chemistry (and How to Get One)Skills
January 3, 2021

What Is a Smoke Ring? The Chemistry (and How to Get One)

That pink ring under the bark is just chemistry, not flavor -- here's exactly how it forms and how to get a deeper one on purpose.

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Free: The Grillmaster’s Cheat Sheet — every pull-temp, rest time and wood pairing on one printable page →