Best Barbecue Forums, Message Boards, Discussion Groups, and Mailing Lists

There are a number of places on the internet where you can go to get answers to your questions. These forums are discussion groups that are chock-full of recipes, tips, and solutions to problems. You can graze 'til you're gorged.

The best part is that there is usually a moderator or member or three who are really knowledgeable. Get to know these gurus, sit at their feet, and learn.

To ask a question or leave a comment (called posting) you are usually required to register with your email address and a password. They come in three flavors, "message boards", "email lists" (a.k.a. "listservs"), and hybrids.

Forums (a.k.a. Message boards). These are websites where you can browse the posts and jump in once you register. They are organized by topic, and you can often search for past posts that might answer your question.

Email lists. You register and you get emails that contain the posts. When you sign up you can choose to get them immediately as they are posted, or you can get them all in one daily "digest". I love the daily digests because they are so convenient. On the downside, they can cover a wide range of topics and there is usually no convenient way to search them.

Hybrids. Some of them, notably those hosted by Yahoo!, are both message boards and mailing lists. These hybrids have a web site where you can browse the posts and you can set it up so you get new posts emailed to you.

There are also some laughs. After a heated debate on whether one should insulate the Great Old Smoky Mountain (GOSM) gas smoker, Tom Kaiser from PA, a lurker (a subscriber who reads the posts but rarely adds to them), piped up with this summary of the debate:

"First: I'm going to look through the Martha Stewart collection of tile for something beautiful that I can peel off the back and stick on the inside of my GOSM.

"Second: I'm going to move my smoker inside the house, sit it in a grease pan. I think the dogs will clean my grease pan.

"Third: Then I'm going to connect it to the chimney. This way I don't have to worry about the cold temps and making wind blockers. The greatest part is, I will have the best smelling house around and it will help heat the house, and I can walk around in my shorts and [make] Q, watch TV and have a beer all at the same time.

"Fourth: I'm not going to add any kind of self watering system, as I like to look in every 2-3 hours to see that beautiful meat as I add a little water."

Fun and educational. Join one.

Addicted to BBQ. This intimate group is active, well informed, and helpful. The moderator is especially knowledgeable about the ceramic cookers. As with many boards, you can browse and read as much as you like, but to post a message or a question, you need to register. When you register, there are additional features and functions available to you.

Ask a Butcher. Not a very active board, but the moderator seems to know his stuff and, best of all, he's posted photos and videos of how to cut meats at home. You know he'll be getting my questions, now that my favorite neighborhood butcher shop has been killed by the big grocery chains and Sam's Club.

alt.food.barbecue. Google has organized Usenet discussions into an easy to use system with email notifications and browser access. There are numerous food and cooking related message boards. There is another board, alt.food.barbeque (notice the spelling diff). Let's hope they get these two together. Anyone can post and anyone can start a new topic. A bit chaotic, but some knowledgeable people are there. And the management tools are getting better.

BBQ Central. Hosted by Greg Rempe in Cleveland, OH, this is one of the largest and most active message boards around. You can browse all you want, but must register to post, and you should, because when you register several hidden categories appear. The main categories are focused on cooking: Pork, Meat/Beef, Poultry, Seafood, Sauces and Rubs, Appetizers and Sides, Deep Frying, Grilling. The board is pretty easy to use and it has a good search function. You can upload a picture of yourself (or an avatar, as most people have done), and the board will notify you via email when a reply is posted. You can easily upload pictures with your posts, too, a nice feature. People often upload pix of their recipes or step-by-step guides. Also, when you respond to a message, it is easy to quote the message you are replying to. This is a really good message board. Rempe also hosts a fine audio podcast. His informative interviews usually run about 20 minutes and include a wide range of experts from Steve Raichlen to welders who make cookers. Available from iTunes.

BBQ Bible Board. This active message board is hosted by Steven Raichlen, cookbook author ("BBQ Bible!") and TV host ("BBQU" on PBS). The board is reasonably well organized and easy to use.

BBQ Brethren. A very large, active message board with a cool logo. Easy to use, with lotsa knowledgeable folks, especially experience competitors. Because of spam problems they don't make their recipe files available unless you register. LOng after I launched my email newsletter named Smoke Signals, they launched one too, so I'm pretty unhappy with them.

BBQ Forum. Founded in 1995, this is one of the oldest and most active message boards. Hosted by Ray Basso, the BBQ Forum is no frills. There are no topics and categories. All the messages are in a long line down the page, with replies indented. You do not need to be a member to post. My biggest complaint is that the software they use shows only the subject line of each post, and finding tips on, say, brining, can be difficult, although it is made easier by a search feature. You can also upload pictures with your messages. Highly recommended. BBQ Forum Podcasts. Also hosted by Basso, these are interviews with people who are regulars on the BBQ Forum message board. Many of them are also regulars on the competition circuit. Interviews are of various length and run from 11-46 minutes.

BBQ Source Forums. An nice little forum with a unique feature: Discussion sections on different smoker manufacturers and their products.

BBQ Talk. This new board has a Canadian accent.

Cookshack Barbecue Forum. Most users of this forum own a Cookshack electric smoker, but much of the discussion is broader than that. There is section for recipes and it contains everything from ribs to Chex mix! This is a very lively and active board with many knowledgeable and friendly users. Cookshack employees drop in to solve problems if needed. You can also search on keywords if you want. There is even a section for chefs, restaurant owners, and caterers. Best of all, when you sign up, the system allows you to set it up so that new posts will be mailed to you individually or in a daily digest, so it has the best features of a mailing list and a message board.

The Egg Club. A message board similar to the BBQ Forum in design and structure. Aimed at owners of The Big Green Egg smoker, but discussions range from favorite restaurants to sauces.

The Grill Forum. Similar to the BBQ Forum.

Home BBQ Forums. Founded in 2001, this is one of the older message boards out there.

New Braunfels Bandera Forum. This email list is tailored to owners of this popular smoker, but discussion is wide ranging. Not very active.

Pelletheads.com is where people who have pellet cookers hang out.

Pelletsmoking.com is for owners of pellet smokers, with direct connections to MAK, Memphis Smokers, and a guest expert, Candy Sue Weaver, one of my favorite experts in the world.

Smoked-Meats.com is a lively group, with strengths in some areas others lack, cold smoking, sausages, and cast iron cooking.

Smoke Ring Forums. Garry Howard runs The Smoke Ring, a loose affiliation of hundreds of websites connected to barbecue. This forum has a number of really knowledgeable people visiting it regularly and it's a great place to get rapid answers to your questions. There are sections for recipes, competitions, catering, cookbooks, and much more. Howard also runs the Smoke Ring BBQ List (below).

Smoke Ring List. This is an email list. You sign up and the list sends you emails from members of the list who send in questions and comments. You can have them sent one at a time, or get them compiled into one email with 20 or so emails in it, called the "digest" format (recommended). I get the digest, and I still get 3-4 digests every day. Some really talented and smart folks participate in this list. The most annoying part is that people tend to copy the entire email to which they are replying, rather than just a sentence or two, so there's a lot of scrolling through mail you've already read while you're looking for new info. Also, members tend to stray off topic a lot, but the camaraderie and obvious friendship they have permeates every aspect. Many of these folks get together offline to cook and drink and swap lies. Then again, there are some feisty types and lame wars erupt occasionally. But even these are fun because the wit and sarcasm is high level.

Smokey Mountain Smokers Forum. Most of the members own a Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain gas smoker, but there is a lot of good general advice. The ever cranky and crotchety Bill Martin in Hawaii is one of the best gurus on any board, and he is there almost every day.

Smokin' and Grillin' Barbecue Board. Founded in 2005, this Yahoo! group has enthusiasm and promise, if not a lot of members.

Smoking Meat Forums. Hosted by Jeff Phillips of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the board is accompanied by a website with lots of good info. Among the better features is a lively section on different cookers.

Texas BBQ Forum. A nice new forum that's easy to use and has a growing list of real friendly folks partial to Texas.