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BBQ & Grilling In Depth: Tested Recipes, Science-Based Technique, Equipment Reviews, Myth Busting

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Peak BBQ and grilling season is here and we’ve got the recipes, science and techniques, and product reviews to help you elevate your outdoor cooking game. Here are a few highlights:

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The Only Memorial Day BBQ Cookout Menu You’ll Ever Need

By:

Dave Joachim

Hosting a backyard bash this Memorial Day? Since chicken is America's favorite meat, here are some of our top BBQ chicken recipes as well as sides and desserts.

BBQ And Grilling 101: A Guide To Better Live Fire Cooking

By:

Clint Cantwell, Champion Pitmaster

If you are new to BBQ and grilling, start here. These articles will give you a solid foundation on BBQ and grilling equipment, recipes, and techniques. You'll learn about thermodynamics, how to control temperature, meat science, smoke science, top recipes, product buying guides, and more.
smokers and grills

BBQ Gear Guide: The Best Smokers And Grills To Buy Today

By:

Clint Cantwell, Champion Pitmaster

Picking the right smoker or grill for your personal needs can be a difficult task, with countless brands, styles, and prices to sort through. To help you find the best smoker grill to buy, we have compiled an elite list of top rated AmazingRibs.com gold and platinum medal winners.
charcoal

Charcoal Grills And Wood Burning Grills: Buying Guide, Reviews, And Ratings

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

A comprehensive review and buyer's guide of almost all the wood burning and charcoal grills available from experts, with ratings.

Gas Grills: Buying Guide, Reviews, And Ratings

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Here's how gas grills work and what to look for when you go shopping.

Pellet Smokers And Grills: Buying Guide, Ratings, And Reviews

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Ratings, reviews, and recommendations on what to look for and what to buy when shopping for pellet barbecue smokers and grills.
komodo kamado

Buying Guide To Kamado, Ceramic, Egg Smokers And Grills

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

The kamado, ceramic, egg grill, smoker, and oven is a fast growing category with more and more choices every year. Here are reviews and ratings of them all.
Gas Smoker

Gas Smokers: A Buying Guide And Reviews

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Ratings, reviews, and recommendations on how to shop for gas fired barbecue smokers. These are simple smokers that produce good flavor, on a modest budget.

Killer Tested Barbecue And Grilling Recipes

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Our philosophy of food is simple. First of all, it must taste great. We try to create recipes that are easy to make and that use plenty of fresh seasonal ingredients with a minimum of processed stuff. But most important, we test all our recipes. We know these recipes work if you follow the directions precisely. Dig in!
Sauced rack of ribs on a tray

The Best Smoked BBQ Ribs You’ve Ever Tasted: Last Meal Ribs Recipe

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Mastering smoked ribs -- whether they are St. Louis style ribs, spare ribs, or baby back ribs -- with our comprehensive tutorial and recipe will make you a backyard all star.
Smoked pork butt on the grill

An Easy BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe With Mouthwatering Results

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

This easy pulled pork recipe skips the slow cooker to create authentic low-and-slow smoked pulled pork on a smoker or grill. With smoke woven through the moist meat, bits of seasoned crust, and a gentle splash of BBQ sauce, pulled pork is perfect for your next backyard cookout.
Sliced brisket

Authentic Texas Style Smoked Brisket Recipe

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Behold the best smoked brisket recipe ever! Texas style brisket is more than a recipe, it is a concept and a goal. It all begins by selecting the right meat, trimming it, seasoning it, smoking it, slicing it, and more. Follow this easy BBQ brisket guide for mouthwatering results!
cattle

Is Carbon-Neutral Beef Possible Or A Pipe Dream?

By:

Tamar Haspel, Author

Beef has a bad reputation among climate-change activists, but the key to more sustainable cattle farming lies in the soil beneath the hoofs.

Nexgrill Neevo 720 Smart Grill With Air Fryer Reviewed And Rated

By:

Max Good, Full time grill tester

Smart grills and smokers are popping up everywhere, but Neevo is alone in the growing class of 2023 because it's the first, viable residential gas grill we've seen with both thermostatic control and 2 zone setup capability. And this model comes with an air fryer mounted next to the grill. Nexgrill is onto something with this unique device, but it needs work.

SteakAger PRO 40 Reviewed And Rated

By:

Rick Gresh

In order to ensure safe dry aging at home, SteakAger PRO 40 features humidity control and a UVC light to manage bacterial growth. All in all, the PRO 40 is a good choice for steak lovers who need capacity, have the budget, and want to knock their guests' taste buds out of the park.

UMAi Dry Steak Aging Bag Reviewed And Rated

By:

Rick Gresh

Dry aged steaks are gaining popularity coast-to-coast. Dry aging makes beef develop a distinct, appealing, and interesting flavor but equipment for doing it at home can be expensive. That's why Umai Dry's affordable dry aging bags are popular. Read our full review and rating.

BBQ Season Checklist

By:

Dave Joachim

Getting ready to fire up for BBQ season? Check out our must-have checklist of tips to kick things off right. You'll find out how to get rid of built-up grease, clean the grill grates, and improve your cooker's overall performance so you're barbecued food will taste its best all season long.

Why You Need To Start Griddle Grilling

By:

Paul Sidoriak

Cooking on a hot griddle, flattop, or plancha is a great way to get an all-over flavorful sear. And it is fun! Here's a guide to everything you need to know for griddle grilling!

Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

With 400 pages and more than 400 of my photographs plus color illustrations, there is new material and new recipes not on this website, and the whole thing is organized so that you can sit down in an easy chair and flow from start to finish.

Traeger Ironwood and Ironwood XL Reviewed And Rated

By:

Max Good, Full time grill tester

The Traeger mid-size Ironwood and large Ironwood XL are upgraded versions of their Ironwood 650 and Ironwood 885. The new Ironwood includes some of the same features we liked in the older models plus a few upgrades along with a more modest MSRP.

Char-Griller Grand Champ Offset Smoker Reviewed And Rated

By:

Clint Cantwell, Champion Pitmaster

We always advise our readers to stay away from cheap offset smokers and jump straight to high-quality, heavy metal models. But Char-Griller's Grand Champ provides an intermediate alternative; not cheap as the $200 tin can models, but way less than classic quarter-inch steel competition smokers.
chilies

Step Over, Scoville. Peppers Deserve A Better Heat Scale.

By:

Tamar Haspel, Author

The Scoville scale for measuring heat in peppers was established in 1912 but times have changed and now an update is called for.

Weber Genesis EPX-335 Smart Gas Grill Reviewed And Rated

By:

Max Good, Full time grill tester

Weber's popular Genesis Gas Grills are a perfect option for those who have grown tired of constantly replacing cheap entry-level gassers and want better quality, performance, and durability. Weber's 2022 models are, in many ways, the best Genesis lineup yet!

Ooni Karu 16 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven Rated And Reviewed

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Interested in making restaurant-quality pizzas at home? Ooni's Karu 16 burns charcoal or wood and they offer an optional gas burner which we highly recommend. Although we have a few criticisms, Karu 16 still gets our thumbs up!

Oklahoma Joe’s Bandera Vertical Offset Smoker Reviewed And Rated

By:

Robert F. Moss, BBQ Historian

Oklahoma Joe’s Bandera is a compact but capacious offset smoker thanks to its unusual upright vertical design. Though there are a few challenges to work around, the versatile unit is well-suited for the cook who wants to get a little more serious about smoking meats, fish, and vegetables over wood but isn’t ready to invest in a high-end offset cooker. Find out more about this entry-level offset cooker with our complete review and rating.
Baguette, split and filled with meat, red and green jalapenos, and garnished with cilantro

Mouthwatering Smoked Pork Belly Bacon Burnt Ends Banh Mi

This rich and flavor packed tested recipe for our smoked pork belly version of the classic Vietnamese banh mì sandwich is sure to make your knees buckle. The recipe hits all the right notes for a perfect banh mì, including succulent BBQ pork belly burnt ends, spicy jalapeños, savory mayo, and tangy pickled veggies.
fried ribs

Deep Fried Ribs: The BBQ Equivalent Of A Mic Drop

By:

Clint Cantwell, Champion Pitmaster

Slow smoked pork ribs are taken to a whole new level of flavor with this recipe for crispy panko breaded deep-fried ribs.
Pulled pork baked potato

Pulled Pork Baked Potatoes: A Cook Once, Eat Twice Recipe

By:

Clint Cantwell, Champion Pitmaster

Weeknight meals don't get much easier than this baked potato recipe that utilizes leftover pulled pork.
BBQ sauce drizzlied bacon wrapped sausage bites

Smoked Pig Balls: An Appetizer Recipe As Easy As It Is Delicious

By:

Clint Cantwell, Champion Pitmaster

As easy to make as they are delicious, these smoked bacon-wrapped kielbasa bites (a.k.a. pig balls) are the perfect appetizer for any event.

Steak Locker Home Dry Age Fridge SL150 Reviewed And Rated

By:

Rick Gresh

Commercial steakhouses use specialized equipment for dry aging large quantities of meat and now there are several home options. Here's award-winning Chicago chef Rick Gresh's review of The Steak Locker.

Published On: 3/16/2021 Last Modified: 5/25/2023

 

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Groundbreaking Hybrid Thermometer!

Thermapen One Instant Read Thermometer

The FireBoard Spark is a hybrid combining instant-read capability, a cabled temperature probe, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity. Couple that with high standards of design and workmanship and it’s a “must own.” Click here to read our comprehensive Platinum Medal review.


The Efficiency Of A Kamado Plus The Flexibility Of The Slow ‘N Sear Insert

kamado grill
Built around SnS Grill’s patented Slow ‘N Sear charcoal kettle accessory, this 22-inch kamado is a premium ceramic grill that brings true 2-zone cooking to a kamado. Click here for our article on this exciting cooker.


Is This Superb Charcoal Grill A Kamado Killer?


The PK-360, with 360 square inches of cooking space, this rust-free, cast aluminum charcoal grill is durable and easy to use. It is beautifully designed, completely portable, and much easier to set up for 2-zone cooking than any round kamado. Click here to read our detailed review of the PK 360 and get a special AmazingRibs.com price!


Bring The Heat With Broil King Signet’s Dual Tube Burners

3 burner gas grill

The Broil King Signet 320 is a modestly priced, 3-burner gas grill that packs a lot of value and power under the hood including dual-tube burners that are able to achieve high, searing temps that rival most comparatively priced gas grills. Click here to read our complete review.