The Best BBQ Podcasts You Should Listen to Now

Up your outdoor cooking knowledge with this curated list of top BBQ and grilling podcasts

BBQ has always been an oral tradition. Long before livestreams and short form videos, BBQ knowledge was passed around the pit. One cook leaned over a fire, another asked questions, and both learned through conversations over smoke, time, and repetition. Today, that tradition lives on through barbecue and grilling podcasts.

The best BBQ podcasts don’t just tell you how to cook. They explain why things work. They capture the voices of pitmasters, competitors, historians, and backyard cooks who are shaping barbecue right now.

If you care about fire, food, culture, and craft, these are the shows worth listening to. This isn’t a ranking. It’s a listening guide.

Editor’s Note: Thanks to Ray Sheehan for this curated list. Ray is a contributor to AmazingRibs.com and author of Award-Winning BBQ Sauces and How to Use Them and Big Green Egg Basics from a Master Barbecuer.

Foundational BBQ podcasts

If barbecue podcasts have pillars, these are them.

HowToBBQRight is hosted by Malcom and Rachelle Reed, who remain among the most trusted voices in barbecue media. Competition-tested advice meets backyard practicality, delivered without fluff.

The BBQ Central Show is hosted by Greg Rempe, who has been covering barbecue longer than most cooks have owned their pits. His show blends interviews, industry insight, and thoughtful commentary on barbecue’s past, present, and future.

BBQ Nation is a polished, radio-style program that connects cooking, competition, and barbecue lifestyle while focusing on fundamentals, guest expertise, and practical takeaways.

Food, fire, and lifestyle

Barbecue doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It lives alongside sports, family, travel, and the way we gather around food.

Baseball and BBQ brings together America’s pastime and America’s most iconic food. The show blends grilling, storytelling, sports, and culture into conversations that feel as natural as a cookout before first pitch.

Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast is rooted in competition barbecue but deeply connected to tailgating culture. It bridges serious cooking with weekend fun.

Backyard BBQ that makes you better

Most barbecues happen at home, not on a competition circuit. These podcasts speak directly to that cook.

Backyard Smoke Master BBQ is hosted by Kenyatta Robinson and brings a grounded, practical voice to backyard barbecue. The focus is on growth, consistency, and enjoying the process.

Pit Life BBQ is hosted by John Maguire, also known as Johnny Mags. The show captures the rhythm of live-fire cooking, gear talk, and the culture that surrounds it.

Ready Set BBQ Podcast delivers straightforward barbecue conversations aimed at helping cooks improve without overcomplication.

Meat & Greet BBQ Podcast centers on barbecue as a shared experience, emphasizing community, conversation, and the role food plays in bringing people together.

Competition BBQ where margins matter

If you think of timelines, rub layers, and turn-in boxes, these shows belong in your feed.

Shootin’ The Que Podcast is hosted by championship pitmaster Heath Riles and offers hard-earned competition wisdom focused on repeatability, not gimmicks.

Que The Mic is a competition-forward podcast exploring mindset, process, and the realities of sanctioned barbecue contests.

Fat Guys with Smokers provides an honest look at the competition trail, including wins, losses, friendships, and lessons learned the long way.

Pitmaster’s Podcast is hosted by Rusty Monson and Anthony Lujan and reflects on barbecue as both a competitive pursuit and a professional craft, with candid discussions on business, process, and pitmaster life.

Interviews that preserve BBQ history

Barbecue is built by people, and these podcasts make sure their stories endure.

BBQ Interview Series – Kevin’s BBQ Joints is hosted by Kevin Kelly, who is documenting barbecue culture in real time. These interviews preserve regional traditions and pitmaster voices that might otherwise be lost.

Tales from the Pits is deeply rooted in Texas barbecue and explores pit culture, regional identity, and the people behind the smoke.

Pitmaster – An Old Virginia Smoke Podcast offers a reflective, regional look at barbecue through a Virginia lens, blending tradition with personal storytelling.

Culture, community, and the future of BBQ

These shows explore where barbecue has been and where it is headed.

BBQ Radio Network, hosted by Freddie Bell, provides a broadcast-style platform that highlights voices from across the barbecue community and connects barbecue culture to broader conversations.

The Black Smoke Barbecue Podcast is essential listening for understanding barbecue’s roots, representation, and cultural impact, past, present, and future.

BBQ Therapy Podcast is hosted by Tavis Bryant and explores barbecue as healing, connection, and community, proving that cooking over fire is about more than food.

This Week in Barbecue provides a timely snapshot of what’s happening across the barbecue world, from events to conversations shaping the industry.

Technique, gear, and fire control

For cooks who want to understand why things work.

The Grill Coach focuses on coaching, technique, and problem-solving for better results over fire.

The Grillin’ Guys is a long-running show blending experience, technique, and personality.

I Crush BBQ Show mixes competition insight, interviews, and barbecue enthusiasm.

A global perspective

Barbecue isn’t just American.

The Underseasoned Podcast is hosted by Sigh Luxton and Jay Beaumont and offers a sharp, thoughtful, and often irreverent take on food, barbecue, and cooking culture from an Australian perspective.

Why These Podcasts Matter

The best barbecue podcasts don’t replace time at the pit. They sharpen it. They shorten long cooks, preserve tradition without freezing it in place, and keep the focus where it belongs, on people, processes, and fire. Put a few of these in your queue and let them play while you’re rolling smoke. That’s where real learning happens.