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BBQ Guides

This section of the site contains our guides to BBQ and smoking techniques.

From the charcoal snake and minion method to the Texas crutch and 3-2-1 ribs; From how to make burnt ends to how to use wood chips for smoking, there are lots of tips and tricks for the budding pitmaster here.

A silver smoker box on the grates of a portable gas grill.
BBQ Guides

How to Use a Smoker Box on Your Gas or Charcoal Grill

Did you choose a gas grill for convenience? No room for more than one piece of equipment in your outdoor space? Smoking food may seem like an unachievable dream to you. Not anymore! Discover how to use a smoker box to take your backyard grilling game to the next level.

Thin blue smoke coming out of the top vent of a Weber Smokey Mountain cooker, in front of a wooden fence.
BBQ Guides

How to Get Thin Blue Smoke, What it is, and Why You Want it

Not all smoke is created equal when it comes to smoking meat. And there’s plenty more to it than just setting the wood on fire, then hoping for the best. If you want to experience the best in home smoking, you’ll need to master this critical skill — making thin blue smoke.

Whole smoked turkey with potatoes and grapes on a serving plate.
BBQ Guides

Best Wood for Smoking Turkey — Choose Mild, Strong or Colorful

Part of the challenge of smoking a great turkey is choosing the best wood to use. You don’t want the perfect moistness and texture ruined by an acrid and bitter smoke taste! So here’s how to enjoy a smoked turkey triumph by picking the best wood for the job.

Some slowly smoldering hickory wood chunks sat on charcoal.
BBQ Guides

Best Wood for Smoking Meat and Seafood

When it comes to smoking meat, your choice of wood is as crucial as the meat itself. In this guide, we'll explore the top woods that can transform your BBQ from ordinary to extraordinary, each adding its own unique flavor and aroma to your favorite cuts. We look at each wood in turn to see what others, as well tell you which is the best for pork, beef, poultry, and more.

A photo grid of 16 different types of smoking chunks.
BBQ Guides

Smoking Wood Identification — Detailed Visual Guide With Photos

This comprehensive guide will take you on a visual journey, helping you to identify various smoking woods by their unique grain patterns, bark textures, and other defining features. From the deep, warm tones of hickory to the smooth, subtle texture of maple, you'll learn to recognize the different woods you smoke with and never get them mixed up again.

A stack of pine wood logs, with a
BBQ Guides

Woods Not to Use for Smoking — Avoid These at All Costs!

Do you think all wood is suitable for grilling? Then it's time to reconsider. Many wood types can ruin your smoked meats and even potentially make you ill. So today, we look at the different woods you must never use for smoking and why. From the hazardous fumes of treated lumber to the overpowering aromas of certain hardwoods, learn which woods to avoid.

BBQ Guides

Smoking Wood Chart, with Flavor Profiles and Food Pairing Advice

Successful barbecue lies not only in the meat, sauce, or rub, but also in the type of wood smoke used. Our chart for smoking wood is the result of years of experience and testing. It's become the roadmap that guides me to the correct flavors to use for all my smoking endeavors.

All three sizes of Kamado Joe smokers side by side in front of a wooden paneled fence.
BBQ Guides

How to Use a Kamado Grill: My Advice after 9 Years of Using Them

Kamado grills are the Swiss army knife of outdoor cookers that can do it all. You can smoke, grill, roast, bake and sear your way to fantastic food — if you know how to use one properly. And that’s where this detailed step-by-step guide with illustrations comes in.

me sitting with my arm resting on my new Masterbuilt electric smoker.
BBQ Guides

How to Season an Electric Smoker — In Just a Few Simple Steps

Before using your electric smoker for the first time, you should burn off the residues leftover from manufacturing, as well as coat the insides with a thin film oil that after heating helps to protect it and ensure a longer life. Here’s how in our new smoker seasoning guide.

Close up of the membrane of pork ribs being removed by being pulled off gripped with paper towel.
Ribs

How to Remove the Membrane from Ribs — And Why You Should do it!

Rib membrane is tough and chewy, even after a long smoke when the meat is tender, and it spoils the presentation of the final cooked product. Some people like it, most don’t, so let’s get rid of it. Here’s how to remove rib membrane before cooking, in a few simple steps.

Overhead view of charcoal snake set up in a weber kettle grill with smoking wood on the snake.
BBQ Guides

The Charcoal Snake Method: Smoking on a Grill — In a Few Easy Steps

The charcoal snake method of fire management is one you need to learn if you want to do low n slow smoking on your standard kettle-style grill. It’s an easy-to-use, reliable, and highly effective way to smoke food controllably for many hours. So, brisket and ribs, here we come!

A brand-new smoker on decking, ready to be seasoned.
BBQ Guides

How to Season Or Cure your New Smoker in 7 Easy Steps

Curing — or seasoning — A new smoker, is a must-do process before cooking your first food that burns off all the oils and contaminants picked up or leftover after manufacturing. The seasoning also helps protect your smoker from corrosion, so it lasts longer. Here’s how to do it correctly.