America’s Beef Problem Is Getting Real

A $75 burger press, brisket at Chipotle, and Sour Patch Kids on chicken wings.At what point did food become more about marketing than the actual meal?The latest episode of This Week in Barbecue is live. James and I are getting into the strange world of fast food, independent restaurants, expensive kitchen gadgets, and whether growing a successful brand means you've sold out.Follow the podcast and listen to the latest episode wherever you get your podcasts.Real question: are we paying for quality or just paying for the name?

When did backyard barbecue become a luxury hobby? And is Michelin recognition really as straightforward as people think?This week on This Week in Barbecue, Rasheed Philips and James Welch dig into the business, equipment, and culture surrounding barbecue.The episode opens with National Chicken Fried Steak Day, a five-pound chicken fried steak in Belton, Texas, and an idea for chicken fried brisket. From there, Rasheed questions the financial arrangements behind Michelin Guide coverage and what that means for restaurants hoping to earn recognition.The conversation also examines the rising cost of backyard barbecue. Do you really need expensive Wi-Fi smokers, thermometers, premium knives, and outdoor kitchens to make great food?Rasheed then shares his firsthand experience at the Open Fire Meetup in Hondo, Texas, where 36 international teams showcased incredible open-fire cooking techniques, including a 450-pound whole cow, whole-hog cooking, Wagyu shawarma, and his own jerk chicken demonstration.The crew also discusses the Melinda's wing competition, a winning Wagyu smash burger from Al's Chicken, barbecue safety, food marketing oddities, and why understanding profitability matters more than chasing sales.It's a conversation about the difference between owning the equipment and understanding the craft.Follow This Week in Barbecue on Spotify and tune in for weekly barbecue news, food culture, business insight, and hot takes from behind the smoke.

This week on This Week in Barbecue, Rasheed Philips and James Welch are back with hot news, hotter takes, and a full plate of food culture, restaurant business, barbecue craft, and internet foolishness.The episode opens with National Gumbo Day and a conversation about gumbo, roux, tradition, and why family recipes can turn into full-blown debates. Rasheed talks about making brisket gumbo with rendered tallow and a dark roux, while James connects gumbo’s layered history to barbecue culture.From there, the show moves into food delivery apps and why the same pizza can show up at different prices depending on where you order it. Rasheed and James discuss third-party delivery platforms, restaurant-direct ordering, dynamic pricing, and why someone needs to build a better food delivery price comparison tool.The episode also tackles the idea that barbecue is easy if you just have patience. Rasheed argues that barbecue is the slowest way to cook and the fastest way to eat, requiring fire management, prep, maintenance, business sense, and far more than a timer. The conversation also gets into the Nikefication of barbecue, pellet cookers, technology, and why the craft still matters.Rasheed and James also discuss AI-generated barbecue lists from computers that can’t eat, Dampf Good Barbecue backing out of a lease after community pushback, restaurants needing to understand the neighborhoods they serve, Goldie’s Barbecue receiving a Michelin star, Michelin’s impact on barbecue, Smellaque becoming the first Canadian pitmaster to win at the Jack, upcoming events, and KFC Netherlands’ pickle-filled Gherkin bag.Listen now for barbecue news, restaurant insight, food culture, business lessons, and real conversation from behind the smoke.

This week on This Week in Barbecue, Rasheed Philips and James Welch are back with hot takes, hotter news, and a full plate of barbecue business, food culture, pricing debates, and global flavor.The episode kicks off with National Taco Day landing on Taco Tuesday, thanks to Old El Paso, before turning into a full debate over the greatest food delivery mechanism: tortilla or potato. From there, Rasheed and James talk about a nine-year-old competitor from Croatia winning at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue, what that says about the global reach of barbecue, and how young talent is already stepping into the smoke.The crew also digs into chopped brisket as a possible answer to rising beef costs, the difference between sliced and chopped brisket, choice vs. prime beef, hot-and-fast cooking, sausage programs, tallow tortillas, loaded potatoes, and why barbecue businesses may need to make small margin-saving moves to stay open.The episode also covers Cup Noodles’ Halloween casket promo, 3D-printed cookies tied to plastic breakdown science, Texas expanding its cottage food law allowance, Maryland banning dynamic grocery pricing, and Sweet Auburn’s global barbecue menu featuring Chinese spare ribs, tandoori chicken, tikka pulled pork, hot honey smoked wings, and barbecue chicken fritters.The episode closes with a bigger conversation about the Sazone era of barbecue, cultural flavor, fusion, and why there is room for everybody at the table.Listen now for barbecue news, restaurant insight, food culture, business lessons, and honest conversation from behind the smoke.

In this episode, we explore the vibrant community of barbecue, the importance of humility and camaraderie, and the future of barbecue culture. Join us as we share insights from a recent event that brought together legendary pit masters and enthusiasts.

This week on This Week in Barbecue, Rasheed Philips and James Welch are back with hot takes, hotter news, and a full plate of barbecue business, food culture, pricing debates, and craft talk.The episode opens with Rasheed reflecting on running his first 5K, why the treadmill lies, and what the experience taught him about doing the work for real. From there, the show moves into White Chocolate Day, rising chocolate prices, brisket bandits stealing half-cooked brisket from a church charity cook in Irving, Texas, and Butler’s Barbecue pulling brisket from the menu because raw brisket costs have climbed too high.Rasheed and James also talk about creative ways to stretch brisket, including brisket ragu, the controversy around boiled ribs, what actually makes barbecue barbecue, and why the word pitmaster gets thrown around too easily. They also get into DaBaby’s No Knife Kitchen and its $45 waffle plate, Fresh Eats with a Z selling six full hotel pans for $950, catering math, portion control, and the $65 DinoRito from Bussin Q Barbecue in San Antonio.The episode closes with Carey Bringle’s reminder that barbecue is not fast food, plus a real conversation about health, mindset, checking on your people, and why the barbecue community is better with you in it.Listen now for barbecue news, restaurant insight, food culture, business lessons, and honest conversation from behind the smoke.

This week on This Week in Barbecue, Rasheed Philips and James Welch are back with a packed episode covering football season catering, holiday barbecue packages, National Biscuits and Gravy Week, Pizza Hut nostalgia, AI food creators, restaurant pivots, and a live Oreo tasting that gets way more serious than expected.The episode opens with football season and why this is the moment for barbecue businesses, pop-ups, and caterers to start promoting game day trays, tailgate packages, holiday birds, and end-of-year catering. Rasheed and James talk about retainers, deposits, bulk pricing, forecasting product, and how to avoid coming out of pocket when booking large orders.They also get into smoked pulled pork sausage gravy, Pizza Hut’s Book It memories, Rasheed’s barbecue literacy idea called Cue It, a Girl Scout-related scam involving Two Guys One Pit Barbecue, and why SOPs matter when people pull on your heartstrings.From there, the conversation turns to AI in food content, fake creators, cloned social pages, AI-generated flyers, and the growing challenge of proving that real creators are actually real. Rasheed and James also discuss Terminus City Barbecue in Atlanta, a fine dining restaurant team pivoting into barbecue, and what that says about survival in the restaurant world.The episode closes with a hot take on criticism around the Masters of Smoke event, learning from people ahead of you, and a live tasting of deep fried Oreos, banana pudding Oreos, and chicken and waffle Oreos.Listen now for barbecue news, food culture, business lessons, creator talk, and honest conversation from behind the smoke.

The episode starts with National Eat Outside Day, a follow-up to the pineapple-on-banana-split debate, and a thank-you to listeners for helping the podcast cross 5,000 followers and reach around 30,000 monthly listens. From there, Rasheed and James react to a UK article criticizing barbecue smoke, a Char-Broil electric grill recall overseas, and Sweet Smoke Barbecue announcing that it will close at the end of the year.The conversation also covers what happens when customers show up after a restaurant has already decided to close, the emotional reality of grieving a business, America’s beef supply concerns, questions around meat quality and grading, Oreo Gate, Texas Monthly Barbecue Homecoming, the Masters of Smoke Tour, and whether a restaurant can recover from damaging online allegations.

Drought, high costs, herd reductions, plant closures, and questions over meat grades could shape the next era of barbecue.In this episode, we explore the evolving landscape of barbecue and food culture, the importance of business practices, and the impact of entertainment on traditional food experiences. Our guests share insights on industry challenges, community engagement, and innovative ideas to sustain and grow barbecue businesses.

In this episode, we explore the latest trends in thrifting, the impact of shrinkflation, innovative and questionable DIY cooking methods, and recent regulatory changes affecting barbecue events. Join us for hot takes, real stories, and insights into the challenges and ingenuity within the barbecue community. In this episode, we explore the cultural nuances of barbecue around the world, the importance of environment and circumstances in shaping culinary traditions, and the dedication required to achieve excellence in barbecue. Join us as we delve into global barbecue practices, innovative techniques, and the passion behind the craft.