Jim Wright

Who doesn’t love crispy chicken skin? But how many times has it come out moist and rubbery? Learn how to get crispy chicken skin, by combining and ‘stacking’ some of the methods below that will all but guarantee crispness every time.

As you explore the world of barbecue and try to enhance your skills, you’ll uncover no end of “secrets” to better grilling. Even something that seems basic –cooking a steak– has insider tricks and tips for the best results. Read on to learn how resting a steak is key to serving it at its peak.

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.

Like something out of a late-night infomercial, this cooker claims to do it all. But can a single grill cook seven different ways and do them all well enough that you’d actually use it? Don’t touch that dial! We are about to find out.

I’m not saying that cooking meat outdoors is stressful. But there’s more than enough occupying your mind between prepping the meat, getting your cooker to temperature, and monitoring the whole show. You don’t also want to worry if you cooked enough meat! Keep reading as I share with you the secrets to having enough pulled pork for everyone.

Both Filet Mignon and Ribeye are premium cuts of steak, held in high regard by both chefs and connoisseurs the world over. But what's the difference between them, and when would you choose one over the other? Find out below.

Learn the difference between beef ribs and pork ribs, concentrating on the size, taste, flavor, text to meat ratio, nutritional information, how to cook them, relative cost and more. We cover all the different cuts, 5 types of pork ribs and 3 types of beef in total.

There are an incredible number of different sugars in existence, used in everything from BBQ rubs to cups of tea, in pickling liquids to cakes. In this guide, we look at the 15 most common types, advising which ones you should have on hand to cover everything you’re likely to do in cooking.

Salt complements and amplifies the flavor of almost anything it touches. It's a magic ingredient, and the most used in BBQ or any form of cooking. In this article, we look at the most common types, their flavor notes, when and how to use each, and a few substitutions you can make if needed.

There are about two dozen main varieties of hardwoods people use to smoke ribs. We’ve gone ahead and short-listed eight you absolutely need to try, broken them down into two categories of heavy and lighter smoke, then show what many experts choose to use.

To nail a delicious smoked chicken, you have to pick a suitable wood. It’s an easy flavor to overpower and lose the poultry taste, but you want to add smoke if you want the very best flavor. So check out this guide on the best woods for smoking chicken.

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.

Avoiding all the obvious cracks about a smoking butt (except that one), we’re here to help you choose the best wood for smoking pulled pork. We’ve whittled it down to four top contenders, a few others worth considering, before ending with a discussion of what the experts use.

Some enthusiasts find a fringe niche to enjoy with anything popular like comic book fans and cosplay or that guy on TV who travels the world catching monster fish. For steak eaters, it’s ordering or cooking “blue” steak. No, it’s not Smurf meat — but it may be the next logical step for anyone who loves their steak “bloody as hell.”

What happens when you mix fire and clever engineering? I bought the Solo Stove Bonfire to find out! Spoiler alert: you may never have to jockey your camp chair for position to avoid the smoke ever again.

It’s hard to imagine the world needed another instant-read thermometer. Or that I did. But, FireBoard seems to think we all do, and they may have a point! Give this one a read — because this is no ordinary thermometer.

Many outdoor cookers claim in their marketing copy, “and you can make pizza, too!” Yeah, you can — but it isn’t always easy. Meanwhile, the Ooni Karu is devoted to making pizza as its primary function. Homemade wood-fired pizza in a purpose-built oven? Oh yeah, we need to check this out.

I love my automatic temperature controllers. Stress and worry-free overnight cooks, and more time with guests instead of manning the pit, I'm sure you'd love one too. Here are seven of the best.

Thinking about ordering meat online for delivery but not sure who to choose? We’ve got this. This article is one in a series of reviews of major online meat sellers. Today, the spotlight is on Snake River Farms, perhaps THE source for the highest quality USA beef.

Is there such a thing as too many accessories? That’s just one of the questions we’ll answer in our in-depth review of the Weber Spirit EPX-325S GBS, a remarkable new grill that seeks to redefine “fully featured” in the gas barbecue segment.

Repping (as the kids say) your favorite brands can sometimes go too far. Like wearing designer underwear. This extends to barbecue, too; who out there owns a hat emblazoned with a grill logo? I’m not immune to it, either — witness my purchase of the Weber iGrill 3. Useless as designer boxers or a must-have accessory? All will be revealed. Except my undies.

Review time! We’re going hands-on with the Maverick PT-75 to see how well it performs and what it does that makes it worth considering as your next digital instant-read thermometer. Maverick is an industry-standard company in capable and affordable grill and smoker thermometers, have they continued in the same vein with this product?

I think we can all agree that we love steak? And that it’s hard to resist cooking and eating a steak the moment you get it home? Sometimes, though, we have the foresight to purchase our meat before we need it. The question is: how far in advance is it safe to do so?

When you think you’ve finally cooked it all, along comes a “new” cut to surprise you! It’s a bargain cut with flavor to spare that’s always overshadowed by its more famous neighbor on the pork shoulder. No more! It’s time to introduce you to pork cushion meat, and show why we love it.

The idea of not finishing a steak may seem foreign to many, but sometimes it just happens. Maybe you have a no-show? Perhaps you filled up on a pre-dinner dessert? Whatever the reason, there’s NO reason you can’t reheat and enjoy a leftover steak for a delicious meal another day. Here’s how to do it.

Do you know your steak doneness levels? When your steak is rare, medium-rare, medium, medium well, or well done? Do you know the temperatures of each level? How firm should the steaks feel, and how pink should the center be? You will once you finish this guide.

Today we look at the American derived eight primal cuts of beef. We look at their position on the cow, names, sub-primals, and then major cuts they are butchered into. We also look at the best methods of cooking and uses of the produce from each primal.

Today’s money-saving article will teach you how to clean your grill brush — Whether bristled or bristle-free — to prevent tainting the taste of your food. Plus, learn how to keep it in tip-top shape with maintenance tips, so it lasts longer, and how to know when the time is right to replace it.

Part of our mission at FoodFireFriends is to save you from barbecue misadventure. Sure, failing is the best way to learn. But, wouldn’t you rather learn from someone else’s failure? With that in mind, let’s see if we can save you from buying or eating a steak that’s gone off.

When you dig deep into barbecuing, you come across new and exciting stuff to try. And today our topic is beef tallow — what is it, how do I make it and use it, and why do I want to? All will be revealed.

Beef jerky is a snack that satisfies like no other. But, if you’ve only had gas station jerky, you’re missing out on one of the most incredible things you can make in your smoker. To help you make delicious homemade beef jerky, let’s learn which cuts are best for the job.

If you’re new to smoking, you probably have lots of questions. And if you use a pellet grill, an important one is: what’s the best way to store wood pellets? It turns out this mystery is an open and shut case. Get the longest life and best performance out of your pellets with our guide.

It sounds like a “when I was your age” story, but it’s not; once upon a time, we loaded up our gas grills with lava rocks. Sounds straight out of a Flintstones episode? Well, it’s true. And here’s why we did it, and why we stopped.

We've noticed many people questioning the safety of grill mat use, stating that they give off toxic fumes. So we decided to dig into the details in a search for the truth and give ourselves the confidence to keep on using them. Which we have and will do!

If you plan to have garden parties and be at the helm of the grill this summer, then there’s a lot riding on your grilling skills! Grilling seems simple, but a lot can quickly go wrong. Luckily for you, we’ve put together a list of common mistakes and professional advice on how to avoid them.

Got your bag of charcoal ripped open, and you’re ready to grill? Now you’re asking yourself, “How much of this stuff do I need?” As always, we’ve got this — keep scrolling to learn the right amount of charcoal to use for every type of grilling and smoking session.

There are thousands of different chili peppers in the world, but chances of seeing of them are slim. So here is a guide to the most commonly used chilies throughout the world, with tasting notes, heat rating on the Scoville scale, and a peek at the hottest ones known to man!

Learn all about the different types and varieties of peppercorns. From the common black, through white and green, to the more esoteric pink and red, and even some peppers that aren’t from peppercorns at all. With origins, flavor profile, and uses, there’s a lot discussed here.

Get crispy pork skin — or even better, full on crackling — by following the simple tips in this guide, that work every time. We also cover a few things to avoid, because you can sabotage your crackling even when you think you've done everything right...when you haven't!

Tri-tip and brisket are large, very popular cuts of beef for BBQ and smoking, that produce delicious dishes and will impress any guests lucky enough for you to cook for. Learn about each, their differences, and how to choose the right one.

Learn the difference between these two BBQ staples. Where they come from on the animal, how they compare in size, cost, how to cook them, nutritional info and more. You’ll be an expert in these two cuts before the end of this guide.

This is the lowdown on the differences between spare ribs and baby back ribs. We look at where they come from on the animal, size, cost, meat and fat content, price differences, and how to cook them, along with our favorite recipes for each.

You can safely grill burgers from frozen, you just need to tweak your method slightly to account for the fact they are frozen. But it saves some fuss and effort having to defrost them, so is a good technique to have up your sleeve. Here's how.

Sirloin and ribeye, two of the most popular, most loved steaks in the world. But which is best? Or why would you choose one over the other? This detailed comparison looks at where they come from, flavor and texture, uses, and great recipes for each.

There are many online meat delivery services, subscription boxes and clubs. But not all are good value and worth your hard-earned money. As you'll discover in this review though, Porter Road most certainly are!

Today, we try to answer all your questions about meat storage in the fridge, the freezer, the temperatures you must use, options for safe wrapping materials, how long you can store it for, what freezer burn is, and how to avoid it, and more.

Charcoal grills do not have a simple on / off switch and can stay lit, wasting fuel and being a potential hazard due to their heat for hours. We look at extinguishing your charcoal grill safely in this post while saving any unburned charcoal for future use.

What is the definition of grilling? How does it differ from BBQ, or smoking, or any other outdoor cooking technique? In this short piece, we define grilling, how it differs from other techniques, and why we love it so much (Hint: Flavor!)