Why these social media BBQ accounts are worth their weight in charcoal
As readers may know, I like to occasionally focus on a couple of my passions: grilling and smoking. My meats of choice are pork butt or shoulder, brisket and sausages, but I’ve tried other things and experimented with different spices and sauces.
What do I use as my tools of the trade?
The Napoleon Rogue XT 425 SIB, my new-ish BBQ, has been working out nicely. It’s not a Weber, but I’ve enjoyed using it. My reliable Smokey Mountain Cooker, which is a Weber, continues to smoke meat at a good pace.
Once in a blue moon, I’ll post one of my culinary creations on social media for fun. I’ve never craved praise or acknowledgement for anything I’ve ever done on a grill – or in life, for that matter – so it’s not a frequent event.
 Photo by Victoria Shes |
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You will find many talented people on social media platforms like X (the old Twitter), Instagram, Facebook and Threads who regularly post their cooking, baking, smoking and BBQ masterpieces. Some users have received tens of thousands of views. Others have earned hundreds of thousands of views – or even higher.
Let’s go through a few of them.
David Chen’s Strictly Dumpling, Mark Wiens’ Migrationology and Aaron Brown’s Smokin’ and Grillin’ with AB continue to be among the best of Facebook’s food-related pages. Some notable food authors and chefs, including Jacques Pepin, Ming Tsai, Nigella Lawson and Ina Garten, all post here (and on other social media platforms). Pasta Grannies, BBQ Pit Boys and Vincenzo Prosperi’s Vincenzo’s Plate are all enjoyable to watch. Clips and full shows of the late Julia Child are accessible here, too.
I’ve also discovered some other Facebook pages that are worth highlighting.
FoodFood, a TV channel that describes itself as “India’s first 24X7 food and lifestyle channel conceptualized by Padma Shri Master Chef Sa,” has a lot of great content and superb recipes. Malcolm Reed’s How to BBQ Right is an excellent combination of instructional videos, techniques and tips for excellent barbecue. Nadia Caterina Munno, also known as The Pasta Queen, became popular on TikTok and YouTube and has turned her love of Italian food into a successful business. Joe Martinez’s Smokin’ Joe’s Pit BBQ is a relatively new discovery, and I’ve been impressed with his skills, techniques and creations. Katherine Salom’s Girl Gone Grilling is another recent find, and I’ve enjoyed both her recipes and upbeat personality!
There are quite a few talented and successful cooks and restaurateurs on X, too.
Kentucky’s own Sak (@sak_shoes) continues to post her diverse and mouth-watering creations for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Cookbook editor Francis Lam (@Francis_Lam), French chef Ludo Lefebvre (@chefludo), and British restaurateur/food columnist Yotam Ottolenghi (@ottolenghi) are all still posting, albeit with less frequent schedules.
There are several others I’d recommend following. Meathead Goldwyn (@meathead) is an author and runs the popular website amazingribs.com. Texas Monthly (@tmbbq) and its editor Daniel Vaughn (@BBQSnob) are great sources for Texas BBQ and Southern cooking. Derrick Riches (@derrickriches) is an author and grilling journalist. Greg Rempe (@BBQCentralShow) hosts the longest-running BBQ and grilling podcast, which is always a pleasure to listen to.
Instagram continues to expand with new food-related pages and culinary personalities.
Video creator Nathan Cintron (@official_nathan_cintron) remains one the most humorous and entertaining social media personalities when it comes to food reviews. Patrick McMenemy’s Southern Vibin (@southernvibin) creates some of the most original and delicious-looking BBQ and Southern cuisine on the entire platform. Black Foodie Finder (@blackfoodiefinder) is one of the most impressive aggregators for finding the most talented black chefs, restaurateurs and influencers on Instagram. Misty Banchero (@seattlebutcherswife) is very talented and creative when it comes to the art of grilling. Chanel Jordan (@chef_nel), Melissa Anne Sanchez (@cookingwithascorpio), Aunties Cookin (@auntiescookin), Kayla Hardin @thatgirlcancook_), Danny Kim (@dannygrubs) and Kolby Chandler (@chefkolbykash) are all worth following, too.
Monique Travale (@dill_doughs_bread_mixes) is a new addition: she is based in Kincardine, Ont. After coming across a microbrewery in Picton, 555 Brewing Co, that served a dill pickle pizza, the daughter of a deli/butcher shop owner started thinking about ways to add dill to other types of food. This led to the launch of Dill Doughs, which may have an amusingly Freudian name but is a serious business of easy-to-make bread mixes.
Unlike my wife, who has always been a good baker, I’ve never spent any time developing these particular skills. I also never got into the bread-making craze that occurred during COVID-19. Travale’s bread mixes are designed so that “even ‘non-bakers’ can make them,” as she wrote me. She’s right, and they’re excellent! I’ve made two of the three samples she was kind enough to send along, German and Italian, with the American mix still to go.
Hmm. Come to think of it, I haven’t used Dill Doughs with my pulled pork and brisket recipes. Guess there’s no time like the present!
Michael Taube, a Troy Media syndicated columnist and Washington Times contributor, was a speechwriter for former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He holds a master’s degree in comparative politics from the London School of Economics.
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