What explains the popularity of barbecue today?


 

Chris Allingham

Administrator
Staff member
Recently someone asked me, "What explains the popularity of barbecue right now?" I remember how barbecue really seemed to take off about 10 year ago when BBQ competitions started appearing on television shows, but the whole "barbecue thing" seems to be hyper-popular (if that's a word) right now.

Barbecue is everywhere. Anthony Bourdain and Guy Fieri dedicate entire episodes of their TV shows to barbecue. You've got BBQ Pitmasters on television. Where I live in the SF Bay Area, over the past 4-5 years we've had chain BBQ restaurants like Dickey's of Texas come to town. You've got barbecue-influenced foods showing up on the menus of non-barbecue restaurants. At the time of this writing, Outback Steakhouse is featuring a new "Moonshine BBQ Menu". Arby's and Costco are selling brisket sandwiches. There's a proliferation of barbecue sauces and barbecue-flavored items at the grocery store, including dipping sauces, pre-cooked and shredded meats, and snack foods. A guy got a deal on the TV show Shark Tank for boneless pork ribs and is making a fortune. People are standing in line at Franklin Barbecue in Austin, TX for 5 hours waiting to try Aaron Franklin's brisket.

Are we in a "barbecue bubble"? Is barbecue becoming too popular? Is this a fad that will "pop" just like the "dot com bubble" of the late 90's and the "housing bubble" of 2008? And if that happens, will that be a good or bad thing?

What are your thoughts? Why is barbecue getting so popular right now? What forces are driving the trend? And where is barbecue headed? Onward and upward? Over a cliff? Somewhere else?

Interested in your thoughts,
Chris
 
I've seen the trend in BBQ has coincided with the development of the backyard as a living space not just a place to grow grass. In the summer my house is just a place to sleep and most of our time is spent on the back deck. This has brought on an abundance of highly priced furniture, grills and smokers. The smokers are now designed to be idiot proof, plug it in or turn on the gas,set the temp dial and your a champion BBQer.
TV tends to follow trends not make them but the developers are very good at seeing a trend in the early stages. They do help bring it quickly into the mainstream.
It is also a retro thing. As the baby boomers get older they look back fondly on the simple life of their childhood and one of the strongest and fondest memories I have is family gatherings in our yard with dad burning the crap out of some chicken and burgers.
Most food trends seem to plateau in a few years and then only the best will be left when it's run it's course. A few years ago chipotle was the big thing, chipotle was in everything. The grocery store had 10 different brands of chipotle hot sauce and now there' sonny one or two and it's back to being that powder when you want a bit of heat.
Good BBQ is here to stay but I think those over sauced tasteless PP sandwiches will soon be a thing of the past. I hope.
 
I believe TV has greatly influenced the popularity of the "sport" of food in general -- not just BBQ. Food Network, Cooking Channel, the morning shows and more.

The backyard as a living space has definitely made living outside enjoyable which has also been propped up by TV channels (HGTV and others).

The computer and especially social media and the internet have also contributed with sites like Pinterest, FoodNetwork, Saveur, etc along with the numerous cooking forums. I see something online here and on other sites and it sparks an idea that I try.

...and the restaurants have increased their "flavor profiles" as well (a phrase I learned by watchin TV).

We've seen great cooks (Julia Childs, Jacques Pépin, etc) as children that have taught us to quit eating bland food. We now see Pitmasters and Bobby Flay and others cooking meals on grills/smokers.

As adults we've brought that home and replicated it for our families. We snap a photo and post it on Facebook thereby increasing the exposure of great food.

When my family tastes one of Jamie Purveyance's recipes explode with flavor in their mouth they can't quit talkin about it. Then a month or so later they are texting and calling for recipes and techniques. (Tony's fajitas are a very popular topic).
 
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I agree with all the reasons mentioned but i also think there is a cost aspect. Doing your own BBQ is way cheaper than going out and is more fun. I have always like t cook and grill and BBQ so there really hasn't been any type of increase for me. I like cooking more than actually eating for the most part and there have been plenty of times i will grill or smoke up a masterpiece of a meal only eating sample bites here and there to test for flavor as i go and never getting a plate of my own. Seeing people smile makes it all worthwhile, especially when they say this pulled pork is better than what i had yesterday that was catered from buzz & ned's :)
 
I think the economy and the ever growing exposure might have had a lot to do with the growth of BBQ/grilling. When the recession started and many folks were out of work or fearful of losing their jobs many of the families that were going to restaurants 4 or 5 times a week stopped doing that as a cost savings measure and started eating at home.

Along with that the growth of the food network which did have a few outdoor cooking shows. Some of the chefs like Bobby Flay showed us that grilling could be something much more then just hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken and with the basic items found in your local grocery store, Most homes had a grill of some sort hanging out in the backyard so why not do what they were seeing on TV to have some fun and save some money too.

My lovely wife subscribes to every woman’s magazine on the planet and even those are loaded with bbq and grilling ideas, even DIY outdoor kitchens. Everywhere you look there is something going on about outdoor cooking.

Also look at the quality of the grills and smokers that are out there compared to say ten years ago. Just amazing difference in quality and performance.

Is it a trend, I think as the economy improves if it ever does you‘ll see it level off. But I think there are a lot of people who have discovered the hobby of BBQ and how much fun it is and the great meals you can make, I’m sure it will live on.
 
I'm just talking from my experience and what I am seeing. I tried charcoal cooking in the early 90's and had no clue what I was doing and it showed in my cooking and I just gave up and cooked on a gas grill. Fast forward 20 years. I bought me an Orion cooker, its a no brainer type of cooker and was trying to find things to cook on it on the internet. I discovered the BBQ Pit Boys site on YouTube. It was fairly new at the time and they showed how to to set up a Weber grill indirect and I saw what they were cooking and so I bought me a Weber Gold to try my hand a Charcoal cooking. I have been hooked ever since.

The reason BBQ/ grilling is so popular because it is everywhere in media, how to bbq something is pretty easy to find out how to do now and it takes the mystery out of it now so it is not as intimidating. But I do think it is on a declining trend. A lot of BBQ forums that used to be bustling with lots of members are barley hanging on. Too bad too, a lot of those little guys have a bunch of great content on their site.
 
I like cooking more than actually eating...Seeing people smile makes it all worthwhile, especially when they say this pulled pork is better than what i had yesterday that was catered from buzz & ned's :)
Sounds like you need to be a chef or restaurateur or caterer!
 
Sounds like you need to be a chef or restaurateur or caterer!

Don't think i haven't thought about it. Unfortunately earlier in my life i was guide for fly fishing and rock climbing and while i loved the sport, making it my job kind of hurt my passion. I would be out at the cliff or the stream and run into some clients and had to put my guide face on for a little while. I have since gotten back into fly fishing after moving from the area i was guiding but the climbing piece is still not something i do often but that is mainly because of the distance needed to travel.

My fiancé and I were discussing the possibility of catering though since I am currently getting my teaching certification and will have summers free to do what i want and catering would give me a little extra play money......guess we will see what happens :)
 
Don't think i haven't thought about it. Unfortunately earlier in my life i was guide for fly fishing and rock climbing and while i loved the sport, making it my job kind of hurt my passion. I would be out at the cliff or the stream and run into some clients and had to put my guide face on for a little while. I have since gotten back into fly fishing after moving from the area i was guiding but the climbing piece is still not something i do often but that is mainly because of the distance needed to travel.

My fiancé and I were discussing the possibility of catering though since I am currently getting my teaching certification and will have summers free to do what i want and catering would give me a little extra play money......guess we will see what happens :)

I have first hand experience in turning a passion into a job. Since I was a child of 7, I was the family photographer. I developed my first roll of film at 10. I majored in photography in college and eventually purchased a camera store. The photo industry tanked around 2000 and I had to close my dream store. I rarely pick up a camera anymore.

Now my friends all tell me I should start a catering business and I refuse!
 
I think it's been popular for a long time, but regional.
The advent of Web and how it has has connected everyone world-wide, is the difference these days.
Also we are more mobile in today's world, experiencing first-hand the wonderful BBQ from around the planet and taking those ideas back to our neighborhoods.
 
I only started paying attention to the art and science of grilling and barbecuing when I purchased a barbecue cookbook by Cooks Illustrated several years ago. It was then that I started using my gas grill in the manner that was intended, fully utilizing its capabilities (indirect, direct, low 'n slow, etc.). And when we moved to Florida, where its grilling and barbecuing season all year long, I finally got my charcoal grill, followed by a charcoal smoker.

I jumped on the bandwagon while ignoring the whole popularity thing. I was searching for a new hobby to replace the one that I'm thinking of leaving behind -- it's getting very expensive, is so heavily regulated, and is significantly impacted, in my humble opinion, by the age of the competitor. The age of the griller/barbecuer should not have much impact on continued participation, i.e., as I get older I'm not going to cut back on grilling or barbecuing. AND with grilling and barbecuing, if your mistakes are edible, then are they really mistakes?

I expect to continue with my backyard barbecuing and grilling well into my senior years, as I have one toe over the geezer threshold already.
 
Reality TV has definitely sparked the BBQ wave nationally. The Internet especially YouTube has done mutch for my back yard BBQ skills.While I never watch the BBQ Competition shows I do use sites like yours and Meathead's. I live in Florida and I do 90% of the cooking. I do most of that cooking outside. I needed to expand my "menu" so I took up smoking after buying a Weber Bullet. Your site was my school. Thanks! Even if the bubble bursts, I will still be in the back yard grilling and chilling.
 
Even if the bubble bursts, I will still be in the back yard grilling and chilling.
My sentiments exactly. I didn't get into cooking BBQ because it was trendy, but because (1) it's part of my Southern heritage, (2) you get to eat great food, and (3)it's fun. Strangely enough, those are the same reasons for making homemade ice cream. To the extent that the BBQ fad provides more business for Weber and the other companies who make the tools and equipment, I think it's a good thing. But with or without reality TV, those seeking the true path to BBQ enlightenment will find their way. For generations the knowledge has been passed down from pitmaster to novice, and as long as we don't forget how to make fire, we can still do it that way.
 
It all started with the MACRIB !! :rolleyes:

Recently someone asked me, "What explains the popularity of barbecue right now?" I remember how barbecue really seemed to take off about 10 year ago when BBQ competitions started appearing on television shows, but the whole "barbecue thing" seems to be hyper-popular (if that's a word) right now.

Barbecue is everywhere. Anthony Bourdain and Guy Fieri dedicate entire episodes of their TV shows to barbecue. You've got BBQ Pitmasters on television. Where I live in the SF Bay Area, over the past 4-5 years we've had chain BBQ restaurants like Dickey's of Texas come to town. You've got barbecue-influenced foods showing up on the menus of non-barbecue restaurants. At the time of this writing, Outback Steakhouse is featuring a new "Moonshine BBQ Menu". Arby's and Costco are selling brisket sandwiches. There's a proliferation of barbecue sauces and barbecue-flavored items at the grocery store, including dipping sauces, pre-cooked and shredded meats, and snack foods. A guy got a deal on the TV show Shark Tank for boneless pork ribs and is making a fortune. People are standing in line at Franklin Barbecue in Austin, TX for 5 hours waiting to try Aaron Franklin's brisket.

Are we in a "barbecue bubble"? Is barbecue becoming too popular? Is this a fad that will "pop" just like the "dot com bubble" of the late 90's and the "housing bubble" of 2008? And if that happens, will that be a good or bad thing?

What are your thoughts? Why is barbecue getting so popular right now? What forces are driving the trend? And where is barbecue headed? Onward and upward? Over a cliff? Somewhere else?

Interested in your thoughts,
Chris
 
I have first hand experience in turning a passion into a job. Since I was a child of 7, I was the family photographer. I developed my first roll of film at 10. I majored in photography in college and eventually purchased a camera store. The photo industry tanked around 2000 and I had to close my dream store. I rarely pick up a camera anymore.

Now my friends all tell me I should start a catering business and I refuse!
Sheldon
I understand that, I was a Navy Photographer and when I got out I had a choice to make, continue with photography (this was 1976) or get into the ground floor of computers. I became a computer programmer
 
I think it is a combination of what Rich and Bob said. Before the housing bubble people were really investing in their houses. Lots of back yard kitchens and fancy gas grills. Before 2009 there was some type of pool & patio store on every corner selling grills. There were also specialty stores dedicated to grilling and selling very expensive grills and accessories. As the bubble burst these places went away but people were still grilling. Going out to dinner 4-5 times a week wasn't an option if you were trying to stay in your home. Going on exotic vacations was out too and more and more people were doing the stay-cations.

I base my opinion on this Barbequeing is a lot like camping. In the late 90's early 2000's there was a dedicated group that went camping for vacation. Similar to Barbequeing there was a dedicated group that would fire up the grill more often than once a week or when they had company over. Economy takes a dump and now you have more people trading their trips to an exotic beach location for a RV rental and a week in the woods. Same as barbeque more people are trading their going out to dinner for staying home and grilling. Will it burst? IMHO I hope it does not for barbeque. I think it is great that more and more people learn the Art or barbeque mainly because they do it in their own backyard! As for camping I hope to heck that when this economy gets better most of these people go back to vacations in exotic locations so I can have the peace and quiet back in the woods.

Fun topic Chris thanks for asking I've enjoyed the differnt opinions on this one.
 
Dustin
I am one of the people doing staycations, my oldest decided after 5 years of college to go to law school for another 3 years and the youngest to get a masters in education and the middle son is finally graduating after 6 years, so we have been paying and paying LOL

I am also getting to be an old fuddy duddy just want to hang around, although I want to get back to Gettysburg to camp. Most of my hobbies are good to do at home, photography, gun collecting, bbq, genealogy
 
I have been Q'ing for 20 years now and until recently it has been fairly inexpensive, but with the tv shows it had become more popular and the price of "cheap" cuts of meat had gotten out of hand. I never thought I would see a 60 dollar brisket or 30 dollars for a rack of ribs, but life goes on. Then most guys I talk to that have a nice, pretty, clean smoker on the back deck use them to cook burgers and chicken because the briskets they buy "take to long to cook or are to tough to eat". One fellow even uses matchlight charcoal to add to his cook time because it's easier to get going he just throws it in on the hot coals and closes the door. I believe all the media and restaraunts have caused the rise in popularity and cost of what we love to do. By the way I have just sold my stickburner of 18 years and got a 22.5 WSM instant love. Now if I can afford the meat I will be happy.
 
James
I agree with you on the cost of meat, that is why I am going more chicken and using the 14.5 more, only fired up the 22.5 3 times this year while the 14.5 was going every weekend.
 
I've always enjoyed cooking. Heck,I even did it for 6 years in the Army. But after I got out,it kind of lost it's luster as a way of making a living. Ok,it might have been that I hated second shift! LOL
But I still enjoy cooking! Inside,outside,I'm pretty good. I don't know if I'd go up against the Food Network cooks/chefs,but I like to think I can hold my own. The grills/smoker are just another kitchen. Trends be danged,I'm cooking outside and my neighbors are jealous!
 

 

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