(REVIEW OF SEASON 1-3) I am only reviewing the first 3 seasons not to spoil too much of the show for you. A show like this is the show for food & BBQ fans alike. season one, shows our main and other cookers at different competitions competing with many different challengers to see who is better every episode. it gives the true ins and outs of completion BBQing and the inner secrets, tips, & tricks to use. it was fun and entertaining to see the competition and the arguing. it makes us love the competitors and want our favorites to win. SEASON 2 rolls around and all of that is gone like a brand new show. it feels more like "survivor, top shot, top chief, America's next top model, & American idol" with BBQ. still SEMI good, it lost the lust and drive of the cooks from the first season you loved. some season one cooks do make an appearance on the show (excluding the few who are judges on the show). it feels more rigged and like they are pulling more to the pits then the true competition BBQ. Season 3 comes along and they change it again to make it feel more like season 1+2 combined. judging while at competition events. more and more of things we don't want. if they go back to season 1 style, it would be perfect.
5 Reviews
Fun Show & Great BBQ Tips
eaglefangs27 June 2021
Season 1 is very different from the other seasons. It focused on specific people that would compete in large competitions.
Season 2 started out w/four contestants, host, and three judges. Contestants would have to make something like whole hog, brisket, short ribs, etc. But there would be a curevall thrown at them. They would have to stop and make something like frog legs, catfish, or something else non-BBQ related. The person with the worst dish was eliminated. Then an hour before the remaining three were supposed to turn in their BBQ dish, they were thrown another curveball by making a side dish like coleslaw, potato salad, etc.
Season 3 on was very different and I was glad they changed the concept! It was a mix of season 1 and 2, the best of each. The judges are much better, no host, and no more curveball challenges. Understandably, contestants would be frustrated losing over something like catfish or alligator instead of the reason they were there, BBQ. Same with doing away with side dishes. Also, judging is different. They do the numbering system where the judges don't know what belongs to who (like season 1) but the contestants get to watch the judges critique on a TV (like Johnny had arranged at the end of season 1).
All in all, it's a fun show. My favorite of the originals is Johnny Trigg, but I added Moe Cason after season 2 aired. I very much recommend the show.
Season 2 started out w/four contestants, host, and three judges. Contestants would have to make something like whole hog, brisket, short ribs, etc. But there would be a curevall thrown at them. They would have to stop and make something like frog legs, catfish, or something else non-BBQ related. The person with the worst dish was eliminated. Then an hour before the remaining three were supposed to turn in their BBQ dish, they were thrown another curveball by making a side dish like coleslaw, potato salad, etc.
Season 3 on was very different and I was glad they changed the concept! It was a mix of season 1 and 2, the best of each. The judges are much better, no host, and no more curveball challenges. Understandably, contestants would be frustrated losing over something like catfish or alligator instead of the reason they were there, BBQ. Same with doing away with side dishes. Also, judging is different. They do the numbering system where the judges don't know what belongs to who (like season 1) but the contestants get to watch the judges critique on a TV (like Johnny had arranged at the end of season 1).
All in all, it's a fun show. My favorite of the originals is Johnny Trigg, but I added Moe Cason after season 2 aired. I very much recommend the show.
Best and worst.
jglabere2 September 2019
Love the show and the different styles that the cooks use. My favorite is Johnny Triggers. My least favorite person is Myron. I don't care for his style and attitude. He's not the type of person I'd want to work with it for.
Great Show But:
fcbcdszk20 August 2022
This is a great show and I really enjoy it. I do however disagree with the judges on one point, North Carolina barbecue is absolutely the worst excuse for food I have ever tasted. I have lived in NC for thirty years and have eaten barbecue from all over the state. If you want decent barbecue, go Memphis, Texas, or Kansas City. NC barbecue is little more than pig soaked in vinegar with hot sauce added. A true waste of good pork.
The structure of this show is too stupid to rate more than 3 stars
acdc_mp31 May 2022
This show could have been really good except they have followed the path of all the other competition shows on TV. That path is forced drama and scripted dialogue.
Another thing that bothers me about the show is many of the competitors use pellet smokers which is, to me, like using training wheels on a bike. A true test of skill is using a stick burning smoker which is much more difficult to control. It takes constant monitoring and when all is said and done, produces the best meat.
What I do like about the show is, much of the food prepped and the techniques used have opened doors to improve on my smoking techniques. There really is a science involved with temperature control, rub mixtures, when to wrap the meat, when not to, and when to know its perfect time to take meat out of the smoker.
I am looking forward to the day when producers of competitive shows realize the competition itself provides all the drama it needs to keep it entertaining.
Another thing that bothers me about the show is many of the competitors use pellet smokers which is, to me, like using training wheels on a bike. A true test of skill is using a stick burning smoker which is much more difficult to control. It takes constant monitoring and when all is said and done, produces the best meat.
What I do like about the show is, much of the food prepped and the techniques used have opened doors to improve on my smoking techniques. There really is a science involved with temperature control, rub mixtures, when to wrap the meat, when not to, and when to know its perfect time to take meat out of the smoker.
I am looking forward to the day when producers of competitive shows realize the competition itself provides all the drama it needs to keep it entertaining.
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