What I'm learning from...

Since the beginning, I've considered this venture in the world of BBQ as a continual learning process as I experiment, play, try, read, learn, watch, try something else, etc.

So I thought I'd post about some good resources to learn from:

1) The BBQ Brethren is one of the best online sites I've found for exchanging ideas, recipes, swapping stories, looking at meat from my desk at work while I'm eating the salad my wife made for me for lunch, etc. Go to: http://www.bbq-brethren.com and look specifically at the Q Talk section in the discussion area.

2) Amazing Ribs. I really can't find a better site reviewing products and giving advice on some of the old-time traditions of bbqing including a great write-up on soaking wood. http://amazingribs.com/.

3) Twitter. I have developed a great list of people I follow in Twitter -- mostly companies, professional teams, a few backyarders, and a couple of people who publish daily newspapers on BBQ. If you follow me on Twitter at @SuburbSlicker, then you can click on my picture and then click on Following and you'll find the people I follow. It's a good list -- 300+ tweeters. 

4) The Smoke Ring (http://www.thesmokering.com/) is actually a number of other BBQ-friendly sites all connected together (including this blog) that have great information (sometimes you have to hunt a little bit), as well as any number of products. 

5) Cookbooks. I have a bunch and sometimes even look at them. Generally, I get most of my recipes online now. I do like Prophets of Smoked Meat (http://www.amazon.com/The-Prophets-Smoked-Meat-Barbecue/dp/0062202928) which is more of a travel book on bbq in Texas than a cookbook. But if you want some bbq pron, there's no better place for it. 

6) TV. I have to admit, I started some of my fascination with cooking by watching all of the BBQ Pitmasters, American Grilled, Man-Fire-Foods, etc. shows that I could find. I'm now finding almost all of them to be so repetitious and copycatting one another. I still like Restaurant Impossible and Bar Rescue, but more as entertainment than learning. The one exception to my TV rule though is Steven Raichlen's Primal Grill on Public Television. That's the only BBQing show, in my opinion, worth spending any time with. AND, he posts all of his recipes online! http://www.primalgrill.org/. Go check it out.