Are we nearing the end of the golden age of BBQ YouTube?

[Uncle Bob]

There's a lot that could be unpacked from your opening dialogue Michael_in_TX. We could go deep into discussions about business start up, marketing, human psychology, and on and on. All in addition to the commentary already posted. An additional factor that gave the whole YT world a boost was the pandemic reactions of the political class that essentially "shut down" the world for a time, which drove folks to seek some alternate form of social interaction. I'd love to see charting of YT growth in that time and immediately after.

Like any new "technology", there's an evolutionary cycle to be traversed, and so it is with YT. The barriers to entry are comparatively low, so new players come in who range from not very good to amazing, and all that goes between. If you were to go to the search bar on YT (if you haven't already) and look for vids on "Why are creators quitting YouTube" you'll find quite a few YT pioneers doing some manner of catharsis explaining either their reasons or commenting on others. That isn't to say YT is dead or dying, it's just evolving. There will likely be (in some cases, already are) extra creative people who will figure out a way to spice up their favored market slice presentations so as to continue to satisfy/increase their audience.

None of this is new of course, from the media evolving pov. Think of other entertainment/learning venues, such as TV series. We have the expression "Jumped the shark....." from the show Happy Days. It basically means the writers had done it so long they ran out of ideas so started churning out ridiculous, out of context, pap. Time to move on or refresh.............................

[Michael_in_TX]

Wonderful points. It seems the creators that have managed to secure consistent and varied external sponsorships seems to be the most stable. Relying solely on Youtube's algorithm to generate revenue seems fickle and stressful.

[Spinaker]

Eh, more people are moving to podcasts. It is easier. You can have more guests and cover more topics.

I have not watch any YouTube BBQ videos in a long time. I will agree, it seems to be the same thing over and over again. There is also the fact that they seem to chase each other for filming the net fad cook. PBBEs, brisket boat, turdunkin stuff like that. One guy comes out with a "new" thing, and then they all race to give their take or try it out.

Podcasts are what they are all trying to get into. They can have a lot of different guests. They can discuss things BBQ related and not related to BBQ. I prefer Podcasts anyway since I can listen while I am doing things. I just do not sit in front of the computer nearly as much as I used to when I have free time. I have my BBQ style and techniques down, so there really is no reason for me to watch videos on How to do certain things and I am not really a fad cook type of guy.

This is not a slight on the pellet crowd, but so many of these YTers use a pellet "grill"; which kinda takes the fun and interest out of it for me. As I have said many times before, I like to mess around with live fire. Be it charcoal or otherwise and I enjoy watching people monkey around with the fire as well. When all these YT cooks are now using pellet grills to smoke everything, it kinda makes me keep scrolling. It makes everything seem the same to me. BBQ is multi-dimensional. You have rubs, ingredients, meats etc......but you also have fire, charcoal, wood and control of said fire and all the techniques that go along with it. When they prepare the meat and just put it on a pellet grill. that has been preheated by turning a knob, it kinda takes out a huge part of the viewing fun. There are so many cool offset designs, charcoal cabinets, barrel smokers etc to have all of these cooks using pellet grills is boring.

[Smoker_Boy]

Newbies can use pellet grills easily. Temp can be held precisely and there is little ash to deal with.
After they get to love the taste, they will probably move to other forms of grills.

[Michael_in_TX]

The one thing that is just getting overly silly are the ridiculous, over-the-top click-bait video titles and especially, the "YouTube Face" thumbnails. That stuff is just nuts.

[scottranda]

I hate hate hate the YouTube face thumbnail. ONE particular one does it EVERY video, and I’m thinking on each video, “dude, stop with the faces.” Yet, there’s always another “silly” face thumbnail.

[radiodome21]

What I loved about the YouTube videos wasn’t so much about the meat they were cooking but more about the cookers they were using and fire management techniques. It’s helped me learn and appreciate my WSM and drew me to an Kamado (which I do t have yet) and has picked my interest on a standalone flattop. After I purchased my SNS kettle I loved watching the Chud’s Weber kettle series, and he’s one of my favorite follows.

[Santamarina]

Has it all been covered? Probably. Do *we* want to see it again? Probably not. BUT, there is always someone new looking for tips and tricks, and it seems people want the “latest and greatest” info…even if that’s how we’ve been doing it for years.

So they could watch a brisket video from 10 years ago and get the same content that we’d produce today, but when they see the new video it strikes a chord. Especially with a younger crowd, they want the high production value provided by a new video.

So that’s my long way of saying, “We still need new cooking/how to videos!”

[Oak Smoke]

Have most of us mastered the big three brisket, ribs, and pork butt? In most cases yes we have. I haven’t watched a BBQ on YouTube in a month or two. When I do it probably will be Mat Pitman. I’ve gotten some great desert and side dishes from Meat Church. As far as The Pit goes I just like it here. It is fun when a new member has questions we’ve heard before. You know the what should I cook first, is hot and fast brisket ok, should I wrap and with what, what charcoal should I use questions. I like watching the light come on for them and their pictures show something they’re very proud of. Of course some of my dearest friends are here. You want to talk about some great low maintenance friends, I’ve never bought any of them a drink or a meal, never had to help one unload a cooker, or had to babysit their dog while they go see the new grand baby, it’s great. I will not be able to say that much longer, come on Texas meetup. What I work on now are the subtle nuances of good BBQ. Those details that move a dish up to the absolutely incredible category. I’m still diligently experimenting with injecting gelatin and different additives into meats that aren’t usually moist and flavorful. It’s amazing what you can do with a brisket flat or a chicken breast. I will report my method when I get it just right.

[Johnny Booth]

I would love to see additives that are as natural as possible. A great injection should not cause migraines. 🤕

[Oak Smoke]

Johnny Booth I use the word additives fairly loosely. We’re talking my home made beef stock, ghee, Wagyu tallow, and better than bouillon diluted in water not the out there stuff. I even stop short of MSG.

[Johnny Booth]

Thanks! Sign me up when you want to test. 😎

[jfmorris]

I sure don't watch YouTube like I once did. My son does though, and is always sending me links to Guga crazyness and such.

Lately I seem to find myself just "winging it" as I cook and following recipes less. The other day I did a stir fry, and rather than crack open Kenji's wok book and find a recipe, I just added random stuff to the wok as I went, based on knowing what sauces/oils/spices would give it the Asian flavor profile I wanted for some shrimp and veggies in the wok...

And everyone above is right - only so many ways to skin a cat - i.e. cook ribs, brisket, butts and chicken...

[Bkhuna]

Spinaker - I've been cooking outdoors using charcoal smokers and grills for 40 or so years. Started with a Weber Kettle then added a WSM. Moved to a offset. Then a vertical charcoal smoker, then a propane vertical. Finally settle on a Weber Kettle with most of the accessories. Broke down about 8 months ago and bought a gen. 2 Smoke Fire. Have only used the kettle plus vortex for wings since.

Modern pellet poopers aren't just for newbies. Yeah, I get it. It was fun playing with the fire. But I finally got to the point where running in and out of the house every 20 minutes to adjust vents, add wood or charcoal, etc. just wasn't fun any longer.

It's the end product that gives me the most pleasure.

[Spinaker]

Yeah nothing wrong with that. Part of the interest for me in videos is to see how people manage cookers and their fire. Especially since I don’t get to taste the end product! 👌

[Bob K]

Spinaker - I agree. I love my offset because I like trying to bend the fire's will to do what I want it to. I also like seeing how others build and manage fires. As for pellet rigs, I don't have one but have often thought I'd probably love the convenience and 80-90% of the end product with way less work. But I don't want to watch someone dial their pellet cooker to 275

[Nagle Bagel]

I think the future will be more creative things to cook over fire - things we don't usually associate with cooking over a fire or meats/entrees that are uncommon (at least in most parts of the US). I'm thinking smoking ingredients for other things (cocktails, desserts, etc. - not unusual for people who regularly smoke/grill, but probably unknown to a beginner). Also as much as there are the "tried and true" methods of cooking, with newer technological advances coming out (and new fun tools that become commercially available) I'm sure there will be new techniques and ways of grill/smoking things that we haven't even conceived of.

Also the future of social media and online video is "short-form video" - if this is the case, the mantra of "low and slow" is in direct competition with "short-form" lol.

[JoeSousa]

I have a (very) small Youtube channel and I will tell you it is hard to consistently crank out quality content, especially if you don't have a team of editors, videographers, etc. And yeah, after you have done videos on most of the main types of meat where do you go from there? New ideas are hard to come by.

There are channels like Guga who kind of goes for the crazy, impractical, pushing the limits type of stuff that I don't really care for. Chud's (really like his channel) seems to be doing more where he takes BBQ and integrates it into other dishes or shows how to cook things on different types of cookers. So there are some creative, unique ways to produce quality content but it isn't easy. Hat's off to any of these Youtubers who even somewhat consistently put out quality content.

[ecowper]

Not sure about the "golden era of YouTube" ending .... maybe. I haven't looked at a YT video on a smoker/grill in a long time. A year, probably. But I regularly check out other cooking on YT for new ideas.

That said, one of the reasons you see my cooking branching out into other regions is inspiration that I got from Steve Raichlen. A while back someone gave me "The Brisket Chronicles" for Christmas. At first, I thought it would be 17 different variations of low n slow brisket. Turns out no, it is an exploration of brisket across many different regions and cultures of the globe.

I started to think about that and realize I had fallen into a rut. The Big 3 (brisket, pork butt, ribs) done like they do in Texas, Carolinas, and Kansas. Chicken roasted with traditional herbs and spices. Tri-Tip Santa Maria style. Etc. I wasn't pushing my creative boundaries, exploring new ideas, etc.

So, I started pushing into new areas. Korean BBQ, The Levant and North Africa right now. More to come. Last year, I cooked brisket based on many different cultures (Cuba, Korea, Italy, Vietnam) and almost none in a typical Texas style. I found new ways and new flavor profiles for chicken on the grill (Levant, Korea, Japan, Spain). And so on.

I think that this needs to happen in the YouTube smoke/grill arena also. Because the rut kills us, creatively. And cooking is a huge creative outlet for me.

Broaden your horizons!

Ropa Viejas ..... Cuban brisket, with rice and black beans


one pan fish


Irish Spiced Beef .... a traditional Irish dish at the holidays


Gochujang Grilled Chicken

[acorgihouse]

I would double like this, if I could figure out how.

[LA Pork Butt]

My use of YouTube falls into the category on need to know. I use it like I used books years ago. It is the go to when I don’t know how to do something. The videos are more helpful than the pictures in the book. I am a proponent of “experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lesson afterwards.” I would rather take the easy road and learn from someone who had the hard teacher.