I've wondered about this, for these influencers on social media who have to create or make videos of new recipes every week, its got to become a grind. Burn out becomes an issue. I've enjoyed Chef Tom for maybe 10 years. He's taking a break.
And frankly, for the past year or so I've lost interest because the recipes become too involved for me, or can I say " cheffy " . But I fully understand there's just so many ways to smoke ribs, pork butt, chicken, and brisket. I still reference his older videos, however.
1,654 likes, 101 comments - atbbq on March 21, 2026: "The legend, @cheftomjackson is taking a break. In the meantime, we’ll keep his signature advice in mind: Be good.".
My toys:
Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center (WSCGC) aka Mr. Fancypants
Pit Barrel Cooker (which rocks), named Pretty Baby
Weber Summit S650 Gas Grill, named Hot 'n Fast (used mostly for searing and griddling)
Weber Kettle Premium 22" named Kettle Kid, eager to horn in with more cooks in the future
Camp Chef Somerset IV 4-burner outdoor gas range named AfterBurner due to its 30kBTU burners
Adrenaline BBQ Company Gear:
SnS Low Profile, DnG, and Large Charcoal Basket, for WSCGC
SnS Deluxe for 22" Kettle
Elevated SS Rack for WSCGC
SS Rack for DnG
Cast Iron Griddle
Grill Grate for SnS
Grill Grates: five 17.375 sections (retired to storage)
Grill Grates: six 19.25 panels for exact fit for Summit S650
gasser
Grill Grates for 22" Kettle
2 Grill Grate Griddles
Steelmade Griddle for Summit gas grill
Fireboard Gear:
Extreme BBQ Thermometer Package
Additional control unit
Additional probes: Competition Probes 1" (3) and 4" (1), 3 additional Ambient Probes. 1 additional Food Probe
2 Driver Cables
Pit Viper Fan (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Pit Viper Fan new design (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Thermoworks Gear:
Thermapen MK4 (pink)
Thermapen Classic (pink too)
Thermoworks MK4 orange
Temp Test 2 Smart Thermometer
Extra Big and Loud Timer
Timestick Trio
Maverick ET 73 a little workhorse with limited range
Maverick ET 733
Maverick (Ivation) ET 732
Grill Pinz
Vortex (two of them)
18" drip pan for WSCGC
Ceramic Spacers for WSCGC in Kamado Mode: 2 sets each 1/2", 1", 2". The 2" spacers work best with the 18" drip pan. The 1+1/2 inch spacers work best with the 14 inch cake pan.
Two Joule Sous Vide devices
3 Lipavi Sous Vide Tubs with Lids: 12, 18 and 26 quarts
Avid Armor Ultra Pro V32 Chamber Sealer
Instant Pot 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot 10 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Charcoal Companion TurboQue
A-Maze-N tube 12 inch tube smoker accessory for use with pellets
BBQ Dragon and Dragon Chimney
Shun Classic Series:
8" Chef Knife
6" Chef's Knife
Gokujo Boning and Fillet Knife
3 1/2 inch Paring Knife
I just took a break from reading emails to post about this. You beat me to it Lynn. I hope he returns in a little while with his culinary batteries fully recharged. In the meantime, he definitely deserves the break.
I too have followed him and have cooked many of his recipes. I've learned so much especially using the Yoder everything was spot on. Even his cooks in the Yoder pizza oven insert besides pizza were great. We all need a time to recharge and hopefully he will return. There are still tons of recipes out there of his to try. Best wishes Tom.
Chef Tom is part of the larger All Things BBQ, that also includes Yoder smokers. So he's got a financial fall back.
The ones I really wonder about, are those who've gone full time social media. They either have to keep turning out videos or live off their " royalties " , so to speak. If they've done a lot of videos, I'm sure there's a pretty good churn.
First YT'er I started following was T-Roy Cooks. And now he rarely does a video. Him and Baby Back Maniac. I have to guess they're locked financially.
Last edited by Lynn Dollar; March 23, 2026, 11:16 AM.
LSG Adjustable Grill/Smoker, MAK Pellet Grill, Large BGE with Several Attachments from the Ceramic Grill Store, Weber Genesis E335 Gasser, Cast Iron Pans & Griddle, Grill Grates, Mostly Thermoworks Thermometers, Anova SV Stick, BBQ Guru Controller and Fan
Bradley Robinson (Chud's BBQ) had an entire video on the future of his channel awhile back and a good part of it was how he made a commitment to himself to never miss a weekly "deadline" for five years. Apparently, one constant in the YouTube "algorithm" is that if you skip a week of no new long-form content, you drop significantly in how often your channel is shown in searches....miss a few weeks and you might as well be delisted.
I've noticed quite a few creators are trying to bring in alternative revenue streams that do not depend entirely on the fickle YouTube thing.
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