5 Last-Minute Father’s Day Gifts for BBQ Lovers
Father’s Day is fast approaching, and you might be looking for some last-minute gift ideas for the barbecue lover in your life. Whether you want to get Dad a delicious new sauce or rub for the whole family to enjoy or hope to inspire your favorite backyard cook with a new book or tool, we’ve got you covered.
Here are five last-minute Father’s Day BBQ gift ideas we know Dad will enjoy!
JDQ Spicy BBQ Rub was recently awarded best rub on the planet at the American Royal Sauce and Rub Contest. (Photo by Trauma Hogs BBQ)
JDQ Spicy BBQ Rub
The JDQ Spicy BBQ Rub from Kansas City pitmaster Joshua DeWitt recently bested 333 entries to take the title of best rub on the planet at the American Royal Sauce and Rub contest. This delicious seasoning has hints of pecan and pepper with a kick of cayenne pepper, perfectly blended to add bold color and flavor while enhancing the natural taste of your favorite foods. It also has proven results on the competition circuit, bringing championship flavor to your very own backyard. Try JDQ Spicy BBQ Rub on pork, chicken, seafood, and vegetables. BUY IT HERE.
Blues Hog offers a lot of flavor-filled sauces that will spice up your cooks. (Photo by Wai Chan)
Blues Hog Sauce
The Blues Hog brand has long been the choice champions on the competition circuit, and their crew won Memphis in May in 2022. Blue Hog sells bottles of individual high-quality sauces in seven flavors — wing-focused Wild sauce, sweet and spicy Original, hickory smoked-flavored Smokey Mountain, thin and peppery Tennessee Red, fruity and hot Raspberry Chipotle, sweet and zesty Honey Mustard, and the competition favorite Champions’ Blend. The company also sells a premium variety pack with four sauces and a rub. BUY IT HERE.
The book Chiles and Smoke by Brad Prose contains 65 unforgettable recipes that combine the big, bold flavors of chiles with smoke and fire. (Photo by Ryan Cooper)
Chiles and Smoke: BBQ, Grilling, and Other Fire-Friendly Recipes with Spice and Flavor by Brad Prose
With Chiles and Smoke, professional recipe developer and pitmaster Brad Prose delivers a BBQ book unlike any other. Spanning beef, pork, chicken, seafood, and vegetables, each chapter also incorporates a variety of chiles, from spicy Jalapenos to bitter Shishito Peppers. Explore the alluring union of smoke and heat with recipes including Coffee-Rubbed Tri Tip with Shishito Gremolata, Chipotle Tahini Grilled Chicken, Chile Verde Spare Ribs, Grilled Scallops with Charred Poblano Cream, and more. In addition to the recipes, Brad walks you through how to char, grind, pickle, grill, and smoke chiles, demonstrating endless ways to liven up your meals. Crank up the heat and bring these bold flavors to your next BBQ. BUY IT HERE.
Monitor your temperatures with accuracy and precision using the FireBoard 2. (Photo by Fireboard Labs)
Fireboard 2
Introducing FireBoard 2, the newest member of the FireBoard family. Easy to set up and install on your wireless network, the FireBoard 2 pushes real-time temperature updates via the cloud to apps for iPhone, Android, and the Web. The FireBoard 2 supports up to six external temperature probes, which provide accurate and reliable temperature monitoring in many different environments and applications. BUY IT HERE.
These suede grill gloves can keep hands safe while grilling and smoking.
Steven Raichlen's Suede Grill Gloves
We recently interviewed BBQ master Steven Raichlen and asked him about the grill tools he can’t live without. One of those tools was long grill gloves that go up to your elbows, protecting you from heat. Raichlen has actually designed such a pair of suede gloves for outdoor cooking enthusiasts that can keep you safe when setting up or refreshing your coals or working with live-fire grills. BUY THEM HERE.
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There are just a few of our favorite gift ideas for barbecue-obsessed Dads, though we are sure he would approve of just about any meaty item. We hope you have a great Father’s Day weekend!
Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist) and Sean Ludwig (NYC BBQ)
Co-Founders, The Smoke Sheet
Fourth of July is right around the corner! Stock up now on pasture-raised, dry-aged meat from small American farmers delivered to your door. Founded by chefs and butchers Chris Carter and James Peisker in Nashville, Porter Road offers meat the way meat should be. All of their beef is dry-aged whole carcass for 14 days, and their team of skilled butchers hand cuts each piece. That’s why you’ll find rare cuts like Picanha, Tri-tip, Beef Belly, and Pork Brisket that you won’t see at the grocery store. Click here to enjoy 15% off your first order from Porter Road.
—Chuck Blount, San Antonio Express-News journalist and BBQ writer, passed away at 47 last week. (Photo via San Antonio Express-News) —
HOT OFF THE PRESS
This one hurts. Chuck Blount, a talented barbecue writer and journalist for the San Antonio Express-News, died Thursday at the age of 47 following a short illness. Blount’s wife of 20 years, former Express-News copy editor Debbie Erwin, posted the news on Facebook. “My husband Chuck Blount passed away peacefully,” she wrote. “Rest easy, my sweet prince.” While we never had the pleasure of meeting Blount in person, we admired his work and shared many of his stories in The Smoke Sheet. Following work as a sport writer, Blount went to work for the Express-News sports department as a page designer. He then “reinvented himself as a food writer and quickly won a loyal readership.” A GoFundMe has been created for his family as well. READ MORE.
The second annual Made For KC BBQ Championship was held last weekend in Kansas City, with the team O.G. Bandits BBQ taking home the Grand Champion title, a $25,000 check, and a one-year licensing opportunity to be featured at the Kansas City International Airport BBQ restaurant. (Read more about the KCI airport BBQ joint here.) The Bears Backyard Q team won Reserve Grand Champion (second place) at the event. READ MORE.
Joe Martinez, the owner of Smokin’ Joe’s Pit BBQ, has made a name for himself with great barbecue videos on YouTube and other social platforms. But in September 2022, he made the jump and opened a BBQ food truck in El Paso. Texas Monthly BBQ Editor Daniel Vaughn stopped by to see Joe’s truck and try the food, with high praise. “It was just a few slices of fatty, but Smokin’ Joe’s served me the best brisket I’ve had in El Paso,” Vaughn writes. “The stout bark and juicy cross section glistened in the sun, and the slices pulled apart easily. The oak smoke’s aroma lingered, and the seasoning level was spot-on. It was truly impressive. Just as good were the spareribs. They came off the bone with just a tug, but they weren’t mushy.” READ MORE.
ADDITIONAL READS
The new Ed Mitchell’s Barbeque cookbook (see our Watch/Listen/Read section below) is required summertime reading, according to Forbes.
Here are 34 awesome barbecue side dishes to make for your dad on Father’s Day.
Pitmaster Ray Riley, manager of Texas A&M's meat science center, shares tips and tricks for making the best Texas barbecue in your own backyard.
The Texas barbecue fold-over is a tasty throwback to Lone Star state history, according to the Houston Chronicle’s J.C. Reid.
Fig jam is the secret to this effortless barbecue sauce recipe from cookbook author and James Beard Awards chair Tanya Holland, shared by Bon Appetit.
Speaking of sauce, Tasting Table points out 15 different ways you might be ruining your homemade barbecue sauce.
—The Grill Sisters join Mark Wiens for the ultimate Aussie BBQ feast in Melbourne, Australia.—
WATCH
Aussie BBQ Surf and Turf with the Grill Sisters — Mark Wiens
In this episode, popular YouTuber Mark Wiens heads to the beautiful city of Melbourne, Australia, for the ultimate backyard Australian barbecue. He joins Desi and Irene, better known as The Grill Sisters, who are extremely passionate about barbecue. They cook up some of their favorite Australian barbecue recipes, including grilled octopus, lamb backstrap, and gigantic head-sized wild Tasmanian oysters! WATCH HERE.
LISTEN
The Crafty Cook Chris Webb — Pitmaster, an Old Virginia Smoke Podcast
Old Virginia Smoke pitmaster Luke Darnell is joined by Chris Webb of Bushmaster BBQ. Webb has recently seen huge success on the competition circuit and has been rocking and rolling this season. He is also the owner of Proud Souls Barbecue & Provisions, with locations in Colorado and Missouri. You won’t want to miss this wide-ranging conversation with the well-traveled and successful pitmaster on this episode of Pitmaster, an Old Virginia Smoke Podcast. LISTEN HERE.
READ
Ed Mitchell's Barbeque — Ed Mitchell, Ryan Mitchell, and Zella Palmer
In his first cookbook, a collaboration with his son, Ryan, and written with Zella Palmer, Ed Mitchell explores the tradition of whole-hog barbeque that has made him famous. It’s a method passed down through generations over the course of 125 years and hearkens back even further than that, to his ancestors who were plantation sharecroppers and, before that, enslaved. Ed is one of the few remaining pitmasters to keep this barbeque tradition alive, and in Ed Mitchell’s Barbeque, he will share his methods for the first time and fill in the unwritten chapters of the rich and complex history of North Carolina whole-hog barbeque. ORDER HERE.
e Bacon Wrapped BBQ Potato Boats are so packed with flavor that they will have you returning for more. (Photo by Ron Dimpflmaier)—
Bacon Wrapped BBQ Potato Boats
By Ron Dimpflmaier of FOGO Charcoal
This week’s Recipe of the Week comes from Ron Dimpflmaier of FOGO Charcoal. These Bacon Wrapped BBQ Potato Boats (or BBQ Cupcakes) are a BBQ version of a twice-baked potato. These potatoes were cooked, stuffed, and cooked again to create a tongue-tantalizing treat for you to enjoy. Replace the sausage in this recipe with leftover pulled pork or brisket, or anything else you can dream up.
—There are a ton of great BBQ events happening this summer.—
June 16-17, 2023: Discovery Fire at Settlers Creek — Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
The Discovery Fire event (formerly From the Ashes Idaho) returns June 16-17, 2023, with the big food, flavors and fun that you've come to expect from this annual summer Smoked and Fired Foods Adventure. It will include a Light the Fires Dinner on Friday night and a Pitmaster Showcase Event on Saturday. MORE INFO HERE.
June 23-24, 2023: Q BBQ Fest — Kansas City, Missouri
Arrowhead Events, the special events arm of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Eximius Productions have announced that the third-annual Q BBQ Fest – Kansas City will return to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium for a two-day event on Friday, June 23 and Saturday, June 24. This year's elevated barbecue festival format will be held inside GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium for the first time, giving guests the chance to sample the best barbecue from local, regional and national pitmasters inside the home of the Chiefs. MORE INFO HERE.
July 8, 2023: 13th Annual Beer Bourbon & BBQ Festival — Brooklyn, NY
It’s time to get smokin’! The 13th annual Beer Bourbon & BBQ Festival is returning on July 8, 2023, to Brooklyn to celebrate the summer! The event takes place at Industry City and will feature a great day of beer sippin’, bourbon tastin’, music listenin’, cigar smokin’, and barbeque eatin’. Admission buys you a sampling glass to enjoy an all-you-care-to-taste sampling of beer and bourbon. MORE INFO HERE.
July 13-16, 2023: Windy City Smokeout — Chicago, Illinois
Get ready for beer, BBQ, and country tunes, because the Windy City Smokeout BBQ & Country Music Festival is returning to Chicago. The Windy City Smokeout is one of the largest barbecue festivals in the U.S. and typically features the world’s best pitmasters and more than 15 musical acts. MORE INFO HERE.
July 23, 2023: Tex-Mex BBQ Block Party 2023 — Houston, Texas
The Houston Barbecue Festival and Saint Arnold Brewing Company announce the 2nd Annual Tex-Mex BBQ Block Party to celebrate the growing influence of Tejano and Tex-Mex cooking traditions in contemporary Central Texas-style craft barbecue. Several major Texas BBQ joints will be there slinging up the meats they are known well for. MORE INFO HERE.
August 19, 2023: Blues BBQ Festival 2023 — Manhattan, New York
Get ready for a fun music and food festival in Manhattan. The Blues BBQ Festival returns to Hudson River Park’s Pier 76 on Saturday, August 19. This free, day-long music festival invites exceptional blues artists to perform on our stage. Come for a Saturday filled with great food, great company, and great music. BBQ is typically available from multiple vendors throughout the fest. MORE INFO HERE.
Sept 1-3, 2023: Pinehurst Barbecue Festival — Pinehurst, North Carolina
The Pinehurst Barbecue Festival is a celebration of taste and tradition, featuring award-winning pitmasters from across North Carolina in one of the most picturesque settings in the entire state. Presented by Pinehurst Resort, US Foods, and Our State Magazine, the three-day festival, staged in the Village of Pinehurst, offers a unique culinary experience of various barbecue meats, seafood, and traditional sides, plus bourbon tasting and BBQ classes. MORE INFO HERE.
September 4-7, 2023: Barbecue University 2023 — Solvang, California
BBQ master Steven Raichlen will once again be hosting Barbecue University this year. This time, it will be held at Alisal Ranch in Solvang, California. You'll get a chance to experience Steven’s inimitable teaching style designed to help you take your grilling to the next level and much more. Get ready for Steven’s spontaneous improvisations, the Instagram-worthy presentation table, the final exam, and of course, the coveted Barbecue University diploma. MORE INFO HERE.
September 9, 2023: Pig Island — Staten Island, New York
Back for its 14th year, Pig Island NYC is returning to Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens on Staten Island for its third year in a row. More than 20 chefs will come together for this pork-laden festival and compete to see who has the most delicious dish. There will also be craft beer, hard cider, spirits, and other food offerings. BUY TICKETS HERE.
Sept 27 - Oct 1, 2023: American Royal World Series of Barbecue — Kansas City, Kansas
The American Royal World Series of barbecue is the largest BBQ competition in the country. On top of a massive KCBS competition with roughly 500 teams, this signature Kansas City event includes public-facing activities, including live music, delicious BBQ and local food, a lineup of kids activities, and a vendor fair authentic to Kansas City and BBQ enthusiasts. MORE INFO HERE.
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