Reflecting on 2023 and What's Next in 2024
The Smoke Sheet team had some amazing barbecue adventures in 2023, and we are looking forward to much more in 2024.
We hope everyone had a happy holiday season filled with family, friends, and plenty of great food. As the new year begins, we wanted to take the time to look back at a few of our favorite memories and major milestones we experienced in 2023 and share what we are looking forward to in the coming year.
Here are some of the biggest highlights from The Smoke Sheet newsletter in 2023 and a preview of what is to come in 2024.
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Fun BBQ Events
2023 was filled with several fun BBQ events that we and our friends were able to take part in. Here are some event highlights that stood out.
Ryan was able to attend the Grand Opening of Proud Souls Barbecue & Provisions in Kansas City, which included demonstrations from top pitmasters, including Megan Day of Burnt Finger BBQ, Matt Frampton of Urban Slicer Pizza, Todd Johns of Plowboys BBQ, the BBQ Ninja Craig Verhage, and more.
Sean mostly stuck to events in the greater New York City area, plus one fun one in North Carolina. In May, he enjoyed the creative dishes at the Jeff Michner BBQ Benefit in Queens and the whole hog competition at NC’s BBQ Fest on the Neuse. Two other notable events included Celebrate Big Apple Barbecue in Manhattan (which celebrated the very best NYC area BBQ talent) and Pig Island on Staten Island (a pork-focused picnic for the ages).
Ryan was also able to travel to Kansas City for two different collaborative dinners hosted by Buck Tui BBQ. In April, he attended the Masters Dinner Buck Tui BBQ X Meat Mitch Chef Collaboration, a 5-course dining experience featuring ten different Thai BBQ creations and collaborations from chef and pitmaster Ted Liberda of Buck Tui BBQ, 2023 James Beard Award nominee chef Pam Liberda of Buck Tui BBQ and Waldo Thai, chef and culinary director Michael Peterson of Meat Mitch, and “Meat” Mitch Benjamin himself. In July, he attended the Blood Bros. X Buck Tui Crossover BBQ event, which featured amazing dishes that creatively combined Kansas City and Texas barbecue styles with elements found in Asian cuisines.
Contributions from Guest Contributors
The Smoke Sheet has been fortunate enough to include features from several guest contributors. In 2023, we worked hard to incorporate new voices into our coverage of the barbecue world.
Self-described “BBQ-ologist” Ed Reilly wrote about how he rang in the new year at the Hog Drop with Myron Mixon in Unadilla, Georgia. Ed also wrote about the latest BBQ and grilling products featured at the annual National Hardware Show event in Las Vegas as well as what it was like to attend the annual HPBExpo hosted by the Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association.
Kell and Janet Phelps of the National Barbecue News gave a preview of the annual NBBQA conference that was held in sunny Orlando, Florida, featuring educational classes, networking opportunities, and exciting competitions.
“Grill Girl” Robyn Lindars wrote about her incredible experience at the 2023 Shed Steak Showdown, a Steak Cookoff Association event held at The Shed BBQ and Blues Joint in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
For the recent holiday season, Chef Ray Sheehan shared his favorite gift ideas for barbecue fans.
Prolific BBQ blogger John Tanner of John Tanner’s Barbecue Blog wrote several stories in 2023, including 5 BBQ heritage sites that deserve UNESCO recognition and a feature on the legendary Skylight Inn in Ayden, North Carolina. John also shared his wonderful lists of his favorite BBQ joints in North Carolina’s Piedmont region, 10 must-try BBQ spots in Eastern North Carolina, an update of his picks of the best BBQ joints in the Washington D.C. area, and essential historic Southern BBQ restaurants that everyone should know.
Our friend Monk from Barbecue Bros also contributed several stories to The Smoke Sheet in 2023, including a critical evaluation of the options for BBQ enthusiasts at Disney World, his rankings for the summer’s best BBQ TV shows in 2023, a feature on the Bludo’s BBQ Cookbook from acclaimed pitmaster Kevin Bludso, and an article on what the closure of Buxton Hall Barbecue in Asheville means for North Carolina’s whole hog scene. Monk also frequently shares his media recommendations in our “Friday Find” posts.
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Milestones and Changes
In 2023, we reached a couple of major milestones in our endeavor to chronicle the national BBQ and grilling landscape each week. We published the 250th issue and also celebrated the 5th Anniversary of The Smoke Sheet, thanks in large part to the wonderful support of our readers and the BBQ community as a whole. Perhaps the biggest milestone of 2023 was our move to Substack and change to a paid subscription format. We are grateful for the overwhelming support from the BBQ community since we implemented these necessary changes.
What We’re Looking Forward to in 2024
As we look ahead to what is to come in 2024, we hope to continue learning from pitmasters across the country, visiting new BBQ joints, attending exciting events, and digging deeper into the wide world of live-fire cooking. We’re kicking off the new year with a trip to North Carolina, where we will be sampling barbecue from both classic spots and new up-and-coming restaurants.
Happy New Year, and thank you for your continued support!
Ryan Cooper and Sean Ludwig
Co-Founders, The Smoke Sheet
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