Moving Forward After One Year On Substack
Some changes are happening soon at The Smoke Sheet. We want to hear your thoughts.
For nearly six years, it has been challenging yet rewarding to share our thoughts on the most noteworthy BBQ restaurants, news, recipes, and media. One year ago, we changed our model and moved The Smoke Sheet to a paid subscription newsletter on Substack. We are so thankful to our paid subscribers for all of their support during the past year.
At this time, Ryan has made the tough decision to step away from BBQ and The Smoke Sheet indefinitely to focus on his family and deal with a serious family medical situation. While he is unsure what the future holds, he is incredibly thankful for all of the amazing friendships and support from the BBQ community over the past several years. We wish him all the best and hope he doesn’t stay absent from BBQ for long.
To streamline operations in Ryan’s absence, we will implement some small changes. First, we will no longer publish a regular post each Friday and focus on the core Wednesday newsletter. Additionally, we will no longer have a section in the newsletter with event listings. We will, however, still write about and feature notable BBQ and live-fire events in our editorial and Hot Links sections.
Sean will continue to produce The Smoke Sheet in Ryan’s place, with the help of some amazing guest contributors who will bring their unique insights into the world of BBQ. Look out for more articles from barbecue friends, including Monk from Barbecue Bros, John Tanner, Ed Reilly, and more.
If you want to add your voice to The Smoke Sheet or have a say in what is covered, please get in touch. We want to hear from our supporters and greatly appreciate your continued patronage.
Ryan Cooper and Sean Ludwig
Co-Founders, The Smoke Sheet
Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ in Buda, Texas, has officially closed and has no plans to reopen. The operation initially gained acclaim as a food truck in Austin, but in 2023, it moved to a brick-and-mortar location in Buda. In the past year, the operation attracted negative attention. “The issues with Valentina’s began in July 2023 when a document purported to be an internal piece of communication from Valentina’s managers began circulating on social media. That document classified tips as a “privilege” and sparked public outrage against the eatery.”
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