5 Canadian BBQ Influencers You Need to Follow

Canada might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of the world of barbecue and grilling. However, these days some of the most interesting, entertaining, and insightful social media content comes from our neighbors to the North.

Here are five fantastic Canadian BBQ accounts you should follow on social media.

Queen of the Grill
Paul Stachyra, known as the Queen of the Grill, is a Toronto-based backyard chef. This year, she released a fantastic new book called Wing Crush: 100 Epic Recipes for Your Grill or Smoker, which features a ton of inspired recipes for chicken wings. Stachyra also co-hosts the All Up In My Grills podcast with co-host Lauren Nagel, which showcases conversations between two BBQ-loving women who live in different countries. We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview Stachyra earlier this year. FOLLOW HER ON INSTAGRAM AND TIKTOK.

Maddie and Kiki
Perhaps no one on social media is more bubbly than Canada’s favorite grill master sisters, Maddie and Kiki Longo. The duo teaches BBQ classes in person at their Grill Studio as well as virtually on social media and their blog. The sisters were named among the Top 10 BBQ Experts in North America and were recently featured in Forbes. Maddie and Kiki have a weekly show on YouTube, and regularly share their recipes live on Instagram, while Kiki was a contestant on FireMasters on The Cooking Channel. FOLLOW THEM ON INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE, AND TWITTER.

Dark Side of the Grill
Pitmaster Mel Chmilar Jr from Edmonton, Alberta, has been hosting BBQ events locally and globally for years under the moniker Dark Side of the Grill. He makes a ton of fun videos showing folks how to make all kinds of smoked meat dishes and providing info on sauces and other things to spice up your backyard barbecue setup. Additionally, he’s a member of the Big Green Egg Pro Team, the Dalstrong Pro Team, and a KCBS Certified Judge. FOLLOW HIM ON INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, AND YOUTUBE.

Foster Feasts
Steph Foster is a Canadian mother, backyard griller, and brunch lover. She shares her amazing recipes on her Foster Feasts blog and on social media, focusing on family-friendly dishes. Though she is not a formally-trained chef or pitmaster, Steph uses her experience working in the hospitality industry to inform her recipes. She currently resides in the country with her husband and kids. FOLLOW HER ON INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK.

Scale and Tailor
Kara from Scale and Tailor is a Canadian BBQ personality and recipe developer who first started grilling four years ago. You can often find Kara dancing and having fun in the kitchen or outside in front of her Pit Boss grill. She frequently goes live on Instagram with BBQ friends, including Love in Every Morsel, and shares her zest for life as a mother of three. FOLLOW HER ON INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK.

Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist) and Sean Ludwig (NYC BBQ)
Co-Founders, The Smoke Sheet

Step up your BBQ & grilling game with a Pitmaster Club membership from AmazingRibs.com. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.

—The owners of Pig Beach in Brooklyn, NY, have announced it will close its popular first location at the end of the month. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)—

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Pig Beach, one of the top barbecue spots in NYC, has announced it will be closing its popular Brooklyn location at the end of the month due to its landlord selling the building. The restaurant will eventually return to the same location after the area is redeveloped and new buildings are constructed, a process that will likely take years. The restaurant’s partners intend to find a new temporary Brooklyn home until it can return. Pig Beach’s Brooklyn location was its first spot, but it has since opened locations in Queens, NY, and West Palm Beach, FL, and it will soon open another joint in Louisville, KY, in 2023. READ MORE.

Texas Monthly BBQ editor Daniel Vaughn visited Gatlin’s Fins & Feathers in Houston and reports that it pushes BBQ boundaries with creative dishes like smoked jerk chicken and a Viet-Cajun fried catfish sandwich. Vaughn notes that the smoked jerk chicken is what drew him to Fins & Feathers initially, but there’s more to enjoy, even for barbecue lovers. “Things are very soulful, but it’s not soul food,” executive chef Michelle Wallace said. READ MORE.

Animales Barbecue Co., which has a popular barbecue truck in Minneapolis, has hinted that it will open a full-fledged BBQ joint next year, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine reports. Jon Wipfli, pitmaster and owner of Animales BBQ, recently announced that he's taken on a new business partner, Billy Tserenbat of Billy Sushi. The two partners are working together to find a new permanent home in either the North Loop or Northeast Minneapolis neighborhoods. READ MORE.

ADDITIONAL READS

Latham “Bum” Dennis, the founder, owner, and operator of renowned Bum’s Restaurant in Ayden, NC, has passed away.

Here are 10 of the best BBQ joints in Memphis, according to Tasting Table.

Texas Monthly wonders what happened to savory pork spare ribs as sweet smoked ribs have taken over many BBQ menus.

Acclaimed Austin barbecue joint Micklethwait Craft Meats is celebrating 10 years of smoked meats.

J.C. Reid writes in the Houston Chronicle about hot pop-up BBQ events happening in Houston.

New Yorkers react to the imminent closing of the Dallas BBQ location in the East Village.

—Season 3 of the Netflix series Taco Chronicles includes a visit to Zavala’s Barbecue in Grand Prairie, Texas. (Photo by Ryan Cooper)—

WATCH

BBQ Tacos in Dallas — Taco Chronicles
Many of the most popular taco styles have long, rich, little-known histories. In Season 3 of the popular Netflix series Taco Chronicles, the hosts spend some time showcasing barbecue tacos. They visit Dallas, a city that never stops reinventing itself, and its food is an example of this. Octopus carnitas, lobster, and brisket tacos are part of the city's unique menu. WATCH HERE.

LISTEN

Grab ‘Em in the Brisket Interview — BBQ Nation
The boys from the Grab ‘Em in the Brisket podcast join Lee Ann and JT to talk about BBQ, life, media, and their favorite things to cook. Not all of them choose brisket as their #1 item. John, Matt, James, and Jan have turned a cul-de-sac party into a great podcast and competition team. LISTEN HERE.

READ

The Best Grilling Cookbook Ever Written By Two Idiots — The Grill Dads
The Grill Dads like to joke that people at home can look at them and say, “If these two idiots can do it, I can too.” They are proud to offer this cookbook as a roadmap to express yourself and experiment with different types of grills, cooking methods, and cuisines ― with recipes designed to help you grow into an outstanding home chef. It is filled with simple, fun, delicious recipes that you can make as written or use as a guide to experimenting on your own. ORDER HERE.

—A great way to prepare a tomahawk steak is to smoke and then finish off with a beautiful sear over direct heat. (Photo by Lauren Nagel)—

How To Smoke A Tomahawk Steak

By Bon Appeteach
 

For this week’s Recipe of the Week, we chose this epic showstopping tomahawk steak recipe from Lauren Nagel of Bon Appeteach. With this recipe and accompanying tutorial, you’ll learn how to smoke a tomahawk steak using the reverse sear method, the perfect way to smoke and grill a thick-cut bone-in ribeye steak for a truly unforgettable dinner.

—It's time to start mapping out BBQ events to attend this spring.—

February 15-18, 2023: National Barbecue & Grilling Association National Conference — Kissimmee, Florida
The National Barbecue & Grilling Association (NBBQA) will be hosting its annual national conference in early 2023. Expect great classes, speakers, food, competitions, and much more at this event. MORE INFO HERE.

March 31-April 1, 2023: Hogs For the Cause — New Orleans, Louisiana
The Hogs For the Cause barbecue competition and festival is back in 2023 for its 15th anniversary. The event will be held at the UNO Lakefront Arena festival grounds. Proceeds go to fight pediatric brain cancer. MORE INFO HERE.

May 17-20, 2023: Memphis in May — Memphis, Tennessee
Recognized as one of the world’s most prestigious barbecue contests, the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is a four-day competition held in Memphis. Teams representing the best of barbecue that have been honing their craft for years compete for the title of World Champion and a share of the more than $145,000 in prize money. The event will be held again at Tom’s River Park after a hiatus. However, based on the reduction in space in the new Tom Lee Park the event organizers expect the contest will be limited to 150 teams. MORE INFO HERE.

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