There are those who feel that Barbecuing is not only a rite of passage, but a rite of summer.  Question is – should outdoor cooking on your backyard barbecue be reserved only for those months?  I SAY NO!

I mean come on – what other sort of culinary art  – yes – Barbecuing outdoors, smoking meat, cooking on your grill, etc – these are all art forms!  -  brings about as much contention as BBQ?  Hell, one of the fastest ways I know to churn my buddies up is to crack on one of their preferred preparation methods or go on about the virtues of charcoal vs. wood vs. gas.

Barbeque is even a controversial word as some refer to it as barbecue (the proper way to spell the word), barbeque, BBQ or bar-b-q!

Anyway, the popularity of  backyard Barbecue goes without question.  In fact, recent studies show that some 4 out of 5 United States households own a barbecue grill.

Pssst… Here’s a secret: I’m betting that at least one of those four has more than one BBQ grill or smoker!

What’s more is that the person doing the barbecuing in the home or on the backyard patio is likely to consider herself or himself some what of a culinary semi-pro!  Hey – come on.  If you’re past the “pop it in the microwave stage, ” you’re well on your way to that tier as far as I’m concerned!

So, here’s my BBQ quest for the next few months: See Who’s Barbecuing on What

I want to find out exactly who is cooking on what.  The big guys around here, like Dennis Brock over at Brock’s Smoke Hut – a local Winter Haven Barbecue spot – uses a sweet gas fueled Southern Pride Smoker.  But, what are the homeboys using?

My guess is that I’ll find a mix of standard, yet tried and true Weber Kettles, Smokey Mountain Cookers, maybe one of  Traeger’s Novelty BBQ Grills, a sweet and eccentric Kamado Ceramic BBQ Grill, for sure at least one HEMI-Powered BBQ Grill, and most likely a few Ugly Drum Smokers or a Big Baby Double Barrel Smoker  – DIY BBQ Style – or two.

What’s Your Favorite BBQ Rig?

So, what are you Barbecuing on these days?  Are you happy with it?  Is Football Season giving you the itch to upgrade?  If so, to which brand or model?

Share your thoughts here, and we’ll see where we are!  Until then, remember… Smoking is Good For You (Barbecue Smoking, that is)!