Opinions on Meathead

I have spent a fair bit of time on Amazing Ribs the last couple of days. Meathead challenges a lot of BBQ misconceptions, some of which I hold, with what seem to be well thought out arguments. He seems like he knows what he is talking about. Would you all agree?

I am reading his Thermodynamics of Cooking article, and this is how he describes conduction, convection, and radiation. Makes me want to fire up the grill now

1. Conduction is when your lover's body is pressed against yours.
2. Convection is when your lover blows in your ear.
3. Radiation is when you feel the heat of your lover's body under the covers without touching.

I genuinely like his site, and I've used a lot of his tips and advice on grilling and smoking.

A little overstated, perhaps, but my favorite quote from him is "If you boil ribs, the terrorists win."

He's got a lot of info on the site and he has support from an informed staff of advisers. A couple of times I thought he was a little heavy-handed with people when they had a question, but some of the questions asked almost deserved the heavy hand. They lost a lot of the QA's on the site through a service error so I can't point out any specific examples.

If you spent the weekend with him you'd probably learn a lot about the art of barbeque.

Don

I think he pretty much knows what he is talking about, although I think YMMV holds for more things than he admits to. From what I can tell there is as much diversity of opinion on BBQ as on nearly anything else, nearly the amount there is as a to hones, for instance. I am far from an expert, but I certainly agree with him re boiling ribs, the importance of thermometers, not soaking wood for smoking.

I am not sure yet whether I agree with him on using the best grades of brisket available and favoring point cuts of brisket over flat cuts. But I really do not know enough to be talking.

From what I've read on his site I agree with most of what he's said... However most I've also found is common sense (which I know isn't common!) I think his site is well written and funny, straight forward enough for virtually anyone to understand and yet not dumbed-down so people who know what they're doing (or, like me, *think* they know ) don't feel like they're being talked down to.

Cheers

M.

rider4life said:

From what I've read on his site I agree with most of what he's said... However most I've also found is common sense (which I know isn't common!) I think his site is well written and funny, straight forward enough for virtually anyone to understand and yet not dumbed-down so people who know what they're doing (or, like me, *think* they know ) don't feel like they're being talked down to.

Cheers

M.

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yes, it is well written. Thanks all.

I've learned a lot from the Amazing Ribs web site and Meathead in particular. Although opinions vary on the science and art of BBQ, I find that there is a great amount of thought and research put into the articles there. I trust that source as much or more than any other I've come across. I particularly like the debunking of popular myths, such as the dangers of Nitrites/Nitrates, etc. and have seen similar info from other well accredited sources.

I have been getting alot of info from his site lately too. Thanks for the comments on the credibility guys.

I have been looking into his meat/grill thermometer recommendations and I am interested in the Maverick ET 733, but since he is obviously getting revenue from those product recommendations I wonder if they are as good as advertised...

nortac said:

I've learned a lot from the Amazing Ribs web site and Meathead in particular. Although opinions vary on the science and art of BBQ, I find that there is a great amount of thought and research put into the articles there. I trust that source as much or more than any other I've come across. I particularly like the debunking of popular myths, such as the dangers of Nitrites/Nitrates, etc. and have seen similar info from other well accredited sources.

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He made me re-think my prejudice against propane. I probably won't buy a gas grill as I enjoy the more primal aspect of creating fire, but I won't look down upon gas grills/smokers.

oc_in_fw said:

He made me re-think my prejudice against propane. I probably won't buy a gas grill as I enjoy the more primal aspect of creating fire, but I won't look down upon gas grills/smokers.

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So you're saying you have a place in your heart for this guy now?



I'm with you on the charcoal thing, but propane works too. I have both but I use the charcoal grill way more.

Rockminer said:

So you're saying you have a place in your heart for this guy now?

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I'm with you on the charcoal thing, but propane works too. I have both but I use the charcoal grill way more.

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I like what Hank said about christian rock- "you aren't making christianity better, you're making rock worse"

I know this isn't BBQ, but I am grilling steaks later and wanted some cole slaw. I added 50% extra sugar and celery seed, doubled the pepper, and added half a red pepper. It tastes pretty good.
http://amazingribs.com/recipes/slaws_salads_and_other_vegetables/creamy_coleslaw_with_mayo.html

JaggerDragger said:

I have been getting alot of info from his site lately too. Thanks for the comments on the credibility guys.

I have been looking into his meat/grill thermometer recommendations and I am interested in the Maverick ET 733, but since he is obviously getting revenue from those product recommendations I wonder if they are as good as advertised...

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Yes, they are as good as advertised. I own 4 of the 732's and they rock. Compared side by side with my (much more expensive) Stoker probes they are well within an acceptable range. I know a few folks on here have posted similar side by side comparisons. In my opinion their only weak point is in the durability of their probes. It's a good idea to have a spare or two on hand. It would also be nice if they offered a choice in probe length when purchasing.

If you look at his reviews a little closer you'll see that he doesn't give top marks to any one manufacturer, with the possible exception of Thermoworks. That's not unusual because I'm unaware of any Thermoworks product in the realm of BBQ that isn't top notch. He only gave Maverick's entry into the instant read arena a silver rating.

My only beef with Meatheads site is that it would be nice to have a few basic recipes for the major meats instead of just the fancy stuff. Every bit of info he puts out that I've double checked has been backed by other sources, some being legitimate scientific studies.

Meathead's reviews and articles lead me to purchase the Thermoworks Pro BBQ kit over a Maverick set up. A bit more pricy and no remote monitor, I opted for better cables and probes which hopefully last longer and probably cost less in the long run.

I've been on the site a lot lately too. I bought the thermapen based on his recommendation and it is amazing. I think everyone should own one. there seems to be a ton of info on that site. I like that it's not just recipes and suggestions, He actually gives reasons as to why some things work and other things don't. That way you retain more of the info.

I've been perusing his site as of late, and he really does seem to have a passion for the Q and there's a good bit of information to be gleaned. I did read his article relating to having multiple thermometers, good info, but for my purposes a bit overkill but it's better to be safe than sorry, especially if you compete in BBQ. I'd like a Thermapen...but $95 for a thermometer is a bit out of the budget, but there were some others that got decent ratings that are more palatable to the wallet in the $20-$50 range. Most of my smoking is done on a UDS, but I do need to get a good instant read thermometer.

Thermoworks Thermopop is a good option at $24. All of the accuracy, just a little slower.