Big Green Egg: Getting Started
Vent control, temperature control, lighting the fire, and the first cooks that teach you the most — without wasting a weekend fighting the grill.
Start with the guides
Every guide below is written from hands-on backyard cooking experience. Read one before your next cook and you will cook measurably better that same day.
The Smoked Sausage Guide
From kielbasa to andouille to chorizo: how to choose sausage, how to tell a good link from a mediocre one, and how to grill and smoke it properly.
Meat Thermometers: Why Temperature Beats Time
Instant-read versus leave-in, where to probe, and the temperatures that take the guesswork out of steak, chicken, and pork.
Lump Charcoal vs. Briquettes
What each fuel actually does differently — heat, flavor, ash, burn time — and which one belongs in a kamado and which one suits a long, steady cook.
Rubs and Seasonings
Salt, pepper, sugar, heat, and smoke: how to build flavor that belongs on the meat, how to read a label, and how to season without overpowering the cook.
Steak on the Grill: The Reverse Sear
A thick steak, cooked gently first and seared last, comes out evenly done edge to edge. Here is the whole method, start to finish.
Grilling Chicken Without Drying It Out
Chicken dries out for fixable reasons: too much direct heat, no thermometer, and cutting into it too soon. Fix those three and the rest follows.
Tailgating guides
School-specific grilling advice for game day — written for the tailgate, not the stadium. Each guide covers portable setups, make-ahead food, feeding a crowd, and keeping food safe in the heat.
LSU Tailgating: Grilling Tips for Baton Rouge
Make-ahead barbecue, portable setups, feeding a grazing crowd, and keeping food safe in Louisiana heat.
Ole Miss Tailgating: Grilling Tips for the Grove
Long-day planning in Oxford, portable and tidy setups, make-ahead food, and a clean teardown.
Gear, without the sales pitch
You do not need a garage full of gadgets to grill well. You need a few things that work, chosen for the right reasons. The gear guide walks through each category — thermometers, charcoal, fire starters, tools, gloves, and cleaning gear — and explains what to look for before you buy anything.
Shop My Picks — coming soon
Short, shoppable grilling videos and a storefront page with the gear featured in these guides are in the works. They are not live yet. When they are, you will find them at Shop My Picks, and this site will say so plainly. Until then, there are no shopping links on this site at all.
Who writes this
Bill Bulloch is a backyard griller in Roswell, Georgia, who cooks on a Big Green Egg and keeps a freezer full of smoked sausage varieties. Read more on the About page, including how this site handles product mentions and what it will never claim.