The BBQ Central Show

Episode 415

Taking you back to - 2/7/2012 - The very first appearance from show favorite, Sam The Cooking Guy!!

This show being done as we celebrate the 8th year of "Best Moments" shows. Everyone give Jon Solberg a shout of thanks for doing these...he's gem!

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email Jon Solberg and let him know what you would like to hear on a future episode! 

As always, thank you for listening!

...

(Recorded 1/3/2025)

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

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(Recorded 1/3/2025)

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

Smokin Pecan Pellets – Use promo code “BBQCENTRAL” For 10% Off Your Order

Primo Grills

Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE15” for 15% off your entire purchase!

Fireboard

Pit Barrel Cooker

Micallef Cigars – Premium Hand Rolled Cigars

Episode 414

Taking you back to - 12/1/2010 - The very first “Grilling Round Table”. Steak edition.

On the panel:

Chris Finney - South Carolina

Brian Pollak - Carol City, IL

Chuck Dorak - Easton, PA

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email Jon Solberg and let him know what you would like to hear on a future episode! 

As always, thank you for listening!

*Don’t forget to R...

(12/30/2025 - Hour two)

It's the most wonderful time of the year...and it's also the last show of the year. Tonight we take it back...all the way back to the beginning of the year!

It's been a while since I did an official "Year In Review" style show and tonight we bring it back. Over the 2 hour show tonight, we will take a look back at the past 12 months worth of shows, highlight guests, topics, disasters, victories and everything in between. Could there be a better way to...

(12/30/2025 - Hour One)

It's the most wonderful time of the year...and it's also the last show of the year. Tonight we take it back...all the way back to the beginning of the year!

It's been a while since I did an official "Year In Review" style show and tonight we bring it back. Over the 2 hour show tonight, we will take a look back at the past 12 months worth of shows, highlight guests, topics, disasters, victories and everything in between. Could there be a better way to...

Episode 413

Taking you back to - 3/30/2010 - The competition BBQ Round Table Srries rolls on after the The 12 Days of BBQ Christmas break last week…brisket is the topic and sitting in on the panel was…by the way…let me stop here and get on the “look at me train” for a second…I can tell you how great the show was…I can tell you a lot of things about this show over the years…but nothing confirm how big competition BBQ was at one point than seeing who was on the panel:

Duration: 00:09:04

(December 23, 2025 - Hour Two)

9:14 - The 12 Days of BBQ Christmas, a follow up on AI music and who has the rights to what, a cat piss update and more!

9:35pm and on - After the open, we go right into the final Embedded Correspondents segment of 2025. during the time, we will talk about best trends of 2025, worst trends of 2025, predictions for 2026 and, of course, a litany of 100% Assurity Statements.

Merry Christmas to you!

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

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(December 23, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14 - The 12 Days of BBQ Christmas, a follow up on AI music and who has the rights to what, a cat piss update and more!

9:35pm and on - After the open, we go right into the final Embedded Correspondents segment of 2025. during the time, we will talk about best trends of 2025, worst trends of 2025, predictions for 2026 and, of course, a litany of 100% Assurity Statements.

Merry Christmas to you!

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

Smokin Pecan Pe...

Episode 412

Taking you back to - 12/20/2011

It's the gift that keeps on giving the whole year, Clark!! Every year we introduce you to the best Christmas song ever recorded...and to add even more value, it was done live almost 14 years ago to the day!

For your listening pleasure, we present to you..."The 12 Days of BBQ Christmas"

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email Jon Solberg and let him know what you would like to he...

(December 16, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:14pm - Leading off the 2nd hour is Chris Young from Combustion, Inc. Is he the best YouTube cooking content creator at this current moment in time...???

10:35pm - The close of the show will have the final visit from Texas Monthly's BBQ editor, Daniel Vaughn. What was the Best, Worst and other in BBQ (in Texas and beyond) in 2025?? Tuner in tonight and find out!

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(December 16, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14 - The Chicago visit recap!

9:35pm - After the recap,, we are joined by Wes Wright for the final time in 2025. Get the latest business updates and predictions!

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

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Episode 411

Taking you back to - 3/23/2010 - Competition Pork Butt Round Table

#1 2009 KCBS - Little Pig Town - Scott Kee

#5 2009 KCBS - The Slab’s - Kyle Laval (The BBQ Pimp)

#7 2009 KCBS - Butcher BBQ - Dave Bouska

Continuing the multi-week look back on "Round Table" shows for fan Tyler. This week, learn how the best of the best were doing their pork butts back in 2010 (2009).

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? E...

(December 9, 2025 - Hour Two)

14min in- Meathead - Amazing Ribs(.com)

35min in - Robert Moss

1:14:00 min in - Ted Conrad - Fireboard

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

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Primo Grills

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(December 9, 2025 - Hour One)

14min in- Meathead - Amazing Ribs(.com)

35min in - Robert Moss

1:14:00 min in - Ted Conrad - Fireboard

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

Smokin Pecan Pellets – Use promo code “BBQCENTRAL” For 10% Off Your Order

Primo Grills

Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE15” for 15% off your entire purchase!

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Episode 409

Taking you back to 3/16/2010 - Continuing the many weeks of “BBQ Round Tables” as requested by fan of the show “Tyler”...this time around we do a competition round table  - Chicken Style - with Kelly Wertz - 4 Legs Up BBQ  (4th in 2009), Joe Amore - Smokin MT. Smokers (5th in 2009) and Troy Black - Learn 2 Q (7th in 2009). The Round table shows were some of the most downloaded shows ever in show history…

But if I might be honest as it relates to this particular one…the success of the...

(December 2, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:14pm - The first Tuesday in the 2nd hour brings a monthly (and last) visit from Sam The Cooking Guy. He will bum in a little later than normal as he will be finishing another job earlier in the day. That being said, we should have plenty of time to talk about his Thanksgiving and what gifts he's recommending this holiday season.

10:35pm - The close of the show will have me recapping the Thanksgiving holiday at my house, what we did, what we had to...

(December 2, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14 - Last week it was Rasheed Philips and this week it's Al Frugoni! The king of open-live fire cooking joins me to talk about the Meat Up in Hondo, TX but, more importantly, we will discuss how the Open Fire Memphis In May deal came together for the 2026 version of this event. You might be surprised how this all came together...and who dumped on the idea to begin with!

9:35pm - After Al, Mike Lang from Another Pint Please, joins me for the last time...

Episode 409

Taking you back to...3/9/2010 - This week we feature what is going to be a multi-week series of “BBQ Round Table” shows. First up is a technical nightmare…one that I don't recall actually ever doing…but I must have because Jon has it queued up and ready to go…Fan of the show Tyler has requested these and Jon has accommodated him fully and for many weeks to come…and you get to enjoy these upcoming shows too!!

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email Jon...

(November 25, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:14pm & 10:35pm - The 4th Tuesday of the month in the 2nd hour brings a visit from the Embedded Correspondents. We are only a few days away from Thanksgiving at this point, so why not have a special edition of the "100% Assurity Statements". There will be a number of Thanksgiving related statements and there will also be a number of unrelated statements as well. It's always fun, it's always unpredictable and there is no better way to finish November than with these guys!

There might be some special s...

(November 25, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14 - Rasheed Philips from Philips Barbeque Co. stops by to open things up tonight. Aside from being one of the most sought after live-fire cooks out there today, he also hosts a weekly BBQ podcast. Within that podcast, Rasheed is good for a a "Hot Take" or two. So tonight, Rasheed and I will trade "Hot Takes" to see who can come up with the most "Hottest" take of them all.

9:35pm - After Rasheed, our pal Steve Ray from Owl's Nest BBQ stops by fo...

Episode 408

9/24/2019 - This week we feature one of my favorite guests…and a BBQCS GHOF’er and the man who…the globe…considers to be THEE foremost burger authority…our friend George Motz. This was George’s first time on the show…so if you missed it…this will be one you want to check out this coming Friday…and he opens with a hot take on “Global Warming”...

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email Jon Solberg and let him know what you would like to hear on a future e...

(November 18, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:14pm & 10:35pm - This is usually where you would see Susie Bulloch (and Todd) from Hey Grill Hey. While Susie has other plans, Triple T has committed to doing their last segment of 2025 with me. So we will start with what new things are coming out of the HGH platform, and then, we will get the HGH story from Todd's side. We did this with Susie a number of years ago...but I don't know if anyone has actually gotten it from Todd's perspective. I think it is an interesting s...

(November 18, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14 - The man who needs no introduction to anyone interested in cooking over live-fire, Steven Raichlen, joins me for his last visit of 2025. Tonight we make sure you are "Thanksgiving Ready", that you are "Holiday Season Gift-Giving Ready" and we will also talk about a few of his upcoming book projects, that to me, seem to signal something in his prolific career...am I right?? Tune in and see.

9:35pm - After Steven, I will be joined by monthly guest, and official BBQ business correspondent, We...

Episode 407

9/23/2008 - Fred Bernardo of Tasty Licks BBQ and Supply Store is being featured this week…and in this segment we talk about something that was HUGE in the industry back in later 2008…the reveal of the 22” WSM…a much bigger version of the flag ship 18.5”...which was my first smoker…

We also talked about the 26” Weber Kettle…which I think is still one of the biggest/coolest things to have happened in 20 years…6” Weber Kettle…yes please!!

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email...

(November 10, 2025 - Hour Two)

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

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Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE15” for 15% off your entire purchase!

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(November 10, 2025 - Hour One)

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

Smokin Pecan Pellets – Use promo code “BBQCENTRAL” For 10% Off Your Order

Primo Grills

Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE15” for 15% off your entire purchase!

Fireboard

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Micallef Cigars – Premium Hand Rolled Cigars

(November 4, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:14pm - The first Tuesday in the 2nd hour brings a visit from Sam The Cooking Guy. Did he par-boil wings recently?? Why did he do that and how do I get him to never do that again?? We will also talk about the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday and what he is recommending this year.

10:35pm - We continue with Sam and we also discuss some random food topics. Want to join in the conversation?? Use the link in the YouTube chat to jump in and as...

(November 4, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14 - The first Tuesday of the month brings a visit from our pal Malcom Reed. Tonight will be Thanksgiving and football heavy from a food talk stand point. Malcom will help make sure your turkey is on point along with all of the side dishes. We will also talk about some great football recipes that do not include wings...because Malcom and I LOVE chicken wings!

9:35pm - I posed the question to the EC's last week. Did you know the WFC had already happened...it...

Episode 406

Taking you back to 9/5/2017 - Continuing the 5 week run with the newest members of the BBQ Central Show Guest Hall of Fame. Today we feature Travis Clark.

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email Jon Solberg and let him know what you would like to hear on a future episode! 

As always, thank you for listening!

*Don’t forget to RATE AND REVIEW THE SHOW ON YOU PODCAST APP*

Want to h...

(October 28, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:14pm & 10:35pm - The 4th Tuesday of the month brings a visit from the Embedded Correspondents. There is a long list of live-fire 100% Assurity questions to run through. There is also a long list of non-live-fire questions to run through as well.

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

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...

(October 28, 2025 - Hour One)

9:00-10:00pm - The first hour has crashed out completely in the past hour...but never fear...there are things to talk about and recaps to give!

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

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Episode 405

Taking you back to 5/22/2012 - Continuing the 5 week run with the newest members of the BBQ Central Show Guest Hall of Fame. Today we feature Andy Husbands.

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email Jon Solberg and let him know what you would like to hear on a future episode! 

As always, thank you for listening!

*Don’t forget to RATE AND REVIEW THE SHOW ON YOU PODCAST APP*

Want to h...

(October 21, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:14pm - Leading off the 2nd hour and making her final appearance in 2025, is the creator of Hardcore Carnivore, Jess Pryles. Tonight we discuss a number of topics to include the "Top 150" list released by the Under Seasoned Podcast, how her new book effort is coming along, what the correct internal temps of beef actually are (lots of gray info out there these days), lamb talk and we finish with a special "Betwixt The Two" music game.

10:35pm - If there is time left after Jes...

(October 21, 2025 - Hour One)

9:00-10:00pm - Finishing up the 2025 BBQ Central Show Guest Hall of Fame "Origin Stories" with our pal and monthly guest, Wes Wright from Cookout News. We all know Wes and the brilliant mind behind the Cookoutnews.com website, but how did he get here? All will be revealed tonight during the first hour!

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Mica...

(October 21, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:14pm - Leading off the 2nd hour and making her final appearance in 2025, is the creator of Hardcore Carnivore, Jess Pryles. Tonight we discuss a number of topics to include the "Top 150" list released by the Under Seasoned Podcast, how her new book effort is coming along, what the correct internal temps of beef actually are (lots of gray info out there these days), lamb talk and we finish with a special "Betwixt The Two" music game.

10:35pm - If there is time left after Jes...

Episode 404

Taking you back to 8/2/2022 - Continuing the 5 week run with the newest members of the BBQ Central Show Guest Hall of Fame. Today we feature Wes Wright...the creator of the Cookout News website.

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email Jon Solberg and let him know what you would like to hear on a future episode! 

As always, thank you for listening!

*Don’t forget to RATE AND REVIEW THE SHOW ON YOU PODCAST A...

(October 14, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:00-11:00pm - In the 2nd hour, we knock down the 4th of 5 BBQCS Origin Stories with the one and only Melissa Cookston. We know Melissa as a hugely successful competition cook, then as an author, then as a TV host and now as a BBQ supply store owner. She is also active in major competitions and founded the World Jr. BBQ League. Where did she grow up? What was a young Melissa like as a kid and young adult? When did she get into the BBQ scene and how di...

(October 14, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14pm - Robert Moss jumps in a segment early to (help me out) talk about his latest top 50 list and then we talk about the resurrection of "The Cue Sheet".

9:35pm - Open for some house cleaning

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Episode 403

Taking you back to 5/14/2013 - Continuing the 5 week run with the newest members of the BBQ Central Show Guest Hall of Fame. Today we feature Melissa Cookston...the winningest woman in BBQ. Stay tuned for the next HOF member next Friday!

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email Jon Solberg and let him know what you would like to hear on a future episode! 

As always, thank you for listening!

*Don’t forget to RATE AND...

(October 7, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:00-11:00pm - In the 2nd hour, we knock down the 3rd of 5 Origin Stories with former CEO of KCBS Emily Detwiler. Not always in the BBQ world, we will track Emily's ascension into the world of live fire, where it peaked and why she left. We will also get the full back story on her as well, which is a story that hasn't been told in our circles...but that changes tonight!

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(October 7, 2025 - Hour One)

9:00 -10pm - Tonight's show is all 2025 BBQ Central Show Guest Hall of Famer's All The Time! First up is long time friend of the show, TV star, author, class teacher and BBQ restaurant owner, Andy Husbands. Ever wondered how Andy came into this business? All will be revealed during the first hour. Be ready to start right from the jump...no intro tonight!

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

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Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE15” for 15% off your entire p...

Episode 402

Taking you back to 10/31/2019 - Starting a 5 week run with the newest members of the BBQ Central Show Guest Hall of Fame. Today we start with Emily Detwiler. Emily spent many years in the BBQ industry on the business side of things. She worked with Smithfield for many years and made many appearances on the show talking about various programs and initiatives that Smithfield was bringing to the industry at that those times.

Eventually, Emily left Smithfield and became CEO of the Kansas City BBQ Society. After her co...

Duration: 00:07:47

(September 30, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:00-11:00pm - In the 2nd hour, we kick off the BBQCS GHOF "Origin Stories" with Travis Clark. We will get the full background on Travis, what his childhood was like, what his past jobs were like and how he got into BBQ in the first place. We will then track his BBQ path to present day. It is sure to be an incredible hour of BBQ and life talk.

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(September 30, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14pm - Tonight we start with my second favorite passion/hobby, CIGARS! Amanda Micallef from Micallef Cigars stops by to talk about their new "Micallef Green" cigar that was recently released. We will learn how long this one was in thew works, why "green" vs another color, what the guts of the cigar are made up of and what kind of smoking experience you can expect if you pick some up. I should be coming into some as well so samples will be available for those of you who wish to...

Episode 401

Taking you back to 9/23/2008 - Bob Beeman - Golds Bar-B-Que - Kicking off the next 400 episodes…the live show only 7 months old at this point…and history will show that Bob Beeman, in the beginnings of the show…was a competitive BBQ’er in the PNW…was a big fan of the show…and was a semi-frequent caller to the show when we had the “phone line” to actually do that.

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email Jon Solberg and let him know what you would like t...

Duration: 00:09:43

(September 23, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:14pm & 10:35pm - In the 2nd hour, the EC's and I will do the annual BBQ Central Show Guest Hall of Fame nominations...culminating in a new BBQCS Guest Hall of Fame Class! Which 5 will get in?? You will have to tune in to find out!

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

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(September 23, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14pm - Tonight I start with a recap of the 2025 Hartville Hardware Grillfest. I will give you all the highlights (no low-lights), interactions and behind the scenes scoops you could ever want!

9:35pm - The Embedded Correspondents will drop in a bit early to polish of a few 100%AQ.

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

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Mic...

Episode 400!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Taking you back to 8/18/2015 - Jon believes he has found the actual 400th episode of The BBQ Central Show…and this is a taste of what and who was on the show back in 2015

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email Jon Solberg and let him know what you would like to hear on a future episode! 

As always, thank you for listening!

*Don’t forget to RATE AND REVIEW THE SHOW ON YOU PODCAST AP...

(September 16, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:14pm - Leading off the 2nd hour is someone who has been moved around the guest board the past number of weeks. Mike Lang from Another Pint Please will stop by and talk about his new IG account, is latest book writing effort and this coming weekend's agenda at the 2025 Hartville Hardware Grillfest! Oh yeah...I will be there too!!

10:35pm - Joining me for his 3rd quarterly visit in 2025 is the BBQ editor of Texas Monthly, Daniel Vaughn. Tonight we talk on a variety of...

(September 16, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14pm - Tonight we, hopefully, bring a resolution to the months long "non-payment" of a bet between Matt Osman and Sam The Cooking Guy. Matt bet Sam's YouTube Channel would hit 4MM subscribers by May 1st. He was so confident, that he bet Sam $2,000 he would accomplish this goal. Matt was wrong. However, months later, there has been no payment to Sam. We will get the full background on the story and we will also work out payment. We will also have fun and frivolity along the way.

Duration: 01:00:01

Episode 399

Taking you back to 9/1/2009 - Being featured this week is ME!!  And you know I love me some me…and the topic being discussed at this time was wood pellets…specifically Traeger Wood pellets…specifically…the way the flavor was going into these pellets…enjoy!

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email Jon Solberg and let him know what you would like to hear on a future episode! 

As always, thank you for listening!

*Don’t forget to R...

(September 9, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:14pm & 10:35pm - 6 months after his last visit, we catch up with, now, two time book author, Meathead from Amazingribs.com. How is the book selling? Is it tracking the way the first book did? Will this be a NYT Best Seller? Is Harry Connick Jr. using Meathead as his go to source for his personal BBQ knowledge? Does he still run Amazingribs.com? All will be revealed tonight!

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(September 9, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14pm - The latest craze in our small ecosystem has been the revealing of the new BBQ Central Show theme song "Get In The Smoke". Tonight we lead off the show with the creator of the song, Heath Bennett. We will get to know Heath a bit, see if he is a music guy and see if he is a bbq'er. We will also learn the "process" hew went through to turn out the finished product...which , by my account, was great! You might learn some AI insights as well. Duration: 00:59:56

Episode 398

Taking you back to September 15, 2011, we are excited to feature a truly pioneering figure in the history of our program. I would confidently assert that she was the program's very first "Embedded Correspondent," a concept she embodied long before the EC format became a familiar and established part of our show. Her name is Kelly Dodd, and we encourage our audience to consider if that name sparks any recognition.

Fourteen years ago, Ms. Dodd was a vibrant young enthusiast immersed in the thrilling world of competitive BBQ. Her...

(Pre-Recorded August 31, 2025 - Second hour)

Sam The Cooking Guy and I chop it up on eating out, tipping, retail and more.

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(9/2/2025 - Previously recorded - BUT NEW)

New to you content with Malcom Reed.

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

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Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE15” for 15% off your entire purchase!

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BONUS CONTENT:

What's going on, BBQ Central fans? You know that new song we've got, "Get In The Smoke"? Well, I've just been told that some other podcast is doing a full-on deep dive into it. I'm not sure what they're going to find, but I'm flattered they're digging into our new theme. You'll have to let me know what you think. And while you're at it, fire up the pit and get in the smoke with me.

Taking you back to - 8/30/2011 - Thai week featuring one of the most special people in BBQ and in my BBQ and personal life…Diva Q, Danielle Bennett. For those who know Danielle in the recent years of her career, you know her as an author, a cooking instructor and a TV show host…amongst other things. However, Danielle was also quite a successful BBQ competition cook…and in this segment, we talk about how she had been recently DQ’ed at a contest right off the rip at her chicken turn-in. Danielle talks in-depth about this whole thing, what led...

(August 26, 2025- Hour Two)

10:14pm & 10:35 - 4th Tuesday in the 2nd hour...you already know...The Embedded Correspondents!

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

Primo Grills

Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE15” for 15% off your entire purchase!

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(August 26, 2025 - Show Notes)

9:14pm - One of the most socially successful BBQ'ers in the industry today, our pal Jack Arnold, joins me to talk about his recent concert goings, living the healthy BBQ lifestyle, his upcoming Labor Day evet in Tampa, FL and we will also take a peek into his Fall BBQ Tour!

9:35pm - I left this segment open because I have an incredible item to showcase for all of you tonight (and in podcast). It might become a regular staple of the show in some wa...

Episode 396

Taking you back to - 8/26/2008 - This week we feature the guy who kicked off the show tonight…Steven Raichlen…this time, he was making his first appearance on the LIVE BBQ Central Show…he had made his debut a few years before then on the podcast…but this was the first live appearance. 

Also, interesting to hear what Steven was talking about and finding important 17 years ago vs. what best practices dictate in 2025…some things similar…somethings…not so much.

Lastly…and this is all about...

(August 19, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:14pm - Susie & Todd Bulloch - Hey Grill Hey

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(August 19, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14pm - Steven Raichlen

9:35pm - Wes Wright

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Episode 395

Taking you back to - August 12, 2008 - The one and only Gary Vaynerchuck joined me for the very first time back in 2008. At the time, Gary was building his massively successful "Wine Library TV" show on YouTube. As you can imagine, we talked about wine, bbq and some sports. At the time, this was one of the biggest "gets" in the show's short life (at that time).

ENJOY hearing Gary before he became the ICON that he is today.

Ready to make a “BES...

(August 12, 2025 - Hour One)

Mr. Jonathan from the Cigar Authority Podcast joins me and talks A LOT about cigar stuff.

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Episode 394

Taking you back to - September 1, 2009 - Jason Day from Burnt Finger BBQ and the creator of the incredibly popular "Bacon Explosion".

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email Jon Solberg and let him know what you would like to hear on a future episode! 

As always, thank you for listening!

*Don’t forget to RATE AND REVIEW THE SHOW ON YOU PODCAST APP*

Want to hear more from this epi...

(August 5, 2025 - Hour Two)

Doug Scheiding and Rusty Monson show up and give their take on the most recent list of 100% Assurity questions...did your answers change?

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(August 5, 2025 - Hour One)

Hour one has

Episode 393

Taking you back to - August 4, 2009 - And a 2nd time visit from a legend in the industry and the owner of the famed (and now closed) East Coast Grill, Chris Schlesinger (Slay-singer).

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email Jon Solberg and let him know what you would like to hear on a future episode! 

As always, thank you for listening!

*Don’t forget to RATE AND REVIEW THE SHOW ON YOU PODCAST APP*

Episode 392

Taking you back to - July 26 2013 - Pitmaster Pat Martin…Martin’s BBQ - Whole Hog master…

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email Jon Solberg and let him know what you would like to hear on a future episode! 

As always, thank you for listening!

*Don’t forget to RATE AND REVIEW THE SHOW ON YOU PODCAST APP*

Want to hear more from this episode???

Click th...

(July 22, 2025 - Show Notes)

10:14pm & 10:35 - Making their usual monthly appearance, The Embedded Correspondents, join me for another round of fresh "100% Assurity Questions". However, we will be missing our pals Doug Scheiding and Rusty Monson...as they are otherwise obligated to work engagements. That's the bad news...the good news is I have (2) fill-in guests to take their place and they are as big as it gets! Be prepared for hot takes, hot opinions and witty repartee in the 2nd hour.

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(July 22, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14pm & 9:35pm - The 3rd Tuesday of the month brings a first hour visit from the VP of Marketing at one of my favorite cigar brands, Amanda Micallef, at Micallef Cigars. Tonight we dive into her background (before cigars), how she got into the cigar business and what she plans to do with the brand as the years wear on. We will also talk about the highly successful "Color Series" cigars that have changed the game when it come to the cigar industry...both in quality and price point.

Episode 390

Taking you back to - June 18 2013 - This week we feature the pitmaster and creator of Sweet Smoke Q, Jim Elser. This was Jim’s debut appearance on the show and we talk about how he got into competition BBQ…and specifically Florida competition BBQ. We also talked about his experience doing different events sanctioned by different governing bodies…one thing is for certain…as Jim’s competition career wore on, he became a winner in many different sanctioning bodies and many different events in general. Perhaps one of the most underrated competition cooks of o...

(July 15, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:14pm - Making her 3rd appearance in 2025 is quarterly guest, and fan favorite, Jess Pryles. A Sweden trip recap, what is Tastemade, black coffee, who's the random guy in some her IG videos, a small'ish deep dive on MSG and, of course, a musical game to close the segment.

10:35pm - Closing the show tonight is my middle daughter, Madisyn Rempe. This past weekend was a big one for her academically. She has completed her first full year in Physician Assistant school and now heads on...

(July 15, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14pm - The 3rd Tuesday of July brings a visit from the hosts of the famed "Baseball and BBQ" podcast, Len Aberman and Jeff Cohen. Ironically, the mid-point of the baseball season is upon us TONIGHT. We will discuss the first half of the year, the Mets, The Guardians and some other items as well. We might even talk about some BBQ stuff...who knows!

9:35pm - After the Baseball and BBQ boys, I will be joined by Wes Wright from Cookout News. We missed We...

Episode 390

Taking you back to June 13 2017 - This week we feature Jess Pryles…whom you will see next week…and in this instance we are talking about the release of her then new RED rub. 

By the way…make note…she is on the phone…when the show actually had a phone line…so if you have ever wondered what the show “used” to sound like…this was it…your host sounding great…and the guest sounding like they were on a phone…because they were on a phone.

Any...

Duration: 00:07:43

(July 8, 2025 - Hour One)

10:14pm - I have some things to cover, some questions to answer and some hot takes to spit!

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Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE15” for 15% off your entire purchase!

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(July 8, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14pm - The 2nd Tuesday of the month (at least this month) brings a visit from the creator of the Barbecue Lab. David Gafford joins me tonight to talk about outdoor kitchens, pellet cookers, gas grills and grill brushes.

9:35pm - After David, I will be joined by the smartest man in BBQ, Robert Moss! Tonight we talk about the latest updates in the Michelin Star Guide and then we transition into "Mac and Cheese" or pork ribs getting dumped into the Ohio river...guess yo...

Episode 389

Taking you back to August 18, 2015 - Featuring the newest #1 Texas Monthly BBQ Joints recipient, an accomplished competition BBQ pitmaster and all around nice guy, Ernest Servantes. If you haven’t heard Ernest before…this one does give you a quick look into how he came up…also, how he was able to knock down a bunch of TV appearances back when BBQ was a big thing on TV…you also can hear me act like a complete tool in the beginning of the interview as well…and that’s all I am going to say about...

(July 1, 2025 - Hour Two:

10:14pm & 10:35pm - Sam The Cooking Guy makes his monthly appearance on the show tonight and it's a special day for a number of reasons. We will talk about his new book that he just signed to do, we will also talk about his latest trip out of the country and, before any of that, we will take a look at foods that originate from the great country to the north of us...CANADA!! We do this because today is Canada Day! I also have a special item planned for our...

(July 1, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14pm - The 2nd half of 2025 begins TODAY! So, why not take a look at the first part of the year with our monthly guest, Malcom Reed! What happened in business, what happened in food, what happened in life...and then we'll look into the 2nd half of the year and guess how the industry will react to ever changing business climates, threats and other items that impact business in all forms of the live-fire industry.

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Episode 388

Taking you back to May 20, 2014 - Featuring BBQ HOF’er, MIM legend, BBQCS Guest HOF’er…and the list goes on…Chris Lilly from Big Bob Gibson BBQ. We discussed a then 4th overall world GC at MIM…has since notched a 5th one as we know…this one is specifically interesting because it was the year that BBG won shoulder and the overall GC…with frozen pork butts…a great listen if you didn’t hear it back in 2014…a great recounting of this bizarre tale by Chris himself.

Ready to make...

Duration: 00:07:18

(June 24, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:14pm & 10:35pm - The 4th Tuesday of the month brings a visit from the Embedded Correspondents. We have a fresh and varying list of 100% Assurity Questions. Aaron Huntleman will stick around for the 2nd hour as well so be sure to tune and and play along with us!



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Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE15” for 15% off your entire purchase...

(June24, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14pm - Did you know we are "Eating the World"? Mike Grunwald thinks so and he joins me once again to talk about where we are as a country and as a global society as it relates to the food supply, the land we have available and the population that is growing. The conversation is sure to be thought provoking and entertaining.

9:35pm - After Mike, in studio guest and pitmaster of Go Big or Go BBQ, Aaron Huntelman, joins me to talk about the ne...

Episode 387

Taking you back to 6/6/2017 and a visit with,,,ME...Where we talk about what the definition of a BBQ Pitmaster is...ENJOY!

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email Jon Solberg and let him know what you would like to hear on a future episode! As always, thank you for listening!

*Don’t forget to RATE AND REVIEW THE SHOW ON YOU PODCAST APP*

Want to hear more from this episode??? Click the link below t...

(June 17, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:14pm - Making his first appearance on the show is a guy who started in competitions when he was just a young man in college. After a long stint on the competition circuit, he decided to get into the restaurant business. He currently runs one of the most well reviewed and reputable BBQ place in North Carolina...and the country for that matter. Chris Prieto from Prime BBQ joins me to talk about how he went from competition cook to BBQ restaurant owner.

10:35pm - Comi...

(June 17/2025 - Hour One)

9:14pm - First off, a longtime show sponsor and friend of the show, Ryan Zboril of Pitts & Spitts joins me to talk about the state of their business and about their new touchscreen controller for the pellet cookers.

9:35pm - Then, after Ryan, I will be joined by Owl's Nest BBQ Supply owner, Steve Ray. Steve is a longtime lover of competition eating and tonight we will talk about the return of JAWS to the 4th of July Hot Dog Eating contest.

T...

(June 10, 2025 - Hour Two)

On the show tonight:

Marvin Weinberger - Grill Fighter (brush)

Bob Healey - Grillblazer

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Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE15” for 15% off your entire purchase!

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Micallef Cigars – Premium Hand Rolled Cigars

(June 10, 2025 - Hour One)

On the show tonight:

Meathead

Robert Moss

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Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE15” for 15% off your entire purchase!

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Micallef Cigars – Premium Hand Rolled Cigars

Episode 386

Taking you back to 6/6/2017 and a visit with then first time guest - BBQ Legend - And newly inducted BBQ Hall of Fame'er - the late/grate Paul Schatte. If you aren't familiar with Paul, this is a great segment for you to listen to. You can also go back to last week's Embedded Correspondent segment and check out Doug's take on Paul and what an instrumental figure Paul was in Doug's BBQ career and personal life.

Ready to make a “BEST OF” show all your own?? Email Jon...

(Recorded 5/29/2025)

Sam took some time to record a segment with me so we could dump new content into the feed to keep you going through this week while I am out of the country,

We talk about a number of topics to include a tease of his new book, a tease of a new infomercial, a tease of tariffs, cocktails, potato recipes, French fry recipes and much much more. ENJOY!

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(Recorded 5/25/2025)

Join me with some bonus content as I am on vacation with our pal Malcom Reed. In this segment we talk about:

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Episode 385

Taking you back to 6/6/2017 and a visit with now quarterly guest, Mike Lang. We continue to discuss the Weber Charcoal Summit…now the Weber Summit Kamado grill…perhaps a grill that has fallen by the wayside over the past few years as pellet cookers continue to grow in popularity and doesn’t require anyone to actually learn fire management…but this is a grill that Kevin Kohlman talked about on last week’s best moments…and this week…about a year after the Kevin Kohlman interview, Mike was on talking about this cooker as well…so, as...

Duration: 00:06:58

(May 27, 2025 - Hour Two)

The last show if May 2025 is a BANGER on all accounts. Tonight, before I go out of the country next week, we have a special "All Embedded Correspondents All The Time" show planned. Yes, I have generated another all new and extensive "100% Assurity Questions" list for everyone to answer. On top of that, there are MANY other bbq/grilling related topics for us to discuss to include the BBQ Hall of Fame class of 2025, The recap of Memphis in May and Smoke Slam and the freshly released Texas Monthly Top 50...

(May 27, 2025 - Hour One)

The last show if May 2025 is a BANGER on all accounts. Tonight, before I go out of the country next week, we have a special "All Embedded Correspondents All The Time" show planned. Yes, I have generated another all new and extensive "100% Assurity Questions" list for everyone to answer. On top of that, there are MANY other bbq/grilling related topics for us to discuss to include the BBQ Hall of Fame class of 2025, The recap of Memphis in May and Smoke Slam and the freshly released Texas Monthly Top 50...

Thank you to sponsor of this episode: Green Mountain Grills

________________________________________________

 Episode 384

Taking you back to 3/24/2016 and this week we feature a gentleman who was a semi-frequent guest of the show when he was at Weber Grills…that being Kevin Kolman. Back in March of 2016, Weber was trotting out their new “Weber Summit Charcoal Grill”. It came in a few different variants…one more expensive than the other…many considered it to be a bit overpriced when it came out considering what it was…however…that sentiment quickly went away once y...

Duration: 00:08:02

(May 20, 2025 - Hour Two)

10:35pm - With the time I have left, I will run through some general housekeeping items that need cleaned up, give you a BBQ recap from a few weeks ago and give you the results of my very first executive physical that I took yesterday at the Cleveland Clinic. Interesting results to say the least...

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(May 20, 2025 - Hour One)

9:14pm - First off, a quarterly appearance from one of the most well known people in the history of the industry. A prolific writer, a TV show host, a cooking class instructor and the list goes on. Steven Raichlen joins me to talk about his latest book available for sale which is titled "Project Griddle". We have teased this for months (maybe a year) but it is officially out and ready for purchase. We will also talk about his yearly BBQ U class that is held at a cottage ranch in...

Thank you to sponsor of this episode: Green Mountain Grills

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 Episode 383

Taking you back to 5/12/2015 and this week we feature pitmaster of Big Poppa Smokers, Sterling Ball. Within the minutes of this segment, Sterling really goes all in on his chicken process at the time…talks about time, temp and what the judges might think of texture at certain temperatures. He also was very open about how the whole competition scene was changing at this time in 2015. Very interesting to hear a top cook talk about things he’s...

Duration: 00:08:38