By the Cut
Pick a protein. Get every recipe, technique, and wood pairing for it.
Most BBQ questions start with the cut on the counter. Each hub below pulls together every recipe, how-to, regional style, recommended wood, and glossary term for a single protein — so you can go from raw meat to plated meal without bouncing between ten tabs.
Advanced
The Mount Everest of American barbecue.
Brisket is the test piece every pitmaster eventually faces. A whole packer is 12–18 pounds of two distinct muscles — the lean flat and the fatty point — wrapped in a thick layer of connective tissue that only surrenders after 10+ hours of low-and-slow heat.
Beginner
The most forgiving cut in barbecue.
Pork shoulder (also called Boston butt) is the easiest entry point to serious low-and-slow cooking. Intramuscular fat and collagen give you a wide margin of error — an extra hour on the smoker won't ruin it, and the meat practically tells you when it's done by pulling apart at the bone.
Intermediate
Tender, smoky, and just barely clinging to the bone.
Ribs are the most contested cut in barbecue — Memphis insists on dry, Kansas City wants them glazed in sticky red, and competition judges want a clean bite mark without the meat falling off the bone. Three rib styles dominate: baby back (loin, leaner, 1.5–2 lbs per rack), spare ribs (belly side, fattier, 3+ lbs), and St.
Beginner
The fastest path to a backyard win.
Chicken is the underrated weeknight workhorse of the grill — a whole bird cooks in under an hour, thighs are nearly impossible to overcook, and wings are crowd insurance for any cookout. The two perpetual challenges are dry breast meat and rubbery skin, both solvable with two techniques: dry brining 24 hours ahead, and cooking hot enough (350°F+) to render skin fat properly.
Intermediate
Ribeye flavor at chuck-roast prices.
Tri-tip is a 2–3 pound triangular cut from the bottom sirloin — the centerpiece of California's Santa Maria-style BBQ and a sleeper hit nationwide. Lean, beefy, and well-marbled when from a quality animal, it cooks in under an hour, sears beautifully, and feeds 4–6 people for the price of a couple of ribeyes.