The BBQ Central Show

Latest Episodes:

Barbecue "Smokey" Smokfir Is In Heaven? Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

(October 31, 2023 - Hour Two)

10:14 - BBQ Smokey is back...and better than ever. Well, at least for a few minutes until he realizes where he really is. If you are in the mood for a Halloween related tune with a BBQ spin you won't be disappointed (well, you might be VERY disappointed).

10:35pm - There has been a guest booked for this segment for a number of weeks, however, he has gone radio silent the past 10 days leading into tonight. At the time of this release, I am unable to confirm if he will be here or not. If not, I have a number of items to get through that have been sitting in the "content bin" for instances like this! Stay tuned!!

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Next Tuesday (11/7) I will be interviewing Rod Gray, CEO of the KCBS. Last week he appeared on 2 BBQ related podcasts talking about the issues that arose during the American Royal Open last month. If you are a competitor or someone who actively follows competition BBQ and especially the KCBS events, you will want to tune in live for this interview. I believe it will be the definitive interview that covers the "what" and "how" it happened at this year's American Royal.

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

Primo Grills

Pitts & Spitts BBQ Pits - Use "charcoalcentral" at checkout for $150 Off Charcoal Grills

Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE” for $10 off your purchase of $50 or more!

The Butcher Shoppe - Save 10% When You Mention "The BBQ Central Show"

JRE Tobacco – Makers of the Aladino (and other) line of premium cigars!

After 4 Years Away - Steve Ray RETURNS!! Nov 01, 2023

Show notes

(October 31, 2023 - Hour One)

9:14pm - Few people have "quit" the show. Fewer people have "quit" the show with no reason whatsoever. He gave me as close to a "ghosting" (pun intended) as you can get without a full on shine. If you are a fan of the show then you know who I am talking about. He was an original Embedded Correspondent hailing from Tennessee. He owns a vehicle repair facility and also a BBQ supply store. He has generated some of the best content the show has ever put out and he is also a pitmaster and host of his own content on the internet. Believe it or not, "persona non grata" Steve Ray, joins the show for the first time in years! I will ask him the hardest questions he has ever experienced in an interview setting. It might get VERY uncomfortable for him...and me...but I will do what needs to be done!

9:35pm - After all the important stuff, Steve and I will spend some time talking about the growth and existence of his BBQ supply store and how he was able to navigate the COVID experience and if how that space of time has refined his vision for the store moving forward. All kidding aside, I am looking forward to having Steve on the show again!

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

Primo Grills

Pitts & Spitts BBQ Pits - Use "charcoalcentral" at checkout for $150 Off Charcoal Grills

Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE” for $10 off your purchase of $50 or more!

The Butcher Shoppe - Save 10% When You Mention "The BBQ Central Show"

JRE Tobacco – Makers of the Aladino (and other) line of premium cigars!

The Best Moments of The BBQ Central Show in 10 Minutes or Less Oct 27, 2023

Show notes

Episode 305This episode is brought to you by The butcher Shoppe…Home of the NEVER crossbred 100% Australian Wylarah 9+ Wagyu brisket, wagyu beef (American and Japanese), dry aged steaks, wild game and MUCH more!! Call to order today: (850) 458-8782 and ask for Kevin! Mention The BBQ Central Show for 10% off your entire order!!___________________________________________Taking you back to - 4/12/2008 - This week we feature a lesser known personality when compared to my Guest Hall of Fame Mother…My Dad makes a rare appearance on the show and, This show is actually off of a “listener request”...long time fan of the show “Derrick” wrote in and asked Jon to put this together. In this segment we talked about fuel sources and we specifically talked about OEM and after-market propane gas readers…and we really dove into a Christmas gift that I got him…it appeared to be quite a hit with him as it relates to letting him know the LP level of the tank. After listening back…I have to say…we did a very good job selling this item…but I am sure it's not in business anymore or some other company bought it from the original company…or something along those lines…so as the holidays spool up and you have a live-fire gas grill lover in your circle…this might be a type of gift you should be considering…

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 to hear the full showOriginal Air Date: 4/12/2008Original Full Show Link: CLICK HERE

The 2023 BBQ Central Show guest Hall of Fame Class Is... Oct 26, 2023

Show notes

(October 24, 2023 - Hour Two)

10:14 & 10:35pm - Due to the EXTENSIVE "100% Assurity Questions" list from last month, we put off the 2023 BBQCS Guest Hall of Fame show to this month. So tonight, the gang reconvenes and we will bring our list of (5) nominations to the show. After all of us announce our list of names, should we have some unanimous names, those people get into the hall directly! Whatever spots are left open, we will go down our list one by one and argue for our favorites in hopes of securing unanimous votes to finish out the new class of (5) members for 2023. Clear as mud?? Probably...but you will understand the process once you hear it tonight! Join us in the chat tonight and weigh in with your own names while we carve out the class of 2023!

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

Primo Grills

Pitts & Spitts BBQ Pits - Use "charcoalcentral" at checkout for $150 Off Charcoal Grills

Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE” for $10 off your purchase of $50 or more!

The Butcher Shoppe - Save 10% When You Mention "The BBQ Central Show"

JRE Tobacco – Makers of the Aladino (and other) line of premium cigars!

Texas Star Grill Shop - Rick Martin Oct 25, 2023

Show notes

(October 24, 2023 - Hour One)

9:14pm - What are the steps to opening and then running a vibrant BBQ supply business? Rick Martin, founder of Texas Star Grill Shop joins me to discuss this very topic. He currently has 4 locations around the greater Houston Metro area and we will dive into the ins and outs of what it takes to win in this line of work. We will also talk about how he brings in new lines to sell and we will also talk about how he (and his staff) goes about showing the right products to potential customers. Rick is a wealth of knowledge in this space and I am looking forward to talking to him tonight.

9:35pm - There is a good chance that Rick and I continue into this part of the show as well. We will talk about the Franklin BBQ pit and how he positions it to potential buyers. If you recall, a few months ago, Sam The Cooking Guy found the retail price for the Franklin pit to be a bit "hefty" so I will ask Rick how they overcome this initial objection from the consumer when it comes up.

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

Primo Grills

Pitts & Spitts BBQ Pits - Use "charcoalcentral" at checkout for $150 Off Charcoal Grills

Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE” for $10 off your purchase of $50 or more!

The Butcher Shoppe - Save 10% When You Mention "The BBQ Central Show"

JRE Tobacco – Makers of the Aladino (and other) line of premium cigars!

The Best Moments of The BBQ Central Show in 10 Minutes or Less Oct 20, 2023

Show notes

Episode 304This episode is brought to you by The butcher Shoppe…Home of the NEVER crossbred 100% Australian Wylarah 9+ Wagyu brisket, wagyu beef (American and Japanese), dry aged steaks, wild game and MUCH more!! Call to order today: (850) 458-8782 and ask for Kevin! Mention The BBQ Central Show for 10% off your entire order!!___________________________________________Taking you back to - 10/04/2016 - Dr BBQ, Ray Lampe, was a guest and we talked about a few different things. One was the huge BBQ event in England that has since gone away called Grillstock (7 years or so in existence) and then we transitioned to talking about European teams coming to the Jack and possibly winning it at some point. Yes, 2004 there was the highly controversial “Mad Cow” win (Rick and Jackie Weight) at the JAck…but since then, there has not been an international team that has really gotten close to winning it…but we talked about what the likelihood of it happening was back in 2016. We also talked about writing cookbooks and a few other topics as well…Ray always a great guest and never scared to share his opinion on what’s happening in the industry.

Jess Pryles Has a New TV Show; Matt Groark Debuts And hits A Homerun! Oct 19, 2023

Show notes

(October 17, 2023- Hour Two)

10:14 - CEO of Hardcore Carnivore and creator of the Jess Pryles website, Jess Pryles, joins me in her quarterly segment. Tonight we talk about her expanding sausage business through HEB, the college football bbq series she seems to be on and, of course, we will talk about the TV show that she recently announced on Kevin's BBQ Joints podcast about a month ago. Do we have a music gameshow at the end of the segment...YES!

10:35pm - Founder of "Groark Boys BBQ", Matt Groark, joins me for the very first time tonight and we talk about his journey to get where he is today, his vegetarian wife, Embers TV and much much more! Matt is winning at the social media and TV game currently so, if you are interested in getting some pointers on how to win as well, then this is the segment for you!

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

Primo Grills

Pitts & Spitts BBQ Pits - Use "charcoalcentral" at checkout for $150 Off Charcoal Grills

Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE” for $10 off your purchase of $50 or more!

The Butcher Shoppe - Save 10% When You Mention "The BBQ Central Show"

JRE Tobacco – Makers of the Aladino (and other) line of premium cigars!

Go Big Or Go BBQ In Studio; Wes Wright Talks Pellet Fueled Griddles! Oct 18, 2023

Show notes

(October 17, 2023 - Hour one)

9:14pm - What happens when a guest books themselves on the show and then falls off the face of the earth? Why you lob a message to the BBQ guy down the street and see if he wants to sit in...and then he says yes and saves the day! Aaron Huntleman from Go Big or Go BBQ joins me to talk about the evolution of the "Competition Box" and we will also talk about the first year BBQ contest he cooked in this past weekend in a place called Wadsworth, OH. We'll also talk about his rub and sauce biz and how he plans on growing that in 2024.

9:35pm - Wes Wright from Cookout News joins me for his monthly segment and we dive into a myriad of topics to include "Eggtoberfest" a few weeks ago, what 2024 looks like for BGE and their new CEO, the release of (3) new grills from Recteq (including a pellet fired griddle cooker) and the launch of the NEW Green Mountain Grills "Prime 2.0" cookers. Plenty to get through with Wes so have your pencils ready!

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

Primo Grills

Pitts & Spitts BBQ Pits - Use "charcoalcentral" at checkout for $150 Off Charcoal Grills

Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE” for $10 off your purchase of $50 or more!

The Butcher Shoppe - Save 10% When You Mention "The BBQ Central Show"

JRE Tobacco – Makers of the Aladino (and other) line of premium cigars!

The Best Moments of The BBQ Central Show in 10 Minutes or Less Oct 13, 2023

Show notes

Episode 303This episode is brought to you by The butcher Shoppe…Home of the NEVER crossbred 100% Australian Wylarah 9+ Wagyu brisket, wagyu beef (American and Japanese), dry aged steaks, wild game and MUCH more!! Call to order today: (850) 458-8782 and ask for Kevin! Mention The BBQ Central Show for 10% off your entire order!!___________________________________________Taking you back to - 10/04/2016 - Sterling Ball of Big Poppa Smokers was my guest this time around and we talk about him getting back from the Sam’s Club National Championship where he finished 6th overall, and this one was where there was a big number of 700+ scores and Sterling couldn’t have been more gracious talking about the event and his results. We also talked a bit about his cooking partner, James Perez, and how he came aboard and what his growth as a cook was like at that point. Fast forward 7 years later, James is still on the team and has become a very good cook…and as Sterling mentions in the interview…a very important part of the team.

Aaron Franklin Talks About Franklin BBQ Pits! Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

(October 10, 2023 - Hour Two)

10:14 - Coming in for the 2nd hour is one of the most recognized names in BBQ today, Aaron Franklin. Aaron is out promoting his brand of offset BBQ pit that has recently been brought to market. Yes, we have mentioned it on this show for the past few weeks (they sponsor the show) but it is high time the guy in charge of getting these into the consumers hands sits down and talks all about them...from the inside out!

10:35pm - Aaron closes the show tonight as we talk about the state of the BBQ restaurant, his other restaurant interests, the books and any other items he has going on as 2023 rapidly comes to a close! It's been a little while since Aaron has been on the show so I am excited to talk with him this evening!

The BBQ Central Show Sponsors

Primo Grills

Pitts & Spitts BBQ Pits - Use "charcoalcentral" at checkout for $150 Off Charcoal Grills

Big Poppa Smokers – Use promo code “REMPE” for $10 off your purchase of $50 or more!

The Butcher Shoppe - Save 10% When You Mention "The BBQ Central Show"

JRE Tobacco – Makers of the Aladino (and other) line of premium cigars!