About Us

Smokemeatsfire.com comes from a labor of love. I have loved grilling and BBQ’ing for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories I have are of my dad teaching me to grill steaks as a kid. That love has continued for last thirty years. I have continued that unofficial tradition with my kids of teaching them all things grilling and BBQ’ing.

I was born in Kansas City. When you are born in one of the biggest barbecue cities in the county, you are bound to love it. When we moved to Texas around my sixth birthday, this helps to expand my barbecue exposure and increase my love of it. We then moved to a section of the country (I won’t mention where), but there was not a lot of barbecue. In fact, I only remember one BBQ restaurant, and it was Texas style barbecue. I then moved back to the Kansas City area for college, and have stayed there for the last sixteen years. My family and I are still close to Kansas City, but now it is a bit of a commute, especially to go for food. The city we currently live in, has a couple of chain restaurants, but nothing like the options in Kansas City.

Now full disclosure. I am very partial to Kansas City and Texas style barbecue. I have tried Memphis, North Carolina and Alabama styled barbecue. While the restaurants I have had the other styles at were good, and the pit master/ chef were masters of their craft, they are not my favorites. You can point out all the highlights of your respective favorites and I will respect you, but you will not change my mind; just like I will not change your mind. My goal is to not advocate for one style of barbecue over another. I am trying to share my love for barbecue, grilling and outdoor cooking and can hopefully pass along some of the knowledge I have. I am simply letting you know where I am coming from.

I have not gone to culinary school, nor have I worked in a restaurant. My friends and I have done a couple amateur competitions, and life happened before we could go any further in competition. I have been doing this for a long time for my family and friends. I have also read tons of books on the subject. I will share recipes we have come up with. Most will involve a grill or smoker; occasionally, if something is really good, we will share unrelated recipes. Thanks for dropping by.