BBQGuys Hall of Flame 2021

The Napoleon Prestige 500 is another solid contender for your team — even more so if you’re looking to get a little more oomph. With four stainless steel burners delivering impressive heat and longevity, a rear infrared 18,000 BTU rotisserie burner and rotisserie kit allowing you to slow roast food with restaurant-quality results, and the Napoleon Jetfire ignition with crossover lighting, this powerhouse is ready to take the field for any game. Throw in a 14,000 BTU infrared side burner, SafetyGlow control knobs that turn red when a burner’s in use, and a total 760 square inches of cooking area, and you’ve got yourself a well-rounded player worthy of a spot on the team.

And the crowd cheers! Among the most popular grills in the world, the reliable Weber Genesis II models are an excellent draft on any Entry-Level team. Stay in the game thanks to porcelain-enameled cast iron cooking grids, four stainless steel high-performance burners outputting 48,000 BTUs of raw strength, and a powerful Grease Management System. Keep the home-field advantage with Weber’s classic stainless steel Flavorizer Bars, an inventive design still going strong since 1984. For a truly special play, you can double down by powering your Weber Genesis II with the iGrill 3 app and wireless meat probe (both solid separately). They’ll feed you the stats you need, straight off the field — bringing every play that much closer to touchdown.

Weber rewrote the playbook in 1952 when it invented the charcoal kettle; is it any surprise they were a frontrunner for this list? The Weber Smokey Mountain packs convenient features that make it a crowd favorite: an easy-access, rust-resistant aluminum door, adjustable air vents for managing that air flow, and even an included cover to fend off the elements. We know many of our customers rally behind the Weber Smokey Mountain for its low cost and ubiquitous ease — this machine makes a great team player for smoking it all, from a full-sized turkey to pork and chicken. After years in the field honing its low-and-slow offerings, the Weber Smokey Mountain kettle smoker can make a quick draft for just about any Entry-Level smoking team.

Authentic, old-fashioned pit barbecue — smoked to perfection with ease. Take the Smokin Tex electric smoker off the bench and slide it into your outdoor kitchen, and watch it tackle those promises head-on. Thanks to double-walled insulation, 5 shelves with 7 possible shelf positions, 38 pounds of hearty meat capacity, and 100–250°F of low-and-slow range, this squat smoker has everything it needs to win. Controlled, even heating and no-draft cooking conditions help the Smokin Tex electric smoker to smoke anything and everything with ease — from turkeys to ribs to ham. Don't miss the chance to get this heavy hitter on your team: your backyard, and your tastebuds, will thank you.

Often, the best player on your team is the one that redefines it. If you’re a big fan of BBQ accessories that change up the play, then the KettlePizza Deluxe Pizza Oven Kit is for you! Put this on the field, and your charcoal kettle grill becomes a pizza oven just in time for halftime. Constructed from 304 stainless steel and designed to fit both 18 1/2 and 22 1/2 inch charcoal kettle grills, the KettlePizza provides easy access to your pizza pies without lifting the lid — which means stable heat, even cooking, and a definitive crisp. Make it a true crowd-pleaser and use it for baking cookies, too!

Here’s a touchdown for you: with one simple probe, stand half a football field feet away and measure the internal temperature of your meat masterpiece at a glance — plus the ambient temperature of your grill or cooker. (That sentence alone should convince you why this is proud inaugural Hall of Flamer.) Still unconvinced? Try this on for size: it reads up to 212°F (internal) and 527°F (ambient), lasts up to 24 hours on a single charge, and can be charged up to 100 times with a single AAA battery. Throw in awesome water resistance, durable stainless steel construction, and heat-resistant ceramic, and you’ve got yourself one of the most capable thermometers to enter the field. Want to get the most out of your MEATER+ MVP? Partner it with Android 5.0+ or iOS 10.3+ for guided cooks, preprogrammed settings, and Amazon Alexa support.

A valuable underdog to any superstar team, what the Little Griddle lacks in name it makes up for in the game. Built from all 430 stainless steel with welded cross bracing for stability, this smooth cooking surface is tough enough to field a grease-splattering buffet while delicate enough for fluffy pancakes and omelettes. The built-in trough catches those out-of-bounds juices — perfect for blowing the whistle on flare-ups — while the 4-inch flanged side walls and removable handles keep your feast in play for the whole play. Perfect in the pit for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, let the Little Griddle show you how it’s done.

How would you like to upgrade from coach to team owner? With the Pitmaster IQ calling the shots, rest assured knowing a capable leader is calling the plays and arguing on your behalf with the referee (otherwise known as “the laws of thermodynamics”). This self-contained, simple-to-use add-on enforces your internal pit temperature and airflow to guarantee the final score you want without lifting a finger. With one knob to control and a temperature probe clipped to your cooking grate, your substitute coach easily maintains temperatures between 150–400°F for lengthy cookouts. That leaves you more time to focus your attention where you really want it — beering up with the squad and pumping those fists to the Big Game.

Did you think we forgot our scrimmage superstar? Absolutely not! Not only is the fire-packed Looftlighter just plain fun to use, it quickly ignites charcoal, wood, and pellets in merely 15 seconds. No need to sit through the commercials on this one! The patented hot airstream process bypasses chemical tastes that infuse BBQ, instead blowing a white-hot burst of hot, controlled air at 1,256°F that leaves the device cool to the touch in seconds. Simply plug the Looftlighter into a wall socket, touch the nose to your fuel, and watch the sparks start to fly! Not willing to stop there, the designers even incorporated a bottle opener in the base of the device. That way, you can pivot from charcoal starter to popped bottles before you even set it back down. Does it get any better than that?

Made from quebracho blanco, one of the densest hardwoods in the world, Jealous Devil comes equipped with the toughest gear for your game. When you fill your private sizzling stadium with Jealous Devil charcoal, you’re packing in enough heat to reach temperatures over 1,000°F — with little to no sparks, pops, or even leftover ash. Better still, this hardwood is hand-picked, hand-cut from responsibly-managed South American forests: that means higher quality, greater peace of mind, and no sudden back-benching. Toss in larger, denser chunks guaranteeing 3+ hours of burn time in open grills and 12+ hours in closed smokers and kamados, and you’ll find a prime fuel ready to outfit any pit.

Smoked Jamaican Oxtail Stew with Rasheed Philips

In the words of our good friend Rasheed Philips of Philips Barbeque Co. in Atlanta, the best dishes come with an “emotional connection.” That certainly applies to his smoked Jamaican oxtail stew recipe, an homage to his grandmother’s dish steeped in traditional Jamaican flavors.

Danielle "Diva Q" Bennett

"Let me tell it to you, as straight as I take my bourbon: I’ve been living the barbecue lifestyle for a long time now. Ever since the week I judged my first competition in 2006. And I’ll tell you, just like I tell everyone I talk to, “Life is too short for bad BBQ!®"