As we proceed via the top of the BBQ Boom (what some are calling the BBQ Bust), there have been some modifications in how folks eat BBQ & Grilling associated content material. Whereas devoted web sites are nonetheless an vital info supply, YouTube and TikTok proceed to supply different methods of studying the way in which of dwell hearth cooking. General, searches for this info, and therefore web site visitors, is down barely from the earlier 12 months and nicely off of the height in 2021. With the rise of generative AI, the success of internet sites is debatable. Nonetheless, web sites nonetheless stay a dominant supply for web customers.
As a content material creator, trade advisor, and barbecue teacher, I’ve watched the net barbecue neighborhood for a number of a long time. One of the vital frequent questions I get requested is in regards to the relative recognition of unbiased web sites on this matter. These should not numbers that may be simply discovered and are sometimes disputed. Nonetheless, I’m right here to publish the highest ten barbecue and grilling web sites of 2023.
Web site Choice
The first step, outline what is supposed by a barbecue and grilling web site. I began with a broad listing after which started pairing it down. First to go had been all company websites, like Weber, Traeger, and Huge Inexperienced Egg. Second, I eliminated the storefronts like BBQGuys.com and websites for selling people like myronmixon.com. Third, I eliminated basic info websites with some barbecue-related content material that isn’t particularly topic-focused. This included AllRecipes.com, The Kitcn.com, or any giant recipe or cooking info website. Lastly, I eliminated boards from the listing, as they qualify as collective efforts– although they could share a broad information of outside cooking info.
The web sites included within the listing are non-corporate media websites that focus totally on outside cooking starting from hardcore barbecue to in style gadgets to take to a cookout. To compile this listing, I ran a sequence of searches for phrases associated to the topic. These searches included, however weren’t restricted to: BBQ Rub Recipes, Learn how to Grill a Steak, Brisket Smoking, Fashionable Cookout Aspect Dishes, and so forth. I then used search engine optimization instruments to sift via the websites with comparable matter searches.
I randomly selected pages inside every web site to find out their matter. Websites on the listing are roughly 90% content material (disregarding navigational pages) and 80% centered on barbecue and grilling. All of them function on advert income in addition to affiliate gross sales. Many provide their very own line of merchandise, together with rubs, sauces, and attire. Nonetheless, merchandise made up solely a small portion of the general content material in every case. Now I used to be getting someplace. These websites all fell underneath the definition of barbecue and grilling content material websites.
Methodology
I then ran these websites via MOZ Rating to get a tough breakdown of their relative authority. I checked a number of websites to estimate latest visitors, weighted the information, after which drew a median measurement of that visitors. Take into account that these are free providers. The websites listed under invariably use Google Analytics statistics to trace person and web page view knowledge. That info is proprietary to the location house owners themselves and never publicly shared.
The free providers I used offered the variety of customers, whereas others estimated the variety of web page views. Knowledge from free providers had been then in contrast with extra dependable subscription-based knowledge. Numbers had been then adjusted to carry them according to this info. Free net monitoring knowledge spans wherever from 3-6 months of data, relying on the supplier, and a few visitors estimates run about 16-18 months lengthy. Info was weighted to supply a more moderen perspective on the panorama. Numbers had been adjusted utilizing commonplace statistical modeling to keep up the relative comparability of visitors between the websites listed.
My place as a advisor to a number of entities provides me entry to statistical info from paid providers with excessive accuracy. This info typically involves be tied to NDAs and shopper confidentiality. Through the use of freely obtainable sources, I can share this info. Nonetheless, that info needs to be fastidiously analyzed and weighted to match the knowledge made by direct measurement. This listing is predicated on info for the month of April 2023. It’s compiled from knowledge I’ve stored for the previous seven years and suits in with every web site’s progress and contraction patterns in visitors.
High 10 Barbecue & Grilling Web sites
- Hey Grill, Hey – heygrillhey.com
- Smoked BBQ Supply – smokedbbqsouce.com
- The On-line Grill – theonlinegrill.com
- Vindulge – Vindulge.com
- Wonderful Ribs – amazingribs.com
- Cat Heads BBQ – catheadsbbq.com
- Meals Fireplace and Associates – foodfirefriends.com
- Gimme Some Grilling – gimmesomegrilling.com
- Or No matter You Do – orwhateveryoudo.com
- Jess Pryles – jesspryles.com
Some readers may discover these outcomes shocking. Let me guarantee you that the sample is clear, particularly for the highest 5 websites the place the visitors patterns seem constant and replicate motion measured from final 12 months’s listing.
Measurement Isn’t All the pieces
Individuals are likely to suppose that greater is best for an internet site. That’s seldom true. Examine, for example, Hey Grill Hey versus the most important BBQ web site on this listing, Wonderful Ribs. Hey Grill Hey has an estimated 638 pages of content material as of Might 20, 2023, whereas Wonderful Ribs has 3,884 pages. The variety of listed pages in a contemporary web site might be deceiving since there are sometimes infrastructural pages, navigation parts, and pages that serps use however don’t show.
However assuming that these numbers are almost correct (and they’re; I examined each Google-indexed content material and particular person sitemaps), you can find that Hey Grill Hey performs dramatically higher than Wonderful Ribs on a pageview per web page foundation. For April 2023, Hey Grill Hey generated barely lower than 5 instances the visitors of Wonderful Ribs whereas having a bit of greater than a fifth of the content material. It isn’t the scale of the web site.
A great web site administrator will take away out-of-date content material frequently. Due to this, a number of of the websites on this listing are smaller this 12 months than they had been final 12 months.
| Web site | Complete Pages |
| Hey Grill, Hey | 638 |
| Smoked BBQ Supply | 615 |
| The On-line Grill | 249 |
| Vindulge | 602 |
| Wonderful Ribs | 3884 |
| Cat Heads BBQ | 500 |
| Meals Fireplace Associates | 367 |
| Gimme Some Grilling | 241 |
| Or No matter You Do | 1132 |
| Jess Pryles | 450 |
Age is Only a Quantity
The age of an internet site performs little function in its recognition. As a basic rule of thumb, search engine optimization consultants will say that it takes two years for a website to achieve good search placement, however past that, how lengthy an internet site has been round doesn’t essentially enhance its efficiency. Primarily based on their registered domains, have a look at how lengthy the highest 10 barbecue & grilling web sites have existed. Please do not forget that the area registrations didn’t essentially replicate when the location was formally launched.
| Web site | Area Registration Date |
| Hey Grill, Hey | 2015-03-09 |
| Smoked BBQ Supply | 2016-01-17 |
| The On-line Grill | 2014-09-24 |
| Vindulge | 2009-02-28 |
| Wonderful Ribs | 2005-04-19 |
| Cat Heads BBQ | 2008-06-08 |
| Meals Fireplace Associates | 2017-08-31 |
| Gimme Some Grilling | 2018-02-05 |
| Or No matter You Do | 2011-01-20 |
| Jess Pryles | 2014-12-04 |
Observe: Cat Heads BBQ was registered in 2008 as an internet site for his or her catering enterprise. It grew to become a BBQ & Grilling info website in early 2020.
Visitors Adjustments
Producing net visitors isn’t the esoteric science that the majority of us consider it’s. Radical fluctuations should not as frequent as some might counsel. Web site outages, search algorithm modifications, and viral moments can have an effect on visitors, however web sites are more likely to wax and wane over time. Some rise whereas others fall, as a sample emerges over the long run that exhibits modifications in an internet site’s recognition.
Beneath I’ve graphed visitors motion for the highest 6 web sites over the previous 12 months (Might 2022 via April 2023).
Projecting the Future
Lots of the hottest barbecue & grilling web sites have seen spectacular progress charges over the previous 12 months. By taking a look at these progress charges, we are able to get an thought of who may make this listing subsequent 12 months. First, let’s think about the expansion charges for the highest ten websites evaluating April of this 12 months with April of final 12 months.
| Web site | Progress Fee |
| Hey Grill, Hey | 4% |
| Smoked BBQ Supply | -19% |
| The On-line Grill | -12% |
| Vindulge | -40% |
| Wonderful Ribs | -53% |
| Cat Heads BBQ | N/A* |
| Meals Fireplace Associates | -67% |
| Gimme Some Grilling | -31% |
| Or No matter You Do | -39% |
| Jess Pryles | -36% |
*There’s inadequate info to indicate a constant progress fee for Cat Heads BBQ.
By digging deeper into the numbers and adjusting for seasonal results, the lifetime of the web site, and content material progress, I can challenge that the listing may appear like this in April 2024.
- Hey Grill Hey
- Smoked BBQ Supply
- The On-line Grill
- Cat Heads BBQ
- Vindulge
- Gimme Some Grilling
- Or No matter You Do
- Jess Pryles
- Wonderful Ribs
- Meals Fireplace Associates
This listing excludes websites that would climb into the highest ten. Whereas these contenders exist, making such an inventory subsequent 12 months would require retaining conjecture to a minimal and merely illustrating traits that the present prime ten websites would observe if the expansion charges remained the identical.
About these Websites
Hey Grill Hey: Launched within the Spring of 2015 by Utah Native Susie Bulloch. Beforehand, Susie had labored as a contract content material creator for a grill producer, an task that had first launched her to live-fire cooking. On the finish of that run, she launched her weblog, a female-centric grilling web site.
By 2019, Hey Grill Hey had develop into probably the most trafficked BBQ web site on the earth. As of the date of this text, Hey Grill Hey has over 900,000 followers on Fb and 76,000 on Pinterest. This website monetizes via promoting, affiliate gross sales, merchandise, branded rubs and sauces, a wise gadget app with in-app buying, and a subscription-based on-line BBQ college.
Smoked BBQ Supply: In January 2016, Smoked BBQ Supply creator Joe Clements posted an article on the very best BBQ blogs of 2016. 4 and a half years later, this web site grew to become the second hottest BBQ web site, a place it has held ever since. Initially based mostly in New Zealand, Joe Clements emigrated to Australia, although this website has a worldwide attain.
Primarily constructed on glorious search engine optimization ways, Smoked BBQ Supply is a fastidiously engineered website masking virtually all outside cooking subjects. Revenues are generated primarily via promoting and internet online affiliate marketing. Joe now employs a workforce of content material creators, videographers, and advertising professionals.
The On-line Grill: At first of 2015, The On-line Grill started publishing content material. Like many websites on this listing, it generates visitors via search engine optimization advertising and income via promoting and affiliate gross sales. This website’s creator is listed as Ben, and the picture used for the profile is a inventory picture.
Vindulge: The Vindulge weblog operated as the corporate web site for sommelier Mary Cressler till she and her husband Sean Martin moved again to Portland, Oregon, in 2015. Slowly meals content material started showing, pushed by Sean’s newfound love of barbecue and smoke cooking. In 2017, Vindulge obtained an IACP nomination for Finest Recipe-Primarily based Weblog. Then in 2020, Mary and Sean launched their cookbook “Fireplace + Wine.” Within the Summer season of 2021, Vindulge moved into third place on this listing.
Vindulge is marketed via search engine optimization and has a big social media following. It generates cash via promoting and internet online affiliate marketing.
Wonderful Ribs: Begun as a option to exhibit his net improvement expertise, Wonderful Ribs grew to become the preferred barbecue and grilling web site in early 2017. The brainchild of Craig “Meathead” Goldwyn in 2005, the location started to develop visitors in 2007, and Craig started growing it as a critical consideration. In 2016, “Meathead” the best-selling barbecue cookbook, was printed.
Wonderful Ribs generates income primarily via its ‘pitmaster’ subscription discussion board. It additionally incorporates paid promoting and makes use of internet online affiliate marketing. There’s additionally a line of BBQ rubs obtainable.
Cat Heads BBQ: Cat Heads BBQ began out as a BBQ catering enterprise however pivoted right into a basic barbecue and grilling info website in the course of the pandemic. It in a short time grew into a big website with excessive visitors. Through the years, I’ve tracked a number of web sites that surged in visitors, solely to fall off simply as shortly. We should see if this website has the facility to stay on this listing subsequent 12 months.
Meals Fireplace Associates: Launched in late 2018 by Mark Jenner of Bedford, England, Meals Fireplace and Associates has grown dramatically and moved up the listing constantly. It has loved a high-ranking place on this listing for a number of years however has languished over the previous 12 months. With little or no social media advertising, Meals Fireplace Associates depends on superior search engine optimization advertising to generate visitors.
Gimme Some Grilling: Because the smallest web site on this listing, Gimme Some Grilling has spectacular web page visitors. Created by Jason & Julie Evink in 2018, this web site has climbed shortly up the charts. In fact, a lot of this success comes from Julie Evink’s a few years authoring the profitable ‘Julie’s Eats & Treats’ weblog, a website that began in 2010.
Or No matter You Do: Began in 2011 as a basic meals weblog, Or No matter You Do (from the quote in Corinthians) grew slowly however steadily for a number of years. 2017 Nicole and Jeremiah Johnson purchased a pellet grill, and issues started to vary. Or No matter You Do started publishing increasingly pellet grill-based recipes, and visitors started to rise.
With a big social media following, Or No matter You Do provides its personal line of spice rubs and generates income via promoting and internet online affiliate marketing. This website generates sturdy search placement with recipe content material targeted on particular grilling and smoking gear.
Jess Pryles: Began in 2014 by Australian-born (Austin, TX resident) Jess Pryles returns to this listing after two years. Jess Pryles is a cookbook creator, spokesperson, and co-founder of the Australasian BBQ Alliance. Her website is a mixture of promotion, barbecue and grilling recipes and data, and a storefront for her line of spice rubs.
A Dynamic Panorama
The oldest website on this listing was fashioned seventeen years in the past, whereas the most recent will rejoice its third anniversary later within the 12 months. Longevity is not any assure of success within the on-line world. The most important website has greater than 3,000 pages of distinctive content material, whereas the smallest has simply over 200 pages. Search engines like google don’t essentially favor a breadth of content material. It doesn’t damage, however a lot of the visitors is concentrated on a small portion of an internet site’s general content material.
Please word that competitors for net customers on this matter area has grown sooner than the potential viewers, as are the instruments utilized by net builders and website authors to maximise search placement.
Whereas social media platforms, podcasts, video-sharing websites, and sensible gadget apps have expanded the panorama, the common-or-garden web site stays the first supply of consideration and engagement for many on-line content material creators. Which will wane over time. Nonetheless, when introduced with a query, most individuals flip to serps for the reply.
Talking From Expertise
In 1997 I started authoring the web site bbq.about.com. Seventeen months later, Google emerged. Then a lot later got here Fb, Youtube, Instagram, and all of the others. Whereas there have been nice barbecue & grilling websites in these days, the competitors was low, although the curiosity was regularly rising. At its peak, my website (which I authored and had full editorial management over) reached greater than 4 million month-to-month customers, with web page views exceeding 400,000 each day. To my information, no different barbecue & grilling web site has reached these numbers since.
Working to construct a preferred web site within the natal stage of serps introduced its challenges. I labored with people who would develop into the founders of Search Engine Optimization. Beta-tested knowledge analytics techniques and helped develop early prototypes of website metric measurements. I discovered the worth of information and have become an skilled in statistical modeling and arithmetic. I labored very exhausting to succeed.
However all that work took its toll. I labored primarily on my own at first, then later with my writing accomplice. And I used to be lucky to not fear about working promoting techniques, net servers, or a lot of the guts of a big on-line presence early on. I authored an infinite compendium of content material, traveled always, guided folks via their barbecue experiences, taught lessons, judged competitions, and appeared on TV, podcasts, radio exhibits, and in quite a few publications worldwide. The times had been lengthy, averaging 80 to 100 hours per week. I labored on Christmas. Spending Thanksgiving morning answering panicked questions from first-time turkey cooks. I beloved it, but it surely was exhausting. Most likely greater than most, I recognize the dedication it takes to hit the highest spot on any listing. It’s no simple feat, with or with no workforce.
So, my honest congratulations exit to everybody that produces an excellent barbecue web site, whether or not they’re on this listing or not. Earlier than the primary web site was ever written, the web helped unfold the phrase about barbecue. It’s this medium of communication that has made barbecue what it’s at the moment. This listing is full of numerous folks from around the globe as a result of that they had this area to fire up their ardour. Now they unfold the phrase to carry nice outside cooking to everybody.
