🔥 This episode is sponsored by Harder Charcoal & Exhibit Supply! 🔥

Do you wash your meat before cooking it? And what exactly does “washing” meat even mean?

On this episode of the Black Smoke Barbecue Podcast, Brandon, Charlie, Tee and Alton jump into one of the most persistent—and controversial—conversations in the kitchen: Should you wash or rinse meat before cooking?

We're talking chicken, pork chops, ribs, lamb, ground beef and even oxtails. The crew breaks down the difference between rinsing away bone dust or other particles and trying to “clean” meat of bacteria. We also get into vinegar and citrus washes, cross-contamination around the kitchen, faucet aerators, restaurant practices, ground-meat safety and cooking temperatures.

And yes… somehow we eventually get to people washing chicken with dish soap. 😂

Where do you stand?

Do you wash your meat—or take it straight from the package to prep?

Drop your answer in the comments. We already know this one is going to be interesting. 👀🔥

Subscribe to Black Smoke Media for more conversations about BBQ, food, culture and the people behind it.

0:00 Should You Wash Your Meat? | News Report

0:37 Welcome to Black Smoke Barbecue

1:51 The Great Meat-Washing Debate Begins

3:34 What Does “Washing Meat” Actually Mean?

4:41 Water, Vinegar, Citrus… and SOAP?!

6:03 Bone Dust on Pork Chops

7:45 Cleaning Chicken vs. “Cleaning” Bacteria

8:43 Bone Fragments on Lamb

9:24 Charlie Used to Rinse Ground Beef?!

12:33 Alton Joins the Meat-Washing Debate

13:42 How Rinsing Chicken Can Spread Bacteria

14:19 Charlie's Chicken-Tub Method

16:04 How Your Faucet Aerator Spreads Water

18:16 Cross-Contamination Around the Kitchen

20:16 Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Kitchen

23:06 Vinegar & Lime: Does It Make Meat Taste Better?

24:46 The “Raw Dogged” Chicken Challenge

25:06 Does Washing Oxtails Change the Flavor?

26:38 Are Vegetables More Dangerous?

29:24 Why Ground Meat Requires Extra Care

30:18 Would You Eat a Medium Burger?

31:47 Pork Chops Don't Have to Be Sawdust

32:41 When Meat Smells Wrong, Don't Cook It

33:33 Cooking Temperatures: It's Not Just 165°F

35:10 Final Food-Safety Advice

36:04 Please Don't Wash Chicken With Dish Soap

36:50 Black Smoke Barbecue | Closing

#BlackSmokeBarbecue #BBQ #FoodSafety #Barbecue #Cooking

Harder Charcoal – The premium fuel for serious pitmasters. Whether you’re smoking low and slow or grilling hot and fast, Harder XL Briquets and Lump Charcoal deliver clean, consistent heat with that authentic wood-fired flavor.

👉 Use code BLACKSMOKE at checkout for a discount on your order!

🌐 https://www.hardercharcoal.com

Exhibit Supply – Trusted by food vendors, BBQ teams, and event pros nationwide. From heavy-duty canopies to custom food tents, Exhibit Supply keeps your setup looking sharp and built to last.

🌐 https://www.exhibitsupply.com

👉🏽 Before you do anything else — check out the site below!🎙️ The Black Smoke Barbecue Podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/BlackSmokeBarbecue

📲 Connect With Us

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/blacksmokebarbecue/

TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@blacksmokebarbecue

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/blacksmokebarbecue

🔥 This episode is sponsored by Harder Charcoal & Exhibit Supply! 🔥

What if better barbecue didn't have to be complicated?

James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and chef Noah Galuten joins the Black Smoke Barbecue Podcast to talk about his new cookbook, Grill Time, his approach to making grilling simpler and more approachable, and what he's learned cooking alongside barbecue legend Kevin Bludso.

Noah gets into some of the techniques and recipes behind Grill Time, including the surprising reason he puts mayonnaise on fish before grilling, miso butter corn, pit-smoked black cod, honey balsamic pork tenderloin, beer brats and his approach to making a better turkey burger. His mayo technique, for example, helps seasoning adhere, promotes browning and helps keep fish from sticking to the grill.

We also go behind the scenes of Barbecue Smokeout, Noah's Tastemade series with Kevin Bludso, including how their hot-and-fast vs. low-and-slow cooking styles work together, what goes into filming those marathon BBQ cook days, and what's coming next for the show. Noah also breaks down one of his favorite cooks from the series: barbecued oxtail spaghetti vs. Kevin Bludso's smoked oxtails.

🎁 WIN A COPY OF NOAH GALUTEN'S GRILL TIME!

We're giving away TWO copies of Grill Time.

TO ENTER:

▶️ Watch this episode on YOUTUBE and leave your entry in the YOUTUBE COMMENTS ONLY.

Tell us one BBQ or grilling question you've always wanted answered.

For example:

“How do I get crispy skin on grilled chicken?”

“How do I keep fish from sticking to the grill?”

“How do I achieve better bark?”

⚠️ Comments made on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok DO NOT count as giveaway entries. Your entry must be posted in the comments of THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO.

📅 Entries close: September 10, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET

🏆 Winners announced: September 12, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET

🇺🇸 Open to the 48 contiguous U.S. states only

Grill Time is available now wherever books are sold.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome to the Black Smoke Barbecue Podcast

01:05 Meet Noah Galuten and Grill Time

01:36 Making grilling simple and approachable

05:32 Why vegetarian grilling belongs in the book

06:47 The mayonnaise-on-fish grilling trick

08:55 Miso butter corn and grilled black cod

11:29 Honey balsamic pork tenderloin

12:36 Barbecue Smokeout and the Netflix pickup

15:16 Behind the scenes of a barbecue cooking show

18:24 Noah's favorite cook: barbecued oxtail spaghetti

20:12 Beer brats: grill first or poach first?

22:18 Turkey burgers, sprouts and a better patty

24:34 Grill Time giveaway, socials and book tour

26:41 New season updates and where to watch Barbecue Smokeout

28:20 Final giveaway reminder and sign-off

🔥 LIKE • COMMENT • SUBSCRIBE and join us for more conversations about BBQ, the people behind it, and the culture surrounding the smoke.

#NoahGaluten #KevinBludso #BBQ #GrillTime #BlackSmokeBarbecue

Harder Charcoal – The premium fuel for serious pitmasters. Whether you’re smoking low and slow or grilling hot and fast, Harder XL Briquets and Lump Charcoal deliver clean, consistent heat with that authentic wood-fired flavor.

👉 Use code BLACKSMOKE at checkout for a discount on your order!

🌐 https://www.hardercharcoal.com

Exhibit Supply – Trusted by food vendors, BBQ teams, and event pros nationwide. From heavy-duty canopies to custom food tents, Exhibit Supply keeps your setup looking sharp and built to last.

🌐 https://www.exhibitsupply.com

👉🏽 Before you do anything else — check out the site below!🎙️ The Black Smoke Barbecue Podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/BlackSmokeBarbecue

📲 Connect With Us

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/blacksmokebarbecue/

TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@blacksmokebarbecue

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/blacksmokebarbecue

🔥 This episode is sponsored by Harder Charcoal & Exhibit Supply! 🔥

STORIES FROM THE SMOKE | Chapter Four: When Barbecue Becomes A Mission

At Country Style Cookoff, barbecue is about much more than trophies.

It's about the people.

In Chapter 4 of our Stories From The Smoke series, we sit down with Tyrone Manning, better known as Da Rib King.

Tyrone's barbecue journey has taken him through years of competition, countless lessons, and plenty of losses along the way. But his biggest impact has never been measured by trophies.

From fundraising for classmates battling cancer to creating opportunities through scholarships and community events, Tyrone has built a legacy around using barbecue as a way to bring people together.

In this episode, we explore the story behind the crown, the passion behind the ribs, and why Country Style Cookoff represents something bigger than competition.

Welcome to Stories From The Smoke.

#bbq #barbecue #countrystylecookoff #pitmaster #datribking #bbqcommunity

🔥 Subscribe for the next chapter of Stories From the Smoke as we continue exploring the people, traditions, and culture that make barbecue more than just food.

Special Thanks:

Aerial footage courtesy of Stanley Parker | True North Aerial Imaging for capturing stunning aerial perspectives of the 2026 Country Style Cook Off.

Follow True North Aerial Imaging:

https://www.youtube.com/@UCyTWwBglbPrc8my-oICiVTA

Special Thanks

Special thanks to @KuttDifferent for allowing us to use B-roll footage in this episode.

🎥 Original Video: https://youtu.be/yc94NtcJJ94?si=g6wI2M3IF1pKHAjH

📺 Subscribe to Kutt Different: https://www.youtube.com/@KuttDifferent

We appreciate your support and are grateful to be able to showcase your work.

#CountryStyleCookoff #StoriesFromTheSmoke #BlackSmokeBBQ #PitmasterCheez #CJsBBQ #Barbecue #LiveFire #BBQCulture #SouthernBBQ

Chapters

0:00 — Meet the Rib King

1:36 — Six years at the Country Style Cook-Off

2:08 — Competing, trash talk, and giving back

3:21 — Advice for first-time pitmasters

4:30 — The future of the event

5:34 — How the Rib King name began

7:08 — Fundraisers, giveaways, and a new scholarship

8:12 — What losing has taught him

9:49 — The community of pitmasters

10:19 — Why barbecue brings people together

11:21 — Promoting the barbecue community

12:22 — Closing thoughts and sign-off

Harder Charcoal – The premium fuel for serious pitmasters. Whether you’re smoking low and slow or grilling hot and fast, Harder XL Briquets and Lump Charcoal deliver clean, consistent heat with that authentic wood-fired flavor.

👉 Use code BLACKSMOKE at checkout for a discount on your order!

🌐 https://www.hardercharcoal.com

Exhibit Supply – Trusted by food vendors, BBQ teams, and event pros nationwide. From heavy-duty canopies to custom food tents, Exhibit Supply keeps your setup looking sharp and built to last.

🌐 https://www.exhibitsupply.com

👉🏽 Before you do anything else — check out the site below!🎙️ The Black Smoke Barbecue Podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/BlackSmokeBarbecue

📲 Connect With Us

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/blacksmokebarbecue/

TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@blacksmokebarbecue

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/blacksmokebarbecue