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Interview with Greg Rempe of TheBBQCentral

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If you're looking from something more interactive, this interview with Greg Rempe of TheBBQCentral.com will be of interest. Greg not only has one of the most active BBQ forums on the Internet, he also hosts a live weekly Internet radio show on the topic of.....BBQ.

It just so happens that Greg and I grew up in the same town in Ohio. I'm a few years older and different schools, but basically the same stomping grounds. He's still in Cleveland and I've moved on to Atlanta. Frankly, I was never really exposed to Barbecue up there so I was a little surprised when I discovered where he was on the map.

Interview with Greg Rempe

GGR: It appears that your "over participation" at the Weber Virtual Bullet forums got your barbecue website career going. Can you run through your entry into the world of barbecue websites for those that haven't heard your radio show?

First off, thanks for asking me to do this interview...you have a great website and have done some great interviews already!

I am laughing as I read the “over participation” comment. While I do think I would have gone out on my own at some point, the TVWB over participation incident certainly was a motivating factor for me to strike out sooner than expected. Every bbq and grilling forum is different and so are the folks who run them. Typically you find a place and that becomes your hang out the majority of the time. When I was told by the admin at the TVWB to stop posting so much I decided to try my hand at building my own forum.

Over the last 4 years, the forum and website have grown nicely (more than I ever expected) and really focuses on bbq and grilling as a whole. The BBQ Central forum has a great collection of folks who use all different kinds of cookers and who cook different regions of barbecue. I didn't want to have a forum that was just catering to one portion of the industry like some of the other forums do. By the way, I think for WSM info, the TVWB website is the best one out there and Chris does a great job with it!

GGR: What was it that made you want to do a radio show on the subject?

The radio show started out as just podcasts initially. I started doing those about 3 years ago I think. They were all prerecorded interviews that I edited down to about a 20min final product. The BBQ Central Show was one of the first podcasts on the subject that was recurring on a regular basis. I started doing the podcasts for the same reason as I do the radio show now...to set BBQ Central apart from the other bbq and grilling forums out there on the web. Mp3 players were becoming very popular back then and I thought it would be great if I could supplement the written content on the forum with some audio interviews with some of the big names in the bbq and grilling industry. Folks could find the show and listen to the episodes at their leisure which is why podcasts are so successful and convenient for all of us!

Since technology is growing at an unprecedented rate, I decided that I would leave the “podcasting thing” alone for now and focus on doing a live Internet radio show to change up the feel. I started doing the live radio show February 7th 2008 and it has been going strong ever since! Plus, I have always wanted to get in to radio and this was a way to fill 2 desires at once. So, I solicited some advertising, bought some basic audio equipment and hooked up with Sam Hasson who owns LA Talk Radio which is where the radio show can be found. The station itself is in L.A. but I actually host the show from my home studio in Cleveland, OH...technology is a great thing!

GGR: How do you go about planning your show weekly? You are always interviewing someone. Do you make all of these contacts through your forum?

I am always planning the show...even during my real job! If I could figure out a way to make a full-time income doing this I would leave my other job in a heartbeat! But, since that is not the case, this is how I go about the show week to week. The forum is always gaining new content so there have been a lot of show ideas and segments born out of that arena. But having made the contacts during the podcast days I now have access to any number of the big guns out there today.

The BBQ Central show has 4 segments. Two of which are usually held for interviews. I am in charge of all aspects of running the show. I host it, produce it, book the guests and engineer the show as it is happening live...to be honest; I miss a lot of the show “live” because I am doing 10 other things that no one would really care about any way. Plus, I have to watch the clock and keep the segments moving on time to get to the commercial spots. It was tough to get a hold of at first but now it is a smooth process.

I try to book guests at least 4 to 6 weeks out so I am not scrambling from week to week. That also gives me more time to focus on writing the questions for the guest(s) that week. But of course, things come up and I always have something tucked to the side to talk about if something falls through last minute. It really makes Tuesday to Tuesday go by very quickly!

GGR: Beyond your website and the radio show, are you doing any barbecue competitions? If not, how often are you using your Weber Smokey Mountains at home?

I have not actually entered a competition personally. I have been to a few as a spectator and to meet some of the BBQ Central Forum members but my desire to actually spend that kind of money for a very small chance of winning something at the end of the weekend is VERY minimal. I would be just as satisfied taking that $600-$700 and having a neighborhood blow-out! Some folks really have a desire to see where their bbq stacks up to others and that is why competition bbq continues to grow week after week. I get my ego boost from the radio show!

As far as the WSM's, I try to use them each weekend but my collection of cookers is growing so sometimes they get a week or two off in between uses. If you are keeping score at home, I have a pair of WSM cookers, a 42” Klose off-set cooker (stick burner), a 22.5” Weber one touch gold charcoal grill, a Weber Genesis Silver B 3 burner (gasser) and my latest addition the Bubba Keg cooker. It is similar to the Big Green Egg in shape but made of steel instead of ceramic material.

GGR: What do you consider the best features of the WSM compared to other smokers on the market?

When you are looking to buy a smoker the first thing that needs to be taken in to account is the $$ you are willing to spend. Never has the phrase “You get what you pay for” ringed truer than when you are buying a cooker. While I would certainly love to have Charbroil or Brinkmann as a show sponsor, their bullet smokers are some of the worst out there. But for $50 what do you expect. Unfortunately, folks buy those as their first smoker, they see how hard they are to operate and then it becomes a big flower planter in the yard...and we lose a new potential bbq brother or sister!

The best features of the WSM are its ease of use, its reliability cook after cook and its ability to hold temperature for extended periods of time! It is the best $300 or so you will spend on a bbq pit!
you consider the best features of the WSM compared to other smokers on the market?

GGR: Since you're up North, I have to ask if you do smokes year round, and if so, do you have to do anything differently to manage the temp of your smoker?

GGR: What's your favorite thing to barbecue and can you share a secret rub or procedure you use?

My personal favorite is pork ribs, but the family favorite is pork butt. I don't have any secret method...it's all pretty straight forward stuff. I use Worcestershire sauce as an adherent, sprinkle on the rub and then I go out and fire up the cooker.

I use a lot of different rubs...that has become a nice benefit of the radio show. I get rubs sent to me all the time to try out. But if you had a gun on me and asked for my favorites I would have to say the “Wolfe Rub” line is great (but they are now out of business), Tasty Licks BBQ has great stuff, Dave Klose has some really good rubs and Kevin Bevington from HomeBBQ.com has some of the best rubs out there! I buy those rubs even when my stock pile is full!!

GGR: I'm a fan of Spatchcock chicken as well. Do you find yourself walking around the house saying Spatchcock for no apparent reason? I'm not saying I do…

GGR: Is there anything special coming up on your website or the radio show that you'd like people to know about?