Hey Reader

It's been a long while since I've taken a moment to write. Apologies...

Sure, if you're new to the list (or even if you've been around a while), you might not fully realize it, but the emails you get each Wednesday — which others of you have probably cycled out of by now — belong to a prewritten "Welcome Series" that runs for a full year. I wrote that on and off between 2017 and 2024, I believe.

This one, I wrote today.

Below you'll find a "quick" summary of what I've been up to, where things are headed, and some help for your 4th of July cooks.

Catching Up

I am reaching out today to wish you an early happy Independence Day and to "briefly" share what I've been working on, which has kept me away from writing these newsletters for so long.

I've made a concerted effort to work on improving Destination BBQ. I probably won't even remember all that I've done, but here are some highlights:

• Reorganized the site, improved the menu navigation at the top of the page, and created new landing pages for the top menu items.
• Added all of the SC BBQ restaurants (that I'm aware of) that have been missing from our site and SC BBQ Trail Map. That is, 29 restaurant listings that I had been remiss in getting added.
• Coded (with AI) a growing number of ​BBQ calculators and tools​. I've published 7 tools so far, with more planned.
• For each of those tools, I've created a collection of supporting articles on closely related topics. So far, the tools have 38 support articles published alongside them to help you with your BBQ cooks, with more planned.
• Continued to dive deep into basic BBQ topics, adding to our "BBQ Glossary" with articles that are much more encyclopedic than dictionary-like. That remains a work in progress, and much of the work above stems from it.
• Any number of other things, from bug fixes to updating restaurant info (opening hours, newer photos, etc.) to reducing on-page distractions (ads, pop-ups, etc.) as much as I could to. The list goes on...

Want an Ad-Free option when visiting Destination BBQ? Yes, I'd pay a bit for that Yes, but not if it costs much No thanks, don't mind the ads

In addition, Heather and I took our first big BBQ Road Trip outside the Palmetto State when we visited Austin, TX, earlier this month. More about that in a future email, but here's a sight you don't see much outside of our borders: the pork hash with whole-hog BBQ from Leroy and Lewis in Austin:

What's on the Roadmap?

While I've done a lot of work over the last year, there's so much more I have planned:

• Continuing much of what I've been doing
• Change the site's theme/look. Don't really want to, but I have to as the theme I am currently using has been discontinued. Ugh.
• A long-awaited update to the plugin I use for the map and restaurant pages may soon be here. I've thought that for literally years now, but signs are encouraging. I've actually beta-tested it. Let's just say you're going to like the upgrades.
• Create City Guides similar to our Best BBQ in Charleston (which also needs to be revamped) for each of the major areas in the state. This is not a clickbait "listicle" but rather a sincere attempt to point out some of the best options in an area and then explain what each is about so you can choose the best one for you.

4th of July Support

I mentioned above a number of BBQ calculators and supporting articles that I've created over the last year or so. Several of these may offer you some help with your Independence Day planning. Check these out:

Ribs

• ​Rib Calculator to figure out how many racks to buy
• ​Keep Ribs Warm if they finish before guests arrive

Pulled Pork

• ​Pulled Pork Calculator for amounts and cook planning
• ​Make Pulled Pork Ahead to take some pressure off the day

Wings

• ​Wing Calculator for pieces, pounds, and bag counts
• ​Cook Wings for a Crowd for a smoother party-day cook

Brisket

• ​Brisket Calculator to work backward from serving time and allow for a proper rest
• ​What Is Brisket? for a quick guide to the cut before you buy

You can find all of these, plus the rest of the planning tools, on the Destination BBQ Tools page.

One calculator not mentioned above is one of the first I created, the Brining Calculator, which covers wet, dry, and equilibrium brines.

Believe it or not, as I was writing this newsletter, I received an email from David K. in Mill City, OR, about the brining tool. Here's part of what he shared:

What a very nice calculator you put together! It's easy to follow and provides a very easy way to understand how to go through the process. I just wish that this calculator had been around 10 years ago, when I began my own journey into equilibrium brine. I ended up building my own spreadsheet for this, and it has worked well for me....Anyway, I'm impressed at the very nice calculator you have done for this, and that it covers a lot of curing approaches to BBQ.

Kind words that I am grateful for.

While AI wrote the code (because I certainly can't), that does not mean I just said, "Build this tool." It's not that easy, frankly. The truth is, a lot of research, testing, and care are baked into each of these tools because it's important that the output you get is as accurate and helpful as possible.

David's words comfort me, affirming that the work was worthwhile and that, more importantly, the results serve folks well.

I hope that, if you find a need to consult one of the tools on our site, you find it equally valuable.

Cheers,

Jim Roller

PS: In the coming days, I'll share a few articles from the site that may help with your plans this weekend. Enjoy!

Looking for authentic SCBBQ recipes? ​Find all our published recipes here​

Going Whole Hog Tips & Tricks from Pitmasters like Aaron -- Digital and Print Editions -- Our SC BBQ Cookbook gathers together recipes for sauces, meats, hash, and more from today’s top pitmasters and from generations-old family traditions.