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About
Out Of Frustration, An Idea Was Born
Hi, my name is Thinh Phan – the chief editor of BBQ In Progress.
I’m not a competitive pitmaster. I’m just a regular dude who loves to grill & smoke food.
I searched the Internet for ways to up my BBQ game when I first got into it.
But I was frustrated with the advice. There was so much confusing information everywhere.
YouTube, forums, and cookbooks did help, but the answers weren’t always complete.
I felt like banging my head against a wall. That’s why I decided to create this website to change that.
The Mission
Over the past two years, I’ve been grilling & smoking regularly, talking to guys at my local BBQ joint, and joining a handful of online groups.
I’m confident enough to say that I know a thing or two about cooking over live fire. But of course, there is always more to learn about this fiery art. As I continue to learn and share new techniques and recipes, I will update the website’s content accordingly (hence the name, BBQ In Progress).
I also review BBQ products to help you choose what’s best for you. I take the reviews seriously. I only recommend products that I have fully researched and/or personally used. In fact, I’m committed to creating the most complete and unbiased resource for grilling & smoking on the Internet.
Through this site, I also want to grow a community of similar people who share the same passion as mine. I truly believe it is a way to bring everybody together, no matter where you are from.
Cooking over live fire is innate. We’ve been doing it since the first cavemen bonked a woolly mammoth on the head and threw it on the campfire. It is within us, and has been a part of our lives from ancient China to the Roman Empire. We all love to share delicious grilled food and enjoy each other’s company.
In a nutshell, BBQ In Progress is for:
- Beginners – people who are completely new to grilling & smoking.
- Amateur backyard pitmasters – people who knows the basics but want to improve their skills.
- Family members – people whose loved ones are BBQ fanatics.
- Others – Anyone that wants to know more about cooking over live fire.
Whoever you are, the ultimate goal of this website is to help YOU learn to grill & smoke better food from the comfort of your backyard.
On A Personal Note...
I’m in my early 30s. My day job is mending and making leather shoes. I started as an apprentice and am now a junior cobbler/shoemaker at a popular local shop.
In my free time, I’ve learned a bit about website design – enough to put this one together – and I do a lot of BBQ at home.
I began with a cheap, portable grill, which I used mostly for camping with friends. Then I decided to buy something better when I wanted to get good at grilling & smoking.
I bought my first proper grill in early 2018 – the Weber Original Kettle Charcoal Grill – and it has been with me ever since. It makes a massive difference when you switch from a cheap grill to a decent one – the food turns out more tender and delicious.
My philosophy is to master one tool before moving on to a new one. I firmly believe that the Weber Kettle is a solid, all-around grill/smoker.
But I always want to upgrade and add more to my BBQ arsenal. The next one I’m going to get is a small kamado. Eventually, it will be an ugly drum and offset smoker when I settle down and have family.
For fun, I enjoy hiking. I try to do it everyday if I can – it’s one of the perks of living close to the mountains. Nature really rejuvenates your soul, just like slow-smoked food nourishes your body.