Keeping up with the top grilling channels on YouTube is both entertaining, informative, and very satisfying when you can copycat their techniques.
You might think there’s little difference between grillers, but, oh boy, the more you see the more you know.
Different techniques, styles of cooking, equipment, products, and even showmanship come into play here.
There is a whole community here. Some of the top YouTubers appear in each other’s videos and discuss grilling in great detail.
Who Is the Best Grill Chef on YouTube?
Surprisingly—or unsurprisingly—many of the best grilling channels on YouTube come from the southern states. (And aside from grilling, many have mastered the art of the goatee.)
These YouTubers come from a variety of cooking backgrounds and levels of experience, perfect for beginners and pros.
And FYI, we’re not ranking these YouTubers based on views or subscriptions.
1. BBQGuys
By far, this BBQGuys is probably the most big-budget grilling channel on YouTube.
One drawback is that it can be a bit like reality TV at times, so if you’re serious about grilling, BBQGuys could be a bit hit-and-miss.
In one of their most recent videos, BBQGuys host Cooper Manning visits UFC fighter Dana White to see how he grills at home.
As you can expect, it’s pretty luxurious and out of reach for most people. That said, many of their top videos are informative how-to guides and grill reviews filmed with a wide variety of hosts.
2. The Barbeque Lab
One of the younger YouTube channels, The Barbeque Lab is hosted by David Gafford, who supposedly has over 20 years of experience in BBQ cooking.
Briefly mentioned this channel in a previous post about grill brushes—they had a great idea to use aluminum foil instead of a grill brush.
Not only was it significantly safer, but also much cheaper and pretty effective.
The Barbeque Lab has grown pretty quickly in the last few years, and Gafford also does useful product reviews.
And, like almost every YouTuber on this list, The Barbeque Lab has a website where they publish more content, including grilling techniques and recipes.
Check out The Barbeque Lab on YouTube.
3. T&T BBQ
Founded by T and Uncle Ced, T&T BBQ is based in Iowa but grills with a distinctly Southern style.
What is particularly enjoyable about watching their videos is that they are real guys, and you can tell that nothing is hidden in their uploads.
They cook some huge meals, one of their biggest can be seen on the “56 slabs of ribs 140 pounds of chicken,” which also happens to be their most popular video with over 2.2 million views.
People can forget how impressive it is to manage such a large amount of meat—get that wrong and there’ll be a lot of angry hungry people.
Off YouTube, T&T BBQ can be found on their website—they have their own sauce and other products, and they can also be found all over social media.
4. Smoky Ribs BBQ
Hosted by Russ Jones, Smoky Ribs BBQ also covers fishing and seafood (specifically from the Gulf Coast), cooking outdoors, and burgers.
If you particularly like grilling seafood and have a fondness for Southern cuisine, Smoky Ribs BBQ is going to be one to favorite.
Some of Jones’s most popular videos are on shrimp, crab, and crawfish. Plus, he has a super popular creole gumbo recipe.
Jones also covers other grilling foods, such as Coney Island chili dogs and Chicago hotdogs to name a few.
Smoky Ribs BBQ will show you how to grill just about anything.
Check out Smoky Ribs BBQ on YouTube.
5. Jirby BBQ
If you’re looking for a more personal, goofy, younger approach, Jirby BBQ might be just for you.
Hosted by Jonny White, Co-owner of Goldee’s Barbecue in Fort Worth, Texas there’s no faking it on Jirby BBQ and his sense of humor is also a plus.
White walks you through a whole grilling method and tries specific products.
Typically, he will record the process (slightly sped up) and talk over how he cooked it—how he prepped and seasoned the meat, and then sticks it on the grill.
White highlights that he is still learning himself which is really beneficial to watch for beginners.
Jirby BBQ’s most watched video is on “How to make an offset cinderblock smoker” which he says can be done for under $200.
Check out Jirby BBQ on YouTube.
6. Meat Church BBQ
Another top griller from Texas, Matt Pittman (a great surname for a grill chef) is the pit master, CEO, and co-founder of Meat Church BBQ and hosts their YouTube channel.
In some of their videos, Pittman travels the US, particularly Texas, to meet different pit masters and learn from them, including some of the grillers on this list.
Meat Church BBQ’s most viewed video is “Smoked Turkey – How To Smoke a Whole Turkey,” answering many common questions many have when grilling turkey.
While some of Pittman’s methods are quite extravagant and may include equipment you don’t have, there is still a lot to learn from just watching him prep and grill a meal.
Meat Church BBQ has been on YouTube since 2013, and they have their own website.
Check out Meat Church BBQ on YouTube.
7. Ballistic BBQ
Run by Greg Mrvich since 2007 (that’s a long time for a YouTube channel), they favor “Low N Slow” grilling and specialize in burgers and also have a fair few videos on tacos.
Ballistic BBQ’s most popular video is “Ribeye Steak On The Grill? (The Truth About Meat Glue).”
It’s a very insightful video focusing on ‘meat glue’ and why it’s controversial. Greg shows how it’s used to get a better understanding of what people are eating.
Ballistic BBQ can also be found all over social media.
Check out Ballistic BBQ on YouTube.
8. BBQ Pit Boys
Another major grilling channel that’s been on YouTube since 2007, BBQ Pit Boys is one of the most established with over two million subscribers.
These guys grill a wide variety of food—not just pork, beef, and chicken, but also seafood, burgers… and even an alligator.
They will show you some of the most insane recipes you can make on a grill drawing from the experience of multiple people.
Of course, some of it is so crazy, you might not get a chance to try it yourself, but there’s still a lot to learn from these seasoned experts.
BBQ Pit Boys is perhaps the most entertaining to watch of any of the grilling channels on this list. They know they’re a little crazy and have a sense of humor about it.
Just like many of the other channels, they have taken advantage of their fame and have a wide range of products and a blog for recipes on their website.
Check out BBQ Pit Boys on YouTube.
9. HowToBBQRight
HowToBBQRight is Malcolm Reed’s channel. Growing up in Memphis, HowToBBQRight channel says he covers “all things barbecue, slow-smoked and grilled.”
HowToBBQRight is one of the most popular on grilling with 1.47 million subscribers and over 186 million channel views and can be found all over social media.
Reed also has a background in competitive grilling, and his most popular video, with an astounding 12 million views, is on grilling a tomahawk ribeye steak.
There is also a HowToBBQRight Podcast, many of the episodes are featured on the Community tab on the HowToBBQRight YouTube channel.
Check out HowToBBQRight on YouTube.
10. Mad Scientist BBQ
Mad Scientist BBQ is one of the youngest channels on this list, but it is the best YouTube grilling channel if you really want to learn.
Run by Jeremy Yoder from Kentucky, Mad Scientist BBQ is highly informative due to Yoder’s presenting skills which likely come from his background as a Biology and Chemistry teacher.
And just like a science teacher, Yoder Experiments with tons of grilling methods, how they will grill certain meat, what they’ll do, what they won’t do, and why.
What is also quite admiring about Mad Scientist BBQ is that Yoder is open when something is new to them and will bring in other experts.
Mad Scientist BBQ is truly the best channel if you really want to learn. Yoder will make you think about things that you didn’t know could be crucial to grilling.
So, if you grill a lot and constantly have varying results, learning the science behind it all is the best way to find out why.
Mad Scientist BBQ also has a website and you can also find them on Instagram and Twitter.
Check out Mad Scientist BBQ on YouTube.
Honorable Mentions—Other Top Grilling YouTube Channels
Don’t forget to try out new and up-and-coming channels. You never know how things will change in the next few years; some YouTubers may move on while new ones come along.
Two more excellent grill channels to check out are Dead Broke BBQ and T-ROY COOKS.
Dead Broke BBQ has many videos on grill brands and other BBQ products, and T-ROY COOKS covers a fair bit of technique and recipes.
And if you’re really into learning how to grill or picking up new skills, make sure you keep an eye on the ‘Community’ tab on your favorite channels.
Often, YouTubers make posts there, and it’s not just videos, it can also be images or announcements and you can keep track of it all.
