Is pouring beef tallow over brisket actually making it better—or just making dry meat look juicy for the camera?

In this episode of the Smokeless Podcast, the guys call out one of BBQ’s most performative trends, break down the real uses for beef tallow, and explain why dumping it over sliced brisket might be more theatre than technique.

They also get into the BBQ rules they no longer believe, the problem with following YouTube advice too literally, why chicken deserves more attention, and whether food influencers and paid reviews can still be trusted.

Plus, Stanley’s AI ordering assistant joins the conversation as the guys debate what AI could mean for restaurants, staff and the future of the industry.

Topics include:

• Is brisket tallow becoming a crutch?

• The right way to use tallow in BBQ

• BBQ myths that need to die

• Why pitmasters should use the wood available to them

• The return of affordable cuts and smoked chicken

• Food influencers asking restaurants for money and free food

• AI answering phones and taking restaurant orders

• Why the BBQ community remains so tight-knit

Tell us in the comments: does tallow genuinely improve brisket, or is it just being used to fake juiciness?

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Send your questions to: hello@smokelesspodcast.com

Tyler Frazer of Tyler’s Barbeque joins the Smokeless boys for part two of a wide-ranging conversation covering Texas beef ribs, rising barbecue prices, the new generation of pitmasters and life behind the scenes at his Amarillo restaurant.

Tyler explains why he keeps his beef ribs at just $16 per pound, even as customers elsewhere are paying as much as $75 for a single rib. He also gives us a tour of the joint before the conversation turns to social media, family time and why so many of us are recording life instead of actually living it.

Tyler Frazer of Tyler’s Barbeque joins the Smokeless boys to tell the story of how he built one of Amarillo’s best-known barbecue joints from almost nothing.

When Tyler opened, he had no money for a sign, paint or staff. His mother ran the register, friends stepped in to help, and the first summer became a full-on family-and-friends operation. Somehow, the business plan he created missed his first-year numbers by only $500.

Tyler also talks about the road that led him into barbecue, cooking huge events, building a loyal local customer base, running a small but seriously capable crew, and why he cares more about the experience across the counter than making somebody else’s list.

A funny, honest conversation about starting small, working smart and building a Texas barbecue business that lasts.