How We Research

I'm Brian Miller. I'm a project manager in Mason, Ohio — suburban Cincinnati — with a concrete patio, an HOA, a Weber Kettle 22", and a Traeger Pro 575. Family schedules mean I cook maybe once or twice a week when things are going well, not seven days a week like a competition cook. I think that's closer to how most people actually barbecue than the content you usually find online, and I try to write from that reality.

What I own and regularly cook on, I can tell you about from actual use: how the Traeger performs in Ohio winters, what the Weber Kettle does well and where it frustrates me, how a Thermoworks Smoke X4 compares to cheaper thermometers I've run alongside it. For equipment outside my current setup — offset smokers I've researched but not bought, kamados I've considered and priced out, accessories I've investigated without purchasing — I'm upfront that those assessments come from research: manufacturer specs, owner forums like The Virtual Weber Bullet and r/smoking, and comparison against what I do use. I don't pretend to have cooked on everything I write about.

I'm also honest about constraints that affect my recommendations. HOA rules out large offset smokers for me personally. A concrete patio with kids around means I think about placement and clearance differently than someone with a quarter-acre of grass. These things matter, and I'd rather acknowledge them than write advice that assumes everyone is cooking in an unrestricted rural setup.

I don't accept free products in exchange for coverage. I update articles when a product changes or when I've been wrong about something. That happens.

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