The world moves fast and forgets faster. Barbecue still teaches patience. If you choose smoke over shortcuts, you’re already one of us. Share your cooks in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram.

Now, here’s what we’ve been cooking up all week…

First up, when a side dish gets its own fan club, something special is happening. And some ultra-processed foods are trash, but “processed” alone isn’t the enemy. Plus, some must-try recipes for Turkish onion water lamb chops, grilled chuck roast, and smoked party ribs that are the life of any plate.

Every week, we crown the DMS champion of BBQ. And there are only two ways to enter: 1) Submit a pic to the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group 2) Tag us on Instagram. If you aren’t sharing (and competing), what the hell are you waiting for?

This week’s Smoke Show Champ is Kimberly Furman Bearry because cooking with DMS tools makes everyone a winner. Shared via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group.

Honorable mention to Randy Harper for this eye candy. Shared via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group.

Honorable mention to Jonathan Dyke for his juicy New York strip. Shared via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group.

Have a Smoke Show submission? Stop wasting your time posting on all those other sites and share it with the Facebook group that gives a damn: Dead Meat Society. Or just tag us on Instagram.

That one story that will make you infinitely more interesting than your know-it-all brother-in-law. Seriously, wtf is that guy’s deal?

Everybody is always talking meat. Brisket gets all the glory. Ribs get all the Instagram likes. But sides? Sides live in the background. Like unpaid interns. Yet every real pitmaster knows the truth…

A plate lives or dies by its supporting cast.

Tasting Table just put out a list of BBQ chain side dishes that rival the meat itself. That alone tells us something important. People are paying attention to sides. They’re no longer filler. They are power players.

Which raises the real question:

What are the best BBQ sides of all time?

Per Tasting Table, these sides are GOATed at chain BBQ spots:

But thinking outside of the franchise sides…

Great BBQ sides do three jobs.

First, they balance the plate. Rich meat needs acid, crunch, and contrast.

Second, they carry their own weight. A side should not disappear next to brisket.

Third, they create memory. Nobody reminisces about a mediocre potato salad.

Across regions, styles, and smoke philosophies, these sides never fail:

These exist in every serious BBQ ecosystem for a reason.

They work. And to save you a little time, we went out and found some new ways to upgrade your side game.

Cornbread is already a winner. Golden, sweet, tender enough to soak up smoke juice. But winners don’t stay winners by staying the same. Here’s the upgrade…

Every great BBQ plate needs something sharp enough to cut through smoke and fat. This is where slaw earns its keep. Here’s the upgrade…

Anyone can smoke a brisket. (Well, not anyone.) But a true pitmaster builds a plate.

Make sure to choose your sides accordingly.

Like the memes you send back and forth in your group chat, except these won’t get you canceled. Oh, and lots more grill marks.

🥩 TEXAN ALCHEMY: Kareem’s path ran from Cairo to Central Texas, guided entirely by smoke and curiosity. What he built at KG BBQ carries the discipline of Texas and the soul of his roots.

🥩 WEIRD SCIENCE PROTEIN: Beyond Meat is now in the beverage aisle with a protein drink. And just like their contribution to the “meat” aisle, it leaves us wondering: why? Just fire up the grill.

🥩 MECHANICAL GENIUS: Somewhere, a normal grill feels deeply inadequate 👇

🥩 TACO ENGINEERING: A flavor bomb we can all get behind 👇

Did we miss something? Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram for a chance to be featured.

Tips, tech & gear that’ll help you beat your friend’s meat. Wait, that came out wrong…

🥓 PROCESSING REALITY: Before you dump every packaged item off the menu, get this: processing has helped humans eat farther from farms and stay safe. Read this and see if it changes your perspective.

🥓 TOOLBOX BOOST: Nordstrom just slashed prices on cookware and tools perfect for leveling up your kitchen game after the holidays. Think Le Creuset pie dishes, Crock-Pot essentials, and tableware that makes your meat look as good as it tastes (wait, that came out weird…)

🥓 GRADE GAME: Prime has more marbling. Choice is cheaper. But what does that actually mean on the grill? This article walks you through when it's worth dropping dollars and when you can save without giving up flavor.

🥓 SALT SAVVY: Kosher salt, table salt, specialty salts, they all have roles. Know when more is more, when less hits harder, and how salt choice actually changes your crust game.

🥓 BUDGET BRISKET: Brisket prices have lost their minds. So we adapted 👇

Did we miss something? Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram for a chance to be featured.

Like a Paula Deen cookbook, but with less butter and more BBQ sauce.

Lamb meets fire and carries its own mythology to the plate.

Party ribs. Smoky, forgiving, dangerously easy to love.

Chuck without excuses.

Have a recipe you want to share? Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram for a chance to be featured.

A happy ending just for you.

That’s it for this week. If you make any of the recipes above, you’re legally obligated to share pics on the DMS Facebook Group or tag us on Instagram so we can feature them next week (sorry, we don’t make the rules).

And since the only thing that is better than grill marks and ice-cold beer is grill marks and ice-cold beer with a side of dad jokes, we’ll leave this right here…

Dead Meat Society Merch in the wild.

Our friend @firegrillinsmokehouse365 put the Dead Meat Spatula to work. The result? This bada** video…

You can grill like a champion with the first edition Dead Meat Society OG Toolkit, complete with…

You can only get the exclusive Dead Roll Tool Carrier with the full kit. What are you waiting for?

As part of our commitment to community, 10% of net profits are donated to charities that matter.