Ranking Our Best Recipe Videos of 2024

Earlier this year, our co-founder Scott and I launched a weekly video series to let the world know what Fire & Smoke Society is all about. Over the months, we managed to create a few videos that had it all — flavor, fun and occasionally, internet fame.

I added a little producer’s note to each favorite, shedding some light on the process, and why we, and many others, decided to give the recipe a whirl.

10. Brave new worlds begin with breakfast.

Jammy Eggs & Garlic Toast

@fireandsmokesociety Jammy Eggs & Toast 🌞 RECIPE ⬇️ 4 large eggs
4 slices of bread
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
The Usual seasoning (find at Walmart, Kroger and Publix) Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Use a spoon to gently place the eggs on the bottom of the saucepan. Boil eggs for 8 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and then give the eggs a quick rinse to stop the cooking process. Peel the eggs. Toast the bread. Slice the eggs and divide between the slices of bread, drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with The Usual. #breakfast #eggs #foodchallenge #treatyourself ♬ original sound - Fire & Smoke Society

We had a single light, a crappy hot plate and whatever we could borrow from our home kitchens. Now, what to make? "Write what you know" is 101, and Scott, our now-official face of Fire & Smoke, had a propensity for sharing his morning routine — perfectly jammy boiled eggs on toast. A rub of garlic, drizzle of olive oil and dash of The Usual helped make our mantra clear as day: flavor doesn’t have to be complicated. This video also introduces Vinny, our favorite taste-tester featured in just about every video since.

9. We’re here for the food.

Kansas City Poor Man’s Burnt Ends

Fan Favorite - 3.7 Million Views 🔥

@fireandsmokesociety KANSAS CITY WINS ON FOOD. Sorry, Ravens. KC-Style Poor Man’s Burnt Ends 🏈 RECIPE ⬇️ 1 chuck roast Our Honey Garlic Sweet BBQ Rub (Find at Walmart and Kroger) BBQ sauce 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 stick of butter This is how you do it: Set up your smoker or grill for indirect cooking. Target 250-270°F. Throw a chunk of hardwood over the fire. Rub down chuck roast with Honey Garlic. Smoke roast over indirect heat until internal temp reaches 165°F and a dark bark has developed. For a 2.5-pound cut, this takes about 4 hours. Remove roast, rest for 15 minutes, and slice into 1-inch cubes. Place cubes in aluminum pan and coat with BBQ sauce, brown sugar, more Honey Garlic and top with pads of butter. Cover pan with aluminum foil and place back on hot grill. Burnt ends are ready with they reach 205°F and are tender. This takes about an hour. Pro tip: For a more tacked-up, candy finish, open foil cover for the last 10 minutes of cooking. #gameday #gamedayrecipe #football #nfl #howto #howtocook #howtobbq #bbq #grilling #apps #appetizers #recipe #tailgating #chiefs #kcchiefs #baltimore #ravens #fyp ♬ original sound - Fire & Smoke Society

The assignment confounded two nerds: TIE IN FOOTBALL. Kansas City vs. Baltimore, to be exact. Now, instead of weighing-in on something we knew nothing about, we picked a clear winner based on food, alone. BBQ is in our blood, and I happen to have a shellfish allergy, so Kansas City it was. Burnt ends will always win over fans of flavor; this is one of our most popular videos.

8. We’re thinking Arby’s.

Cheesy Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich

@fireandsmokesociety This Labor Day — we’re thinking Arby’s. RECIPE ⬇️ Cheesy BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches What you need: 1 pork butt Sweet Preacher Pork Rub (Find it at Walmart and Kroger) Buns BBQ sauce Nacho cheese This is how we do it: Preheat smoker to 285°F and throw in a chunk of hardwood. Rub down pork butt with Sweet Preacher. Place pork butt on opposite side of heat and smoke until internal temp reaches 165°F. Be sure to monitor for consistent heat and clean smoke output. Wrap pork butt in foil or butcher paper and cook until internal temp reaches 205°F and the bone is completely loose. You can push the smoker temp to 300°F or finish it in the oven. Remove pork butt and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes. Shred when cool enough to handle. Using toasted buns, build a sandwich with a handful of pulled pork, a good dose of BBQ sauce and a heavy drizzle of nacho cheese. EAT IMMEDIATELY. #laborday #labordayweekend #bbq #fyp #arbys ♬ original sound - Fire & Smoke Society

There’s a fine line between ridiculous internet food and what people actually eat. This recipe sits right on that line. Shoutout to Scott for calling an audible on nacho cheese. Was it really necessary? Yes, yes it was. Make this immediately.

7. No special equipment required.

Grilled Pepperoni Pizza

@fireandsmokesociety

GRILLING PIZZA 101 🍕 RECIPE ⬇️ Shopping List: Fresh, pre-made pizza dough. Ask your local grocery store if they have it. All-purpose flour Olive oil Canned pizza sauce. We like Rao’s. Vinny R’s Italian seasoning (Find it at Walmart) Shredded, low-moisture mozzarella cheese Pepperoni slices and/or whatever other toppings your heart desires! The Method: Set up grill for indirect cooking. This means coals pushed to one side of the grill. On a well-floured surface, spread out dough with fingers until it resembles a med-large pizza crust. On the hot, well-oiled grill grate, place the dough over the coals. Close lid and monitor carefully. You will want to flip the dough when the bottom is slightly charred and easily releases from the grate. Do not completely burn. Pull crust and set on a large surface. Add a thin layer of pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni and any other toppings. Move pizza back to the grill, this time on the indirect side so the cheese can melt and toppings can cook. Close lid and monitor carefully. Pull pizza when cheese and toppings reach your desired doneness. Slice. Eat immediately 🍕🥳

♬ original sound - Fire & Smoke Society

We were in the dog days of summer when we launched our Italian blends, and we just couldn’t muster the appetite for a big, hot bowl of pasta. Thankfully, Scott knew a thing or two about slinging pies over a live fire. The appeal to this popular recipe? No stone, no peel, store-bought dough and come on — who doesn’t love a pepperoni pizza, even on a 100-degree day?

6. Scott learns the term “glizzy.”

Crispy BBQ Hotdogs

Fan Favorite - 1.9 Million Views 🔥

@fireandsmokesociety Pro tips from a wiener lover. #hotdog #hotdogs #glizzy #glizzies #fyp #howto #howtocook ♬ original sound - Fire & Smoke Society

Our best recipes are always the easiest. How do you spice up a wiener? Score it, rub it down with some salt-free flavor, and (patiently) get it nice and crispy. Inject Scott’s very mature humor and you have a hit recipe video.

5. Open house and open mouths.

Meatball Subs

@fireandsmokesociety

Spicy Italian Meatball Subs 🤌 RECIPE ⬇️ Shopping List: Meatballs: 2 slices crustless white bread, cut into small cubes 1/2 cup whole milk 1/2 pound ground pork 1 pound ground beef 1 medium yellow onion, minced 4 garlic cloves, minced ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley 3 tablespoons Spicy Italian seasoning (Now at Kroger) Sauce: 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup yellow onion, minced 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 clove garlic, minced Two 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes Salt and pepper, to taste Sandwich: 1 French or Italian loaf Provolone cheese Parmesan cheese The Method: In a small bowl, add bread cubes and milk. With a stand mixer or by hand in a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients, including the wet bread cubes. On a sheet pan, form meatballs a little larger than golfballs. Chill in fridge while preparing sauce. In a large pot over med-high heat, briefly sauté onion, tomato paste and garlic. Add cans of crushed tomatoes, then salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to simmer. Drop in meatballs and simmer until meatballs are completely cooked through and sauce has reduced to your desired thickness, about an hour. Cut bread open and remove some of the inside to create a landing zone for the goods. Lightly toast. Build as follows: Bottom bread, melted provolone cheese, meatballs and sauce, more melted provolone, parmesan, extra sauce, top bread. Cut into sharable slices and EAT 🎉

♬ original sound - Fire & Smoke Society

At this point, we were confident enough to have some friends over to witness what had suddenly taken up our Wednesdays, not to mention office space. This recipe was the debut of our upgraded-but-still-makeshift studio kitchen that you see in almost all of our videos. And what better way to feed a small group of people than Italian-American food? These subs will make you croon after a bite into their juicy meatball filling.

4. It’s called a McRobinson!

DIY McRib Sandwich

@fireandsmokesociety

A better McRib — The McRobinson ⬇️ The ultimate juicy, smoky baby back sandwich needs to be on your menu this weekend. Shopping list: Rack of baby back ribs Brazen Pig Salt-Free BBQ Rub (Find it at Walmart) Hoagie rolls Your favorite BBQ sauce (We used our Sweet Preacher sauce) White onions, thinly sliced Pickle slices The method: Remove the rib membrane and rub down the rack with Brazen Pig. Add salt to your liking. Smoke indirect at 285°F for 3 hours. Wrap with foil and finish for 1-2 hours until bones easily pull. You can also do this in an oven. While ribs are resting, split and toast hoagie rolls, and build McRobinson as follows: bottom bread, pile of rib meat, sauce, onions, pickles, top bread. What are you waiting for? EAT!

♬ original sound - Fire & Smoke Society

Long live the McRib… but every fan secretly knows it could be (a lot) better. This one was right up our alley, and unforgettably love-at-first-bite.

3. Because we’re The Fire & Smoke Society.

Grilled Hamburger Steak, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

Fan Favorite - 2.2 Million Views 🔥

@fireandsmokesociety

PSA: Grill your hamburger steaks 🔥

♬ original sound - Fire & Smoke Society

Fire & Smoke-ifying classic recipes is another trend you’ll see in our videos. In the case of these hamburger steaks, we took things quite literally. This may be my favorite video. The recipe is soul-warming, to boot.

2. Embracing reality.

Office Smashburgers

@fireandsmokesociety Office Smashburgers 🍔 RECIPE ⬇️ From the bottom-up: Texas toast Chopped pickled jalapeños, mixed in mayo Two smashed patties seasoned with Thundering Longhorn beef rub (Find at Walmart & Kroger) Each patty topped with melted Muenster cheese Razor-thin red onion Pickles Texas Toast #burger #smashburger #pattymelt #lunch #grilling ♬ original sound - Fire & Smoke Society

From the jump, Scott and I opted to reject obsessive production design and pull the curtain back on who we actually are — a small team, working and shooting fun cooking videos in our humble Little Rock office. This video is the moment we found our voice, not to mention our summer-long burger obsession. That juicy, squeaky cut at the intro still makes my mouth water.

1. Thanksgiving, made easy.

Air Fryer Buttermilk-Brined Turkey Breast

Fan Favorite - 2.6 Million Views 🔥

@fireandsmokesociety

Air fryer turkey is EASY 🦃 SHOPPING LIST ⬇️ 1 Butterball turkey breast, thawed 1 quart buttermilk Chica Licka Bam Bam (Find at Walmart, Kroger and Publix) Fresh thyme sprigs 1 gallon ziplock bag EXTRA CREDIT ⬇️ Big Gobbler Turkey Gravy (Find at Kroger) Fresh, sliced sourdough bread THE METHOD ⬇️ Open turkey breast packaging The breast has a netting around it, gently pull on netting to loosen it up. Move breast to ziplock and add buttermilk, 2 tablespoons of Chica Licka Bam Bam and a few sprigs of thyme. Close bag, gently mix with hands and refrigerate overnight. Preheat air fryer or oven to 375°F. Remove breast from bag and gently pat dry with a paper towel. Season breast with Chica Licka Bam Bam to your liking. Place breast on an elevated rack and roast until internal temp reaches 165°F, this usually takes a little over an hour. Pull, rest for at least 15 minutes, slice and serve over toasted sourdough covered with gravy 💥

♬ original sound - Fire & Smoke Society

Countless commenters let us know this recipe helped make their Thanksgiving perfect. Yeah, the most important food event of the year. Does it get any better than that? Helping people is what we’re all about. That, and delicious food. This one had both.

This list is just the tip of what we shared with the world this year. Hop on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to view our entire catalog of recipes.

By Chris Salazar
Content Producer
Fire & Smoke Society