Why Dave Grohl loves Barbecue

Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman has smokers-in-tow regularly

By Kelli Skye Fadroski | kfadroski@scng.com | Orange County Register

When Rita Haney, longtime partner of the late “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, asked Foo Fighters’ vocalist-guitarist Dave Grohl to be a part of the 11th Annual Dimebash at the Observatory in Santa Ana, she said he immediately responded, “Well, you know I’m cooking, right?”

Grohl, who celebrated his 51st birthday on Jan. 14 and has been dropping hints on social media about some crazy stuff coming up for the Foo Fighters’ 25th anniversary, has become known for more than just his skills on stage. He’s been bringing his meat smokers along to shows, popping up at festivals and even cooking for a crew of exhausted L.A.-area firefighters as they tirelessly battled blazes in 2018.

From left, Ronnie Lee and Dave Grohl rub a combination of seasonings on pork ribs during the annual Dimebash at the Observatory in Santa Ana on Thursday, January 16, 2020. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley)

A slew of artists including members of Anthrax, Lamb of God, In Flames, Sepultura, Butcher Babies, Stone Sour and more turned up to the Observatory on Thursday to perform during Dimebash, the unofficial rock-and-roll kick-off to the 2020 NAMM Show at the Anaheim Convention Center. Grohl got to the venue at 7:30 a.m. to start heating up the trio of smokers to feed the bands and fans after the show. In all, he said he had a total of “16 pork butts, 14 briskets, 40 racks of ribs and 300 chicken drumettes.”

We caught up with pitmaster Grohl backstage as he was elbow deep in mixing seasoning for pork ribs in a bucket to talk about his BackBeat BBQ.

Q: What is the secret to making a really good barbecue?

Grohl: I don’t know, because I don’t know how to cook. But for me, if all the elements align … temperature, the right wood, the right seasoning, the right amount of time … then you’re good. Basically, to make good barbecue you need to have patience and you have to have fun. Honestly, I think the secret to good barbecue is the vibe, so doing it somewhere like this, with all of these people, it’s going to be good.

Q: Do you have any tips you can share for barbecue novices?

Grohl: Most of it is all about the hang. The other stuff … I don’t know if you were watching me, but I was running from fire to fire to make sure the coals are right and the temperature holds in the right place. I mean, really, anyone can do it. You can go on YouTube now and a bunch of rednecks will explain it well to you. It’s a 10,000 hours thing …