Last reviewed: 2026-05-30
If you’re a regular reader of BBQ Queens, you’ve probably noticed we haven’t published anything new since late 2022. This post is the honest explanation of why, and what’s changing.
What happened
The site sat dormant longer than it should have. In the meantime, search engines (Google in particular) have raised the bar substantially for what counts as authoritative content. Recipe and how-to sites without demonstrable hands-on testing and original photography no longer rank the way they used to. AI-generated summaries in search results now answer many of the questions readers used to come to sites like ours for.
That’s a real problem for any site that sits still. So we’re not sitting still anymore.
What we’re keeping
The existing catalog on this site is staying exactly where it is. The posts you’ve come to rely on, like the charcoal grill guide, pellet smoker reviews, pork rib recipe, BBQ tongs roundup, and pellet grill buying tips, all remain in place and will be preserved.
What’s changing is the standard behind every new post that goes up.
What we’re changing
Three things, starting now.
One: a renewed editorial standard. Every new recipe and review on this site will meet a hands-on test bar. Real cookouts. Real smokers. Real photos taken by someone who actually used the equipment. No more generic listicles assembled from other websites. If we haven’t cooked it, smoked it, or tested it personally, we don’t review it.
Two: refreshed reviews of the existing catalog. Many of the product reviews and “best of” roundups on this site reference grills, smokers, and accessories that have been updated, replaced, or discontinued since they were originally written. Over the next several weeks, we’re working through the top-trafficked posts and updating them with current product info, current prices, and current model numbers. Anything that no longer holds up factually gets either revised or removed.
Three: a smaller, more honest archive. About 20% of the posts on this site never earned a single reader visit in the last year. These are typically older posts written for keywords that have since shifted. Those are being archived or merged into more useful posts rather than left to clutter the site. The goal is a tighter catalog where every post is worth a reader’s time.
What to expect
Over the next quarter you should see:
- A “Last reviewed” date at the top of older posts as we refresh them
- A smaller total post count as we retire content that no longer serves readers
- Original photos and hands-on test notes on every new and refreshed post
- Slowly resuming a publishing cadence, modest at first, building over time
If you’ve been a reader for years and have specific posts you’ve found useful (or specific topics you wish we covered better), we’d genuinely like to hear about it. Drop a comment below or reach us via the contact page.
From the editorial team at BBQ Queens.
Last Updated on May 30, 2026 by Judith Fertig
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