Born to Grill Stories Meet Brandi Martin

Q & A with Brandi Martin

How long have you been in the industry?

BM: I’ve been with BBQGuys for almost 12 years. I started off in the Sales Center as a support specialist and fell in love with the industry. Before BBQGuys, I had never really touched a grill. I just let everybody else cook for me, but now I can’t see myself not in it anymore.

What I really appreciate is that the industry is still evolving. Many new brands are still coming out, and there's so much technology within the grilling space that is constantly evolving. It's never-ending—something new comes out every single year—and I think that's part of the reason I love the industry so much.

What area do you specialize in?

BM: I am the category manager for our outdoor kitchens, and I oversee adding all the latest and greatest products. That also includes managing relationships with our many brands and reviewing our website and customer experience for improvements. We’re always focused on a customer’s ability to learn about our outdoor kitchen products to make things as simple and straightforward as possible, because that’s what online shopping ultimately comes down to. We want to ensure every customer has the most effortless buying experience so they can get back to their backyard.

What trend or innovation have you seen “pop” in the outdoor kitchen industry recently?

BM: In the past few years, I've seen a couple of brands come out with smart grills, which are really innovative and timely. I love that. We’ve also started to see brands come out with color options that allow people to add a pop of personality and give their outdoor kitchens a more modern look.

I think the one that I'm probably the most excited about is that Alfresco recently dropped their AIPG grills, which we're about to load on the site. They use Thermaglass™ radiant burner shields—with the burners actually surrounded and protected by glass. So whenever you think about a high-tech grill and how evenly it heats up—and then also consider the idea of your juices dripping down onto a glass burner, it's going to cut down on uneven heat spots. It promises to give you smokier flavor in your food. I'm really excited to see what it does within the industry.

What’s your outdoor living philosophy or design approach?

BM: When I think of the perfect outdoor kitchen or general outdoor area, I think of a blend of functionality, comfort, and your personality. I really consider the backyard to be an outdoor room.

You have your functional areas like a grill island—whether it's a pellet grill, a smoker or whatnot—alongside your dining area. Maybe it's just a bar top or an actual dining table, and then you have your lounge area. After that, it comes down to comfort, so the more comfortable a lounge area can be, the better. Find the pieces that fit your personality, even if it’s just your cooking style. With all the options we have—whether it's just an island with a grill or an island that has a grill and a griddle, a refrigerator, sink, and doors and drawers—you can definitely find a configuration that suits your personal needs.

But an outdoor TV for football season (Geaux Tigers!) is absolutely essential, along with speakers so you can hear every play.

What’s the most memorable outdoor project you’ve worked on?

BM: I think it’s helping my dad get his outdoor kitchen picked out. He went with a BBQGuys Signature Island, so everything was already built out for him. Ever since I started at BBQGuys, he's talked about doing an outdoor kitchen. Before that, he would pick up a grill from a big box store (which had always worked for him!). But when he moved into his last house, he was finally ready to take the next step.

So we picked out which grill would work best for him, came up with a price range, and everything that he wanted was included in some of the big BBQGuys Signature islands. It was a pretty easy selection and task, and he loves it! He tells everybody about it whenever we're having people over. He's just so proud of it, which is why that’s probably my favorite project to have worked on.

What’s your favorite piece of outdoor cooking gear—and why?

BM: I would have to go with my Ninja Pizza Oven. I am a pizza girl. I love pizza. I love to experiment with pizzas. I love to come up with new pizza recipes. For some of my recipes, I experiment with fruit on pizza! I recently did a blueberry and Brie pizza. That was so good. Whenever I want to go outside and cook something, I immediately go for the pizza oven.

Do you have a “pro tip” or BBQ myth-buster you always share with customers?

BM: Speaking of my favorites, I always, always recommend a good grilling thermometer. I have a Meater Thermometer, and I can’t live without it, especially when cooking chicken or any other meats. I use it indoors and outdoors to help prevent undercooking and overcooking. So, invest in a good thermometer, and it will solve a lot of problems.

What’s your go-to BBQ sauce or rub — homemade or store-bought?

BM: I love Blues Hog. Their Raspberry Chipotle BBQ sauce is my favorite for chicken. I'm a sweet, savory girl, so it fits my needs. They also have a sweet-and-savory seasoning that I really like to put on chicken, but of course, it works for any meat. And you can never go wrong with Sweet Baby Ray's.

Are you team charcoal, gas, pellet, or wood?

BM: I'm going to have to go with gas. Whenever someone else is cooking, I'm Team Charcoal and Team Pellet, but when I'm cooking, I'm Team gas. I like the quickness of being able to turn on the grill and get my meat done. But again, if someone else is doing the cooking, I'm all about using a pellet grill or smoker to really get that authentic flavor.

What’s on your grill playlist or backyard party soundtrack?

BM: I do a lot of 90s country music whenever I'm outside cooking. Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, that's usually my mood. Sometimes I'll just go for like an all-out 90s hits playlist with a little bit of, maybe, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and some R&B thrown in there for good measure. Definitely anything 90s, but mostly 90s country for me.

If you could grill with any celebrity chef or pitmaster, who would it be?

BM: I have to go with Hey Grill, Hey. I tried her mac and cheese recipe recently and, boy, it was good. She seems like such a fun person to cook with, and she doesn't just concentrate on one type of grilling. She tries a lot of different things, which is what I like to do.

I don't want to just grill meat. I want to try mac and cheese on the grill. I want to make desserts, breakfast…there was an orange roll she did that looked amazing. That's my type of grilling. I follow her and will actually send out her recipes regularly, and they all look really, really delicious.