BBQ Box is a monthly barbecue subscription box brought to you by Myron Mixon, a champion barbecue cook who's starred on TLC's BBQ Pitmasters and is the mind behind Jack's Old South.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About BBQ Box
The Subscription Box: BBQ Box
The Cost: $24.99 a month plus shipping (shipping to Pittsburgh is $6.98)
The Products: A sauce or marinade, a rub or spice, a snack (such as jerky), sample package of premium wood chips, and a custom recipe card.
Ships to: Worldwide. Shipping costs vary by location.
BBQ Box December 2017 Review
The card that’s included boasts a recipe from Mr. Mixon himself, offering insight on how to use all of the new smoky goodies that are in the box!
This month mentioned the beginning of deer-hunting season, featuring a recipe for stuffed venison backstrap. I LOVE game meats, so this grabbed my attention right away. Included in this box are a brine mix, spice rub, buffalo (the meat, not the spice) jerky, telescoping barbecue forks, and wood chips for smoking.
It’s way too cold in Western Pennsylvania to fire up the grill right now, so I won’t be using the wood chips just yet, but I don’t promise not to snack on this jerky while I read through Myron’s recipe. This recipe card notes that in most states, the selling of venison meat is illegal. So, the only way to get it is to make friends with a hunter, or, of course, hunt for it yourself! Mr. Mixon also mentions here that this recipe would also work on elk if that’s more readily available in your area.
Oakridge BBQ Venison and Wild Game Rub, 6 oz - Retail Value $6.95
This dry rub is from the Missouri-based company, Oakridge BBQ, founded by a prize-winning competitive barbecuer with a passion for spices. This dry rub tastes really fresh - you can tell the ingredients are high-quality. I love the smoky-sweet flavor from the raw cane sugar and the chilies, and I swear I picked up on the lemongrass in here before I even read the package!
Oakridge BBQ Game Changer Brine and Injection, 1.1 lbs - Retail Value $8.95
The second product from Oakridge BBQ is their Game Changer Brine and Injection mix. This product is a great addition to this month’s recipe because brine is a really good way to combat wild game’s tendency taste really intense, aka to be “gamey” (hence the name)! You mix the contents of this bag with water (or even broth), which creates the brine for prepping your meat. You can get great flavor from any kind of protein when you brine first, and this product has directions for a traditional soak-the-meat in brine approach, or if you want to use a meat injector instead. I brined a turkey once for Thanksgiving, and I have to say, it was the best bird I’ve ever had, so I’m excited to roll up my sleeves and use this mix.
Mountain America Jerky Buffalo Jerky, 1.75 oz - Retail value $8.95
It was a struggle and a half to keep my husband occupied for long enough while I photographed this delicious meat snack. He considers not just meat, but specifically meat jerky, to be its own food group, so he was over the moon to enjoy this aspect of the box with me. I also like jerky, and I really enjoyed this buffalo meat version - it has a robust flavor on its own, it’s so tender, and has a great peppery edge to it.
Vaughn Wood Products Pro-Blend Gourmet Wood Chips, 8 oz. sample – Buy a 12 lb. box for $30.00
I’m actually super-excited about getting wood chips, and these ones from Vaughn Wood Products are a blend of various wood types. I’ve read a lot about using wood chips, and I’ll think they’ll work really well in my grill - when the weather warms up, that is! The general rule with any kind of wood chips is that they need to be soaked in water for about 30-40 minutes, then drained of their water before using. I have a charcoal grill, so when the time is right, I’ll sprinkle the wood chips directly onto my coals once they’re lit and up to temperature. Gas grill users will want to put their drained wood chips in tin-foil-covered aluminum pan, poke a few holes in the tin foil, and then place the pan on an unlit burner, away from the items that are being grilled. The wood chips will lend a subtle smoky flavor to the food in both preparations.
Telescoping Barbecue Forks, Set of Four - Retail Value $9.49
How cool are these barbecue forks? I wasn’t expecting any equipment, so this set was a nice surprise element to this box. The ends are sharp but not too sharp, and their telescoping handles make them perfect safely for moving things around on the grill. At least two of these babies will be making their way into my camping gear, as they are absolutely PERFECT for roasting marshmallows on the campfire.
Verdict: This box was a lot of fun! I can’t wait to beg my hunter friends to give me the venison backstrap I need. Interestingly, though, I think someone who doesn’t have access to deer, or even someone who doesn’t eat meat at all could get a lot of mileage out of this box, too. Obviously they’d have to gift the jerky to someone (my husband will be in touch), but I’d be curious to try the brine on seitan or tempeh, the smoke chips would be great for veggie skewers on the grill, and pineapple or jackfruit could be coated in the dry rub before being seared. Aside from the items inside the box, I also really liked the strong “wild game” theme, and that a recipe was a more “out of the box” meat than what I usually cook.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? If you sign up today, you get the welcome box as your first. BBQ Box has so many new sign-ups per month they’ve designated a welcome box as the first box to make sure they have enough in stock for all subscribers. Then, the following month, you receive your first regular BBQ Box.
From BBQ Box:
Due to a large, unknown number of monthly sign-ups we have to have 1 box as a welcome kit (version 1.0 of each box) ready by the shipping date so we have enough in stock for all of our new customers. For that reason we order thousands of items for the three Welcome Boxes, ready to go since the shipping window (25th-30th) is so small after the cutoff time (the 24th), so we can get you your box asap.
Value Breakdown: Based on my calculations, the value of this box is $34.34, above the box cost of $31.97 ($24.99 a month + $6.98 for PGH shipping) and not including the wood chips sample. I also think having a barbecue expert curate these items and offer knowledge on how to cook a less-oft-used meat adds really important additional value to this box.
Check out all of our BBQ Box reviews and more meal kit boxes in the Food Subscription Box Directory!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription box list or wishlist!
What do you think of BBQ Box?
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.