Backyard BBQer - Today we conclude the countdown to the Most Influential Person in BBQ with the Most Influential Person in BBQ. Coming in as the Most Influential Person in BBQ is the Backyard BBQer.

In the post announcing we were going to be revealing our list of the 25 Most Influential People in BBQ we noted that there are over 317,000,000 people in America and the vast majority of them are part of the barbecue community to some degree. Some are competition BBQ pitmasters, some are restaurateurs, others are makers of commercial sauces and rubs, but all of these folks and millions more are Backyard BBQer's. According to a 2011 study conducted by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, 86% of all U.S. households own a grill or smoker and 99% of them used them at least once in the past year. These weekend warriors of barbecue cooked billions of meals and hosted millions of backyard barbecues this year and spent billions of dollars on grills & smokers, charcoal, sauces, rubs and meats. They perused millions of recipes and product reviews in books, magazines and barbecue specific blogs like Amazing Ribs, Grill Grrrl,  Grilling with Rich, and Embers & Flame and watched hours of shows on TV dedicated to BBQ like BBQ Pitmasters and Bobby Flay's Barbecue Addiction. 

Perhaps the only thing more common than a Weber Kettle in the backyards of America is grass. The Backyard BBQer enormous pocketbook makes them the greatest influencer of the success or failure of numerous barbecue related business. Each year new grills and smokers hit the market vying for a place in the backyards of the American BBQer - some will succeed and others will fail in large part due to the reception they receive from the Backyard BBQer. Grocery stores across the country have shelves filled with dozens of BBQ sauces, marinades and rubs that fight each and everyday to hold onto and grow their share of the market that is controlled by the Backyard BBQer. It seems appropriate that the most American of foods - barbecue - is influenced the most by not a single individual, but by the Backyard BBQer, who makes up a great percetnage of the entire American population. If you're a part of the BBQ world and hoping to make an impact, you'd better figure out a way to get the Backyard BBQer on your side for they are the most important influencer in the world of BBQ!