Where your BBQ guidance comes from

About the founder

When I was a kid and someone asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always gave two answers: an inventor and a cook. I didn't know then what either one would look like, but BBQuill is where those two answers finally came together.

The idea started while I was building another product of mine. I realized how much I enjoyed taking what had already happened and using it to make the next attempt better—keeping a record, learning from it, and letting that experience shape what came next.

As a backyard BBQer, I saw the same opportunity every time I cooked. Every brisket, pork butt, or rack of ribs teaches you something: a grate temperature that ran hot, a wrap that came too early, a rest that paid off, or something you swore you'd do differently next time. By the next cook, though, those details are usually scattered across photos and notes—or forgotten altogether.

I built BBQuill to keep the whole story of a cook in one place: the plan, what actually happened, and what I learned along the way. It brings together the part of me that loves building useful things with the part that's always trying to make the next cook a little better.

Kellen Butler · engineer and independent product builder · Built in Oklahoma

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How your cook comes together

• One cook, across your cookers. A cook can include mains and sides spread across several cookers, with each item keeping its own steps and probes. Give the cook a target serve time and BBQuill works backward from the cooking and resting times you've entered so everything you've timed can land together.
• Targets for each probe. Each probe can carry its own pull target. BBQuill tracks the readings and their trend, then tells you when the target is reached. It keeps food-safety minimums separate from quality cues such as probe tenderness, because safe to eat and ready to eat are not always the same thing.
• Your actual setup. The Pitmaster can use your cookers, pantry, and recent cooks as context when you ask for guidance. It works with the equipment and thermometer you already own; BBQuill does not require proprietary hardware.
• A record you can run back. Each cook becomes a timeline you can read later, and any item in it can be saved as a reusable cook plan. Recent cooks can also give the Pitmaster more context without pretending that the same temperature or timing will produce the same result every time.

What the Pitmaster does—and doesn't do

• It proposes; you decide. Cook plans proposed by the Pitmaster are not saved or applied until you approve them. It explains the reasoning behind its proposal and surfaces relevant food-safety guidance alongside it.
• Food-safety guidance is advisory, not a lock. BBQuill surfaces published safe-minimum temperatures and relevant time-and-temperature warnings. If you choose a target below a published minimum, it warns you rather than blocking the entry. That warning informs your decision; it does not certify that food is safe.
• It does not replace a thermometer or your judgment. BBQuill records the temperatures you enter—it does not measure the food itself. Always verify doneness with a reliable thermometer and decide whether the food is safe to serve.

Your data

You retain ownership of the content you submit to BBQuill. You can delete your account and associated data at any time from the app, with step-by-step instructions available on the delete-account page. The free Backyard plan requires no credit card.

The privacy policy explains what BBQuill collects, why it is collected, and how long it is retained. BBQuill is operated by Butler Technology Concepts, LLC. Questions, corrections, and feedback are always welcome through the contact page.