Summer BBQs thrive on great weather, cold drinks, and a little friendly grill rivalry.

But when one cookout attendee hogged the grill, he lit a fire under his competitor who came prepared to turn the tables and the crowd in his favor.

You’ll want to read for this one!

grill tyrant tried to hog the spotlight, so i smoked him out with a sneaky twist

So last summer, I’m at this neighborhood BBQ.

Sun’s out, beers are cold, and I’m ready to flex my smoked ribs game.

Think tender, smoky perfection that steals the show.

But the cooking attitude at the cookout wasn’t very collaborative.

It’s a chill potluck vibe, but then this dude, let’s call him Karen, crowns himself grill overlord and lays down the law like he’s guarding the holy flame.

“No one uses the grill but me,” he says, flipping burgers like he’s on a cooking show. “One dish at a time—mine first, then maybe you get a shot.”

They protest, but the so-called grill master is determined to call the shots.

I’m standing there, cooler in hand, like, “Bro, it’s a huge grill — can’t I just toss my ribs on the side? They need time.”

“Nope. One at a time. My rules.”

He’s smirking, so I bite my tongue.

So they decide to let it play out and wait for the perfect time.

Alright, Karen, let’s see how this cooks.

He does his burger thing, taking forever, while my ribs chill in their marinade. Crowd’s eating, but I’m plotting.

His turn’s done, he waves me in, “Go ahead.”

Time to enact their malicious compliance.

Here’s where I get petty — and a little sneaky.

I’d smoked the ribs at home for a couple hours that morning — low and slow, 3-2-1 style, but just the first stretch.

Wrapped ’em tight, brought ’em ready to finish.

Not fully precooked, just prepped to win.

So onto the grill they go.

I fire up the grill, slide the ribs on, and sneak a foil tray of applewood chips in the corner.

Smoke rolls out — thick, sweet, pure temptation.

This quickly gets the grill master’s attention.

Karen’s over there, chomping his burger, when heads start turning. “What’s that smell?”

People wander over, noses up, drooling already.

I’m brushing sauce, all chill, “Just ribs — takes a bit, hope that’s cool.”

The rest of the cookout is now crowding around him too.

His burgers? Yesterday’s news.

The mob’s around me now, begging for a taste.

The grill master doesn’t like this one bit.

He storms up, “You’re smoking out my grill!”

“One dish at a time, right? I’m just following orders.”

I flip a rib, smoke curling like a victory flag.

He tries to elbow in, “Let me cook.”

But they’re not going to let this slide. After all, they were just following his rules.

“Nah, my turn’s still going. Your rule.”

I stretch it — tending the ribs, tweaking the chips, chatting up the crowd about “low and slow magic.”

So the grill master has no choice but to sit back and watch.

Takes over an hour, and by then, Karen’s reign is ash.

Everyone’s piling ribs, raving, while his burger tray sits there, sad and cold.

Night ends, host slaps my shoulder, “Dude, you own the grill next time.”

“Say less.”

They sure showed this guy to leave his ego at home next time!

Karen thought he’d rule the BBQ, but I smoked him out with a half-cooked plan and a whole lotta petty.

Prepped the ribs early? Sure.

Worth it to watch him choke on his own rule?

Heck yeah.

This backyard BBQ was more about flipping egos than flipping burgers.

Reddit is sure to get a kick out of this one.

This story is quite telling of this guy’s character.

This guy should really leave grilling to the professionals.

Burgers versus BBQ? There’s no real competition in this user’s eyes.

This story would have been a lot shorter had someone intervened sooner.

This guy thought he could reign supreme over the BBQ, but he ended up getting grilled.

It sounds like it was pretty satisfying.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a rude customer who got exactly what they wanted in their pizza.