Today we introduce an organization created to provide barbecue and comfort at times when our community’s heroes need it most. On the heels of a law enforcement tragedy in Charlotte, NC, we talk with Hungry Heroes founder Amanda Riggan. Discover why she started a mission to serve barbecue to first responders, military members, and veterans during times when their morale most needs a boost of support and gratitude. Listen to find out how to support Hungry Heroes and what the organization does to b...
May 02, 2024•24 min
Summer smoking season is fast approaching – are you ready for a weekend backyard BBQ party ? You need the right meat, the right sides, and the right recipes for the world’s best (Lexington) BBQ sauce . Do NOT forget dessert! In this Low & Slow Barbecue Show we serve up some of our favorite backyard BBQ recipes shared by guests on the podcast. Learn how to smoke the perfect pork shoulder from the backyard BBQ expert and hear recipes for all the sauces, sides, and summer desserts you need to g...
Apr 25, 2024•23 min
Where do you turn when you’re looking for the best barbecue ideas and new recipes? What if you’re trying to find a barbecue pit stop in a foreign place? Maybe you’re looking for a weekend adventure that promises a full menu of barbecue delights mixed with music all in the name of helping a good cause. On this episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show we share some of our favorite sources for barbecue ideas and advice. You can also find out why the Raleigh-Durham Triangle has been named the new...
Apr 18, 2024•16 min
In this episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show we review the big Carolina BBQ Festival weekend in Uptown Charlotte. Find out who served what and which barbecue bites were our favorites. We’ve also got big news about the future of the festival and more Carolina BBQ Festival events coming your way soon. Listen today and get the latest barbecue news from our friends. We also include the lowdown on other barbecue festivals around the Carolinas that you don’t want to miss. See Privacy Policy at ...
Apr 11, 2024•23 min
City Limits Barbecue combines the best of barbecue worlds – Texas and the Carolinas. In the process, pitmaster Robbie Robinson gets plenty of attention for his smoked meats, soulful sides, and the wild cards he serves on Sundays. In this episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show , we talk with the man behind City Limits Barbecue about the history of the business and his barbecue roots, which extend deep into the Carolinas and the Lone Star State. Listen to find out why he’s been named a 2024 J...
Apr 02, 2024•1 hr 12 min
Resident Culture Brewing Company Pitmaster Edmar Simoes is bringing a fusion of American and Brazilian barbecue to Charlotte and the Carolina BBQ Festival. We talk with Edmar about launching Charlotte’s newest barbecue spot at Resident Culture Brewing, where you’ll find familiar barbecue favorites mixed with a South American flair. Join us as we trace Edmar’s extensive barbecue roots and discover why his fire is always lit for smoked meats and food innovation. Want to go to the Carolina Barbecue...
Mar 28, 2024•25 min
Lawrence Barbecue Pitmaster Jake Wood takes us to barbecue paradise at the Boxyard RTP in Durham, where they’re serving sticky ribs daily for lunch, as well as all-day offerings of Texas-style brisket, pulled pork, and raw and BBQ oysters. Of course, the Lawrence Barbecue menu includes all the side fixins you want to find in a BBQ joint. Listen to this episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show for the complete fire-inspired story behind this Research Triangle Park brainchild of Jake and his wi...
Mar 21, 2024•48 min
Based in Asheville, Joel Easton serves wood-smoked meats and seafood across the Carolinas through his business, Easton Barbecue Co. He joins this episode of The Low and Slow Barbecue Show to talk about the barbecue roots that took him away from one career and into another at Buxton Hall. Find out what inspired his move and some of the lessons Joel learned from Asheville BBQ greats like Elliott Moss. Listen today, and you’ll also learn how he connected with the Carolina BBQ Festival, which celebr...
Mar 14, 2024•39 min
Master Blend Family Farms President and Pitmaster Ronald Simmons returns to The Low & Slow Barbecue Show. Listen to this episode to hear how his all-gas-no-brakes approach continues to grow the Master Blend Nation and spread the “ Got To Be NC ” message across North Carolina. Recorded on location at The MESH studios in Hickory, we also surprise Ronald with a taste of recipes offered by some of our favorite podcast guests . Find out why Master Blend Family Farms participates in the annual Car...
Mar 07, 2024•40 min
Shepard Barbecue Pitmaster Brandon Shepard joins The Low & Slow Barbecue Show to talk about his business on Emerald Isle, his barbecue experience, and the national spotlight from Diners, Drive-ins & Dives. Listen to this Carolina Pitmasters episode to hear about Brandon’s Eastern-style influence and his experience as the only game in town in a coastal Carolina community where seafood is usually the first choice. Don’t miss Brandon’s tips for preparing a great brisket – perfect for any ba...
Feb 29, 2024•42 min
Fork Grove Barbecue Pitmaster Dylan Cooke shares all the Low & Slow details about his barbecue business in Anderson, S.C., from his early start as a teenager in the pits to his decision to venture out on his own. We’ve partnered with the Carolina Barbecue Festival in Charlotte so you can find out how Dylan and Fork Grove brought Texas barbecue to South Carolina and the Texas-sized BBQ spotlight that comes with it. Listen as Dylan shares details about his sprawling smokehouse filled with cust...
Feb 22, 2024•45 min
Black Powder Smokehouse Pitmaster Keith Henning gives us the lowdown on his barbecue businesses in Asheboro and Jamestown, where he breathed new life into a historic gas station in 2016. Find out what makes his artisan barbecue unique and how he is bringing a distinct Texas flavor to North Carolina. Of course, Black Powder Smokehouse follows barbecue traditions of smokehouse meats, homestyle sides, and mouth-watering desserts. Yet, when it comes to the Carolina BBQ Festival menu and weekly speci...
Feb 15, 2024•35 min
Operation BBQ Relief Founder Stan Hays and Carolina BBQ Festival Founder Lewis Donald share how the global barbecue community supports people when they are facing their greatest struggles. Get the latest details on the 2024 Carolina BBQ Festival and how it connected with Operation BBQ Relief. You’ll also hear the story behind this charitable organization founded in Joplin, MO, in the wake of a tornado disaster. Don’t miss our conversation with Stan Hays, a competition barbecue champion, charity ...
Feb 08, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Master Blend Family Farms CEO Ronald Simmons talks about his third-generation family farming business, his barbecue experience, and the ALL GAS, NO BRAKES 365 Master Blend Nation. Listen to this episode to learn about the roots beneath Ronald’s farm with show pig breeding stock and all-natural BBQ pigs and market pigs. He also shares how Master Blend Family Farm’s digital media helped this agribusiness brand catch fire. Of course, “Batman” gives a few highlights from his adventures with “Superma...
Oct 05, 2023•55 min
The Bohemian Cattle Company is the newest agritourism getaway in the Charlotte region. Combining a pasture-to-plate cattle ranch and restaurant, a widely experienced pitmaster, and the limitless possibilities of open acreage, Bohemian Cattle Company promises plenty of adventure in tastes and activities. Listen to this episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show to hear about Bohemian Cattle Company from pitmaster Colby Brownlee and brand manager Bradley Bonning. Find out about Bohemian Cattle Co...
Sep 21, 2023•38 min
Doxie Guy BBQ sauce maker, whole hog pitmaster, and Dachshund dog enthusiast Scott Schiffel joins the Low & Slow Barbecue to talk sauce and barbecue roots. Described as a “COVID project,” Scott launched Doxie Guy BBQ after a lifetime spent around barbecue pits and kitchens in Eastern North Carolina and beyond. In this episode find out about the Doxie Guy BBQ sauces and their inspiration – as well as their namesakes, Reeci and Izzi. Scott also talks about the barbecue business, his BBQ rub pa...
Sep 07, 2023•45 min
Hear Apple City BBQ Pitmaster Adam Dula share the story of his family-owned and operated barbecue business in Taylorsville, N.C. While much of North Carolina continues to debate Eastern or Western, the Dula family and Apple City BBQ dedicate their attention to producing good barbecue, regardless of your geographical sauce preference. And Apple City BBQ just happens to have its own unique take on sauce. Listen to this episode to hear about Adam’s jalapeno lime BBQ sauce recipe. You’ll also hear a...
Aug 24, 2023•49 min
Southern Smoke BBQ Pitmaster Matthew Register returns to The Low & Slow Barbecue Show to share the story of his barbecue sauces and restaurant in Garland, N.C. Cured in Eastern N.C. barbecue tradition, Matthew creates a Southern Smoke menu that holds true to BBQ roots, but it is just as likely to include a curveball recipe steeped in Southern traditions. That’s the spirit that led to his cookbook, Southern Smoke: Barbecue Traditions and Treasured Recipes Reimagined for Today . He shares more...
Aug 10, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Visit Charlotte, N.C., today, and you’ll find a food landscape with everything you can imagine, including a diverse selection of barbecues. But at one time, Charlotte was a food desert for good barbecue - until Midwood Smokehouse arrived in a trendy and eclectic neighborhood east of Uptown. With Pitmaster Matt Barry running the barbecue show for FS Food Group, one restaurant in 2011 has grown to six in the Carolinas. Matt joins the Low & Slow Barbecue Show to walk you through Midwood Smokeho...
Jul 27, 2023•47 min
North Carolina barbecue comes in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. Sure, there’s always debate over Eastern Whole Hog and vinegar versus Western Pork Shoulder, red slaw, and barbecue dip with ketchup. But in the great barbecue state of North Carolina in the year 2023, people like a lot of other barbecue angles, too. The barbecue menu is diversifying even if the barbecue joint isn’t changing too much. On this Low and Slow Barbecue Show episode, we meet pig masters AND pitmasters who stoke the flame...
Jul 13, 2023•42 min
To mark Independence Day on the Low & Slow Barbecue Show, we talk to 2023 James Beard Foundation Award Winner Hanna Raskin . And because she is absolutely an independent voice in food journalism (and a 2015 Pulitzer Prize winner), you know Hanna is preaching the gospel. Hanna Raskin is the founder and editor of The Food Section , a newsletter about food and food culture in the South. In this episode, we talk with her about American Barbecue traditions on July 4th, her favorite plate of food ...
Jun 29, 2023•49 min
The Carolinas hold no monopoly on great barbecue. There’s plenty of really good food being cooked low and slow all around the barbecue world. Lynchburg, Virginia is one of those places. That’s home for Ken and Jess Hess and their barbecue business County Smoak . The husband and wife duo of classically trained chefs have rekindled Virginia barbecue traditions while crafting their own important barbecue story. Ken and Jess and County Smoak are why the Low and Slow Barbecue Show partnered with the ...
Jun 15, 2023•29 min
To make the best barbecue you’ve got to take it low and slow. If you’re making that barbecue in the Carolinas, chances are pretty good you’re cooking a pig low and slow. And if you want the best pigs for traditional whole hog barbecue, you can’t miss with Holy City Hogs . The Low & Slow Barbecue Show partnered with the Carolina BBQ Festival for the Pitmasters Series because I want you to hear the stories from the pitmasters – and some of the other people who bring flavor to the Carolinas bar...
Jun 01, 2023•12 min
If you want the best Carolina BBQ you need a low slow cooking heat source, the best quality meat… and a seasoned pitmaster. The Low & Slow Barbecue Show partnered with the Carolina BBQ Festival for this Pitmasters Series of Podcasts. We want you to hear the Pitmasters’ stories. From managing the fire and seasoning the meat to seeing it through to a perfect finish. We know the person serving a show-stopper for the mouth is the one at the pit, the ringmaster of the Carolina Barbecue main event...
May 18, 2023•44 min
JD’s Smokehouse is on the menu and 3 Beers Down is in TheMesh.tv studios for a review of beer and BBQ pairings. Host Chigger Willard welcomes Josh Elder, Matt Everley, and Luke Sears who share their advice for the best beer and BBQ combinations with smoked chicken, pulled pork, and beef brisket. While Chigger’s “surprise beer” wins the award for Best Beer and BBQ Match with Everything, listen to this podcast mash-up for a review of What’s Up Bro from Lost Province Brewing Co ., Saison de Lis fro...
Mar 09, 2023•1 hr 5 min
On this episode of the Low & Slow Barbecue Show , we welcome the barbecue pitmaster at Sweet Lew’s Barbecue in Charlotte and the founder of the Carolina BBQ Festival . Find out about Charlotte’s newest BBQ Fest from Lewis “Sweet Lew” Donald and celebrate the heritage of whole hog barbecue. One of the best things about cooking barbecue low and slow in the Carolinas is watching family, friends, and customers when they take that first savory bite of what you prepared. Spend countless hours prep...
Feb 23, 2023•41 min
Low & Slow barbecue tips for the indoor oven master. Shutdown Fullcast’s Ryan Nanni shares his recipe for Bo Ssam pork shoulder. Some people are limited to preparing their favorite barbecue … inside. If you’re one of those folks in an apartment, or heaven forbid you don’t have an outdoor smoker, or even a place to get outside, this episode of the Low & Slow Barbecue Show is for you. Let there be no doubt that the low & slow barbecue traditions of the Carolinas are best performed outd...
Feb 16, 2023•41 min
Finally, the cool temperatures greet us on the Carolina mornings of fall. The days are getting shorter as the calendar ticks toward the tenth month. The fall weekend schedule is filling up. And if you’re a fan and follower of North America’s favorite football pastime, it is time to dust off your favorite tailgate chili recipe . That’s because if you are a fan of football, chances are pretty good, you’re also a fan of food cooked for hours in advance of kickoff. After all, football is best enjoye...
Sep 29, 2022•51 min
Every day a wave of food trucks rolls out across the blacktops of the Carolinas, bringing with them a variety of flavors to festivals, breweries, construction sites, and busy street corners. Convenient to find, affordable for food, and easy to eat right on the street, these food trucks serve everything from tacos and crab rolls to pizza and frozen treats. Of course, our favorite is the BBQ food truck . Ultimately, the BBQ food truck is a smokehouse on wheels. Pitmasters pack their wagons with po...
Aug 18, 2022•35 min
For the Fourth of July Holiday week, host Chigger Willard welcomes a low-and-slow barbecue expert living in Britain, Jim Ernst. He shares his tried-and-true recipe – complete with British ingredient accommodations (Iberian pork!) – for his Fourth of July ribs. After all, Independence Day and low and slow barbecue are intertwined, a pair of uniquely American traditions. Other countries don’t mark the day the United States announced its independence. Why would they? But what if you are a proud Ame...
Jul 07, 2022•44 min
