1976 Barbecue Pitmaster Gus the Butcher shares his tips for turkey just in time for Thanksgiving … or Christmas! Listen to the Thanksgiving Day episode of the Low & Slow Barbecue show to hear a few favorite traditions and memories from host Chigger Willard and Gus the Butcher, who also shares advice for future meals of smoked meat. Find out why Gus the Butcher started 1976 Barbecue , where he serves, and how you can bring his great barbecue to your home or business. What does it take to be a...
Nov 28, 2024•46 min
The calendar year is winding down, but there’s still big barbecue news and events happening around the Carolinas. In this episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show we hit a few highlights, including Prime BBQ pitmaster Chris Prieto’s new venture in Durham. We talk about some of our favorite barbecue places in the media spotlight and celebrate the effort by Hickory Soup Kitchen and Operation BBQ Relief to feed more than 200 families in Hickory, NC. And with a big new barbecue business in town –...
Nov 21, 2024•21 min
The Carolina climate is getting cooler but things are heating up for the Carolina BBQ Festival in 2025. The Low & Slow Barbecue Show is serving the details as well as an update on a new barbecue business in Hickory and Hurricane Helene Relief efforts. Find out about a great fall recipe for collard green chowder from Southern Smoke BBQ Pitmaster Matthew Register . Don’t miss the listener shout-out and reader mail! Visit the Low & Slow Barbecue Show website here! See Privacy Policy at http...
Nov 14, 2024•21 min
Barbecue reviews are on the menu as well as some of the top news stories on the barbecue beat. Low & Slow Barbecue Show Host Chigger Willard reviews recent visits to Little Pig’s Barbecue in Newton, N.C., and Cranford Brothers Barbecue in Hickory . Listen to find out about the big event Cranford is hosting to benefit N.C. hospitality industry workers affected by Hurricane Helene. Get the latest update on devastating fires at historic barbecue joints as well as the upcoming barbecue events th...
Nov 07, 2024•20 min
Ben’s Backdraft BBQ Pitmaster Ben Hooper returns to The Low & Slow Barbecue Show to share his story about Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina. As a member of the fire service, Ben tells of days spent working swift water rescues and evacuations while wondering about the safety of his own family and his barbecue business. Follow Ben’s journey after the storm when he went from serving as a first responder to working as a pitmaster feeding families, utility linemen, hospital workers, and ...
Oct 31, 2024•40 min
Southern BBQ Network hosts the annual SBN Invitational – the “World Series” of Carolina Barbecue - Nov. 1-2, 2024 in Moncks Corner. Southern BBQ Network President Bill Englehaupt joins The Low & Slow Barbecue Show to share details about the SBN Invitational and the Kids Que competition that brings all the best barbecue pitmasters – young and old! – together to compete. Find out who’s expected to attend this year’s SBN Invitational , how competitors are judged, and when spectators can get a t...
Oct 24, 2024•30 min
In the world of Carolina Barbecue, which state reigns supreme – North Carolina or South Carolina? We find out with the results from the first-ever Smithfield Cup and salute some other top pitmasters who are catching the attention of national media. More importantly, we spotlight how the barbecue community is providing critical food service to North Carolina residents affected by Hurricane Helene. Listen to learn how you can help Operation BBQ Relief – and get the Low & Slow Barbecue Show rec...
Oct 17, 2024•15 min
Gardner-Webb University is fanning the flames of barbecue competition for homecoming Oct. 18-19, and the Low & Slow Barbecue Show is getting all the details on the second annual Bo’s Battle Que . Gardner-Webb Director of Alumni Relations Leah Clevenger and Southern BBQ Network Events Coordinator Karen Cowell share all the details about this year’s competition. Find out how the Battle Que got started, who is involved, and how spectators can get a taste of the action. Listen to find out how SB...
Oct 10, 2024•31 min
World Food Championships Founder Mike McCloud shares all the details about the annual food fight that puts the best chefs from across the culinary world into the ring of competition. Find out about the barbecue competition and what it takes to earn a place in the championships and a chance to be named a category champion or a World Food Champion. Listen today to learn about Famous Dave’s All-Start BBQ Series, as well as Mike McCloud’s own barbecue preferences. Visit The Low & Slow Barbecue S...
Oct 03, 2024•43 min
Barbecue Bros Founder “Monk” joins The Low & Slow Barbecue show to share memories from 12 years of barbecue blogging. He gives us the story of the Barbecue Bros, highlights some of his favorite barbecue stops, and provides perspective on the current state of Charlotte barbecue. Listen to get the inside scoop on where you can find the Barbecue Bros reviews of barbecue from the Carolinas and beyond – and get tips for planning your own barbecue adventure. Visit The Low & Slow Barbecue Show ...
Sep 26, 2024•41 min
NYC BBQ aka Sean Ludwig , co-creator of The Smoke Sheet barbecue newsletter , talks about the publication’s open call for barbecue voices. Listen to our conversation to find out about his barbecue journey, his favorite stops along the way, and his advice for planning a barbecue road trip. NYC BBQ also shares his tips and recipe for macaroni & cheese. Don’t miss Sean’s advice for the protein and sides he uses to set the bar when he visits a barbecue restaurant. Visit The Low & Slow Barbec...
Sep 19, 2024•41 min
Ultimate Tailgaters BBQ Pitmaster Chris Fulmer discusses the Southern BBQ Network 2024 Cook Team of the Year championship – an award he’s won four of the past five years. Find out about his competition success, his barbecue journey, and his plans for the Bessemer City Brew & Que Competition on Sept. 21 . Find out about some of Chris Fulmer’s favorite tailgating adventures and hear some of his story from working as official caterer for University of South Carolina football and baseball teams....
Sep 12, 2024•40 min
The Low & Slow Barbecue Show compiles Carolina barbecue news from The Lowdown to deliver a late Summer 2024 audio digest. Find out about Texas Monthly’s “Best Texas Barbecue in America,” Southern Living’s “Best New BBQ Joints,” and even Geography King’s best barbecue states (the Carolinas top the list so – VALID!). Find out about Lawrence Barbecue’s new world HQ, Elliott Moss’s brewery collaboration, and the biggest Carolina barbecue festival coming in September-October. Listen now for The L...
Sep 05, 2024•34 min
The Low & Slow Barbecue Show has hit the half-century mark – 50 BBQ Podcast episodes! - and we’re looking back at some of our favorites. Listen to hear the dozen that left an impression on the host and the audience. Also learn where Chigger found the best barbecue bites of the summer, as well as some of his favorite BBQ news follows. Visit The Low & Slow Barbecue Show here See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-se...
Aug 29, 2024•21 min
Butts for Babies founder and pitmaster Kyle Sutton discusses the start of his barbecue journey in Eastern North Carolinas. Find out how that path led to the Butts for Babies organization he started to raise money for families pursuing child adoption. Get Kyle’s barbecue advice, his suggestions for coordinating a barbecue charity, and his recipe for an all-purpose rub. He also shares the names of several of his favorite Carolina barbecue destinations – but don’t miss his suggestion for the best n...
Aug 22, 2024•40 min
What is barbecue? Where did it come from? Chigger Willard explores the dictionary and the history books to find out the origins of Carolina barbecue. Is barbecue a verb, a noun, or an adjective? We find out and explain why we ask that question during the Low & Slow Showdown. Listen to get the backstory on barbecue in the Carolinas, where it’s been enjoyed for more than 300 years. We also talk about how vinegar and mustard got into the mix. Enjoy this Low & Slow Barbecue Show episode for ...
Aug 15, 2024•13 min
Black BBQ Cook-off Coordinator Bruce Yeomans joins The Low & Slow Barbecue show to share the scoop on the events 2024 installment in Fayetteville on Aug. 17. Find out how the Black BBQ Cook-off got started, everything that’s involved, and how judges from Southern BBQ Network help elevate the event to a new level. Listen to this episode and learn more about Bruce’s own ventures in the barbecue world and how he’s working to turn a spotlight on the heritage and tradition of barbecue in the blac...
Aug 08, 2024•35 min
Meet Cranford Brothers Barbecue pitmaster and culinary director Chef Ben Sullivan. He joins The Low & Slow Barbecue Show to talk about the newest barbecue business in Hickory, NC, and share details about the other restaurants under the Cranford Hospitality brand of businesses. Hear Ben’s background and how he arrived at Cranford Brothers. Find out what you can expect from a visit from Cranford Brothers Barbecue and get the behind-the-scenes story on what’s cooking the meat and inspiring the ...
Aug 01, 2024•29 min
The Low & Slow Barbecue Show embarked on another BBQ Road Trip into the Deep South, and we’re sharing everything thing you need to know. Our BBQ Road Trip Review includes stops at Fork Grove Barbecue in Anderson, S.C., as well as Birmingham-based barbecue spots Carlile’s and Rusty’s Bar-B-Q . Listen to get the BBQ reviews, location specifics, a little bit of history of the places, and tips for planning your own BBQ Road Trip. We reveal the resources to help you plan your map. Visit The Low &...
Jul 25, 2024•22 min
Meet Gil Barnes, founder and operator of Reed St. BBQ , a Hickory-based catering operation that serves Southern cuisine that relies on wood-fired cooking. Reed St. prides itself on having the best butts in town, and in this episode, you’ll find out how Gil’s unique style relies on a diverse experience that spans from hospitality training in Alabama to leadership positions in some of the larger seafood and barbecue restaurants in Charleston, S.C. Listen today and get all the details on Reed St. B...
Jul 18, 2024•35 min
Find out why Ben Hooper left a full-time job in the fire service to pursue his dreams as a barbecue pitmaster for his Western North Carolina food truck, Ben’s Backdraft BBQ . Learn about his menu, his motivation, and his favorite locations for serving the meat he’s preparing low and slow. Listen to get all the details about what it takes to start a food truck business. Note: After we recorded this interview, Ben’s Backdraft BBQ suffered a fire in its primary food service trailer. Help him recove...
Jul 11, 2024•34 min
As we celebrate Independence Day and the 248th birthday of the United States, The Low & Slow Barbecue Show shares our favorite July 4th BBQ Recipes . Listen to this episode to get recipes for ribs, rib rub, and rib mop that all combine to make a perfect main protein to celebrate our victory over Great Britain. You’ll also hear Chigger’s favorite recipe for July 4th Baked Beans that he uses to keep his mother’s memory alive. Finally, you can’t have a picnic without dessert – and you can’t hav...
Jul 04, 2024•13 min
Summer is here, and it is time for a BBQ road trip! In this episode, The Low & Slow Barbecue travels to South Carolina to review a pair of places that are getting increasingly popular in Carolina barbecue circles. First up, we share the experience at Hector Garate’s Palmira Barbecue , which opened in Charleston in February 2024. Listen to get details on a Sunday visit to Robbie Robinson’s City Limits Barbecue in West Columbia. Finally, Chigger highlights a place closer to home that’s enterin...
Jun 27, 2024•17 min
Believe it or not, the Carolinas don’t hold a monopoly on “Carolina barbecue.” In fact, you can even find it in the land of crab cakes. That’s where you’ll meet Farm BBQ , a Maryland-born barbecue pop-up that serves Carolina whole hog barbecue and promotes local family farms. In this episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show, we talk to Farm BBQ founders Mark, Tommie, and Will, and find out why they brought our Carolina barbecue traditions to Maryland. We discuss their business strategy focuse...
Jun 20, 2024•36 min
Bryan Furman became the first pitmaster named one of Food & Wine Magazine’s Best New Chefs. He’s caught the James Beard Foundation’s attention, too, landing on the list of semi-finalists for best chefs in the Southeast twice. Now, the successful barbecue entrepreneur steps into The Low & Slow Barbecue Show Spotlight – a spotlight that found him an out-of-the-ordinary location. Listen to this episode and find out about Bryan’s latest project to open a new restaurant in Marietta, a town no...
Jun 13, 2024•28 min
BBQ Competition is serious business in the Carolinas, so we’re taking a behind-the-scenes look with pros in the know. From training competition BBQ judges and their work at the scorers’ table to the pit perspectives of the contenders and the thrill of victory, this episode smokes out all the secrets. Listen to find out everything that goes into a competition BBQ judging from Southern BBQ Network Competition Director Mike Wright. Then you’ll hear the other side of the smokey story from competitiv...
Jun 06, 2024•27 min
In a barbecue world that’s full of options, from the best places to eat, to the right equipment to you and the latest methods you want to try, it helps to have a tour guide. BBQ Tourist Ryan Cooper is that guide to the best pit stops in America. He’s great a resource for news and information, events, and backyard cooking – especially as this summer season of smoking gets fired up. He’s also a founder of The Smoke Sheet a weekly newsletter that curates the latest national barbecue news, upcoming ...
May 30, 2024•32 min
Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer but it is also a time to salute the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the service of our country. In this episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show, we meet a military member who serves our nation in the U.S. Army and serves barbecue fans through his business, Blue Suede BBQ . We find out about Blue Suede BBQ’s roster of rubs and sauces and how Pitmaster Chris Loschiavo enlisted in the life of smoke – and in the U.S. military after the ter...
May 23, 2024•39 min
Jon G’s Barbecue serves Texas barbecue tradition in the small North Carolina town of Peachland, where he’s attracting plenty of big-city attention. Whether it’s Texas Monthly , Southern Living, or the Barbecue Bros, everyone who makes the trek to Jon G’s sings the praises of the brisket, beef ribs, kolaches, and the traditional sides that quickly fill up a barbecue tray with goodness. Find out the story behind Jon G’s, what makes his experience so unique, and why so many Carolina barbecue people...
May 16, 2024•30 min
The Low & Slow Barbecue Show steps into the competition BBQ circuit with the Vicious Pig BBQ team and Lori’s Ace Hardware , the site of a big BBQ Battle. We find out what goes into a competition barbecue event for the hosts and the competitors. Listen to Lori Stobbe share the details on her barbecue and grilling mecca at Lori’s Ace Hardware in Fayetteville, NC. Hear from Bobby Brinson what it takes to be a professional barbecue competitor – and how that Vicious Pig BBQ operation turned into ...
May 09, 2024•29 min
