Smoke Ring Syndicate

Dyno Dan returned to chat about his life in BBQ for the last several months. His underground Bbq growth. We chatted about calculations for catering and how he figures his numbers with the waste of meats and sides. We also chatted about how far is too far to travel for BBQ. We need to schedule a trip to Texas to see Miss Tootsie. Then we dove into all the different ways. There are to cook whole chi...

Ray Lampe, aka Dr BBQ drops by the pit to chat all about BBQ Lifestyle. From the competition scene in 82, to getting his customized license plate for his new van, he’s been about the BBQ Lifestyle. Since he’s been an entrepreneur his entire adult life who better to explore some of the ways through the years he’s made some BBQ bucks. His BBQ career has taken him to the HSN (yes the Home Shopping Ne...

Alchemy Grills do-Owner Chef Matt Basile drops by the pit to chat. He spent over a decade disrupting the food industry as the founder of Toronto’s most recognizable food truck brand, Fidel Gastro’s, and popular gastropub, Lisa Marie. Today, as the co-founder of Alchemy Grills, he’s taking on a new frontier — disrupting the barbecue and live-fire cooking landscape. Basile is always striving to do t...

What’s in a name. Everyone knows him as “Stump”. He’s been a BBQ pit builder, a TV personality and coming soon. This year a YouTube Sensation! We chat about Stumps time in the world of bbq, he shares some of his opinions on the state of BBQ. The man who’s probably forgotten more bbq knowledge than most of us have is in the process of building out his YouTube film studio to begin sharing his bbq kn...

Ed Reilly and I keep the chat going from last week with ideas and suggestions for the Georgia BBQ Day celebrations for 2024. If you have a suggestion shoot us a message or PM. Or email message through TheSmokeRingSyndicate.com would you come to a Georgia BBQ Expo? Or a GA BBQ Block Party? Maybe BBQLAND? Have a better idea? We’d love to hear the ideas. After all, dreams are free! We also chatted ab...

The first bottled bbq sauce, first reverse flow bbq, the first time the word Barbecue was even written in the United States even…? GA BBQ is a large part of the bbq enjoyed across the USA. Why not celebrate it? Ed Reilly thought that with the amount of bbq history in Georgia it’s high time Georgians had a seat at the bbq table. After all the research it seems like bbq tables were started in Georgi...

His hustle never sleeps it seems. A starter of things. I met Gary some 5-6 years back at one of the BBQ and Brews festivals. With the Georgia BBQ Association. He has the bbq lifestyle with his festivals and bbq vendors that work at his many events throughout the year. Some 40+ on the books for this year. Yes 40, he is aware there’s only 52 Weeks in a year, so he says…. Find out what he thinks is w...

The first live recording, the first videoed episode, the first multi-country and continent episode. All about MEATSTOCK, whoa! What a name for an event. With a name like that you know it’s gotta be big! Meatstock started in 2015. By Jay Beaumont and Simon Luke, pre selling tickets for the event, more than 10,000 tickets well in advance. Featured Barbecue and Grilling Competitions, Butcher Wars, De...

Brandon of Chattanooga, Tn owner of the Chatter Box Cafe joins us to talk about BBQ. His brick and mortar has humble beginnings as a pop up bbq vending tent to a food trailer to semi permanent parking to having the brick and mortar restaurant. We chatted about the process of getting there. He even clued us in on how his growth for 2023 and beyond. He’s got a system that makes so much sense. You kn...

Humble. Mike is the definition of it, competition BBQ Pitmaster with the skills to pay the bills. The man the myth the legend. You’ve seen him on shows like BBQ Pit Wars and BBQ Allstars. But what really gets Mike hyped is his commitment to only selling the best BBQ from his restaurant in Adairsville Ga. Many of his colleagues on the show went deeper into the show business, or making a brand large...

Bob to the 3rd power! Season 3, episode 33, whole lotta threes with Bobby T, BBQ Bob and the catering n classes Bob…. ? This week Bob Trudnak joins us at the pit to speak about the brand he’s been creating. Between his catering, Bobby T seasoning, BBQ Bob plus The Bob & Moe Show! We are amazed we were able to sit down and chat about BBQ with this busy one man marketing team with a bbq and pizza pr...

A little Butt Rub makes everything better…. Bad Byron’s Butt Rub founder and owner stops by the pit. Byron Chism is a chef, BBQ competitor, competing in 19 countries, as well as developer of the top BBQ rub on grocery store shelves. Byron shares the story and ideas behind creating such an iconic seasoning which paved the way for so many after him. 26 years in business, single recipe without the in...

Kevin Green owner-operator of The Butcher Shoppe out of Pensacola, Florida has grown a little local butcher shop into a cross country meat supplying and shipping business with an emphasis on bbq. In addition the introduction to Australian Wagyu Briskets for that super secret tip of comp cooks everywhere. Kevins claiming the lions share of these briskets and the Australian Wagyu meat grade in gener...

Prime Rib the Ham, the Brisket, which is the best holiday meat? I think the answer may surprise you! Being the Holiday Hero with the perfect meat center piece is an important part of having a great holiday. So why do so with 3rd place meat? Find out what should be on your table this holiday inside this episode of The Smoke Ring Syndicate! TheSmokeRingSyndicate.com

With the end of the 2022 competition barbecue season coming to an end we thought it would be a great time to sit down with some of the sanctioning body’s presidents, board members etc of of various BBQ organizations. We are kicking this off with the Memphis bbq network. See mbnbbq.com for more information on contests near you. Henry Evans, the president and one of the founding members of the Memph...

Rub Bagby is a championship bbq competition from Winterhaven Florida who made a name for himself on the FBA trail in the early 2000s before creating and bottling some of his sauces. Rub skyrocketed his name and team with 2 TV appearances finishing top prize for one and narrowly missing it with his all the way from scratch, whole protein to ground protein for his meatloaf. Rub is also a classic Web...

What could go wrong, The Cookout Coach & The People’s Pitmaster join forces for an episode of the Smoke Ring Syndicate. The People’s Pitmaster Wes Phillips opens the show with a bombshell that may ruin your holiday, and the Cookout Coach hates cilantro. I guess that makes us even. Steve Dotson is the man behind D’Qued BBQ, as well as the Cookout Coach YouTube Chanel. He has been blazing a trai...

Get ready to write these recipes quick! Many of our past guests and some upcoming guests join us for this Thanksgiving cookbook episode. Joey Machado with Texas Original Charcoal Co with his Brussel Sprouts, Chef Michael Williams of the Kitchen Flavors personal green chili cornbread dressing, Chris Marks of 3 Little Pigs BBQ shares his THREE time world champions winning sweet potato dish. We have...

Since our time bunking together he, Ernest, and the Atl BBQ store folks out in Augusta, Georgia for the Recteq fast back in 2017, we’ve been buddies. So it was only fair to want to catch up, and I wanted to share the convo with you! We wanted to catch up on all the new BBQ happenings…. Such as his time on chopped, Texas edition, and his barbecue competition standings. C-Lo even shared a little sec...

What an episode! Eric Smith aka “Big E” was in the house for this weeks BBQ podcast episode. Chef and Pitmaster of Big E’s Southern Q in Louisville, KY his BBQ dream took flight with just $5000.00! And no we didn’t miss a decimal point! So when he hears folks wishing they could live off BBQ. He says you don’t need an $70k food trailer & he shows them his 5k trailer. Quite an amazing feat! Better y...

James BBQ Grubbs comes by the pit to chat. You’ve seen him in season one of the hit Netflix show, American BBQ Showdown. He’s a big personality that I’m glad to call a buddy of mine. We chat the process of getting bbq shows and what kind of doors it and BBQ have opened for him on this week’s episode. A fellow no binder brother, he doesn’t think it’s a flavor profile but more of a time saver. We ma...

Scratching the BBQ itch!! BBQ is the type of hobby that creates community and breeds creativity. We chat with STEVE RAY, the owner of the OWLS NEST BBQ supply store in beautiful Ootawah, Tennessee. All about creating the BBQ pro shop and his choice of what to carry and why and how to grow the business. It’s a side hustle full on business now, and a way to scratch his barbecue Itch. Right next to h...

I’m down-shifting and heading up a mountain. Then I might be willing to die on, bbq prices. You’ve heard me ramble on and complain with some of my guests, but I think BBQ should be a high-end food. Or that it shouldn’t be considered the cheap option when it comes to having an event. I’m headed headfirst into this thought and I feel like most people in the BBQ world at least will agree. Stop callin...

We were fortunate to carve out a few minutes with Heath during his busy day to chop it up when it comes to the marketing side of the business with a brief overview of his bbq history that started at just 18 years old. Heath Riles BBQ. A name synonymous with high quality bbq rubs and a bbq team with some heavy clout! Heath is an industry leading expert in both competition BBQ rub & sauce empire wit...

Doug Maxon is The Digital Chef!! A restauranteur who sells food! From American StrEatz to White Bus Media and all the ground in between. The Digital Chef Podcast is off the ground to teach you more about the digital footprint of your bbq business. But before that, this week we chop it up with regards to building a digital foundation for your bbq business through social media SMS marketing as well...