Tales from the pits, a Texas BBQ podcast featuring trendsetters, leaders, and icons from the barbecue industry

This episode was brought to you by Zavala’s Barbecue Distribution. Rubs and sauces from some of the best BBQ joints in Texas and beyond now just a click away from being at your doorstep! Sign up for their new BBQ subscription box service! Check out  http://bbqdistro.com/tales  for all of your BBQ needs and be sure to follow zavalasbarbecuedistribution on Instagram. They’re bringing the best of Tex...

This episode was brought to you by Zavala’s Barbecue Distribution. Rubs and sauces from some of the best BBQ joints in Texas and beyond now just a click away from being at your doorstep! Sign up for their new monthly BBQ subscription box service! Check out  http://bbqdistro.com/tales  for all of your BBQ needs and be sure to follow zavalasbarbecuedistribution on Instagram.   As we approach our 200...

This episode was brought to you by Zavala’s Barbecue Distribution. Rubs and sauces from some of the best BBQ joints in Texas and beyond now just a click away from being at your doorstep! Sign up for their new BBQ subscription box service! The first box featuring Blood Bros BBQ ships in July! Check out  http://bbqdistro.com/tales  for all of your BBQ needs and be sure to follow zavalasbarbecuedistr...

This episode was brought to you by Zavala’s Barbecue Distribution. Rubs and sauces from some of the best BBQ joints in Texas and beyond now just a click away from being at your doorstep! Sign up for their new BBQ subscription box service! The first box featuring Blood Bros BBQ ships in July! Check out  http://bbqdistro.com/tales  for all of your BBQ needs and be sure to follow zavalasbarbecuedistr...

This episode was brought to you by Zavala’s Barbecue Distribution. Rubs and sauces from some of the best BBQ joints in Texas and beyond now just a click away from being at your doorstep! Sign up for their new BBQ subscription box service launching this summer! Check out  http://bbqdistro.com/tales  for all of your BBQ needs and be sure to follow zavalasbarbecuedistribution on Instagram.   We were...

This episode was brought to you by Zavala’s Barbecue Distribution. Rubs and sauces from some of the best BBQ joints in Texas and beyond now just a click away from being at your doorstep!  Check out  http://bbqdistro.com/tales  for all of your BBQ needs and be sure to follow zavalasbarbecuedistribution on Instagram! —————————————————————-   Nick and Elliott Reese got bit by the BBQ bug while going...

This episode was brought to you by Zavala’s Barbecue Distribution. Rubs and sauces from some of the best BBQ joints in Texas and beyond now just a click away from being at your doorstep!  Check out  http://bbqdistro.com/tales  for all of your BBQ needs and be sure to follow zavalasbarbecuedistribution on Instagram!   Shuai and Corrie Wang were ready for a change after years working in New York Cit...

This episode was brought to you by Zavala’s Barbecue Distribution. Rubs and sauces from some of the best BBQ joints in Texas and beyond now just a click away from being at your doorstep!  Check out  http://bbqdistro.com/tales  for all of your BBQ needs and be sure to follow zavalasbarbecuedistribution on Instagram!   LeRoy and Lewis BBQ has become one of the most influential and revered barbecue b...

Charleston continues to be one of our favorite food cities to visit, and the Charleston Wine + Food Festival is one of the great gateways to exploring the scene. We were fortunate to be invited to this event again in 2023 and had an absolutely wonderful time both at the festival events and eating around the city. Tune in to hear about plenty of barbecue and other culinary delights we were able to...

Tom Micklethwait has been at the forefront of the modern barbecue movement that has taken place in the last decade. From high quality meats to well made sides and condiments, Micklethwait Craft Meats has been serving all of the staples we’ve come to associate with craft barbecue since their beginning.   As they celebrated ten years in business we sat down with Tom to discuss his career, the curren...

For our last episode of season three we took a look back at another incredible year in barbecue and highlight some of our favorite bites and memories from a busy 2022. Thanks again to our wonderful sponsors, listeners and guests for making this year so amazing!   We're proud to partner with Pitts and Spitts for this episode. Please visit  www.pittsandspitts.com/tales  and use promo code tales for...

Christopher Prieto, aka The Barbecue Nerd, has had one of the more unique journeys through the barbecue world that you’re likely to find. From his storied competition cooking career to his work with veterans and opening his first restaurant, Christopher’s story of faith, determination and service is an inspiring one. If you’re anywhere near the Raleigh, North Carolina area, Prime BBQ is a must sto...

During our recent trip to Kentucky we decided to record a special bonus episode about our bourbon experience including a blind tasting we each did. The moral of the story for bourbon with us is this: drink what you like, not what the internet tells you to like! Tune in to hear the details and please give us some feedback on the episode. We are always going to be a barbecue podcast, but it’s fun to...

We are fans of the crafts of butchery and were pleased to spend time with some of the crew at Red Hog Artisan Meat in Louisville, Kentucky on a recent road trip. Butchery, charcuterie, and dry aging are on full display at Red Hog. Their restaurant and butcher shop provides Louisville an outlet for the highest quality meats both for home cooking purposes or for top notch restaurant meal.  Aaron Sor...

Brothers Jonathan and Justin Fox grew up in Texas, moved to Atlanta, and over time have built an amazing barbecue footprint in that area. From humble beginnings of backyard barbecue parties to eventually opening their first restaurant, the Fox brothers have continued to grow their business. Now fifteen years into being restaurant owners, they opened a massive second location serving their signatur...

If you've listened to our show you know we love road trips and experiencing different BBQ across the U.S.     We traveled through ten states over six days, traversing over 3,400 miles to try over a dozen barbecue places that served different regional styles and visited multiple distilleries for a variety of different experiences. Tune in to hear what stood out along the way and learn a little bit...

We asked our listeners what questions they’d like to ask pitmasters, and as always you came through with some good ones! We sent out questionnaires to several of the best in the barbecue world and many were kind enough to respond.  Want to know what Todd David, Lane Milne, Evan LeRoy, Leonard Botello, Arnis Robbins and Joe Zavala have to say about things like tallow, prime grade beef, reheating br...

Our recent trip to the Rio Grande Valley was filled with so many memorable food experiences. From innovative new school barbecue to classic barbacoa to chef driven tacos and even an over 100 year old gordita place serving out of an alley, it’s a trip we’ll be thinking about for quite some time. We go over all our stops on this trip and highlight all the standouts.   We know the cost of everything...

One of the fastest growing barbecue scenes in Texas is taking place in the Rio Grande Valley where local pitmasters are showcasing both the popular modern craft style along with menu items and ingredients they grew up with. We had a chance to sit down with many of the great business owners in this area for a special roundtable episode. Check it out!   We're proud to partner with Pitts and Spitts f...

When Kris Manning took over Smokey Joe’s BBQ from his father Kenneth Manning and Joe Melton, the original owners, he had a delicate balance to strike: balancing the traditions of a restaurant serving the community since 1985 with the desire to improve the overall menu by modernizing the cooking process. Kris along with longtime Smokey Joe’s pitmaster Earl Harris eventually swapped out their truste...

In 2015 Ryan Zboril bought the well known Houston based pit builder, Pitts and Spitts, and saw an opportunity to grow the brand of this longtime trusted company. Working alongside his National Sales Director, Coy Christoffel, Ryan and the Pitts and Spitts team have stayed true to the core of the business while smartly expanding its product line to appeal to everyone from backyard novices to compet...

As much as we love Texas barbecue, both the traditional and the modern styles, we’ve developed a strong affinity and appreciation for the different whole hog preparations in many of the southern states. A curiosity born from a few Houston area pit masters that had done some whole hog specials over the years, in 2018 we embarked on an ambitious tour through Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina...

Having been involved in competition barbecue and running pop ups for decades, Derrick Walker is not new to the barbecue world. After years of working his way through the kitchen ranks at a hospital and getting a culinary degree, Derrick and his family launched their passion project, Smoke-A-Holics BBQ. After operating a food truck for a year, the Walkers opened their brick and mortar in Fort Worth...

Five years ago we launched Tales from the Pits to help tell the stories behind the people in barbecue. Daniel Vaughn’s writing and documenting of Texas barbecue has been one of our (and everyone else in the state’s) biggest resources in seeking out new places and visiting the classic joints. We were excited to have Daniel join us on this episode to discuss all things barbecue past, present and fut...

We were thrilled to have the chance to sit down with Robert F. Moss during our recent trip to South Carolina for the Charleston Wine + Food Festival. Robert is a wealth of culinary knowledge and the research he's done on barbecue history is second to none. Born and raised in South Carolina, Robert is an accomplished author who has had several books published on Barbecue, spirits, and other facets...