The Low & Slow Barbecue Show

Carolina BBQ Festival 2026 marks its fifth anniversary, and organizers from Sweet Lew’s BBQ and Let’s Meet CLT reveal what’s working, what’s not, and what folks can expect for April 17-18, 2026. Find out how festival events throughout the year are bringing a greater spotlight to Charlotte, the Carolina barbecue scene, and small businesses throughout the region. Lewis “Sweet Lew” Donald and Erin Hu...

Rusty’s Bar-B-Q Founder Rusty Tucker opens the doors of his Alabama barbecue restaurant and shares the story of his smoked meat upbringing. Find out the important role family traditions play in his career, from childhood pitmaster to formal culinary training. Learn which Rusty’s Bar-B-Q sauces and menu items are the most popular and how an untraditional order is a measuring stick for the best Alab...

Bubbles & Brisket’s Max Trujillo shares the roots of the annual North Carolina food and beverage event and the NC F&B Podcast . Get the festival details about North Carolina pitmasters and North Carolina beverage producers and hear why bubbles and brisket go so well together. Find out how industry experience led Max to launch other media platforms. Don’t miss Max Trujillo’s perspective on...

Alabama Barbecue Chase Founder Ricky Harmon shares the story of his campaign to celebrate barbecue across the state of Alabama. Find out his favorite stops among the 75+ he’s visited. What Alabama city has the best barbecue? Alabama’s Barbecue Chaser shares his answer and explains his approach for restaurant reviews – and where he awards bonus points. If you are planning a trip to Sweet Home Alaba...

Wright’s BBQ Founder Jordan Wright shares his Arkansas barbecue journey that has grown from 1 food truck to 4 locations across northwest Arkansas, Little Rock, and University of Arkansas sports venues. Find out how Wright’s Barbecue got started, how COVID boosted his business, and what lies on the horizon. Jordan Wright also reveals the Wright’s BBQ style, what people will experience in the restau...

Spring Break spurs a road trip to Chigger’s native homeland and a bunch of Alabama barbecue stops along the way. Get the scoop on Byron’s Smokehouse , Hook’s BBQ in Andalusia, Miss Myra’s in Cahaba Heights, and Rusty’s Bar-B-Q in Leeds. There’s also stops at Buc-ees, Big Bad Breakfast, and Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum . Get the barbecue reviews and analysis about these popular Alabama barbecu...

Goat Fest Founder Jason Knapp reveals how he became the Kitchen Goat and why he launched his own charitable culinary events through Kitchen Goat Feeds. Blue Suede BBQ’s founder and pitmaster joins talks about his People’s Choice Award during the 2024 Goat Fest BBQ contest and chili cook-off. He also shares an update on how the Blue Suede BBQ business is expanding into competition, catering, and fo...

Pork in the Park Festival pitmasters and competitors descend on Newberry, S.C. on April 25-26, for food, live music, and free fun for the entire family. The Low & Slow Barbecue Show explores the 10-year-old festival with organizer Devan Moore, who shares details about the free Friday night concert, barbecue & beverages for public consumption, and a day of competition sanctioned by Southern...

Comedian Tim Shropshire reveals his North Carlina roots and his favorite barbecue experiences. Find out about Shrop Fest 2025 , a wing and rib competition that prioritizes what tastes good over what a certified BBQ judge might think. Shrop even names the North Carolina barbecue business with better brisket than Texas Monthly’s No. 1 barbecue in Texas. Listen today to find out what Tim Shrop Comedy...

Ron’s Back! Mr. All Gas, No Breaks 365 shares the latest news from Master Blend Family Farms , including his visit with NASCAR’s Ross Chastain , and recognition from N.C. Governor Josh Stein, exploring new markets in California, and adventures across North Carolina promoting the state’s agriculture. Listen to find out what Ron and Master Blend Family Farms are bringing to the Carolina BBQ Festival...

BBQ Friend Joey DiApice joins The Low & Slow Barbecue Show to give you a glimpse behind the camera of his mouth-watering food recipes and videos. Find out how he got his start and the process that’s involved with his nightly food prep videos that are guaranteed to make you hungry! Our BBQ Friend shares the scoop on how he got connected with the Carolina BBQ Festival in Charlotte, where you can...

Operation BBQ Relief Pitmaster and N.C. Area Coordinator Scott Jarrett reveals his barbecue roots, how he got involved with Operation BBQ Relief , and why he keeps volunteering after 12 million barbecue meals served. Find out how to get involved as an Operation BBQ Relief volunteer, learn how to support the organization during the Carolina BBQ Festival and through the website, and hear Scott’s per...

On the cusp of officially launching his latest barbecue project, Elliott Moss joins The Low & Slow Barbecue show to talk about Elliott’s in Florence . Listen to the interview for the backstory on the building and the Moss family’s long-time connection to Pee Dee region – and whole hog barbecue. Find out about the menu, the smokehouse, and plans for spectator tours on barbecue Saturday! With a...

County Smoak Pitmaster Ken Hess returns to The Low & Slow Barbecue Show to defend Virginia as “first” in barbecue. Get the latest from Lynchburg, Virginia, where Ken and Jessica Hess are smoking meat low and slow in the Virginia tradition, while introducing their own unique flair to the flavors that fill the menu – like the brisket pastrami, a forever favorite at the Carolina BBQ Festival . Do...

Smoked Pickle Barbecue Pitmaster and Founder Eric Pickle shares the story of his Knoxville-based food truck that is rapidly expanding into a Tennessee barbecue favorite. Find out how Smoked Pickled Barbecue started, where you can enjoy it, and who turns to Eric Pickle when it is time to feed the orange-clad gladiators on game day. How is Smoked Pickle Barbecue different than Carolina barbecue? Lis...

Matthew Register takes us 94 and ½ feet down Warren Street for the latest news from Southern Smoke BBQ and South Catering of N.C. Find out what’s on the horizon for the business, get a glimpse into the Southern Smoke roots, and learn more about what motivates Matthew Register to keep pouring barbecue love into his Eastern North Carolina community. Listen today to discover which barbecue bite Matth...

Sam Jones BBQ’s pitmaster and business leader Michael Letchworth shares the story of his barbecue journey. From an early start working the pits at Skylight Inn to his current role leading the Sam Jones BBQ business alongside Sam, who carries on the Carolina barbecue legacy started by his grandfather Pete Jones. Don’t miss Michael’s perspective on a life spent in the barbecue business and what moti...

Ben’s Backdraft Barbecue reveals big news about his first brick-and-mortar location and his first time participating in the Carolina BBQ Festival for the first time April 4-5, at Victoria Yards in Charlotte. Find out details about this year’s BBQ Festival and why you want to attend. Listen to learn more about how Ben’s Backdraft Barbecue continues to serve western North Carolina in the wake of Hur...

The Low & Slow Barbecue Show reveals the Carolina BBQ Festival Pitmasters for 2025 . Listen today and find out who will serve their best barbecue bites at the festival April 4-5. Get a hint of what they’ve brought in the past. Lexington Barbecue’s Nathan Monk, City Limits BBQ’s Robbie Robinson , Southern Smoke’s Matthew Register , and Bryan Furman lead the line-up. Get festival details and whe...

Hickory Barbecue is in the spotlight as The Low & Slow Barbecue Show welcomes the beer aficionados from 3 Beers Down for the first-ever Hickory Holiday Meat Crawl! We taste and rate pulled pork from 6 Hickory barbecue restaurants that top the list for the “best” according to Hickory Metro social media channels and keyboard warriors. And choosing a winner is no easy task for the judges sampling...

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...

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...

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-...

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 lates...

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...