5 Reasons BBQ Brawl S2 Was Must-See TV
This week’s guest article is written by Monk, a native of North Carolina and co-founder of the Barbecue Bros blog. Along with his friends and fellow Barbecue Bros Speedy and Rudy, Monk has traveled around eating, rating, ranking, and reviewing barbecue joints since 2012. Recently, Monk has been recapping the popular Food Network show BBQ Brawl on their blog, and we asked if he could share some of his overall thoughts on the series. If you would like to write a guest article for The Smoke Sheet, please get in touch.
BBQ Brawl season two had a lot of great contestants.
During the past nine weeks, season two of Food Network's BBQ Brawl provided the perfect summer show for fans of barbecue and grilling looking to get their fix on television. I would go so far as to say it was even "must see,” when very few network BBQ TV shows seem that way these days.
This season of BBQ Brawl featured a new co-host with chef Eddie Jackson, who joined Bobby Flay and Michael Symon as hosts and team captains. Flay, Jackson, and Symon picked among 12 contestants to be on their respective teams, and each week, one contestant was sent home. Then it was down to just three barbecuers for the exciting finale last week.
Here are five reasons why this season of BBQ Brawl was must-see TV.
Legit Barbecue Talent
Chef Christina Fitzgerald was the first to be sent home during BBQ Brawl.
While the first season had heavyweights such as eventual winner Lee Ann Whippen as well as the likes of Kevin Bludso, Carey Bringle, and Tuffy Stone competing, the second season didn’t quite have the same star power. But there’s no denying the barbecue bonafides of many of the contestants.
The first contestant to go home, Christina Fitzgerald, is involved with Sugarfire Smoke House, which started in St. Louis, Missouri, and is now up to 15 locations across the southern and midwestern US after a recent expansion to Dallas, Texas, and Jacksonville, Florida.
Ara Malekian (left) and David Sandusky made it to the final episode.
Speaking of St. Louis, David Sandusky (one of the three finalists) is also from "The Gateway to the West." He is the owner and pitmaster of BEAST Craft BBQ Company, which regularly shows up on "best of" lists for that famed barbecue city. Notably, Sandusky has opened two additional BEAST Craft restaurants in the St. Louis area, and all three have received accolades.
Fellow finalist Ara Malekian is the owner and pitmaster behind Harlem Road Texas BBQ in Richmond, Texas, which is a small town about 30 minutes southwest of Houston. Shortly after the restaurant opened in 2018, Texas Monthly BBQ Editor Daniel Vaughn called Harlem Road Texas BBQ "worth the journey" from Houston, particularly for the beef rib which Malekian modeled after Louie Mueller.
Christopher Prieto of NC showed some skills during BBQ Brawl.
Contestant Christopher Prieto opened Prime Barbecue in Knightdale, NC (15 miles east of Raleigh) in May 2020 after years of careful planning. I was a big fan of the food and beautifully decorated building during a media event pre-opening, and I need to make the trip back. Prime Barbecue sells out nearly every day and is doing a great job feeding the locals.
Oh, and let's not forget famed pitmaster Rodney Scott as one of the judges. Not too much more needs to be said about the budding barbecue empire-builder that hasn’t already been said in countless podcasts, interviews, profiles, as well as his episode on Netflix’s Chef’s Table: BBQ episode. Scott brought BBQ star power to the judges’ table.
Real Challenges
Christopher Prieto also had one of the biggest mishaps on the show.
Other competition shows like Chopped: Grill Masters feature pitmasters cooking in a kitchen with pre-smoked or pre-grilled ingredients. BBQ Brawl, on the other hand, was all live fire with the fun and drama that comes with cooking in the elements at the Star Hill Ranch outside of Austin.
For instance, Christopher Prieto had a chili mishap when the rocks of his campfire shifted from beneath the chili pot, spilling most but not all of his pot but unfortunately imparting a bitter smoke flavor to the chili. He managed to avoid going home that week, lucky for him.
Other contestants often encountered issues when they were assigned to cook some sort of dessert because of the unevenness of the heat when cooking over fire and coals. That is, other than the more classically-trained chefs in Taylor Carroll or Ara Malekian, who seemed to have little issue.
Then there's David Sandusky, who seemingly majored in time mismanagement while still making it to the finale. The number of times he had to pivot his dish due to the live-fire not cooperating with his cooks could not be counted on one hand. Of course, this made for great TV as we never knew whether he was going to finish his food before the clock expired.
Representation of Women
Erica Blaire Roby won BBQ Brawl season two with creativity and confidence.
This season, exactly half of the twelve contestants were women as well as two out of the final four. Contestants such as Lu Holter of Hudson, Wisconsin, Taylor Shulman Carroll of Southern Belle BBQ in Atlanta, and Brittani Bo Baker of Bubba’s Q Food Trucks in Tampa may not have won but they did well while making deep runs into the competition.
Brittani was arguably the hottest contestant for much of the second half of the season, earning her the honor of being the first contestant stolen when Team Eddie got down to one contestant and stole her from Team Michael. When her time was up just before the finale, judge Brooke Williamson thanked her for representing women as well as she did.
Oh, and did I mention that the winner and "Master of Cue" was also a woman? Erica Blaire Roby of Dayton, Ohio absolutely caught fire at the right time and got Bobby Flay his second win in as many seasons of the show. Blaire is a former lawyer and sommelier and now will have a significantly higher profile in the food world. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does next in her reign as “Master of Cue” and the Food Network Digital deal that comes along with it.
Overall Presentation
The judges on BBQ Brawl each brought something to the table.
If I'm being honest, Food Network shows aren't always known for their production quality. Thankfully, BBQ Brawl as a TV show took a step up in production in season two, notably in set design, cooking montages, and music.
In terms of judges, season one of BBQ Brawl featured an all-star barbecue panel in Amy Mills, Chris Lilly, and Moe Cason while season two mixed it up to great effect. The aforementioned Rodney Scott filled out the barbecue role on the panel while Top Chef: Charleston winner Brooke Williamson could intelligently critique the more technical details of the food.
And love him or hate him, Carson Kressley of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy fame added levity to the seriousness of competitions with his bubbly demeanor and sometimes-groan-inducing-but-nevertheless-clever puns.
You Can Actually Try the Contestants’ Food
Watching food competitions on TV is one thing, but being able to taste the food from the show is even better. Thankfully, several of the dishes on BBQ Brawl season two can be tried in person.
The special wings at Prime Barbecue are tasty.
In episode four "Gameday BBQ," Prieto created what he called his "Triple Threat Wings" that are smoked, fried, and then finished on the grill. These wings actually won the advantage challenge for Team Eddie and now they are a Wednesday special at Prieto's Prime Barbecue in Knightdale, North Carolina.
The beef ribs from Harlem Road Texas BBQ are well-regarded.
Ara Malekian smoked his famous beef ribs in the finale, which wowed the judges. You can taste for yourself at Harlem Road Texas BBQ in Richmond, Texas.
The pork steak at BEAST Craft BBQ in St. Louis will knock your socks off.
You can also try a giant 30 oz. version of David Sandusky's pork steak from the finale at BEAST Craft BBQ in St. Louis, Missouri. I’ve had friends tell me the pork steak is quite delicious at the restaurant.
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All in all, season two of BBQ Brawl certainly fit the description of “must-see TV” this summer for barbecue fans. In an era when very little television is truly must-see due to splintered audiences across network, cable, and the ever-growing number of streaming platforms, this was one show I consistently tuned in for live week to week. I have yet to see whether Food Network has renewed it for a season three, but I certainly hope we have some more BBQ Brawl to look forward to next summer.
Monk
Co-Founder, Barbecue Bros
Thank you to our sponsor DennyMike's, which offers outstanding seasonings and rubs for every situation. Learn more about DennyMike's here
—Franklin Barbecue has sadly delayed the reopening of its dining room after COVID-19 cases rose in Austin. (Photo by Tom Cheredar)—
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Franklin Barbecue, one of the most well-known barbecue joints in the country, announced this week that it would delay the reopening of its dining room due to an increase in COVID-19 cases in Austin, Texas. The restaurant had planned to reopen fully by September 1 but cases in Central Texas have sharply been on the rise, prompting the delay. Franklin Barbecue will continue offering curbside takeout service for the time being until it announces a revised reopening plan. READ MORE.
In his latest book, grillmaster Steven Raichlen explores veggies in a way we haven’t seen from many well-known barbecuers. BBQ author and editor Robert Moss “caught up with Raichlen a few weeks ago at Barbecue University, the live-fire cooking school he leads over a long weekend each summer.” In the conversation, he notes that many pitmasters still have a lot to learn about how to make vegetables better through live-fire cooking. And he suggests many manly meat-eaters secretly are interested in eating better veggies. READ MORE.
Speaking of vegetables, Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn wrote about some of the best vegetable-based dishes at some of the top barbecue joints in Texas. Some of the most delicious items included a smoked portobello mushroom “burger” at Sugarfire Smokehouse in Dallas, smoked cauliflower at CM Smokehouse in Austin, smoked beets from LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue in Austin, and smoked baby bella mushrooms from Rollin Smoke in Austin. READ HERE.
Monk from the Barbecue Bros interviewed pitmaster Michael Wagner, who recently left Midwood Smokehouse in Charlotte, NC. Wagner left to head back to Texas. “Michael has always struck me as a very thoughtful and passionate person about barbecue, and his departure is a big loss for the Charlotte barbecue community,” Monk writes. “To bookend his time in NC, I wanted to check back in ahead of his big move.” READ MORE.
Winnie Yee-Lakhani of Smoke Queen BBQ is smoking up Chinese-American barbecue mashups for her growing list of Southern California fans. Yee-Lakhani is a relative newcomer to barbecue but already has made a name for herself. “I’ve always been fascinated by the barbecue business,” she says. “I love barbecue, I love to eat. And I thought, ‘You know, I want to create something.’” READ MORE.
ADDITIONAL READS
J.C. Reid of the Houston Chronicle writes that chefs are “changing the game” in Texas barbecue.
José R. Ralat of Texas Monthly notes that the barbacoa tacos and mollejas shine at Avila’s BBQ in Hebbronville.
Spectrum News profiled acclaimed Texas pit builder Sunny Moberg of Moberg Smokers.
The Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival will return for its eighth year after taking a pause in 2020.
A staple of the Kansas City BBQ scene, Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que, celebrated its 25th anniversary this week.
Acclaimed scholar John Shelton Reed offers his own curmudgeonly take on the current landscape of barbecue.
Acclaimed Houston barbecue joint Feges BBQ is now serving up noteworthy ‘cue in Spring Branch.
Fox Bros BBQ announced the opening of a second location in Atlanta’s West Midtown area.
Eater LA writes about the "renaissance of LA’s black barbecue scene."
Here’s what to expect on Season 2 of Netflix’s hit show American Barbecue Showdown.
—A new season of the Food Network’s Chopped debuted last week, which included up-and-coming Houston pitmaster Joseph Quellar of JQ’s Tex-Mex BBQ. (Photo via JQ’s Tex-Mex BBQ on Instagram)—
WATCH
Playing with Fire: Wild Things — Chopped
In a live-fire Chopped tournament to show what hot ideas, techniques. and flavors chefs bring to the table, the competitors take a walk on the wild side with wild game in every basket. In the appetizer basket, a crispy Korean snack food is a creepy-crawly shocker. The judges wonder what to expect when they chomp down on alligator entrees, and in the dessert round, the two chefs left fighting for a spot in the finale wrestle with a basket that includes wild sandwiches and daring dairy. (And below, read the interview Conor Moran conducted with contestant Joseph Quellar for The Smoke Sheet about his experiences on this episode of the show.) WATCH HERE.
LISTEN
Episode 100 with Author Adrian Miller and Former MLB Catcher Mackey Sasser — Baseball & BBQ Podcast
Baseball & BBQ podcast hosts Len and Jeff celebrate their 100th episode with special guest host Doug Scheiding of Rogue Cookers. In this episode, they talk with award-winning author and culinary historian Adrian Miller. They talk about his latest book Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue and delve into the incredible history of barbecue. They are also joined by Mickey Sasser, a former Major League Baseball catcher who played from 1987 through 1995 for the San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, and Seattle Mariners. Congratulations to Len and Jeff on 100 episodes and we look forward to the next 100! LISTEN HERE.
READ
Joseph Quellar of JQ’s Tex-Mex BBQ on Chopped: Playing with Fire — The Smoke Sheet
Houston pitmaster Joseph Quellar has been popping-up as JQ’s Tex-Mex BBQ in the Houston area for the past several years and has garnered acclaim with his smoked meats and tacos. Last week, Quellar competed on an episode of the Food Network show Chopped: Playing with Fire. On behalf of The Smoke Sheet, Conor Moran of the Cost of Goods Told podcast had the opportunity to interview Quellar about his experience as a competitor on the show. Read the full interview by following the link. READ HERE.
is recipe for Shrimp Rolls makes for a delicious and easy grilled meal on a weeknight.—
Grilled Shrimp Rolls
By Chuds BBQ
In this week’s Recipe of the Week, Bradley Robinson from Chuds BBQ shows you how to make delicious jumbo shrimp rolls. He grills some massive Black Tiger Shrimp to make shrimp rolls along with some garlic butter sauce. Even these larger shrimp are ready to enjoy in no time on the grill. He loads up a toasted bun with some chopped shrimp for a simple and delicious seafood entree.
—Lots of must-attend barbecue events are scheduled for 2021.—
August 21-22, 2021: Meatstock Music and Barbecue Festival (Sydney edition) — Sydney, Australia
Meatstock returns with a typically stacked line-up of barbecue enthusiasts and bands. The sell-out, two-day event brings big-name American pitmasters Down Under; sees comp teams from across Sydney go head-to-head over the coals to be crowned the city’s best barbequers; and features live music, food trucks and pop-up bars. MORE INFO HERE.
September 3-5, 2021: Pinehurst Barbecue Festival — Pinehurst, North Carolina
Debuting Labor Day Weekend 2021, The Pinehurst Barbecue Festival celebrates “All Things Barbecue” in North Carolina. From Eastern North Carolina vinegar to Western North Carolina tomato, they will have all of your favorites. The Pinehurst Barbeque Festival is a “Celebration of Taste and Tradition” featuring award-winning pitmasters in one of the most picturesque settings in all of North Carolina — the historic Village of Pinehurst. Choose to experience the entire three-day festival, or attend just one signature event. A multi-ticket VIP package, as well as individual tickets for each event are available. MORE INFO HERE.
September 10-11, 2021: Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ Festival (Cary) — Cary, North Carolina
Cary’s Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ Festival is back and better than ever. Get ready to enjoy all those pleasures that true Southerners live by – Beer, Bourbon, Barbecue, Boots, Bacon, Biscuits, Bluegrass, and Smoked Beasts. It’s a great day of beer sippin’, bourbon tastin’, music listenin’, cigar smokin’, and barbecue eatin’. One admission buys you a sampling glass so you can enjoy an all-you-care-to-taste sampling of beer and bourbon. MORE INFO HERE.
September 11, 2021: Pig Island NYC — New York, New York
For those that love all things pork and barbecue, the annual Pig Island NYC event is a can’t-miss affair. This year, the event will emphasize its special relationship promoting Friends of Firefighters charity. Many chefs and pitmasters from around the country show up and serve their best pork creations. Held outdoors, this all-inclusive event will also feature a ton of great food, beer, cider, and liquor. MORE INFO HERE.
September 16-19, 2021: American Royal World Series of Barbecue — Kansas City, Kansas
The American Royal World Series of barbecue is the largest BBQ competition in the country. On top of a massive KCBS competition with roughly 500 teams from around the country, this signature Kansas City event includes public-facing activities, including live music, delicious BBQ and local food, a full lineup of kids activities, and a vendor fair authentic to Kansas City and BBQ enthusiasts. Read our to learn more about the experience. MORE INFO HERE.
September 17-19, 2021: Denver BBQ Festival — Denver, Colorado
BBQ in back in the Mile High City for the Denver BBQ Festival. The 3rd annual Denver BBQ Festival is happening at Empower Field at Mile High. Don’t miss this chance to grab an ice-cold brew and sample pure smoked bliss from award-winning pitmasters from across the country. MORE INFO HERE.
September 18-19, 2021: Born & Raised Music Festival — Pryor, Oklahoma
On top of many top musical acts like ZZ Top and Cody Jinks, the big new event will feature “The BBQ Ranch” curated by pitmaster Wayne Mueller. Joining Mueller will be Brotherton's Black Iron Barbecue, Night Goat Barbecue, Phatt Tabb's BBQ, Roegels Barbecue Co., and more. MORE INFO HERE.
October 1-3, 2021: Q In The Lou — St. Louis, Missouri
Get ready to go hog wild and get your BBQ fix at another great year of Q in the Lou. Many of the country’s biggest names in BBQ will be back once again. Given heightened safety protocols, it will likely be a little different from years past but still offering lots of food and fun. Read our to learn more about how the event generally goes. MORE INFO HERE.
October 8-9, 2021: Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational — Lynchburg, Tennessee
The Jack Daniel’s Annual World Championship Invitational Barbeque – or simply The Jack as it’s known in the world of competition barbecue – is widely considered the world’s most prestigious barbeque competition where teams from around the globe smoke, season and sear their way to a chance to be named the Grand Champion and a $25,000 prize. Annually featuring more than 100 teams representing all 50 states and countries across the globe, The Jack transforms Lynchburg, home of the Jack Daniel Distillery, into the barbecue capital of the world. It’s also important to note that KCBS has changed the date The Jack is usually held in hopes of getting more favorable weather, so check your calendars. Read our to learn more about the experience. MORE INFO HERE.
November 13, 2021: Holy Smokes: Lowcountry BBQ Festival — Charleston, South Carolina
The Holy Smokes BBQ Festival from Home Team BBQ, Swig & Swine, and Robert Moss will be held November 13 in Charleston. The big new event will include pitmasters from around the country including Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson BBQ, Patrick Feges and Erin Smith, Feges BBQ, Billy Durney of Hometown BBQ, Matt Horn of Horn Barbecue, and Rodney Scott of Rodney Scott’s BBQ. MORE INFO HERE.
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