The Smoke Sheet Says Gooobye to 2021: Best BBQ Interviews, a Wedding, & More
2021 in Review: Best Interviews, Events, and a BBQ Wedding
Editorial note: All of our normal sections in The Smoke Sheet will return next week, but we wanted to focus on sharing some of the top stories of the year this week. Happy new year everyone!
As 2021 comes to a close, we thought we’d take a look back at the past 12 months in BBQ. This time last year, we were saying goodbye and good riddance to a very challenging 2020. In our first newsletter issue of 2021 (released the morning of January 6), you might forgive us for being perhaps a bit too optimistic about the year to come. The year was admittedly more of a roller coaster than we expected.
That said, 2021 was overall a better year for the barbecue world than 2020, with more people returning to restaurants, attending events, and continued interest in mastering ‘cue in the backyard. As we look back on the year, we had a lot of fun talking with some of the biggest names in barbecue and seeing the action at events and pit rooms across the country.
Here are some of the biggest highlights from The Smoke Sheet in 2021.
Kansas City pitmaster Tyler Harp hosted the first-ever Harp Barbecue Festival this year. (Photo by Wai Chan)
Many Major Events Returned
We were happy to see the return of BBQ festivals and competitions in 2021 after so many cancellations the previous year. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to attend some of our favorite annual events and a few new ones as well. Here are three events that we were able to cover this year.
The first annual Harp Barbecue Festival held in July brought together dozens of pitmasters from across the nation for Kansas City's first-ever craft barbecue event. It was wonderful to see the number of participants from the local scene and talent from Texas, Louisiana, and California. READ HERE.
Once again, the American Royal took place at the massive Kansas Speedway for three days of public events, festivities, and competitions. Though it was somewhat scaled back, the Royal made a strong comeback after being canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. READ HERE.
The KCBS World Invitational was held in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in November, marking the end of the 2021 competition season. The best Backyard and Master Series teams from around the country tested their skills during three days of fun and exciting competitions. READ HERE.
Acclaimed BBQ author Steven Raichlen spoke with us for one of our favorite interviews this year. (Photo via Steven Raichlen / Facebook)
Interviews with Incredible BBQ Authors
We were thrilled to talk with some incredible barbecue book authors this year. They shared insights into grilling, smoking, cooking, and sometimes even philosophies on life. Here are some of the great people we chatted with in 2021.
We had a great time talking with author and TV show host Steven Raichlen about his book on grilling and smoking vegetables and trying to bring more variety to cookouts. READ HERE.
Author Adrian Miller wowed us with his knowledge of Black pitmasters that have had an outsized impact on barbecue history. READ HERE.
Chris Sussman, aka The BBQ Buddha, shared his insights about the “four fundamentals of smoking,” which were developed over many years. READ HERE.
The Smoke Sheet’s Sean Ludwig got married at a BBQ joint this year. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
Sean’s BBQ Wedding
This past June, The Smoke Sheet co-founder Sean Ludwig got married at Pig Beach BBQ in Brooklyn, New York. He shared a little bit of backstory about how this unique wedding came to be, what creative barbecue was served (brisket ravioli, anyone?), and a few important things he and his wife Stephanie learned while putting the event together. READ HERE.
Erica Blaire, the winner of the Food Network program BBQ Brawl, also became a correspondent for The Smoke Sheet. (Photo via Erica Blaire)
Women in BBQ Stepped Up
Every year, we love seeing more and more women showcase their barbecue and grilling skills to the world. 2021 was no different, with women from all over the country winning competitions and proving they have the chops to do it all.
Erica Blaire became the new Master of ‘Cue on the popular Food Network TV show BBQ Brawl this year. On top of this, Blaire also became a video correspondent for The Smoke Sheet and filmed great videos with us, including this profile of Gatlin’s BBQ in Houston. WATCH HERE.
This year, the Steak Cookoff Association was blown away when 21-year-old Marissa Ouverson won the World Championship competition in Fort Worth after competing for less than a year. We spoke with Marissa about how she prepared and how her story could inspire more people from all backgrounds to compete. READ HERE.
While Erica and Marissa became true stars this year, we also spotlighted three additional women in barbecue that every grilling and barbecue fan should know — Robyn Lindars, Melissa Reome, and Christie Vanover. READ HERE.
We were impressed by the high-quality meats and sides at Goldee’s Barbecue in Fort Worth. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
Returning to Restaurants
In 2021, many restaurants came roaring back, and some are serving up out-of-this-world barbecue. Some of our favorite restaurant-focused stories included the following three.
One of the best BBQ trips we took this year was to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Sean wrote about some of the most exciting joints in DFW, including Goldee’s Barbecue, Panther City BBQ, Zavala’s Barbecue, and Terry Black’s Barbecue. READ HERE.
In Kansas City, we walked away hugely impressed by Night Goat BBQ. Run by chef Vaughn Good, Night Goat is a new Sunday-only pop-up at the restaurant Fox & Pearl. Everything we tried was incredible, but the Smoked Pig Head and Chicken Liver Boudin, Brisket, and Guajillo Beef Sausage were the standouts. READ HERE.
While restaurants have come back, many challenges, including high meat prices, supply chain issues, and workforce shortages, remain. We spoke with Omaha’s Porky Butts BBQ about issues affecting BBQ restaurants. READ HERE.
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Thank you all for your continued support of The Smoke Sheet. This newsletter and the community we’ve built around it mean the world to us. We hope you all have a wonderful new year, and we will see you in 2022.
Sean Ludwig (NYC BBQ) & Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist)
Co-Founders, The Smoke Sheet
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