Highlights from 2022: BBQ Travels, Exciting Events, and a BBQ Baby
As 2022 comes to a close, we’ve decided there was no better time to look back at some of the most fun stories and moments we experienced this past year. The year included fun BBQ memories across the country, exciting events (some new and some established), and a new member of the BBQ family.
Here are some of the biggest highlights from The Smoke Sheet newsletter in 2022.
BBQ Journeys Resume
After a two-year hiatus largely due to the pandemic, this year, we were excited to get the chance to travel across the country to several great barbecue destinations. Here are three journeys we took that really stood out to us.
Early in the year, Sean and Ryan spent a significant amount of time exploring the booming Houston BBQ scene. We hit a combined 17 BBQ joints and operations, and at each spot, we had the opportunity to connect with pitmasters, staff, and members of the BBQ community. What stood out most was the diversity and creativity of the barbecue scene in Houston. READ HERE.
Ryan had several opportunities to visit Buck Tui BBQ, an exciting new Kansas City restaurant that fuses barbecue with Northern Thai cuisine. Pitmaster Ted Liberda and his wife Pam manage to balance running Buck Tui BBQ and Waldo Thai restaurants along with two concession stands during Chiefs games at Arrowhead Stadium, while cooking for different charities, participating in collaborations with other chefs, catering private dinners, and teaching cooking classes. READ HERE.
A great year of BBQ journeys was capped off when Ryan visited Blake’s at Southern Milling in Martin, Tennessee. Pitmaster Blake Stoker has created an exceptional dining experience, offering a varied menu with an extensive selection of smoked meats and Southern dishes as well as a full bar in a gorgeous 104-year-old, fully-renovated historic mill. READ HERE.
Fun BBQ Events
Another thing that stood out in 2022 was how many BBQ events we and our friends could take part in this year. Here are three event highlights that stood out.
In October, Chef J BBQ co-owner Terra Whipple and Ryan helped organize Kansas City’s inaugural Party in the Pit, a celebration that brought together BBQ aficionados, food lovers, media members, and a group of talented pitmasters and chefs. The event highlighted several new craft barbecue operations along with classic staples of the barbecue community. Party in the Pit was officially recognized through a special resolution passed by Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, and the City Council, and Terra and Ryan hope to continue the event in the future. READ HERE.
Sean attended his first Memphis in May competition this past year. During that weekend, 212 of the best competition barbecue teams on the planet met up to compete in the annual event. Washington, Missouri-based team Blues Hog, which is also known for its popular barbecue sauces and rubs, won the top prize. READ HERE.
Our friend Monk from Barbecue Bros. wrote about his experience attending the first Carolina BBQ Festival in Charlotte. He reports that it was a great start to what hopefully becomes a spring tradition. He notes that it more than delivered on its promise to put Charlotte barbecue on the map. READ HERE.
Sean’s New Addition
On a more personal note, Sean and his wife Stephanie welcomed their first child — Lincoln Ludwig — into the BBQ family this summer. Lincoln has been to BBQ joints in New York, New Jersey, and North Carolina so far and has many more in his future. Sean is excited for solid foods to be introduced to Lincoln soon so one day he can try some perfectly smoked fatty brisket.
Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist) and Sean Ludwig (NYC BBQ)
Co-Founders, The Smoke Sheet
Step up your BBQ & grilling game with a Pitmaster Club membership from AmazingRibs.com. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.
—Heritage Barbecue is one of the most exciting barbecue joints in the Los Angeles BBQ scene. (Photo via Heritage Barbecue / Facebook)—
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Texas Monthly BBQ Editor Daniel Vaughn occasionally reports on Texas barbecue outside of Texas. One notable hotspot he recently covered is Los Angeles, which has several outstanding spots, including Heritage Barbecue, Moo’s Craft Barbecue, and Slab Barbecue. “California barbecue has changed significantly over the last decade,” Vaughn reports. “A culture is now developing there at a rapid pace, fueled by more forgiving regulations and a customer base with higher expectations. … I was excited to see how much barbecue has improved there over the last four years, and how much of that is due to inspiration drawn straight from Texas.” READ HERE.
Kansas City craft BBQ stand-out Wolfepack BBQ announced they will be leaving their home at Callsign Brewing this week and moving into a new permanent location in downtown KC. “Our new standalone location will provide us the ability to serve you exactly how we have imagined,” the owners wrote on social media. READ HERE.
Author Michael W. Twitty spoke with Tasting Table about the extensive African roots of American barbecue. READ HERE.
ADDITIONAL READS
Several barbecue restaurants were impacted by burst pipes due to the severe cold weather, including Heim BBQ and Hurtado Barbecue in the DFW area in Texas and Buck Tui in Kansas City.
Daniel Vaughn wrote about how Raul and Sebastian Ramirez keep their late father’s barbecue flame burning at Ray’s Texas BBQ in Huntington Park, California.
Here’s how semiconductors will help sustain small-town Central Texas barbecue, according to the Houston Chronicle’s J.C. Reid.
—Grillmasters go head to head in Las Vegas in the first episode of the new Bama-Q Grilling Series.—
WATCH
Steak & Monster Burger Battle: Bama-Q’s Roll the Dice Steak Cook-Off in Vegas — Bama-Q
Welcome to the first episode of the new Bama-Q Grilling Series! Join TV host Lisa Blackwell as she takes you on a culinary adventure in Las Vegas. In this full episode, watch as top grillmasters go head to head in a battle of the steaks and monster burgers. Who will come out on top? Roll the dice and find out! Follow along with Lisa as she guides you through all the sizzling action in this exciting steak cookoff. Don't miss your chance to see who will be crowned the ultimate steak and burger champion in the Bama-Q’s Roll the Dice Steak Cook-Off in Vegas. WATCH HERE.
LISTEN
Kansas City Barbeque Society CEO Rod Gray — Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast
Season four of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast wraps up with a bonus edition featuring Rod Gray, CEO of the Kansas City Barbeque Society. Gray is one of the all-time great competition cooks with his Pellet Envy team, winning more than 50 KCBS Grand Championships and KCBS Team of the Year in 2009. In this episode, Gray discusses his first four months on the job as CEO of KCBS. He assesses the biggest challenges ahead in 2023, answers some listener-submitted questions, and touches on his great cooking career and what he misses (and doesn’t miss) about the competition circuit. LISTEN HERE.
READ
Charcoal: New Ways to Cook with Fire — Josiah Citrin
Josiah Citrin is one of the biggest names in the L.A. food world and his restaurant, Mélisse, is a temple for fine dining. But his hot new restaurant, Charcoal Venice, is devoted to the kind of cooking he does at home for his friends and family. In Charcoal, Citrin presents completely fresh ways to cook with fire and charcoal, not only grilling over the coals, but cooking inside them and finding inventive methods for searing and smoking. Whether Citrin's grilling barbecue classics like J1-Marinated Skirt Steak and Salt-Baked Whole Maine Lobster or West Coast-inspired vegetable sides like his signature Cabbage Baked in Embers, charcoal is the dynamic center of this cookbook. ORDER HERE.
lebrate the end of the year with this decadent recipe for filet mignon topped with lobster. (Photo by Scott Thomas)—
Lobster-Topped Filet Mignon
By Grillin’ Fools
The presents have been opened, the stockings emptied, and the wrapping paper stuffed into trash bags. Now there are only a few days until it is time to ring in the new year. This is no time for a modest meal. We aren’t bidding adieu to 2022 and welcoming 2023 with a grilled cheese sandwich or a bowl of cereal. No, this is the last of the celebrations before the onslaught of winter where we hunker down and ride out the cold weather and short days. This is the last meal of 2022. Let’s go out in style. Scott Thomas from Grillin’ Fools offers lobster-topped filet mignon. This recipe calls for a one-pound lobster tail, slow smoked and placed on top of a one-pound filet mignon that is reverse seared to medium rare perfection. THIS is the ultimate surf and turf … one pound of each to be exact.
Learn more about Southside Market Barbeque.
—It's time to start mapping out BBQ events to attend this spring.—
February 15-18, 2023: National Barbecue & Grilling Association National Conference — Kissimmee, Florida
The National Barbecue & Grilling Association (NBBQA) will be hosting its annual national conference in early 2023. Expect great classes, speakers, food, competitions, and much more at this event. MORE INFO HERE.
March 31-April 1, 2023: Hogs For the Cause — New Orleans, Louisiana
The Hogs For the Cause barbecue competition and festival is back in 2023 for its 15th anniversary. The event will be held at the UNO Lakefront Arena festival grounds. Proceeds go to fight pediatric brain cancer. MORE INFO HERE.
May 17-20, 2023: Memphis in May — Memphis, Tennessee
Recognized as one of the world’s most prestigious barbecue contests, the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is a four-day competition held in Memphis. Teams representing the best of barbecue that have been honing their craft for years compete for the title of World Champion and a share of the more than $145,000 in prize money. The event will be held again at Tom’s River Park after a hiatus. However, based on the reduction in space in the new Tom Lee Park the event organizers expect the contest will be limited to 150 teams. MORE INFO HERE.
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