Welcome to The Smoke Sheet
Welcome to the first edition of The Smoke Sheet, your go-to source for all things barbecue in the U.S. Every week, we’ll bring you news, recipes, podcasts, videos, event listings, and more.
We started The Smoke Sheet because we love barbecue, and we found it difficult to easily keep track of everything happening all around the county. The focus of barbecue in media, for the most part, has been on Texas for the past 10 years. This is understandable, as Texas has the most barbecue joints of any state and the dedication to craft there is palpable. But there are amazing things happening all over the U.S. and not just in big barbecue towns like Kansas City and Memphis. You can find top-notch smoked meats in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Charleston, Chicago, Nashville, and many more cities.
Sean Ludwig and Ryan Cooper are the co-founders of The Smoke Sheet. Here they are at Slap's BBQ in Kansas City.
We want this newsletter to be a resource for the quickly growing barbecue community in the U.S. and around the world. No matter if you are just learning the basics of barbecue or you are a die-hard competitor who goes to events all around the country, we’ll be your guide.
Sean Ludwig (NYC BBQ) and Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist)
Co-Founders, The Smoke Sheet
Here are the top recent barbecue news stories from around the country:
Deborah and Mary Jones of Jones BBQ, some of the only women pitmasters in the Kansas City barbecue scene, have been working in the industry for more than three decades and were recently profiled by the CBS Evening News.
The barbecue scene in the seafood-centric New Orleans has exploded in recent years. A new Washington Post feature shouts out top joints in NOLA including The Joint, Frey Smoked Meat Co., Central City BBQ, McClure’s Barbecue, VooDoo BBQ & Grill, and more.
Barbecue lovers need to head to the Atlanta History Center to see the Barbecue Nation exhibit, on display through September 29, 2019. The exhibit was developed by barbecue historians, enthusiasts, and pitmasters and covers the origins and history of barbecue worldwide. A recent article in Food & Wine highlights what makes Barbecue Nation worth a visit.
J.C. Reid of the Houston Chronicle wrote last week about the “Lean or fatty?” conundrum when it comes to brisket. The people might be torn on which is better, but a slice fatty brisket has become the “standard-bearer of today’s craft barbecue.”
Joe’s, one of the top barbecue joints in Kansas City, was open this past Sunday for the first time in its history. Some speculated it was because the Chiefs had a big Sunday night football game, but the real reason is that Joe's will soon be featured on the Food Network show “The Best Thing I Ever Ate,” and the show’s shooting schedule only allowed them to be in Kansas City on Sunday.
A quick reminder: Some people go to great lengths to bring good BBQ home from trips, but don’t bring a fully smoked pig on an international flight.
Here are few BBQ shows, podcasts, or books you should check out this week:
Watch: BBQuest, Season 1, Episode 4: Dallas-Fort Worth
Barbecue enthusiast and native Texan Kelsey Pribilski is on a quest to find secret menu items at some of the best barbecue joints in Texas. This episode has Kelsey searching for local flavors in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with the help of world-renowned chef John Tesar.
Watch: Kevin’s BBQ Joints, Episode 67: David Sandusky, Beast Craft BBQ Co.
In this episode, Kevin chats with David Sandusky from Beast Craft BBQ Co. in the St. Louis area about his background, St. Louis BBQ, how he created Beast Craft BBQ, his culinary vision, his new restaurant, and much more. You can also listen to this as a podcast.
Listen: BBQ State of Mind, Episode 40: Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn
On this recent podcast, Daniel Vaughn, one of the most prominent barbecue voices in America, sits down with Chris, Greg, and Alison from the Houston Chronicle. Vaughn discusses the problem with plant-based “brisket,” Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants list, and other Texas barbecue matters.
Listen: Man Meat BBQ Podcast: Brett Goodson, Bacon’s Heir
This recent podcast features an interview with Brett Goodson, the founder of Bacon’s Heir. The show discusses how Bacon’s Heir got started and their philosophy behind their products, including Pork Clouds, their take on the Chicharrón (fried pork skin) and Pork Panko, a breadcrumb replacement made from ground pork rinds.
Read: Cool Smoke: The Art of Great Barbecue by Tuffy Stone
One of our favorite releases from earlier this year is Cool Smoke from legendary barbecue competitor Tuffy Stone. Cool Smoke is the distillation of Tuffy’s years of experience and he breaks down 1) how to choose the right cooker; 2) the best way to trim a cut of meat; 3) how to prepare your own brines, rubs, and sauces; and 4) how to make 100+ creative recipes. Buy it here.
Read: Franklin Steak by Aaron Franklin
In this follow-up to his New York Times bestselling book Franklin Barbecue, pitmaster Aaron Franklin extraordinaire readers how to cook steak to absolute perfection. The book, out in April, is now available for pre-order and is sure to be a big seller when it comes out.
October 26-28: Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue - Lynchburg, Tennessee
This weekend, Lynchburg will host 67 championship barbecue teams from across the United States and 27 international teams from around the globe, competing for the title of Grand Champion at “The Jack.” This event includes seven individual category barbecue competitions as well as great music and fun events. Good luck to all the competitors! More info here.
October 27: The Barbecue Festival - Lexington, North Carolina
This weekend, the 35th annual Barbecue Festival in Lexington, North Carolina will attract thousands of BBQ aficionados. Admission is free. The event features lots of great Lexington-style barbecue, but also includes a 5K run, a car show, dog team shows, BMX stunt shows, lumberjack competitions, and a festival finale with fireworks. More info here.
October 27: Food Film Festival: “Fire and Smoke: Texas BBQ and Beyond” - New York, New York
Barbecue is coming to big screen in New York on October 27 during The Food Film Festival at AMC Empire 25 in Manhattan. “Fire and Smoke: Texas BBQ and Beyond” will feature six documentaries about barbecue and guests will get to taste BBQ from The Original Black's BBQ (Texas), Melt BBQ (Paris), Izzy's Smokehouse (Brooklyn), Kimchi Smoke (New Jersey), Gentle Giant Brewing (Pearl River), Randall’s Barbecue (New York), and more while they are watching the films. Use the promo code “NYCBBQ10” for 10% off tickets. More info here.
November 3-4: Texas Monthly BBQ Fest - Austin, Texas
The Top 50 barbecue joints in Texas have all been invited to the ninth annual Texas Monthly BBQ Fest. Check out who will be cooking during this smoking weekend of ‘cue! Events include a workshop put on by the Texas A&M Department of Animal Science that uncovers the secrets of meat science and the first ever Franklin & Friends event, hosted by award winning pitmaster Aaron Franklin. You can also join The Smoke Sheet co-founder Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist), who will be in attendance at all of the weekend festivities! More info here.
November 11: Meat Fight - Dallas, Texas
Texas Monthly Barbecue Editor Daniel Vaughn gets a taste of his own medicine as he goes up against twelve of Dallas’ top chefs and pitmasters at the Meat Fight barbecue competition. See if Daniel can dish it out in the pit like he does in his restaurant reviews. Proceeds will benefit the National MS Society. More info here.
December 9: Houston vs Austin BBQ Throwdown - Austin, Texas
The Houston Barbecue Festival and Friends & Allies Brewing have announced the second annual HOU-ATX BBQ Throwdown featuring top barbecue restaurants from Houston and Austin. They’ll be competing to determine who reigns supreme when it comes to Texas barbecue. Austin joints include Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue, LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, and Micklethwait Craft Meats. Houston joints include Beaver’s, Daddy Duncan's BBQ, Harlem Road Texas BBQ, and Victorian's Barbecue. More info here.
How to BBQ Right: Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Memphis pitmaster Malcolm Reed of How to BBQ Right has an enormous number of recipes available on YouTube. One of our favorites is Malcolm’s recipe for smoked pork belly burnt ends. Follow this recipe at home for sweet, sticky cubes of delicious fatty goodness!
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