The Low & Slow Barbecue Show

Barbecue podcast “The Low and Slow Barbecue Show” serves up barbecue recipes, advice for smoking barbecue, and cooking barbecue stories of success - and failure! Home smokers and BBQ Pitmasters share advice - all steeped in Carolina barbecue flavor. Listen and learn how to smoke meat, the best meat to smoke, how to make Carolina barbecue sauce, and the best barbecue restaurants we love to visit - the best barbecue in North Carolina! (And maybe a few other “barbecue” places, too!) Every episode promises to share a few experiments for the next time you fire up the barbecue smoker.Barbecue meat smoking enthusiast, news journalist, and sports radio broadcaster Chigger Willard walks through the barbecue basics with guests who bring a wide variety of experiences to the barbecue world. Competitors. Restauranteurs. Fund-Raisers. Tailgaters. Moms and Dads. ALL the people who make the best barbecue share all their barbecue best.What wood do you use for meat smoking? How long should you smoke mea...

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Episodes

5 hours ago

Black Powder Smokehouse pitmaster Keith Henning reveals the details about the inaugural Smoke and Ashe 2026 in downtown Asheboro – PLUS his BBQ entrée for the Carolina BBQ Festival. Find out how Smoke and Ashe started, what’s on the schedule, and who’s joining the Pitmaster Invitational – like Nick Dampf from Dampf Good BBQ and Claire Calvin from East of Texas. “Big Brisket” takes you inside the Black Powder Smokehouse locations in Jamestown and Asheboro and shares his perspective on the Piedmont BBQ scene. Keith reflects on his fourth year at the Carolina BBQ Festival, what keeps him coming back, and how it has influenced the launch of Smoke & Ashe. 
This episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show is sponsored by Carolina Barbecue Festival, April 17-18 at Victoria Yards in Charlotte. 30+ pitmasters from the Carolinas and beyond celebrate the traditions of whole hog barbecue while supporting Operation BBQ Relief. Reserve your tickets today for the Kickoff, the Festival, or a full weekend of barbecue.
Visit The Low & Slow Barbecue Show website here! 
 

3 days ago

Title: Go Inside Town Brewing Company with Brandon Stirewalt
Copy: 
Town Brewing Company Director of Operations Brandon Stirewalt sets the stage for Carolina BBQ Festival’s barbecue brunch with a detailed look inside the host site. Hear about the roots of the Charlotte-born brewing company in Wesley Heights and you’ll understand how Town Brewing combines locally sourced North Carolina products and community-minded operations to produce award-winning beer and an unrivalled on-site experience. Get Brandon’s perspective on where Town Brewing Company fits in the larger Charlotte food and beverage scene, and how growing attention on Queen City’s culinary offerings boosts the local beer community. Don’t miss the barbecue order from this eighth-generation North Carolinian and what Brandon Stirewalt hopes to enjoy during the Carolina BBQ Festival barbecue brunch.
This episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show is sponsored by Carolina Barbecue Festival, April 17-18 at Victoria Yards in Charlotte. 30+ pitmasters from the Carolinas and beyond celebrate the traditions of whole hog barbecue while supporting Operation BBQ Relief. Reserve your tickets today for the Kickoff, the Festival, or a full weekend of barbecue.
Visit The Low & Slow Barbecue Show website here!

Thursday Mar 19, 2026

Find out how Savor Charlotte is fanning the flames of the Queen City’s thriving culinary scene that’s drawing food fans from a 400-mile radius. Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority’s Laura White shares the economic impact of Charlotte’s food and beverage industry and highlights how Savor Charlotte’s fourth year is expanding into new arenas. Don’t miss Laura’s take on the “perfect barbecue plate” – including her picks from the Charlotte barbecue scene and beyond. Get the scoop on upcoming Top Chef Carolinas episodes around Charlotte, including the barbecue spotlight coming up in April. Find out how Charlotte measures up against other culinary cities in the South and what sets the region apart. 
This episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show is sponsored by Carolina Barbecue Festival, April 17-18 at Victoria Yards in Charlotte. 30+ pitmasters from the Carolinas and beyond celebrate the traditions of whole hog barbecue while supporting Operation BBQ Relief. Reserve your tickets today for the Kickoff, the Festival, or a full weekend of barbecue.
Visit The Low & Slow Barbecue Show website here!
 
 

Thursday Mar 12, 2026

Midwood Smokehouse Pitmaster Matt Barry shares his perspective on Charlotte’s evolving barbecue scene and where Midwood Smokehouse fits in. Get the scoop on what Matt’s cooking up in partnership with Bojangles for the Carolina BBQ Festival’s BBQ Brunch, Brisket and Biscuits at Town Brewing Company in Charlotte. Matt also shares updates on Midwood Smokehouse locations – including a new site at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport – and what it takes to maintain oversight for all of them.
This episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show is sponsored by Carolina Barbecue Festival, April 17-18 at Victoria Yards in Charlotte. 30+ pitmasters from the Carolinas and beyond celebrate the traditions of whole hog barbecue while supporting Operation BBQ Relief. Reserve your tickets today for the Kickoff, the Festival, or a full weekend of barbecue.
Visit The Low & Slow Barbecue Show website here!

Thursday Mar 05, 2026

Leluia Hall Chef Chris Rogienski takes you inside the surf & turf restaurant inside a rehabilitated Dilworth church, then walks you along his culinary journey. Learn how his Charlotte restaurant experiences – from Haberdish and Supperland to Leluia Hall -  season the selections his team serves to guests. Get Chris Rogienski’s perspective on the Charlotte food scene and where barbecue fits in. Don’t miss the details for his sausage gravy recipe and his opinions on the perfect brunch, as well as the barbecue brunch plans he is cooking up with Mama Jean’s BBQ pitmaster Madison Ruckel.
This episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show is sponsored by Carolina Barbecue Festival, April 17-18 at Victoria Yards in Charlotte. 30+ pitmasters from the Carolinas and beyond celebrate the traditions of whole hog barbecue while supporting Operation BBQ Relief. Reserve your tickets today for the Kickoff, the Festival, or a full weekend of barbecue.
Visit The Low & Slow Barbecue Show website here!
 

Thursday Feb 26, 2026

South Carolina BBQ Project creator Nathan Spainhour takes you into the signs, symbols, and stories from the Palmetto State’s barbecue pits. Find out which 4 barbecue businesses he chose to represent South Carolina barbecue traditions. Learn how Nathan turned an MFA thesis focused on brain connections between place and memory into a visual journey through Southern cuisine traditions and barbecue nostalgia. Don’t miss the unique perspective he formed about the state and future of South Carolina’s legacy barbecue businesses as a new generation of SC-based barbecue franchises grows a larger footprint. BONUS: Details from the Greenville Barbecue Map, including the barbecue that made the list, how it was selected, and the barbecue place Nathan takes first-time visitors to the South Carolina community he grew up in.
This episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show is sponsored by Carolina Barbecue Festival, April 17-18 at Victoria Yards in Charlotte. 30+ pitmasters from the Carolinas and beyond celebrate the traditions of whole hog barbecue while supporting Operation BBQ Relief. Reserve your tickets today for the Kickoff, the Festival, or a full weekend of barbecue.
Visit The Low & Slow Barbecue Show website here! 
 
 

Thursday Feb 19, 2026

Chef Chris Coleman takes The Low & Slow Barbecue Show into The Goodyear House, the Built on Hospitality group and the evolving Charlotte food scene. Find out where the Charlotte native’s allegiance lies in the East vs. Piedmont N.C. barbecue debate. Get Executive Chef Chris Coleman’s culinary backstory and learn how it motivates a farm-to-fork business model in the group that includes The Goodyear House, Chief’s Modern Cocktail Parlor, Folia, and Old Town Kitchen and Cocktails. Don’t miss the breaking news about the barbecue brunch entree Chris is planning with Matthew Register for Brisket and Biscuits. The Food Network Champ shares the first reveal for his own backyard cookout event in Savor Charlotte. 
This episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show is sponsored by Carolina Barbecue Festival, April 17-18 at Victoria Yards in Charlotte. 30+ pitmasters from the Carolinas and beyond celebrate the traditions of whole hog barbecue while supporting Operation BBQ Relief. Reserve your tickets today for the Kickoff, the Festival, or a full weekend of barbecue.
Visit The Low & Slow Barbecue Show website here!
 
 

Thursday Feb 12, 2026

Community Matters Café Executive Chef Chayil Johnson shares his story of culinary service that extends beyond the food menu. Learn how he combines his Creole heritage, traditional African foodway influences, Middle Eastern flavor, and a formal education into one-of-a-kind gumbo for Charlotte Rescue Mission’s life skills program. 
Chayil explains where Community Matters Café fits into the mission’s 180-day addiction recovery program. Working in New Orleans kitchens at 12 and matriculating to Charlotte’s Johnson & Wales a decade ago, Chayil is earning recognition from the James Beard Foundation, Charlotte media and industry organizations. Hear how he credits his own hard work and a community of family and global influencers that clearly matter in the food he creates.
This episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show is sponsored by Carolina Barbecue Festival, April 17-18 at Victoria Yards in Charlotte. 30+ pitmasters from the Carolinas and beyond celebrate the traditions of whole hog barbecue while supporting Operation BBQ Relief. Reserve your tickets today for the Kickoff, the Festival, or a full weekend of barbecue.
Visit the Low & Slow Barbecue website here!

Thursday Feb 05, 2026

American Barbecue map designer Joseph Veazey compiled barbecue history, people, and places into a one-of-a-kind map that chronicles the evolution of smoked meat traditions in the United States. Find out how Joseph decided which BBQ joints, cities and states to include in the map. Joseph explains his method for researching and crafting his unique map designs. You’ll hear his passion for barbecue and learn what’s coming next in his barbecue map project, including an illustration specifically focused on North Carolina to complement his Georgia barbecue map. EXCLUSIVE: Don’t miss the big reveal of his next project examining certain landmarks in Atlanta. Learn more about Veazey Studio and where you can find Joseph and his artwork out in the world.
This episode is sponsored by Carolina BBQ Festival, April 17-18 at Victoria Yards in Charlotte. 30+ pitmasters from the Carolinas and beyond celebrate the traditions of whole hog barbecue while supporting Operation BBQ Relief. Reserve your tickets today for the Kickoff, the Festival, or a full weekend of barbecue.
Visit The Low & Slow Barbecue Show website here! 

Thursday Jan 29, 2026

Meet Mama Jean’s BBQ founder Madison Ruckel, who first started live-fire cooking with Home Team BBQ in West Ashley. From that foundation, hear where he assigns credit for his ongoing success (spoiler: the hard work of his wife, Kelli, and some wise business decisions play a big role). Learn what to expect during a visit to his Roanoke, VA, restaurant, which opened last year after 7 years of food truck life in a 1956 Airstream trailer. Get Madison Ruckel’s inside tips for making Mama Jean’s BBQ collards, what it takes to feed the NFL’s Washington Commanders, and how global cooking adventures have influenced his barbecue journey. Don’t miss your chance to sample Madison Ruckel’s barbecue entrée at Carolina BBQ Festival’s Brisket and Biscuits barbecue brunch, March 28.
This episode is sponsored by Carolina BBQ Festival, April 17-18 at Victoria Yards in Charlotte. 30+ pitmasters from the Carolinas and beyond celebrate the traditions of whole hog barbecue while supporting Operation BBQ Relief. Reserve your tickets today for the Kickoff, the Festival, or a full weekend of barbecue.
Visit The Low & Slow Barbecue Show website here!

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