Tales from the pits, a Texas BBQ podcast featuring trendsetters, leaders, and icons from the barbecue industry

The tradition of West Tennessee style whole hog cooking is an endangered species, with only three known business owners staying true to the method of hogs cooked under beds of wood coals. Pat Martin of Martin's Bar-B-Que (multiple locations in Tennessee and beyond), Ramey's BBQ in Parsons, Tennessee, and B.E. Scott's Bar-B-Que in Lexington, Tennessee are still carrying on this tradition.

 

We had the pleasure of dining at all three places on our recent whole hog road trip and were fortunate to be able to sit down with owner/operator Zach Parker of B.E. Scott's to talk about his life growing up in the business and how their restaurant operates. B.E. Scott's was opened in 1962 and owned by Early Scott until 1989 when Zach's father, Ricky, bought the business after working there for several years.

 

Zach grew up working in the restaurant at an early age, learning the laborious step by step method of cooking whole hog from his dad. Zach was going to school to be an EMT when his father passed away in 2013. Zach left school to run the restaurant and carry on both the family tradition and the tradition of West Tennessee style whole hog barbecue.

 

Southern Foodways Alliance produced a great video of the Parker family that we strongly encourage everyone to watch as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQfBqLK8vs4

 

Address: 10880 US-412, Lexington, TN 38351

Hours: 

Monday	Closed
Tuesday	9AM–6PM
Wednesday	9AM–6PM
Thursday	9AM–6PM
Friday	9AM–6PM
Saturday	9AM–4PM
Sunday	Closed

Wyatt McSpadden's love of Texas barbecue stretches back even further in time than his celebrated photography career which spans five decades. Growing up in a meat market family in Amarillo some of Wyatt's earliest memories involve barbecue. As a young man his hobby of photography began growing into a passion that evolved into a profession.

In our interview with Wyatt we cover his early days photographing the construction of the famous Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, the beginnings of his BBQ photography, up to present day with the release of his latest book, Texas BBQ, Small Town to Downtown, and all points in between. Wyatt has witnessed historic moments in Texas barbecue firsthand including the splitting of the Kreuz/Smitty's businesses in Lockhart, and his career has seen the advancements in both the meat quality of the barbecue produced and the many advancements in technology that have changed the photography world. Like the transition of film to digital, the Texas Barbecue scene has evolved.

Both of Wyatt's books are must-own items for barbecue lovers and are available at all major retailers. Wyatt's portraits of both the food and the people that cook it are beautifully laid out in these books designed by Nancy McMillan

 

Get Wyatt’s newest book at one of his upcoming book signings or buy online

https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Downtown-Smothers-History-Culture/dp/1477316701?crid=2JQYH0WJEAGC9&keywords=wyatt+mcspadden&qid=1539040443&sprefix=wyatt+mcsp%2Caps%2C212&sr=8-1&ref=sr_1_1

If you don’t already own one, pick up a copy of his first Texas BBQ book as well: https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Doris-Smothers-history-culture/dp/0292718586?crid=2JQYH0WJEAGC9&keywords=wyatt+mcspadden&qid=1539040443&sprefix=wyatt+mcsp%2Caps%2C212&sr=8-2&ref=sr_1_2

 

Bryan Furman left a career as a welder with a goal in mind: to cook and serve whole hog barbecue. Whole hog cooking was a tradition Bryan grew up with, but when his father challenged him with the question of "What's going to make your barbecue better than others?", Bryan decided that serving the highest quality heritage pigs would set him apart from the competition.

Bryan and his wife Nikki opened the original B's Cracklin' Barbeque in Savannah, Georgian 2014. The critical acclaim would come in time, but the Furmans would soon be faced with adversity as their restaurant was badly damaged by a fire. They rebuilt and came back stronger than ever. An Atlanta location would follow, and the Furmans have big plans for further expansion in the future.

 

B's Cracklin' boasts a menu of chopped whole hog, ribs, brisket, and chicken along with family recipes of cracklin' cornbread "hoe cakes" and a great family banana pudding recipe. Don't skip the mustard sauce with Georgia peaches! With a commitment to the highest quality product combined with a dedication to tradition, B's Cracklin' Barbeque is one of the premier BBQ destinations in Georgia.

 

Catch B's Cracklin at:

https://www.bscracklinbbq.com/

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BsCracklinBBQ/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bscracklinbbq/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/377629193/bs-cracklin-bbq/

 

Atlanta

2061 Main Street NW,
Atlanta, GA 30318
678-949-9912

Closed Monday
Tuesday- Thursday 11 am to 9 pm
Friday and Saturday 11 am to 9 pm
Sunday 12 pm until 7 pm

Savannah

12409 White Bluff Road,
Savannah, GA 31419
912-330-6921

Thursday thru Saturday 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM

 

Wayne Baker grew up in Luling, Texas eating classic central style barbecue. His 
youth was also spent competing in BBQ cookoffs with his dad Phil. Both of these 
experiences helped shape what would eventually become Baker Boys BBQ, opened in Gonzales, 
Texas in 2015. 

Serving traditional Texas BBQ staples like brisket, ribs, and housemade sausage combined 
with unique offerings like their acclaimed stuffed chicken leg, Baker Boys has been a 
welcome addition to the barbecue scene. 

Wayne and Phil Baker cook their meats on gravity fed Stumps charcoal smokers ( https://stumpssmokers.com/ ) which provide a 
consistent heat and different flavor to the meats than is normally found in Texas 'cue.

Catch them online at
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BakerBoysBBQ/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bakerboysbbq

Baker Boys BBQ

1404 N Sarah Dewitt Dr

Gonzales, Texas

Monday - Friday 10am - 6pm

Saturday 10am - 4pm

 

We drove almost 3,000 miles to visit nearly twenty restaurants for our #hogtripping adventure. We recap the trip with our traveling band of BBQ friends Chris Wood, Eric Ulery, Andrew Stowell, Terry Osborn, and Jimmy Ho. Having traveled from east Texas through Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, we stopped at as many BBQ places as we could with the focus of the trip being whole hog cooking.

Stay tuned to the end of the episode for a t-shirt giveaway!

We were fortunate to record interviews with Sam Jones BBQ (episodes 70 and 71) and have episodes airing in the near future with Zach Parker of B.E. Scott's Bar B Que in Lexington, Tennessee and also an interview with Bryan Furman with B's Cracklin Barbeque in Atlanta. Give those a listen to hear about some great family owned businesses.

 

The Carolinas have been hit hard by Hurricane Florence which caused massive widespread flooding and destruction. If you have the means and would like to donate to help this wonderful region of America, one option is Operation BBQ Relief. Operation BBQ Relief is an organization that mobilizes to disaster hit areas and provides meals for those communities. If you'd like to donate, please go to https://operationbbqrelief.org

 

 

Sam Jones is one heck of a storyteller and that skill is no more apparent than in part two of our interview with him and Michael Letchworth. This episode details some of the challenges Sam and Michael faced during the construction phase of their restaurant and what they did to navigate the problems that come along with opening a restaurant.

 

In this wide ranging interview we discuss everything from Sam and Michael's strong friendship to their very different musical tastes, the origins of the famous Skylight Inn capitol dome and how Skylight Inn got its name. Sam and Michael are two of the busiest men one is likely to meet and we cannot thank them enough for being so generous with their time and for inviting us to hang out and learn some invaluable lessons about barbecue, business, and life. They're great people with a great restaurant.

 

The barbecue world lost a legend recently, and Sam Jones lost a dear friend when Garry Roark of Ubon's BBQ in Yazoo City, Mississippi passed away. In this episode Sam mentioned a podcast he did with Garry and other barbecue friends. Here is the link to that podcast. We hope you'll give it a listen and keep the Roark family in your thoughts.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/10580793/ep-14-the-big-apple-bbq-part-one

 

 

Having grown up in a family whose history in barbecue could be traced back to the 1800's, whole hog cooking was something that had always been a part of Sam Jones' world. Despite being reluctant to make barbecue a career as young man, Sam returned to the business full time when his grandfather Pete Jones, founder of Skylight Inn, became ill.

Sam navigated Skylight Inn through tough times after Pete's death and helped make the business thrive and prosper. Sam has a strong business mind and wanted to create a restaurant of his own, still focused on whole hog cooked the traditional way over wood burned down to coals, but something that would stand on its own and not be seen as a carbon copy of the now famous Skylight Inn.

 

Together with his longtime friend and business partner Michael Letchworth, they opened Sam Jones BBQ in Winterville, North Carolina in the fall of 2015. Check out part one of our interview with Sam and Michael where we discuss the history of Skylight Inn and its unique way of cooking and serving whole hog, and how the mindset of not being afraid to ask questions and to learn lead to the eventual creation of better processes for running a successful business and brand.

 

Sam Jones BBQ online at: http://www.samjonesbbq.com/

715 WEST FIRE TOWER ROAD 

WINTERVILLE, NC, 28590

MONDAY — SATURDAY
11AM — 9PM

SUNDAY
11AM — 8:30PM

 

Skylight Inn BBQ online at: https://www.skylightinnbbq.com/

4618 S Lee St, Ayden, NC 28513

Monday - Saturday
10 am–7pm

Closed Sunday

 

 

 

Dylan Taylor has built up quite the resume at a very young age. After working at highly acclaimed BBQ spots such as Terry Black's, La Barbecue, Truth Barbeque, and 2M Smokehouse (among others), Dylan decided the time was right to start working toward opening his own place. While he scouts out possible locations, Dylan has launched Taylor Barbecue Catering, available for medium to large barbecue catering requests. In addition to the catering options, Dylan also offers restaurant consulting services as well as fully immersive, hands-on cooking classes.

Students who attend Dylan's classes learn the cooking process of any and all barbecue meats from start to finish. Dylan has class options that include everything from instruction on seasoning, trimming, cooking, and slicing meats to fire management, sausage making, and more. The services he provides are all encompassing and provide a rare opportunity for aspiring barbecue cooks to learn from someone with his level of expertise.

 

In this episode we discuss Dylan's classes, catering options, and future restaurant plans as he gears up to make the next big leap in an already acclaimed barbecue career.

 

To contact Dylan about catering or classes go to: www.taylorbbqcatering.com

As we continue to highlight the history of Texas BBQ, we spend time in this episode discussing some of what we consider the classic Texas BBQ joints. While craft barbecue is all the rage and is a great experience, its popularity has often made some of the long tenured places become less discussed.

In order to be considered for what we're calling a classic joint, the business has to be at least 50 years old. We of course highlight the famous historic places such as Louie Mueller, Smitty's, and City Market in Luling, we also spend time discussing some of the lesser known spots that provide a great experience and look into the past such as Giddings City Market and Novosad's BBQ and Sausage Market. In all we discuss over twenty spots in this episode that barbecue fans should stop in if they get the chance.

We'd love to hear from our listeners on any spots we might have missed that have a long history. Contact us on social media or via e-mail and let us know your favorite historic barbecue stops and we'll do our best to highlight them all in a future episode.

Twiter: @bbqpodcast

Instagram: @talesfromthepits

E-mail: talesfromthepits@gmail.com

 

Hays County Barbeque

The BBQ flame was ignited in Michael Hernandez after a memorable trip to Lockhart. Shortly thereafter, armed with a steadfast belief in their dream, Michael and Asenette Hernandez pushed all of their chips to the middle of the table and went headfirst into the barbecue business. In eleven years they've gone from owning a small place purchased from a former owner, then to their own small space, and have now opened a huge BBQ complex in San Marcos dedicated to providing a great and unique customer experience.

Hays County Bar-B-Que is located right off the freeway in San Marcos and is open seven days a week to serve its community's barbecue needs. With a newly opened full bar in a building behind the restaurant that can accommodate large parties and will showcase live music on weekends, Hays County is one of Texas' premier barbecue destinations for an affordable good meal in a laid back atmosphere.

 

Michael's dedication to preserving Central Texas traditions can be felt in the food itself and the pits the meat is cooked on. With a unique octagonal shape and flat top lids, the steel smokers are reminiscent of the famous Lockhart brick pits and all of the pitmasters at Hays are taught to cook by feel without the aid of temperature gauges on any of the flat top pits.

 

Every square foot of the place has personal meaning to the Hernandez family who built the space almost entirely themselves and have worked tirelessly to achieve their dream. From the classic car memorabilia that line the walls to the sturdy wood bar Michael built himself, the space is filled with personal touches.

 

Hays County is open seven days a week, and open for dinner service as well.

The bar is open into the later evening on weekends and expect to see the return of live music soon.

Say hello to Michael, Asenette, and Aaron Hernandez as well as Jessie, Omar, Zach, and the crew when you visit!

1612 South IH-35
San Marcos, Texas 78666

www.hayscobbq.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hayscobbq

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HaysCoBBQ/

 

Hours of Operation:
Monday 11am - 9pm
Tuesday 11am - 9pm
Wednesday 11am - 9pm
Thursday 11am - 9pm
Friday 11am - 10pm
Saturday 11am - 10pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm or till sold out