The Culinary Institute of America

The Jones family has been in the North Carolina barbecue business for over 200 years. At the Skylight Inn in Ayden, North Carolina, current owner and James Beard Award-winning pitmaster Sam Jones smokes whole hogs over North Carolina oak using the same way his great, great grandfather did. Sam give us a tour of Skylight’s operations, showing us the barbecue pits and their signature menu items like the chopped pork sandwich and topped with coleslaw with cornbread.
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Located in an old farmhouse in Holly Hill, South Carolina, Sweatman's Bar-Be-Que is a favorite stop of the Carolina BBQ trail. Famous for its whole hog barbecue and homestyle buffet; co-owner Chris Neue take us on a tour. Sweatman's whole Carolina hogs are gently cooked over hot coals of aged oak, hickory, and pecan while they are continuously basted with Sweatman’s secret mustard-based sauce.
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Pat Martin began his education on whole hog barbecue 25 years ago in the tiny town of Henderson, Tennessee. Barbecue became a “consuming passion” for Pat and led to his opening of the first Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint in October of 2006 in Nolensville, Tennessee, just south of Nashville. In his Nashville smokehouse, Pat explains the importance of time and temperature in the cooking of whole hog barbecue.
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Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous is the birthplace of Memphis-style dry-rubbed ribs. The Rendezvous has been serving Charlie’s high-heat, charcoal-grilled pork ribs since 1948. Since then the Rendezvous has risen to must-visit status among BBQ professionals, thousands of customers, multiple US presidents, and musicians such as the Rolling Stones and Elvis Presley.
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Kerry Bexley is the owner of Snow’s BBQ located in the tiny town of Lexington, Texas. Since Texas Monthly magazine rated Snow’s BBQ the “#1 BBQ in Texas”, BBQ aficionados drive for miles to line up before dawn for a taste of Snow’s juicy pork spare-ribs, succulent smoked sausages and legendary oak-smoked brisket. 86 year-old BBQ Hall of Fame pitmaster, Tootsie Tomanetz, starts the fire in Snow’s pits at 2 AM to prepare for the swarm of customers who start lining up before dawn at this Saturday-only BBQ stop.
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Valentina’s Tex-Mex BBQ in Austin, Texas is known for their creative blending of traditional BBQ and "Tejano" cooking. Favorite menu items include Valentina's famous brisket tacos, the Real Deal Holyfield: huevos rancheros topped with a slice of smoked brisket, and BBQ pork carnitas tacos. These Tex-Mex BBQ creations and other traditional barbecue favorites have made Valentina's a must-visit stop on the Texas BBQ circuit and has earned Valentina's a spot on the coveted Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ list.
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Loro is an “Asian smokehouse” restaurant created by Austin chef Tyson Cole and pitmaster Aaron Franklin. Loro infuses traditional Texas BBQ with Asian flavors. The casual, indoor-outdoor restaurant is incredibly popular with locals who line up for bold, exciting flavors. The menu features dishes such as smoked beef brisket with Thai herbs and chili gastrique; smoked Prime steak with shishito peppers and salsa verde; BBQ pork belly with hoisin sauce; smoked pork sausage with papaya salad, Thai chili sauce and peanuts; Texas sweet corn with yuzu aioli, oak-grilled snap peas with kimchee emulsion, and smoked baby back ribs with cauliflower pickle.
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LeAnn Mueller and Alison Clem are partners and co-owners of la Barbecue in East Austin, Texas. LeAnn is the granddaughter of Texas BBQ legend Louie Mueller, and daughter of James Beard Award-winning pitmaster Bobby Mueller, LeAnn and her wife and business artier Alison Clem opened la Barbecue in Austin, Texas, in 2012. Together, LeAnn and Alison have created and innovative menu that remains true to the flavors and techniques of authentic Texas BBQ.
Get BBQ recipes and watch the full series here!