BBQ Nation

JT and LeAnn Whippen chat with Chris Sussman, the BBQ Buddha, about his favorite foods, favorite things to do, and life

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JT and LeAnn Whippen chat with Chris Sussman, the BBQ Buddha, a two-time published author and the creator of The Ultimate Big Green Egg Cookbook. He has worked with every live fire environment imaginable, and can help you master everything from charcoal and gas grills to commercial-grade smokers. This lively show will can help make you a BBQ Star in your own backyard.

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Clint Cantwell, President of AmazingRibs.com, spends time with JT in Afterhours

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JT visits with Clint Cantwell,  President of AmazingRibs.com

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Tuffy Stone, The Professor of Barbecue, spends some time in Afterhours with JT and LeeAnn. Some secrets get spilled.

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The Professor of Barbecue, Tuffy Stone, joins JT and LeeAnn for an insight into how Tuffy's career has evolved.

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We speak with David Knight, the founder of Old Hickory Pits, about his convection technology and the design of high-quality smokers. I ask him how his interest began, and he explains it started in first grade and grew through work in restaurants. He describes how problems in his restaurant led him to develop commercial pits and later smaller backyard models up to the large Hogzilla unit. He explains that his convection method controls airflow to recycle heat and smoke, ensuring even low and slow cooking while keeping the fire separated from the meat. We discuss cleaning methods, grease drains, and the use of power washers, and we note the company’s presence at competitions and in international sales. I conclude that Old Hickory continues to refine its designs and to support relief and competitive barbecue efforts.

Links referenced in this episode:

• amazingribs.com
• paintedhillsnaturalbeef.com
• gunterwilhelm.com
• oregondungeness.org
• heritagesteel.us
• barbecuenationjt.com

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I state that the central point of our conversation is that authentic Texas barbecue is defined by cooking with wood and by regional adaptation of techniques and equipment. I explain how different Texas regions favor distinct approaches, from Hill Country fire discs to large offset smokers made from oil tanks. We discuss the rise of backyard smokers and regulated oiler smokers and how those designs have spread beyond Texas. I note that barbecue television shows spur interest but do not teach traditional technique, and that competition methods can differ from restaurant practice. I emphasize that proper barbecue requires respect for the animal and careful cooking and service. We thank Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly for joining us and encourage listeners to seek his writing.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Painted Hills Natural Beef
• Barbecue Nation
• Texas Monthly
• J and R Manufacturing
• The Beast
• Marriott Hotel
• Moberg Smokers
• KBQ
• Liquid Smoke

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I welcome Daniel Vaughn, the barbecue editor at Texas Monthly, and we focus on the regional diversity of Texas barbecue. I ask how he moved from architecture to writing and how a blog grew into his job. We discuss how I and he judge barbecue places, with attention to brisket, sausage, and local specialties in East, Central, and South Texas. We share stories about pitmasters and characters, including Tootsie at Snow's, and we explain why those human stories matter. I critique trends like oven‑baked brisket and the recent popularity of stuffed turkey legs. We conclude that barbecue is strong, varied, and rooted in local tradition, and that the people who make it keep the craft alive.

Links referenced in this episode:

• paintedhillsnaturalbeef.com
• heritagesteel.us
• gunterwilhelms.com
• bbqnationjt.com
• thecowboycook.com
• oregondungeness.org

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Guidance on how to enter and succeed in barbecue competitions, accompanied by pragmatic counsel for aspiring competitors. I delineate procedural and attitudinal recommendations, advising entrants to embrace incremental victories, hone category-specific skills, and persist despite the vicissitudes of judging that render outcomes unpredictable even for seasoned teams. We elucidate the social and familial dimensions of barbecue, describing how collaborative roles, shared tasks, and home cooking rituals reinforce both professional practice and personal gratification. I reflect on experiential subtleties such as palate variability and the etiquette of tasting other teams’ offerings, urging restraint and constructive feedback rather than corrosive criticism. We relate illustrative anecdotes that underscore humility and delight in the craft, and we affirm that barbecue continues to provide daily pleasure and communal connection. Ultimately, I exhort novices to view competition as a learning trajectory, to cultivate patience, and to measure success by continual improvement as much as by trophies.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Painted Hills Natural Beef

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