In this episode of "This Week in Barbecue," we bid a heartfelt farewell to the legendary James Earl Jones and dive into the latest buzz in the food and BBQ world. Chipotle has announced the introduction of robots to make burrito bowls more efficiently—will this change the game, and will guac still be extra? We explore the pros and cons of splitting a whole cow and celebrate AC Barbecue's standout appearance at Jackson State University.

Get ready for Grill Fest Sale and BBQ Competition on September 21, hosted by BBQ Central’s Greg Rempe, and join us in congratulating Matt Horn on the birth of his son. We also cover the BBQJackpot becoming a state championship competition, officially qualifying for "The Jack," as announced by Christie Vanover of Girls Can Grill. In product news, everyone's buzzing about the Stanley craze, and Yeti is jumping in with new NFL-inspired drinkware and cast iron releases.

We discuss the unique concept of De BBQ Donut in the Netherlands, offering a BBQ experience on water, and Heritage BBQ's exciting barn-style expansion to add more seating and smokers. Plus, the BBQ Snob clears up the confusion about "the list." Lastly, we highlight amaysing_wood, a veteran-owned company based in Hartly, Delaware, and share some personal stories about wood collecting with Andrew Mays.

Tune in for all this and more on the latest episode of "This Week in Barbecue"!