Pitmaster Melissa Cookston loves playing with fire; she cooks barbecue every day for a living.

In this episode of the MEAT+POULTRY podcast, the seven-time world barbecue champion, restaurateur and most recently, judge on the Netflix series The American Barbecue Showdown, shares more behind-the-scenes insights from the show, including the fact that she didn’t get to play with fire for a month; explains how different cuts of meat can influence the quality of the cook; how the competition barbecue scene has changed; and the ‘dance’ that Cookston and her crew have done to keep her Memphis Barbecue Co. restaurant business booming during the pandemic.