Operation BBQ Relief and Hickory Soup Kitchen partner for Thanksgiving to feed 500 families with smoked turkeys donated by the community. Austin Pearce (HSK) and Scott Jarrett (OBR) share the personal motivations that keep the Hickory region’s hunger relief effort going every year. Find out what it means when Operation BBQ Relief, volunteers and community supporters work together to provide a hot meal during times of need. Listen to this episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show for the process behind the 3-day cook of 150+ turkeys, including some (not all) of the secrets for using brine and rub to create a perfect, golden turkey. Get all the details for how you can volunteer or donate to support Hickory Soup Kitchen and Operation BBQ Relief disaster recovery and hunger relief missions.

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Vicious Pig BBQ Pitmaster Bobby Brinson joins The Low & Slow Barbecue Show to talk about the 5th annual Vicious Pig Throwdown in Steadman, North Carolina. Find out how it started, why it supports the Veterans Golf Association, and what competitors can expect from this Southern BBQ Network event. Get a competition update for the 2025 SBN season and learn what keeps competitive barbecue pitmasters in the game year after year. Don’t miss Vicious Pig BBQ’s barbecue sauce recipe – you might be surprised what it includes! Bobby Brinson also shares his take how the cost of meat is affecting the barbecue competition world – and how the Vicious Pig Throwdown tries to alleviate those costs. 

This episode is sponsored by the Southern BBQ Network. To find out more about the SBN, visit the website.

Since 2010, the Southern Barbecue Network has sanctioned barbecue tournaments to further their goal of Preserving a Southern Tradition by providing well-trained judges to contests that are raising money for charitable causes in the Carolinas.

Visit The Low & Slow Barbecue website here!

Ultimate Tailgaters BBQ pitmaster Chris Fulmer pulls back the curtain on barbecue sauce with tips from the competition circuit. Get the details and find out about the Ultimate Tailgaters competition barbecue team that is a regular contender for the Southern BBQ Network Invitational – and a four-time SBN Cook Team of the Year. Get an inside look at the annual invitational barbecue showdown to benefit Monck’s Corner Lions Club. Event coordinator and founder Don Saturday shares the history and the 2-day competition schedule, including the People’s Choice Awards on Friday night.

This episode is sponsored by the Southern BBQ Network. To find out more about the SBN, visit the website.

Since 2010, the Southern Barbecue Network has sanctioned barbecue tournaments to further their goal of Preserving a Southern Tradition by providing well-trained judges to contests that are raising money for charitable causes in the Carolinas.

Visit The Low & Slow Barbecue Show website here! 

Sons of American Legion Squadron 147 is bringing changes for the 19th Annual Pro-Am BBQ Festival. Get the details on how this year’s competition will work. Learn how additions aim to create a more family-friendly environment and promise to provide more competition quality barbecue to event-goers. Festival Organizers Chris Nisoff and Al Simmons talk about changes to the festival and how Southern BBQ Network is involved. Like all SBN events, the SAL BBQ Cook-off supports a local non-profit. We share how this event supports the Lowcountry Veterans Home. Find out about the SAL BBQ Cook-off and then join the fun in Charleston on Oct. 24 and 25.

This episode is sponsored by the Southern BBQ Network. To find out more about the SBBQN, visit their website here!

Since 2010, the Southern Barbecue Network has sanctioned barbecue tournaments to further their goal of Preserving a Southern Tradition by providing well-trained judges to contests that are raising money for charitable causes in the Carolinas.

Visit The Low & Slow Barbecue Show website here! 

Join Chigger Willard on the 2025 Fall BBQ Festival road trip to Squealin on the Square and Hogs & Hens in South Carolina, then the Carolina BBQ Festival’s Pig Pickin’ in Charlotte. Listen to find out about other Old 96 District stops on the itinerary, like Hickory Knob State Resort Park. Get the details for fall BBQ festivals coming to the Carolinas in October and November, including Lexington Barbecue Festival, the SAL American Legion BBQ Cook-off, and Holy Smokes BBQ festival in Charleston. This episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show recaps some of the top news around the Carolinas: Smithfield Cup Results,  praises for Lawrence Barbecue and JD’s Smokehouse, and a BBQ editor back-and-forth. Listen today for The Lowdown!

This episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show is sponsored by the Old 96 District, home of outdoor adventure, history, and thriving small town communities in South Carolina’s Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens and McCormick counties. Learn more at visitold96.com.

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Get ready for a trip to South Carolina’s Old 96 District and a handful of barbecue festivals that bring thousands to towns in the 5-county region every year. In this episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show, host Chigger Willard interviews Kimberly Snyder Griggs, Marketing Director for Old 96 District Tourism, about one of state’s biggest barbecue weekends, Oct. 17-18 for Squealin’ on the Square in Laurens and Hogs & Hens in Abbeville. From mustard-based sauce debates to Revolutionary War history, Kimberly shares why the Old 96 District isn’t just about incredible barbecue—it’s about unexpected wonders, historic charm, and true Southern hospitality. Whether you’re a festival regular or planning your first visit, this episode will help you savor everything the Old 96 District has to offer, including the SC Festival of Discovery that brings Blues and BBQ to Greenwood every year.  Don’t miss Kimberly’s advice for finding the best BBQ hash in the district. 

This episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show is sponsored by the Old 96 District, home of outdoor adventure, history, and thriving small town communities in South Carolina’s Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens and McCormick counties. Learn more at visitold96.com. 

Squealin’ on the Square celebrates 25 years in downtown Laurens, SC, with a people’s choice barbecue competition, pickle eating contest, live music, and small-town charm. Main Street Laurens Executive Director Brad Abercrombie shares the history of the festival and what 20,000 people will experience Oct. 17-18. Listen insight on where Laurens falls in the South Carolina barbecue divide and whether vinegar or mustard will win this year’s barbecue trophy and cash prize. Don’t miss Brad’s advice for the hog calling competition at Squealin’ on the Square 2025.

This episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show is sponsored by the Old 96 District, home of outdoor adventure, history and thriving small town communities in South Carolina’s Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens and McCormick counties. Learn more at visitold96.com.

Hogs and Hens BBQ Festival is coming to Abbeville, SC, on Oct. 17-18 and festival organizer Emily Bledsoe reveals the details on the vendors, the music, the kids zone – and of course the barbecue! Learn more about Abbeville, how this free event started in the city’s one-of-a-kind downtown and why Hogs and Hens BBQ Festival is built on barbecue and community in the South Carolina’s upstate. Get details on the Southern BBQ Network-sanctioned barbecue competition and find out which area non-profit will benefit from this year’s festival proceeds. Then be sure to join us for Hogs and Hens in Abbeville, Oct. 17-18.

Visit The Low & Slow Barbecue Show website here!

This episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show is sponsored by the Old 96 District, home of outdoor adventure, history and thriving small town communities in South Carolina’s Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens and McCormick counties. Learn more at visitold96.com.

Foothills Digest Editor-in-Chief Carmen Eckard discusses the “Skillets & Cellars” edition that includes stories, flavors and traditions of the foothills and Blue Ridge. Get the Foothills Digest perspective on the role of food and food festivals in the North Carolina Foothills, and how barbecue fits into the region. How does barbecue in the foothills compare to what you’ll find in other parts of the state? Carmen shares her opinion, as well as the story behind Foothills Digest, the publication’s purpose and what it offers readers spread across the nation. Listen and find out where you can pick up hard copies of the quarterly publication and how you can find it online. Don’t miss the latest edition of Foothills Digest for a feature story on The Low & Slow Barbecue Show.

Visit the The Low & Slow Barbecue Show website here!

The 7 best BBQ servings of Summer 2025 from host Chigger Willard’s restaurant & festival adventures. Find out which Pinehurst Barbecue Festival servings are part of BBQ best list. Learn where you can find the other best bites or how to make your own barbecue lollipops with Chigger’s recipe. Don’t miss the dessert recommendations! Get the latest Carolina barbecue news updates and details for new barbecue businesses. Listen to this episode of The Low & Slow Barbecue Show for the September-October events schedule with barbecue festivals, barbecue fundraisers and barbecue competitions.

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