BBQ Competition is serious business in the Carolinas, so we’re taking a behind-the-scenes look with pros in the know. From training competition BBQ judges and their work at the scorers’ table to the pit perspectives of the contenders and the thrill of victory, this episode smokes out all the secrets. Listen to find out everything that goes into a competition BBQ judging from Southern BBQ Network Competition Director Mike Wright. Then you’ll hear the other side of the smokey story from competitive BBQ contender and barbecue caterer Eric Carpenter from Backdraft BBQ. If you’re interested in learning more about the world of BBQ competitions, this is the episode for you.
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[00:00:02] What you want, when you want it, where you want it. This is The MESH.
[00:00:13] Barbecue competition is serious business in the Carolinas.
[00:00:17] So today we're taking a behind-the-scenes look with pros in the know.
[00:00:21] From training competition barbecue judges to the pit perspectives of our barbecue contenders and the thrill of their victory,
[00:00:29] this episode smokes out all the secrets.
[00:00:32] We're going to find out what goes into becoming a competition barbecue judge from Southern Barbecue Network Competition Director Mike Wright.
[00:00:40] Then you'll hear the other side of the smoky story from competitive barbecue contender and barbecue caterer Eric Carpenter
[00:00:47] from Backdraft BBQ. Before we get started,
[00:00:50] here's an invitation to you to subscribe to The Low & Slow Barbecue Show newsletter.
[00:00:55] It's called The Lowdown and it delivers barbecue news, events, and recipes to your email inbox every Tuesday morning.
[00:01:02] You also get a recap of the latest podcasts and blogs. Just visit LowSlowBBQShow.com.
[00:01:09] Subscribe today and you can still get all that content for free. Now, let's meet our guest.
[00:01:14] We'll get to our competitive barbecue pit master Eric Carpenter from Backdraft BBQ in just a few minutes.
[00:01:20] But first, let's talk to Southern Barbecue Network Competition Director Mike Wright. Mike, welcome to The Low & Slow Barbecue Show.
[00:01:30] Yeah, excited to have you here today. I want to begin by focusing on the Southern Barbecue Network.
[00:01:36] What is it and how did you guys get started? The organization was founded in 2010 by
[00:01:42] a group of individuals who truly love southern barbecue.
[00:01:46] They wanted to maintain the tradition of southern barbecue.
[00:01:52] In turn, they formed the organization.
[00:01:56] The purpose was to preserve the tradition of southern barbecue.
[00:02:01] On a fair basis and in principles of fairness by judging through training classes
[00:02:10] and a
[00:02:12] blind judging system with a fair scoring system added to it as well.
[00:02:17] We've continued to grow over the past few years.
[00:02:21] Right now we are probably going to have our biggest year this year with over 22 different events throughout
[00:02:29] North and South Carolina.
[00:02:32] We provide certified barbecue judges
[00:02:42] to events that are creating events or funds for charitable organizations.
[00:02:49] In turn, all these members are volunteers. They volunteer their time.
[00:02:55] There's no one in the organization who receives any kind of remuneration. It's all done free.
[00:03:03] We annually select a charity during the year that we have supported.
[00:03:11] We make a contribution to them and some of the past ones have been the Shriners Children's Hospitals,
[00:03:18] Summerville Miracle League, the Red Cross, Jeff Gordon's Children's Center,
[00:03:25] Meals on Wheels, the Veterans Victory House.
[00:03:28] That's just to name a few that we have helped sponsor during the year.
[00:03:34] We in turn provide judges but all the judges have to go through a certified
[00:03:40] judges training session.
[00:03:42] In turn, that entails that they have to sit in a three to four hour course
[00:03:50] where we go through each of the meats that we judge which is usually pork butts,
[00:03:57] pork ribs, chicken and brisket.
[00:04:01] We also do whole hog instructions as well.
[00:04:06] We're basically training each of these judges in how to sample and verify the
[00:04:17] categories that we judge in as appearance, aroma, taste, texture and tenderness.
[00:04:25] Appearance is relatively simple. It's what do you see in the box?
[00:04:28] And we usually use the expression of do you want to eat it?
[00:04:32] Does that look like something you want?
[00:04:34] Taste is basically that. You're looking for certain tastes.
[00:04:39] You want to make sure that the barbecue sauce is not overpowering the pork
[00:04:43] because you're judging the pork, you're not judging sauce.
[00:04:48] In turn, aroma is basically that.
[00:04:51] You want to be able to get a hint of the smoke smell.
[00:04:55] And some of them like to use different kinds of woods so you're looking for
[00:04:58] different kinds of aromas that are coming out of it.
[00:05:02] Texture and tenderness is really the crux of what you're really judging for
[00:05:07] because that really goes to the ability of each of these cookers to cook the meat properly
[00:05:14] so that it's not overdone, underdone.
[00:05:16] And there's techniques that we train them to do to recognize
[00:05:19] what those characteristics are that they need to be looking at.
[00:05:23] They in turn will then score on a scale of one to ten
[00:05:27] as to how they interpret, they did in those categories.
[00:05:33] Those scores are then added up, ran through a computer and in turn
[00:05:38] the results are then published out as to who the winners are
[00:05:42] and presented to each of the competition directors out there at the event.
[00:05:50] So to do the training, as I say, it's open to anybody.
[00:05:56] We do, the only restriction we have is they have to be over 16 years of age.
[00:06:01] We do have a junior classification that they can get involved in because we
[00:06:05] also do kids competitions periodically which we enjoy doing a lot.
[00:06:10] Kind of get them in the groove.
[00:06:12] In turn, we'll, we do about on it, I would say we do about four classes
[00:06:21] at least a year if not more.
[00:06:24] We've kind of kicked it up a bit this year because of moving into North Carolina
[00:06:29] over the last two years.
[00:06:32] We just had a lot of entities up there that have asked us for a service
[00:06:38] so we've had to kick up our classes up there to get more judges.
[00:06:43] So in turn, we will be holding our next class in Fayetteville on August the 16th.
[00:06:51] In turn, we'll be doing a competition the very next day and the judges will then
[00:06:57] get to actually try out what they've learned on what we call a novice table
[00:07:01] which it says that they are going to sit on a table.
[00:07:03] They're going to judge the competition but their scores will not count
[00:07:09] until we've had a chance to review them and make sure that they're following
[00:07:13] the guidelines that they've been given and if we need to make corrections then we do so.
[00:07:17] Okay, well that's a great kind of a synopsis of the organization and the barbecue judges
[00:07:27] and I know those guys are a big part of the competitions.
[00:07:30] Obviously you can't have a competition without a judge
[00:07:32] and you did a nice job kind of going through the training classes
[00:07:35] and some of the techniques.
[00:07:37] You know it's open to anybody.
[00:07:38] Anybody can do it after you've been trained obviously.
[00:07:42] Let me ask you this, you know how much does an individual's personal bias
[00:07:46] or their personal preferences about barbecue what they like,
[00:07:50] how much does that play into their judging and the score?
[00:07:53] That's a really good question because all of our training
[00:07:57] really is trying to remove that personal bias that they have.
[00:08:02] We will comment to them that this is the best barbecue you're going to see today
[00:08:07] and this is the way you're supposed to judge it.
[00:08:08] You're not supposed to judge it against what you had last week
[00:08:11] or you're not supposed to judge it against what your Uncle Fesker does.
[00:08:15] Okay, it's got to be what is there today and we go back through the techniques
[00:08:22] with them before every event saying this is what you're looking for
[00:08:25] and this is what you're focused on in order to make sure
[00:08:28] that we have a fair playing field out there for all the competitors.
[00:08:35] Yeah that's great.
[00:08:36] You're good to have a baseline there.
[00:08:38] Make sure everybody's kind of playing by the same book of rules.
[00:08:41] Now once these judges they judge the competitors,
[00:08:45] they based it on the aroma and the texture and the appearance
[00:08:49] and those other areas that you talked about.
[00:08:51] Do they provide feedback to the competitors
[00:08:54] and what does that generally look like?
[00:08:56] And then can those competitors go and try to use that for their next competition?
[00:09:00] One of the other forms that we have that they have at their disposal
[00:09:04] is what we call a comment card and in turn the comment card
[00:09:09] is recorded as to the team number that they're doing.
[00:09:14] Now as we say and maybe this is a good place to step in and say
[00:09:18] we run a double blind judging system.
[00:09:21] In other words, when the competitors turn their boxes in at a receiving station,
[00:09:27] that receiving station is isolated so neither the judges or no one else can see them
[00:09:34] and in turn then a person after they are checked in
[00:09:38] and they're verified that their numbers are correct
[00:09:42] and that the product that they're turning in is correct,
[00:09:45] then a runner will take it from there to another isolated location
[00:09:49] where that box will be renumbered.
[00:09:51] In other words, if the team is box number one
[00:09:56] and it comes around to the renumbering person
[00:09:58] then they will put a label over the top of it for another box number like 102.
[00:10:07] That person will then assign that to a specific table to be judged
[00:10:13] and in turn when all of the boxes have been turned in
[00:10:17] and they're all sorted out by which table they're going to,
[00:10:22] then in turn the table captains who run each of those tables
[00:10:26] will take those boxes and they will take them to each of the stations
[00:10:31] and they will commence with the judging process.
[00:10:34] After that judging process, each of those judges had been making notations
[00:10:39] during the judging process as to what they felt was really good
[00:10:46] or what they felt needed was the reason that they didn't get as high a score.
[00:10:52] In turn, they will make those notations
[00:10:54] and they do it by the box number because they have absolutely no idea
[00:10:58] whose team they're judging.
[00:10:59] They have absolutely no idea who this feedback is going back to
[00:11:04] but that way when we actually do the calculations,
[00:11:07] then the individual, the only individual who can
[00:11:11] is the event representative from SBN and the calculations person
[00:11:16] will then match those numbers and attach those comment cards
[00:11:21] to each of the team's scoresheets.
[00:11:24] So in turn, they'll get a sample of all their scores,
[00:11:29] how they rated along with comments from some of the judges
[00:11:33] as to why they scored the way they did.
[00:11:39] Okay, so when I go and visit Southern BBQ Network online,
[00:11:43] that address is sbbqn.com.
[00:11:47] I see there's lots of details about certification classes,
[00:11:50] membership and of course the SBN Championship.
[00:11:52] But then of course, I want to look at the barbecue events section.
[00:11:55] I see you guys have got one coming up June 14th and 15th.
[00:11:59] It's the Omar Bootluggers Backyard BBQ Brawl.
[00:12:03] What can you tell me about that?
[00:12:04] What do you think coming up in mid-June?
[00:12:05] That's a really good event.
[00:12:06] It's their fifth year that they're doing it.
[00:12:08] They've changed it up a little bit this year
[00:12:11] and that they're having amateurs versus competition teams.
[00:12:16] It's going to be held out at the Berkley Shrine Club
[00:12:18] out at 649 Lakeside Drive in Monks Corner,
[00:12:23] which is a great venue.
[00:12:25] Got a huge field out there that the cookers will be setting up in.
[00:12:30] It's going to be open to the public on Friday night
[00:12:33] as they're going to be having a wings competition.
[00:12:36] Now the cook teams aren't providing that.
[00:12:38] It's being provided by the Shrine Club itself.
[00:12:41] They'll be able to do that as well as walk around
[00:12:44] and see the cookers, talk to the cookers.
[00:12:47] And then on Saturday though,
[00:12:49] the Shrine Club is going to be selling plates
[00:12:53] of barbecue to the public as well.
[00:13:00] On the event itself, they're going to be preparing both pork.
[00:13:04] They're going to be doing both pork butts
[00:13:05] and they're going to be doing ribs.
[00:13:07] That's what we'll be judging.
[00:13:08] It's a two-meat competition.
[00:13:15] Great.
[00:13:15] Sounds like it's going to be a great day, June 14th and 15th.
[00:13:18] We'll talk a little bit more about that in just a moment.
[00:13:20] I want to get on to one of the folks
[00:13:22] who's going to be producing some of those smoked meats.
[00:13:24] He participates in a lot of the Southern Barbecue Network competitions.
[00:13:29] Stuff the judges review as you've just talked about.
[00:13:31] That's Eric Carpenter from Backdraft Barbecue Team.
[00:13:34] And welcome to the Arkansas Barbecue Show.
[00:13:40] Yeah.
[00:13:40] So first, just to start, what is the Backdraft Barbecue Team?
[00:13:43] What are you guys all about?
[00:13:44] Yeah, absolutely.
[00:13:45] So I came up with the name.
[00:13:47] Full-time firefighter.
[00:13:48] And so we're basically primarily a family team,
[00:13:53] but I'm usually out there all by myself.
[00:13:55] I get the support from home, from the family.
[00:13:58] Occasionally, I'll get the wife and kids to come out.
[00:14:01] But we started competing seriously about seven years ago,
[00:14:06] but got into it about 10 years ago
[00:14:09] and just kind of been working our way through the years
[00:14:11] and trying to improve every day
[00:14:13] and figure out what those judges want.
[00:14:20] Yeah.
[00:14:20] How many competitions you feel like you participated in during those 10 years?
[00:14:23] I'm up just over 100 competitions.
[00:14:30] Wow.
[00:14:30] And have they all just kind of been around the Carolinas?
[00:14:32] Or have you spent your competition outside of this area?
[00:14:35] All the way to Alabama.
[00:14:36] I've done South Carolina, North Carolina and New York.
[00:14:43] Okay.
[00:14:44] But do you have a specialty that you like to prepare?
[00:14:46] I feel like pork is probably my best,
[00:14:48] but I have good days and I have bad days with every category we cook.
[00:14:52] Sure.
[00:14:57] What do you feel like it's successful to,
[00:14:59] it takes to be successful in the barbecue competition?
[00:15:01] What I tell everybody when they come into it is just be consistent.
[00:15:06] If you're cooking once or twice a year,
[00:15:09] you may not put out the best product.
[00:15:11] If you're cooking every weekend,
[00:15:13] whether it's competing or just cooking in the backyard,
[00:15:15] you're probably going to put out a little bit better product.
[00:15:22] Okay.
[00:15:23] Be consistent with it.
[00:15:24] So let's talk a little bit about your process and process.
[00:15:27] Consistency.
[00:15:29] I just want to kind of take it through the beginning to the end
[00:15:32] and starting with the meat.
[00:15:33] Let's say we're doing your pork.
[00:15:35] You like to prepare one of your specialties, a competition pork butt.
[00:15:38] Yeah.
[00:15:38] So as soon as we get it, I'll start trimming it up.
[00:15:42] I know a lot of guys will trim it a good bit.
[00:15:46] I'm pretty conservative when it comes to trimming.
[00:15:50] I'll do a little bit, just kind of expose the money muscle.
[00:15:54] And then I go from that to we do an injection,
[00:15:58] make that up with a couple of different juices
[00:16:00] and a rub I've come up with that we mix that in with it
[00:16:04] and let that sit for about four hours
[00:16:07] along with the competition rub that I put on the outside.
[00:16:10] And I just let the time pass about four hours
[00:16:14] and then put it on the smoke.
[00:16:19] Okay.
[00:16:20] I won't ask you to tell me all the secrets
[00:16:22] about your rubs and your juices,
[00:16:23] but what are some of the things that you're doing?
[00:16:25] My injection, I put some apple juice in there
[00:16:28] and then I'll have a lot of guys cuss me out,
[00:16:30] but I also put a little pineapple juice in there.
[00:16:33] And then my everyday rubs what goes into it.
[00:16:36] So it's a brown sugar and white sugar base
[00:16:40] and then it's got different spices and seasonings in it.
[00:16:46] Okay.
[00:16:47] And so you rub it on there
[00:16:48] and you say you normally let it sit about four hours.
[00:16:51] Do you ever put any kind of bond?
[00:16:52] Yeah.
[00:16:52] I use a mustard binder, just a little bit of French's mustard
[00:16:57] and that helps just the rub stick a little bit to it.
[00:17:01] Not sure if there's anything behind it or not,
[00:17:03] but it works sometimes.
[00:17:04] Sometimes it may not.
[00:17:12] Okay.
[00:17:12] Well now you've got it rubbed.
[00:17:14] You've let it set for four hours.
[00:17:15] You're ready to go into the heat and the smoke.
[00:17:17] Tell me what you're smoking on
[00:17:19] and what about your equipment and what kind of-
[00:17:21] Yeah, absolutely.
[00:17:22] So within the past three, four years,
[00:17:24] I switched over to pellet cookers
[00:17:26] and I'm cooking on Rectex right now.
[00:17:30] Try and run about 210 to 215 degrees.
[00:17:33] I'm a real low and slow kind of guy
[00:17:36] and using hickory and a little bit of oak,
[00:17:40] if I can find a good blend of those pellets
[00:17:43] seem to work pretty well for me.
[00:17:49] And how long do you normally cook it there at 210 and 250?
[00:17:52] Yeah, so I'll run those about seven to eight hours
[00:17:55] and then that's when I'll go ahead and wrap them up
[00:17:58] and then bring them up to the doneness that I want them to.
[00:18:05] And so they usually spend-
[00:18:08] And I guess it depends on the size of the meat.
[00:18:10] Usually about nine to 10 hours I can get them done.
[00:18:13] A little bit bigger, they may take, I give them 12 hours.
[00:18:16] I'm okay if they come off and let them rest
[00:18:18] in the hot box for a little while.
[00:18:24] Okay.
[00:18:25] And so it's been in there 12 hours.
[00:18:27] You mentioned the rest in the hot box.
[00:18:29] What happens after the cook is completed
[00:18:32] and then get it onto the cookers table?
[00:18:33] Yeah, absolutely.
[00:18:34] So once we, once it gets time,
[00:18:37] about 10 minutes before turning,
[00:18:38] we'll start building our boxes,
[00:18:41] get everything turned in,
[00:18:43] move on to ribs,
[00:18:45] get those turned in
[00:18:46] and then a lot of us that travel around together
[00:18:49] will usually get together and have a beer.
[00:18:56] That's right.
[00:18:57] And harden the heat all that time.
[00:18:59] So tell me, you know, why do you do this?
[00:19:03] Why do you kind of do it week in and week out?
[00:19:05] And obviously as a firefighter,
[00:19:07] you get out in the fire a lot, I'm sure.
[00:19:09] Hopefully not as much as we might think,
[00:19:11] but you work hard during the week and then you go.
[00:19:14] Oh, honestly, it's the barbecue family
[00:19:17] that keeps me coming back out there.
[00:19:19] You know, the fire department,
[00:19:21] we're a big family and honestly,
[00:19:22] I think the barbecue family is just as good if not better.
[00:19:27] Nobody comes out there
[00:19:28] and wants to win because somebody else forgot something.
[00:19:31] You know, if you forgot something that day,
[00:19:34] ask anybody, almost everybody's going to give you what you need.
[00:19:42] Yeah. So that's the fun part.
[00:19:44] What's the hard part of being in the hardest part for me is,
[00:19:48] you know, just trying to figure out
[00:19:50] what's going to work that weekend.
[00:19:52] You try and stay consistent.
[00:19:53] And then sometimes, sometimes what's been working
[00:19:56] falls off a little ways
[00:19:57] and you got to tweak it a little bit,
[00:19:59] try and bring it back on track.
[00:20:05] Okay. Now you've been involved with the Southern Barbecue Network.
[00:20:08] How is it right now?
[00:20:10] I'm the team liaison for South Carolina.
[00:20:14] One of them, one or two.
[00:20:15] And so basically we're available for teams.
[00:20:20] If they have questions about the events or judging,
[00:20:25] they'll call us instead of calling somebody like Mike Wright.
[00:20:28] And I can kind of either point them in the right direction
[00:20:32] or I'll make phone calls if I don't have an answer for them.
[00:20:35] So everybody knows they call me
[00:20:37] and I'll either tell them a lie or tell them the truth.
[00:20:44] How long have you been involved?
[00:20:46] I've been in the Southern Barbecue Network since 2017 or 2016.
[00:20:51] I'm sorry.
[00:20:53] And I am a certified judge,
[00:20:56] but I've actually never judged a competition.
[00:20:58] I just enjoy cooking them too much.
[00:21:04] Yeah. And the competition piece of it,
[00:21:07] but as a judge and someone with the training,
[00:21:09] do you feel like that gives you a little bit of insight
[00:21:11] into what you need to do to win when you get to that competition?
[00:21:14] It helps a little bit because you have more of an understanding
[00:21:17] of what the judges are actually looking for in terms of the taste, the aroma.
[00:21:23] You may not get a clear direction of what they want,
[00:21:27] but it steers you towards that right direction.
[00:21:33] Okay. So Omar's Bootlegger's Backyard Brawl is coming up here
[00:21:37] on June 14th and 15th.
[00:21:39] What are you most looking forward to about that?
[00:21:41] Well, most exciting about that one is it's pretty close to home.
[00:21:44] So it's only about a 10 minute ride out there.
[00:21:47] The event organizer is good people.
[00:21:49] I've known him for a lot of years, so they'll put on a good show
[00:21:52] and it'll be a good time with your competitor
[00:21:54] or just want to come hang out.
[00:22:00] Yeah. And if you do want to come hang out,
[00:22:01] it's going to be June 14th and 15th.
[00:22:04] That's at Monks Corner, South Carolina at the Berkeley Shrine Club.
[00:22:08] Anybody that's not really familiar with that area,
[00:22:10] I had to look it up myself.
[00:22:11] It's about 35 miles north of downtown Charleston,
[00:22:14] right on US 52 near the shores of Lake Moultrie.
[00:22:18] So it ought to be a great event.
[00:22:20] And as Mike shared, there's going to be competition.
[00:22:22] If you want to go and visit, you can sample the food on Saturday
[00:22:25] or enjoy some of the wing competition on Friday night.
[00:22:28] So two days is great fun.
[00:22:29] And again, it's all going to be supporting the Shrine Club
[00:22:33] there at Berkeley Shrine Club.
[00:22:35] So Mike, anything else you want to add
[00:22:37] or maybe you can tell our audience how they could find out more
[00:22:40] about the Southern Barbecue Network
[00:22:42] or maybe take a judging certification class themselves.
[00:22:45] I'd say we have all that information up on our website at sbbqn.com.
[00:22:50] Anybody who is interested can contact me
[00:22:53] through southern barbecue network at gmail.com.
[00:22:56] I'll be glad to respond to any questions they have.
[00:23:00] I'm retired, so I'm here 24-7, available anytime, anyway.
[00:23:06] Only other thing I wanted to say was
[00:23:08] that Eric is several times our past Grand Champion of the Year.
[00:23:13] He's very qualified to speak in regards to what is great southern barbecue.
[00:23:21] Yeah, fantastic.
[00:23:22] Well, thanks for sharing that little added tidbit.
[00:23:24] Eric, what does it mean to you once you've won that Grand Championship?
[00:23:28] How does that feel and what kind of experience is that for you?
[00:23:32] I love when I win, but I'm a pretty humble guy.
[00:23:35] They usually have to tell me to smile for a picture.
[00:23:40] But it is a good feeling.
[00:23:41] It's something that everybody that competes,
[00:23:44] that's what they're looking for.
[00:23:46] I've been fortunate enough to get a few of those.
[00:23:51] It feels good, but I keep it all on the inside.
[00:23:55] I don't want to gloat and have the teams that didn't win feel worse about it.
[00:24:00] Because it's not always fun when you don't win.
[00:24:06] Yeah, I know.
[00:24:07] We spoke with the folks from Vicious Pig.
[00:24:09] And I know he's won a lot and he's lost a lot.
[00:24:11] It's hard to go out there and work all day and smoke and then lose one.
[00:24:18] Mike, let me ask you as I've asked Eric, what do you enjoy most about being
[00:24:22] involved with the Southern Barbecue Network and participating in some of these events?
[00:24:25] Actually, it's the gratitude that I get from helping individuals and people to raise funds
[00:24:31] for a great charitable event.
[00:24:33] We have succeeded in helping provide communities,
[00:24:39] especially in those that are doing it for local charitable organizations.
[00:24:44] As an example, in Clinton, South Carolina, they do one that provides funds for
[00:24:51] individuals who cannot pay their utility bills during the summer and the winter.
[00:24:55] And they raise those funds to help support those folks.
[00:24:58] That really makes me feel good.
[00:25:00] That's the primary reason I do it.
[00:25:02] Plus, I like a good barbecue every now and then as well.
[00:25:06] And I'll sit and judge whenever I get an opportunity.
[00:25:08] I can tell you that.
[00:25:12] Yeah.
[00:25:13] Well, speaking of gratitude, guys,
[00:25:15] thank you so much for joining me on the Low Slow BBQ Show.
[00:25:17] Absolutely. Appreciate you having us.
[00:25:23] You've been listening to the Low and Slow BBQ Show on the Mesh.TV Network, a podcast.
[00:25:28] Be sure to visit us online at LowSlowBBQShow.com.
[00:25:32] That's where you'll find the blog and you can hear other podcast episodes,
[00:25:35] including our Carolina pitmasters like Garen and Kelly Kirkman from John G's BBQ.
[00:25:40] We've got James Beard finalist Robbie Robinson from City Limits and BBQ in Columbia,
[00:25:45] as well as Edgemar Samoas from Resident Culture Brewing Company and BBQ in Charlotte area.
[00:25:51] And if you like what you hear in the Low and Slow BBQ Show,
[00:25:54] please be sure to give us a five-star rating in your favorite podcast network
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[00:26:15] Special thanks to our guest Southern BBQ Network Competition Director Mike Wright,
[00:26:19] as well as Eric Carpenter from Back Trap BBQ of South Carolina.
[00:26:23] Thanks as well to our producer Andrew Moose and the whole team at the Mesh.TV Network of Podcasts.
[00:26:29] Most especially thank you for listening to the Low and Slow BBQ Show.
[00:26:33] Remember, for the best barbecue and the best barbecue podcast, make it low and slow.
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