Matthew Register of Southern Smoke BBQ made another podcast stop last year to promote his book as well as his restaurant.

Description: “For this week’s episode of The Manual Podcast, the gang’s all here as Nicole, Sam, and Greg sit down with Matthew Register, founder of Garland, North Carolina barbecue joint Southern Smoke BBQ.

Not formally trained as a chef, Register first started cooking in his backyard and one day set out a goal for himself: if he could sell a certain number of sandwiches, he would open a restaurant. If you couldn’t guess, he did (in fact he ended up selling three times his goal), and the idea for Southern Smoke was born. Since then, Register’s business has grown to include catering and more. In this episode, he talks about what it was like to get there, and what it means for him to now be considered one of the guys when it comes to Carolina barbecue pitmasters.

During the discussion, too, the crew talks with Register about barbecue sides and why it doesn’t always have to be the same ol’ things. Thai chiles? Sure. Squash and rice pudding? Yes, please.

Finally, Register talks about why fall is the perfect time for grilling — the fatty meat helps fortify when the weather drops (in addition to it finally being bearable outside, especially in the South).

If you didn’t eat before listening to this episode, you’re going to be starving by the end (we were).”