BBQ Brawl

Which Summer Barbecue Show Should You Watch?

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Note: a version of this article originally appeared last month in The Smoke Sheet, a fantastic national barbecue newsletter that I regularly contribute to. For more information on how to subscribe, visit bbqnewsletter.com.

July marked the official start of barbecue on summer TV, with the return of a couple of fan favorites in BBQ Brawl and Barbecue Showdown. While both are barbecue competition shows at heart, each is doing a slightly thing and has different strengths. Before we figure out which barbecue show is right for you, let’s set the stage for each.

BBQ Brawl returned for its fifth season on Food Network and notably, former Top Chef season 6 winner Michael Voltaggio replaced Anne Burrell as a captain. Otherwise Bobby Flay and Sunny Anderson remained as captains from previous seasons and judges Brooke Williamson, Rodney Scott, and Carson Kressley all returned. The setting stayed the same, taking place at Star Hill Ranch outside of Austin, TX.

In terms of gameplay, while the bottom two teams still switch after the first competition, the show introduced a new wrinkle in the form of a “franchise player” who stays with their initial captain no matter what. The ultimate winner wins the title of “Master of Cue” and gets a Food Network digital deal.

Barbecue Showdown dropped all of its third season on Netflix and its host (Michelle Buteau) and judges (Melissa Cookston and Kevin Bludso) all remained the same from season 2. And the competitors still vie for the title of “Barbecue Showdown Champion,” $50,000 in prize money, and a new offset smoker.

Barbecue Showdown moved Georgia locations of the competition set, resulting in what appears (to me at least) to be an upgraded set in addition to an upgraded graphics package. This all might be as a result of having taken on some new sponsors, as for instance several beer brands are prominently named and featured in an early episode.

But back to the original question: if pressed for time, which one should you watch? Well I guess that all depends on what you’re looking for…

If you’re looking for proven barbecue talent: pick BBQ Brawl
Included among its contestants are restaurateurs including Hugh Mangum (co-owner of Mighty Quinn’s BBQ with locations in the US and worldwide), a James Beard Award-nominee (Bruce Kalman), and a BBQ Hall of Fame member in Ray Lampe (more commonly known as “Dr. BBQ”). They’ve even got a prior runner-up of “Barbecue Showdown” season 2 in Logan Sandoval.

On Barbecue Showdown this season they introduced guest judges, Top Chef-style, which is a welcome addition to Melissa and Kevin. Tuffy Stone appears early in the season and Matty Matheson and speaking of which, former Top Chef-testant Kwame Onwuachi join in later episodes.

If you’re looking for storytelling: pick Barbecue Showdown
Whereas it seems that Barbecue Showdown‘s focus is less on known talent and more on the storytelling of contestants who are backyard smokers or are newer in their restaurant careers. You watch less-seasoned cooks make pretty glaring mistakes in their cooking. Notably Tung and Luis in the first couple episodes of the season.

But there’s also the emotional investment that comes with seeing someone overcome mistakes, scrape through early rounds, and start to figure things out and make a run in the competition. Of the two shows, you’re more likely to see that with Barbecue Showdown.

If you’re looking for colorful characters: pick BBQ Brawl
New captain Michael Voltaggio brings a chaotic, wild card energy with his hair and outfits but ultimately seems to be a great mentor and collaborator with his team (which has paid dividends early on).

Captain Sunny seems to have found a lane in poking fun at Bobby Flay every chance she gets, sporting a couple of different custom shirts stating “Crispy Rice isn’t BBQ” and “Crispy Rice is Bobby’s Binky” in the first two episodes and just generally needling him at every opportunity.

Brawl contestant Noah Sims did bring some spaced-out energy with his tie-dyed overalls and shirt, hippie bandanas, and general laid back vibe but unfortunately did not last too long in the competition.

And then of course there is head judge Carson Kressley who may be a slightly divisive figure in terms of his antics but I think has always done a great job in his dual capacity as host and judge.

On Barbecue Showdown, I will note that the Egyptian Cowboy Kareem El-Ghayesh (also known as “KG”) is not only a fun character to watch but in early episodes is also performing at a high level.

If you’re looking to binge the latest season: pick Barbecue Showdown
As is consistent with their model, Netflix dropped all eight episodes of Barbecue Showdown at once. If you want to scratch that itch immediately or perhaps within a couple of multi-hour sessions, it is definitely the show for you.

And then, if you want to revisit (or even watch for the first time), the two previous seasons are right there waiting for you. Of course, it should be noted that the previous four seasons of BBQ Brawl are also available on Max.

So there you have it. Whether its barbecue talent, storytelling, characters, or the desire to binge the season, between BBQ Brawl and Barbecue Showdown you should be covered when it comes to barbecue television in these late summer months.

BBQ Brawl airs Monday nights at 9pm ET on Foot Network and is also available the next day on Max. All episodes of BBQ Showdown are available now on Netflix.

The New Barbecue TV Power Rankings of Summer 2023

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Monk: I’ve spend the past two summers recapping Food Network’s “BBQ Brawl” on a weekly basis and while I’m proud of those efforts, ain’t nobody got time for that this year. Instead, let’s take a holistic look at the four barbecue programs that have premiered in the past few months. And what’s more fun than power ranking them?

In reverse order:

4. “Steven Raichlen’s Planet Barbecue” (PBS)

“Barbecue” is in the name but Steven Raichlen’s latest show is really more about showcasing the live fire cooking and grilling customs from around the world more than low and slow barbecue. The format is a little bit of history of the barbecue tradition followed by cooking demonstrations of 3 dishes in the vein of a classic Cooking Channel show, oftentimes including a veggie meal or salad. Ultimately, this is just not my favorite barbecue TV show format.

Confusingly, the “Texas Trinity” episode features grilled quail with pear salsa and blue cheese farrotto, a smoked, grilled rib-eye steaks with jalapeno horseradish butter, and a hot gut hero (beef sausage and pepper jack cheese sandwich).

3. “Barbecue Showdown” (Netflix)

Season 2 of this Netflix series (formerly titled “The American Barbecue Showdown”) premiered on May 26, 2023 and while it has a new host (Michelle Buteau replaces Rutledge Wood), it maintains the same judges (Melissa Cookston and Kevin Bludso), format, and setting from season 1. While the first season had a novelty factor for me, when it comes to the mostly unknown contestants in season 2 I found myself rooting for a couple of while bemoaning the apparent skill level of the rest.

One season 2 improvement that I do like is that the show has introduced a presentation element to most of the challenges, such as a slicing reveal to show the viewer the doneness of the meat at the same time as the judges. This visual cue helps the viewer understand the quality of the food since current TV technology unfortunately does not allow us to taste the end product (much to our collective dismay).

2. “BBQ Brawl” (Food Network)

For me, “BBQ Brawl” is the more polished and entertaining version of the barbecue cookoff format than “Barbecue Showdown.” In addition to returning captains Bobby Flay and Anne Burrell, in season four there is a new face in the form of Sunny Anderson (replacing Jet Tila) and they’ve also traded Austin, TX for Half Moon Bay, CA. The judges – Carson Kressly, Brooke Williamson, and Rodney Scott – remain the same as they have been since season 2, which is a plus for me. The cooking here appears to be at a higher level than “Barbecue Showdown” which is why it edges it out for me.

1. “BBQ USA” (Food Network)

I noted that season 1 of Michael Symon’s “BBQ USA” was spiritually similar to “BBQ Pitmasters” season 1 in that it focused on a few teams at an actual barbecue competition and followed them through the competition and judging. It seems as if season 2’s philosophy is “more, but different” in that they are using the same format while visiting different events from season 1; in episode 1 they visited the American Royal World Series of Barbecue in Kansas City where over 500 teams competed in all categories. Future stops this season will take in competitions in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Washington, and NYC.

What’s your favorite barbecue show this summer?

Our Favorite Posts from 2022

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Monk: 2022 marked the ten year anniversary of the blog and its gone by in a flash. We’re going to take the rest of the year off in order to come out strong in 2023, but before we do we want to 1) wish you all a happy holidays and 2) spotlight one last time some of our favorite original content from 2022.

Without further ado…

Original Content

My summer kicked off with a weekly recap of all 8 episodes of the third season of “BBQ Brawl.” While I was happy to get through those two months mostly unscathed, I also checked out a few other barbecue streaming shows throughout the year featuring notable barbecue personalities like Michael Symon’s “BBQ USA,” “World of Flavor with Big Moe Cason,” and the third season of “BBQuest” which added Hardcore Carnivore’s Jess Pryles as a co-host.

Barbecue Bros AV Club: “BBQ Brawl“ S3 E1 – “‘Cue the Introductions”
Barbecue Bros AV Club: First Impressions of “BBQ USA”
Barbecue Bros AV Club: First Impressions of “World of Flavor With Big Moe Cason”
Barbecue Bros AV Club: “BBQuest” Season 3

We’ve done some updating of our Lexington rankings sadly due to closures but I already know I need to get back to Lexington to try Cafe 71 Smoke House BBQ, which opened this fall in the old Rick’s Smokehouse space.

The Lexington Barbecue Rankings: June 2022 Update

I also am trying a new post format with the “best barbecue within an hour of [insert major city here].” I’ve started with Charlotte but will work on posts for both Raleigh as well as the eastern part of the state.

Best barbecue within an hour of Charlotte – October 2022

We also went to a few festivals this year! May was a busy month in Charlotte with both the Smoke & Grapes event at the Charlotte Wine & Food Festival as well as the successful first annual Carolina BBQ Festival hosted by Lewis Donald of Sweet Lew’s BBQ.

Recap: Smoke & Grapes at the Charlotte Wine & Food Festival featuring Jon G’s Barbecue
The Carolina BBQ Festival Delivered on its Promise to Put Charlotte Barbecue on the Map

In November, I went to Charleston for the second annual Holy Smokes Barbecue Festival and had a grand time in the lowcountry.

Holy Smokes Brought Pitmasters from All Over to the South Carolina Lowcountry

I can’t wait to see what festivals I’ll make it to in 2023.

Reviews

We’re up to 327 reviews on the site now, and in 2022 we added 23 more. Not quite our most productive year, but still an average of nearly 2 per month.

Rudy got to finally try Noble Smoke in Charlotte in February, and left pretty impressed with a 4.5 hog review.

Speedy loved pretty much everything about the relatively new Bringle’s Smoking Oasis in Nashville, from the space to the bar to of course the food (in particular the beef rib and the brisket). Another 4.5 hog meal.

But from the looks of it, Speedy’s favorite meal of the year was at Prime Barbecue in Knightdale when he was back in North Carolina this summer. He gave it our prestigious 5 hog rating, the first since our most recent Jon G’s Barbecue review from 2021.

I got in on the 4.5 hog action with a couple of joints in the Carolinas: Lawrence Barbecue in Durham and Palmira BBQ in Charleston. At Lawrence, in addition to the fun atmosphere at Boxyard RTP and the Lawrence Barbecue-inspired beer from Trophy Brewing, the pork and brisket were highlights of the meal. At Palmira, I got to chat with owner and pitmaster Hector Garate and both the whole hog barbecue and hash and rice shone through.

And last but not least, I can’t forget my mini whole hog barbecue tour in eastern North Carolina in the spring, where I visited B’s Barbecue, Skylight Inn, and the original location of Sam Jones BBQ.

I did a brief writeup for The Smoke Sheet, which a version of showed up on the site as well.

Eastern NC Whole Hog Tour, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace the Dichotomy of NC Barbecue

With that, the 2022 posts are done for the year. But we’ll be back in January with all new content.

Happy Holidays and see you all in 2023!

Barbecue Bros AV Club: “BBQ Brawl“ S3 E8 – “Impress Us”

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Monk: After an extremely successful stint recapping season 2 (ha), I’m back to recap the third season of BBQ Brawl, which airs on Monday nights at 9pm ET on Food Network. Let’s brawl!

It’s the super-sized season finale of this mixed bag of a season 3, and the final 3 contestants – Winnie, Don, and Rashad – walk into a setup of cinder block pits where Team Bobby’s station used to be. Anne and Jet do a walk of their own, gloating how they have already beaten Bobby Flay. The judges introduce the challenge for the finale, which is they contestants have 6 hours to cook a whole suckling pig (roughly 30-40 pounds) and create a barbecue feast for the judges. However, there will surely be a couple of advantage challenges along the way.

Each contestant gives a brief overview of their vision for the finale meal: Don with an “East Meets West” including the use of the durian fruit, Rashad doing on ode to SC whole hog (and Rodney) while mixing in some Florida tweaks, Winnie goes “International Food Feast,” a catch-all we’ve seen a few times this season.

Breakfast Sandwich Challenge

An hour in, the judges announce a mini-challenge to give the contestants 20 minutes to create a barbecue breakfast challenge. The winner gets to consult with Rodney Scott for 10 minutes, surely a big advantage for each of the contestants who have never smoked a whole pig on a cinder block pit.

Don and Winnie don’t seem to initially focus on the sandwich challenge before kicking it into gear at the very end of the 20 minutes. Rashad, on the other hand, focuses immediately and his classic sausage egg and cheese sandwich wins him the advantage of working with Rodney Scott for 10 minutes, a big plus since he actually is doing a SC-inspired whole hog.

Rodney immediately puts on his backward Rodney Scott’s BBQ hat and gets to work, diagnosing a few improvements to Rashad’s pit and sets him on his way. He does not share any tips with his teammate-turned-competitor Don, but the bromance is by no means on the rocks.

Three hours in, the teams start flipping the hogs. Don and Winnie started face down so flip it so that the skin is down for the rest of the cook. Don is going for a “Hong Kong crispy skin” for his hog, so douses it in salt to help crisp the skin in a matter not unlike eastern NC whole hog. Rashad actually opts not to flip his hog which he started face up in order to maintain the juices he’s got going.

Chicken Wings Challenge

The judges interrupt for one final challenge that will allow the winner to choose the order of tasting in the finale. Winnie opts to rub the wings and immediately fry them first before making her beer-based “drunken sauce.” Don is going back to his “fish sauce caramel” wings from early in the season (but with more spice) and immediately throws them onto the smoker before going fryer. Rashad is going for a citrusy wing and starts them on the grill before he moves to the fryer. His fryer is down but Winnie gives him use of hers with just enough time to finish. You love to see it.

Although she may regret being so gracious when Rashad wins yet again (Carson says its the best wing he’s ever eaten) and chooses for him to go first, Don second, and her last.

From there, the contestants pull the hogs off their smokers and let them rest. They then begin final preparations in the final hour and start bringing it all together for their feast. While Don has a cohesive theme and Rashad also seems focused, Winnie’s got a little bit of everything between her hog three ways, a beef tenderloin, and a lamb ragu with homemade pappardelle. Seems like she might have overextended herself but if each dish hits it may pay off. She’s even finishing up her macarons right up until the very end but manages to get them on the plate.

Results

The contestants, captains (including Bobby), and judges sit down for the final meal. Rashad goes first and in general knocks it out of the park. The pig is smoked as if he’s been doing this awhile according to Bobby, and there are no major dings in any of his sides.

Don’s pig is smoked immaculately and in particular the crispy skin. Less successful are his rice pots which burned the rice and his durian banana pudding. It does not appear that his gamble quite paid off.

Rashad is the winner of the finale and named “Master of ‘Cue!” He is gracious in his win, thanking each and every one at the table. Particularly his captain Anne, who officially dethrones Bobby as the winning captain.

Final Thoughts

Rashad is a super-likable guy and a worthy winner, but Winnie and Don would have equally been as deserving. While I have been down on this season, it was not because of the contestants or talent or setting or production. Keep all of that but lets get back to true live-fire cooking challenges. I’ll still be watching but my level of interest may be slightly less if things continue in the “Instagram viral” or “Chopped”-style mystery box challenges.

Until next summer…