Ultimate BBQ Play-By-Play Team,Bizarro Superman, and the Hip-Hop Beats
Because as every pitmaster knows, the right soundtrack can make the cook.
Some weeks in barbecue are quiet. This wasn’t one of them.
Back in the smokehouse lane, the news is sizzling. First up, Tuffy Stone is hosting his legendary BBQ School at Hickory & Harvest on September 27, 2025. Five meats, ten sides, and a whole lot of pitmaster wisdom. If you’ve ever wanted to up your barbecue game, this is your golden ticket. Just don’t show up thinking you’ll be done by lunch, this is a masterclass in low and slow.
The Invites Are Out
The Jack Daniels Invitational has sent out invites, and the competition field is heating up. Teams from across the country are gearing up for one of the most prestigious competitions in the barbecue calendar. For those keeping score at home, this is the one where reputations are made, bragging rights are earned, and egos get smoked right alongside the ribs.
Meanwhile, the HolySmokes lineup just dropped, and tickets are already moving. This year promises a mix of established legends and rising stars, the kind of event where you walk in thinking you know barbecue and leave realizing you’ve only been nibbling the edges.
Chicken, Efficiency, and Peg Leg Pride
We also have to tip our hats to Peg Leg Porker, who took home “Best Wings” and “Best BBQ in Nashville.” If you’ve been, you know the food’s worth the hype. If you haven’t, plan a trip.
Hot Takes and BBQ IQ
Now for the spicy part. This week’s hot take, brought to you by Melinda’s Hot Sauce, asks: if you can’t cook it, can you critique it? In an age of armchair pitmasters and Instagram critics, it’s worth asking whether you need to pull a pork shoulder before you can pick one apart.
We also played a little game of BBQ IQ: if barbecue was called like a sports game, who would you want as the anchor team? The fantasy draft of pitmaster commentators is a conversation we didn’t know we needed, but trust us, you’ll have opinions.
The Serious Side: News You Can’t Use (But Might Need To)
Tyson Foods is projecting $375M in losses in its beef division for 2025, thanks to scarce cattle and thin margins. Ground beef and steak prices are already up 12-18%. Chicken, however, is booming. It’s the kind of market shift that makes you rethink your menu, or at least your grocery bill.
Add to that the threat of tariffs hitting holiday barbecue plans, like a 50% tariff on Indian shrimp, and you’ve got a recipe for some expensive cookouts.
And here’s one for the science lovers: a new article claims that once meat’s internal temperature hits 100°F, it doesn’t take on much more smoke because the pores close up. Bark still forms, but flavor absorption slows. Whether you buy it or not, it’s the kind of theory that sparks some lively pit talk.
Finally, a reminder from out west: folks in California and Colorado are being asked to skip the BBQ due to air quality advisories. If you’re in those zones, maybe fire up an indoor smokeless grill, or reverse sear inside before finishing outside.
And Just for Fun, National Hip Hop Day
We close out with some music. August 11 marks the birth of hip hop, courtesy of DJ Kool Herc in 1973. Which begs the question, what’s on your Hip-Hop BBQ playlist? Are you going old school with Eric B. & Rakim, or modern with Kendrick? Because as every pitmaster knows, the right soundtrack can make the cook.
From industry news to hip-hop beats, this week was proof that barbecue is more than just food, it’s culture, community, and the occasional curveball.