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Welcome to Pitmaster, an Old Virginia Smoke Podcast. Each episode, OVS Pitmaster Luke Darnell will deconstruct world-class pitmasters to extract the tactics, tools, and routines you can use at home in your backyard and in the competition BBQ world. This includes morning routines, habits, tricks, and much more. Find out what’s challenged the world’s best pitmasters, how they handle adversity, and where they turn to for advice and counsel. You won’t want to miss this very entertaining, educational and totally different BBQ podcast.
Episodes
Wednesday Jan 13, 2021
Wednesday Jan 13, 2021
This week on Pitmaster, we have Sterling Ball from Big Poppa Smokers!
Sterling has been a major influence in BBQ for a long time now, with much success as a pitmaster but also as the founder of Big Poppa Smoker’s BBQ rubs, creator of the Guinea Pig BBQ Contests, the King of Smoker, and Big Poppa Smoker’s Cooking for Kids charity program.
This is a wide ranging conversation about BBQ, cooking, music, and a whole range of topics that I think you’ll enjoy.
Wednesday Jan 06, 2021
Wednesday Jan 06, 2021
This week on Pitmaster, we have one of my great friends Jerry Stephenson from Redneck Scientific.
Jerry is one of the more interesting people you’ll find on the barbecue trail. He has a boatload of experience both inside and outside of BBQ, which has led him to many awards and also a successful restaurant called The Redneck BBQ Lab in North Carolina.
There are a lot of great tidbits, tips and thought processes in this conversation. A great way to start the new year as we get moving in 2021.
Wednesday Dec 30, 2020
Wednesday Dec 30, 2020
This week has been particularly rough in terms of loss in the BBQ community. We lost my friend Chris Mumaw this week. Jeff Cole also passed away this week. And then Mike Mills, BBQ legend and mentor to this week’s guest. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families during these terrible circumstances. Been a rough time on the BBQ family.
This week we have Steve Hayden on the podcast from One Two BBQ. Steve is one of the best guys on the circuit, and has a lot of great ideas about BBQ and how it should move forward. Steve also talks extensively about his relationship with Mike Mills, and his importance to him not only personally, but to BBQ as a whole.
I think you’ll like this episode, and will get a bunch of great information out of it.
Wednesday Dec 23, 2020
Wednesday Dec 23, 2020
This week we have Jason Hardee with Elite BBQ Smokers on the podcast. Not only is Jason a candidate for KCBS Board of Directors, he’s also a damn fine cook and an even better person.
I think you’ll like this episode, and will get a bunch of great information out of it.
Wednesday Dec 16, 2020
Wednesday Dec 16, 2020
This week, as promised, is Jim Elser of Sweet Smoke Q. He competes, he vends, he makes smokers and he makes bbq sauces rubs and injections. There is much this fella hasn’t done in BBQ.
I know I say it every week...but this week’s episode is killer, with a lot of great info. We’ll definitely have Jim on again, as we only got through half the questions.
Thursday Dec 10, 2020
Thursday Dec 10, 2020
Due to an error on my part, we won’t have Jim Elser this week. He’ll be next week. This week, we have all time great Donny Teel from Buffalo’s BBQ. Donny has been in this game for many years, and has cooked just about everything under the sun.
Donny is a great human and this is a great conversation with one of the living legends of Competition BBQ.
Wednesday Dec 02, 2020
Wednesday Dec 02, 2020
Our guest this week really needs no introduction. Winner of countless grand championships and now 2 time KCBS Team of the Year winner Brad Leighninger of Gettin’ Basted.
There aren’t really enough superlatives to describe this fella. He’s been everywhere...he’s cooked everything and he’s just a great dude.
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
One of the best things about BBQ, as we’ve said time and time again, is meeting people from all over the world who share the same passion. KCBS is becoming quite the thing over in Europe, and we’ve been blessed enough to have become good friends with some of Europe’s best, including today’s guest, Tom Raes of Southern Dutch BBQ.
Southern Dutch BBQ has been at the top of KCBS Europe for a couple of years now, and they continue to set a high bar. The frequently come over to the US, and have great success here as well at high caliber events such as the American Royal and the World Food Championships.
Wednesday Nov 18, 2020
Wednesday Nov 18, 2020
There are lots of people that have taken their success in competition BBQ and turned it into a commercial success. These people have a passion for barbecue and cooking that goes to a different level. And you’ll find no two better than Megan and Jason Day with Burnt Finger BBQ.
Megan and Jason have been extremely successful in the competition world, particularly at the American Royal and Memphis in May, and have translated that success into a fantastic brand and career around Burnt Finger BBQ.
Wednesday Nov 11, 2020
Wednesday Nov 11, 2020
I’ve been blessed to go around the country and have gotten to meet some of the best BBQ pitmasters of all time, and this episode’s guest is definitely that.
Our guest today is Rod Gray from Pellet Envy. Rod has been a fixture in BBQ for a long time, and continues to have a heavy influence both through teaching, and his EAT Barbecue rubs and sauces. Very few people have done it so well and for so long as Rod. He’s also a fantastic human with a lot of great stories and words of wisdom for today’s BBQ cooks.