The Pitmaster's Podcast

Welcome back Shannon and Scott with The BBQ World Cup & Expo to give us the updates on competitors, qualifying events, and all the other questions you have!

Hey, I'm Sarah, a south Louisiana native with a passion for good food and laid-back living. I spend my time smoking my meal prep and experimenting with bold flavors that reflect my roots. My setup includes a teal blue smoker, a Workhorse pit, and a Blackstone griddle, so there's always something cooking. I create content for fun, sharing my process and love for barbecue along the way. Whether it's a slow smoke or a quick griddle session, I'm all about keeping it real and delicious.

Andy Allen and Keith Henson have been cooking together since 2010, back when they were competing under the name Rooftop BBQ. What started as a shared passion turned into years on the road—chasing contests, learning from other pitmasters, and putting in long nights behind the smoker. Over the last 15+ years, they've cooked some of the biggest stages in BBQ, including the American Royal and the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue, along with competitions all across the country. Along the way, they've also served BBQ to crowds at events like the Reno Rib Festival and Stagecoach Festival, and even helped bring authentic American barbecue overseas as part of the development of The Ranch Smokehouse. But most of what they've learned didn't come from trophies—it came from the miles in between. Early mornings lighting pits, late nights dialing in flavors, and countless conversations with pitmasters who live and breathe the craft. Every cook, every mistake, every win added something to the way they think about BBQ. Rambler BBQ is a reflection of that journey. The sauces and rubs aren't just recipes—they're built from years of experience on the road, shaped by different regions, styles, and the people who shared their knowledge along the way. It's everything they've picked up over 15 years of chasing great barbecue, now put into a bottle.

Named #1 by The Underseasoned BBQ show's 150 most influential people in bbq Daniel Vaughn is the barbecue editor for Texas Monthly and arguably the most influential voice in smoked meat today. He didn't just define what great barbecue is, but helped create the culture of standing in line for it. • Barbecue Editor at Texas Monthly and the only full-time barbecue journalist in the U.S. • Author of The Prophets of Smoked Meat and co-author of Whole Hog BBQ • Current editor of the Texas Monthly Top 50 known the bible of barbecue in Texas, and therefore, the world • Curator of the Texas Monthly BBQ Festival, held annually since 2010

At Fat Plate BBQ, everything began with a passion for outdoor cooking. What began as a weekend hobby in our own backyard quickly turned into a passion for creating bold and creative flavors that help make your next cook your best cook. I first caught the BBQ bug over a decade and a half ago, after buying a used Primo Oval XL from Craigslist. Probably 35 different cookers later, Fat Plate BBQ was born. Somewhere in the middle of that timeline, I started competing in as many sanctioned and unsanctioned BBQ contests as I could find. Just as my competition journey was picking up, COVID hit and shut down most comps anywhere near me. My desire to continue scratching that BBQ itch manifested itself in a slightly different way. With a background in tech, I decided to use the pandemic caused downtime to start an online BBQ supply store: boostyourbbq.com. Boost Your BBQ put me in a unique position to work with highly successful teams and contacts from all across the country. I was able to use my knowledge of competition BBQ to source products, help others on their BBQ journey, and just straight up learn everything I could. At this time, the SCA had a heavy presence on the East Coast, and I started competing regularly there. Personal commitments started demanding more of my time. I was lucky enough to become a father of two kids that I wanted to spend more time with, but also my parents' health began to rapidly decline, so I sold Boost Your BBQ and took a step back from competing. My wife and I cater upon request using our line of seasonings we've spent years perfecting, and I never wanted anyone to run out of food or feel like the BBQ wasn't a good value, so we have become known for our large portion sizes (a big old fat plate of BBQ), so Fat Plate BBQ it was. Our line of seasonings have been developed from our competition recipes and feedback from highly successful KCBS teams. Fat Plate BBQ rubs have helped many teams win MULTIPLE GC's, RGC's, 180's and Golden Tickets. Our Beef Blanket rub was part of the recipe for the FIRST EVER DOUBLE PERFECT SCA scores (West Newton, PA). Our sponsored teams have placed highly at hundreds of KCBS competitions and the Jack. Fat Plate BBQ's main goal is to create killer flavor profiles that don't taste like everything else on the market. We go for creative and unique, but still "covering the bases" to achieve traditional flavor profiles. Our rubs compliment each other, and lend themselves well to layering flavors. Our soon to be released products, really raise the bar and fill the gaps in the rub and sauce categories and add to our unique offerings.

Chris Bentley of Bentley BBQ—Alabama-based pitmaster and content creator known for bold backyard BBQ, grills, smokers, and rotisserie cooking. From low-and-slow classics to hot-and-fast favorites (and even homemade ice cream), Bentley brings real-deal flavor and fire to everything he cooks.

Tony Ramirez, also known as TFTI BBQ on social media, has spent nearly twenty years perfecting his backyard barbecue skills in the Bay Area, California. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Tony is self-taught, inspired by his Filipino and Cajun heritage, his beloved parents, and a passion for BBQ Pitmasters reruns, YouTube tutorials, and personal culinary experiments. What started in 2021 as a hobby of posting BBQ pictures and videos has since evolved into a full-time career, with Tony partnering with major brands like Miller Lite, Char-Griller, Reynolds Brands, and Tony Chachere's. His unique, approachable flavor combinations and techniques, which sometimes bend traditional barbecue "rules," have earned him a beloved spot in the live-fire BBQ community. Find him online on all major social media platforms as TFTI BBQ.