Pitmaster & Owner
Aaron Franklin
Franklin Barbecue
17+ yearsBryan/College Station, TX
Read Profile Pitmaster Index
The People
Behind the Smoke
BBQ Atlas BBQ is defined by the men and women who tend the pits. These are their stories.
Co-Founder & Pitmaster, Home Team BBQ
Aaron Siegel
Home Team BBQ
20+ yearsAtlanta, GA
Read Profile Co-Owner
Andrew Pollard
A&R Bar-B-Que
43+ yearsMemphis, TN
Read Profile Pitmaster & Owner, Swig & Swine
Anthony DiBernardo
Swig & Swine
13+ yearsMantua, NJ
Read Profile Chef/Pitmaster & Co-Owner, Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q
Chris Lilly
Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q
34+ yearsFlorence, Alabama
Read Profile Co-Founder
Craig Blondis
Central BBQ
24+ years
Read Profile Chef-Owner & Pitmaster
Damien Brockway
Distant Relatives
6+ yearsnorthwest Connecticut
Read Profile Owner & Pitmaster, Melvin's Legendary Bar-B-Q
David Bessinger
Melvin's Legendary Bar-B-Q
Read Profile
Pitmaster & Owner, BEAST Craft BBQ
David Sandusky
BEAST Craft BBQ Co.
Read Profile
Co-Owner & Pitmaster
Deborah Jones
Jones Bar-B-Q
47+ years
Read Profile Owner & Pitmaster
Desiree Robinson
Cozy Corner
Memphis, TN
Read Profile Longtime Owner, Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q
Don McLemore
Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q
Decatur, Alabama
Read Profile Pitmaster & Co-Owner
Evan LeRoy
LeRoy and Lewis
9+ yearsAustin, TX
Read Profile Longtime Owner, The Bar-B-Q Shop
Frank Vernon
The Bar-B-Q Shop
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Owner, Peak Bros. Bar-B-Que
Irene Rich
Peak Bros. Bar-B-Que
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Co-Owner
Jeff Stehney
Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que
30+ years
Read Profile Founder, Interstate Bar-B-Q (retired 2026)
Jim Neely
Interstate Bar-B-Q
Memphis, TN
Read Profile Co-Founder & Pitmaster
Joe Pearce
Slap's BBQ
12+ yearsNorth Kansas City, MO
Read Profile Owner & Pitmaster, Old Hickory Bar-B-Q
John Foreman
Old Hickory Bar-B-Q
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Pitmaster & Founder, Lewis Barbecue
John Lewis
Lewis Barbecue
16+ yearsEl Paso, TX
Read Profile Co-Owner
John Vergos
Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous
Memphis, TN
Read Profile Co-Owner, Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn
Ken Bosley
Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn
Owensboro, Kentucky
Read Profile Owner & Pitmaster
Kent Black
Black's Barbecue (Lockhart Original)
18+ yearsLockhart, TX
Read Profile Founder & Pitmaster
LC Richardson
LC's Bar-B-Q
Mississippi
Read Profile Founder (Historical)
Leonard Heuberger
Leonard's Pit Barbecue
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Co-Founder & Former Owner
Lindsay Shannon
BB's Lawnside BBQ
Read Profile
Pitmaster & World Champion
Melissa Cookston
Memphis BBQ Co.
Mississippi Delta
Read Profile Co-Founder, Pappy's Smokehouse
Mike Emerson
Pappy's Smokehouse
St. Louis, Missouri
Read Profile Chef & Pitmaster
Rob Magee
Q39
East Coast
Read Profile Founder, Scott's Bar-B-Que (Hemingway)
Roosevelt Scott
Scott's Bar-B-Que
Hemingway, SC
Read Profile Former Head Pitmaster (retired 2026)
Roy Perez
Kreuz Market
Lockhart, TX
Read Profile Former Pitmaster, Bogart's Smokehouse
Skip Steele
Bogart's Smokehouse
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Longtime Owner, The Barbecue Center
Sonny Conrad
The Barbecue Center
Read Profile
Pitmaster
Tootsie Tomanetz
Snow's BBQ
60+ yearsGiddings, TX
Read Profile Owner & Pitmaster, Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q
Van Sykes
Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q
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Pioneer of Lexington-Style Barbecue; Founder, Stamey's Barbecue
Warner Stamey
Stamey's Barbecue
Lincoln County, North Carolina
Read Profile Founder, Lexington Barbecue
Wayne Monk
Lexington Barbecue
64+ yearsLexington, North Carolina
Read Profile Pitmaster & Owner
Wayne Mueller
Louie Mueller Barbecue
19+ years
Read Profile Why Pitmasters Matter
BBQ Atlas BBQ is not a cuisine that can be fully understood through menus and scores alone. The tradition is carried by specific people who have spent decades learning how smoke interacts with meat.