Pitmaster & Owner
Aaron Franklin
Franklin Barbecue
17+ yearsBryan, 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 Pitmaster & 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 Executive Chef & Pitmaster, Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q
Chris Lilly
Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q
Decatur, Alabama
Read Profile Co-Founder & Pitmaster
Craig Blondis
Central BBQ
22+ yearsMemphis, TN
Read Profile Pitmaster & Co-Owner
Damien Brockway
Distant Relatives
8+ yearsNorfolk, CT
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.
Belleville, Illinois
Read Profile Co-Owner & Pitmaster
Deborah Jones
Jones Bar-B-Q
38+ yearsKansas City, KS
Read Profile Owner & Pitmaster
Desiree Robinson
Cozy Corner
25+ yearsMemphis, 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 Owner & Pitmaster
Frank Vernon
The Bar-B-Q Shop
30+ yearsMemphis, TN
Read Profile Owner, Peak Bros. Bar-B-Que
Irene Rich
Peak Bros. Bar-B-Que
Waverly, Kentucky
Read Profile Founder & Pitmaster
Jeff Stehney
Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que
30+ yearsKansas City, KS
Read Profile Founder & Pitmaster
Jim Neely
Interstate Bar-B-Q
45+ yearsMemphis, TN
Read Profile Co-Founder & Pitmaster
Joe Pearce
Slap's BBQ
12+ yearsKansas City, KS
Read Profile Owner & Pitmaster, Old Hickory Bar-B-Q
John Foreman
Old Hickory Bar-B-Q
Owensboro, Kentucky
Read Profile Pitmaster & Founder, Lewis Barbecue
John Lewis
Lewis Barbecue
20+ yearsEl Paso, TX
Read Profile Second-Generation Pitmaster
John Vergos
Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous
35+ yearsMemphis, TN
Read Profile 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)
35+ yearsLockhart, TX
Read Profile Founder & Pitmaster
LC Richardson
LC's Bar-B-Q
35+ yearsKansas City, MO
Read Profile Founder (Historical)
Leonard Heuberger
Leonard's Pit Barbecue
50+ yearsMemphis, TN
Read Profile Owner & Pitmaster
Lindsay Shannon
BB's Lawnside BBQ
35+ yearsKansas City, MO
Read Profile Pitmaster & World Champion
Melissa Cookston
Memphis BBQ Co.
20+ yearsHorn Lake, MS
Read Profile Owner & Founder, Pappy's Smokehouse
Mike Emerson
Pappy's Smokehouse
St. Louis, Missouri
Read Profile Chef & Pitmaster
Rob Magee
Q39
12+ yearsKansas City, MO
Read Profile Patriarch, Scott's Bar-B-Que (Hemingway)
Roosevelt Scott
Scott's Bar-B-Que
50+ yearsHemingway, SC
Read Profile Head Pitmaster
Roy Perez
Kreuz Market
39+ yearsLockhart, TX
Read Profile Pitmaster, Bogart's Smokehouse
Skip Steele
Bogart's Smokehouse
St. Louis, Missouri
Read Profile Longtime Owner, The Barbecue Center
Sonny Conrad
The Barbecue Center
Lexington, North Carolina
Read Profile Pitmaster
Tootsie Tomanetz
Snow's BBQ
55+ yearsLexington, TX
Read Profile Owner & Pitmaster, Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q
Van Sykes
Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q
Bessemer, Alabama
Read Profile Pioneer of Lexington-Style Barbecue; Founder, Stamey's Barbecue
Warner Stamey
Stamey's Barbecue
Lexington / Greensboro, North Carolina
Read Profile Founder, Lexington Barbecue
Wayne Monk
Lexington Barbecue
Lexington, North Carolina
Read Profile Pitmaster & Owner
Wayne Mueller
Louie Mueller Barbecue
30+ yearsTaylor, TX
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.