BBQ Inspirations for the Fall Equinox from Chris Lilly, Tuffy Stone, & Hector Garate (The American South)

The Southern Fork

Although The Southern Fork Summer Tour is over, we still have a few weeks together, and the weather has started to turn in much of the South. I don’t know about you, but soon after I feel that first cool breeze, I can’t wait to have a plate of barbecue. Maybe it’s because in my North Carolina childhood, barbecue “stands” as it were, popped up at church parking lots and auxiliary halls each Autumn, using good food to raise money for good causes, but no matter where I am this time of year, I’m thinking about the combo of time, smoke, and the skill of a pitmaster to create this iconic Southern food. The South is full of barbecue styles, each with throughlines of technique but different nuances, and unlike a barbecue purist, I love them all. So in honor of the Fall Equinox, today we dive into the archives for some barbecue inspiration from three who know their way around hot coals: Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson in Decatur, AL, Tuffy Stone, the Professor of Barbecue, out of Henrico, VA, and Hector Garate of Palmira BBQ in Charleston, SC.

Full episodes: Chris Lilly: Big Bob Gibson (Decatur, AL)

Tuffy Stone: Professor of Barbecue (Henrico, VA)

Hector Garate: Palmira BBQ (Charleston, SC)