ABOUT THIS EPISODE
This week on This Week in Barbecue, Rasheed Philips and James Welch are back with hot takes, hotter news, and a full plate of barbecue business, food culture, pricing debates, and global flavor.
The episode kicks off with National Taco Day landing on Taco Tuesday, thanks to Old El Paso, before turning into a full debate over the greatest food delivery mechanism: tortilla or potato. From there, Rasheed and James talk about a nine-year-old competitor from Croatia winning at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue, what that says about the global reach of barbecue, and how young talent is already stepping into the smoke.
The crew also digs into chopped brisket as a possible answer to rising beef costs, the difference between sliced and chopped brisket, choice vs. prime beef, hot-and-fast cooking, sausage programs, tallow tortillas, loaded potatoes, and why barbecue businesses may need to make small margin-saving moves to stay open.
The episode also covers Cup Noodles’ Halloween casket promo, 3D-printed cookies tied to plastic breakdown science, Texas expanding its cottage food law allowance, Maryland banning dynamic grocery pricing, and Sweet Auburn’s global barbecue menu featuring Chinese spare ribs, tandoori chicken, tikka pulled pork, hot honey smoked wings, and barbecue chicken fritters.
The episode closes with a bigger conversation about the Sazone era of barbecue, cultural flavor, fusion, and why there is room for everybody at the table.
Listen now for barbecue news, restaurant insight, food culture, business lessons, and honest conversation from behind the smoke.
