Raleigh’s up-and-coming barbecue pitmasters take their winning flavors to reality TV
As Raleigh’s barbecue star begins to rise, two local pitmasters have became stars of their own.
Reality competition series “Moonshiners: Smoke Ring” recently featured several North Carolina barbecuers, both as judges and competitors. The series airs on streaming platform Discovery+ but is expected to air on the Discovery Channel at a later date, too.
The show is a spinoff of the long-running “Moonshiners” series on Discovery and features Tank Johnson and Stephen Ray Tickle from that show as hosts.
In the first two weeks, two Raleigh pitmasters won back to back episodes, showcasing North Carolina’s traditions and culinary talent.
The premiere episode featured a whole hog challenge, pitting James Sampson of Raleigh food truck Corner Boys BBQ against Zebulon’s Matt Griner of barbecue catering and competition company Southern Q.
North Carolina barbecue legend Sam Jones, who recently opened Sam Jones BBQ in downtown Raleigh, served as the judge, crowning Sampson the winner.
Sampson, a former downtown Raleigh limo driver, started Corner Boys BBQ with a partner in 2016. The popular food truck is known for its brisket, but Sampson proved he can cook it all, showing his skill with North Carolina’s signature style, whole hog. The win on national TV was his first foray into competition barbecue, he said.
“That was my first barbecue competition in my life,” Sampson said. “It’s not something I’ve been practicing for or training for or ever expected to happen. ... It was an awesome experience.”
The ‘full experience’ of barbecue
Sampson has been in and around food since he was 8 years old, pointing to family gatherings as his inspiration.
“I was always attracted to food and always wanted to watch in the kitchen,” Sampson said. “It’s a joy in my family, whenever we’re together for a cookout or family reunion, there’s always food involved.”
He hopes to open a brick-and-mortar location in the next few years, believing the barbecue experience isn’t complete without a smokehouse and a building.
“I do want customers to get the full experience, because barbecue starts when you pull into the parking lot, and you smell the smoke and you see the wood stacked up,” Sampson said. “I do aspire for a brick and mortar.”
Last week, Jake Wood and Eddie Forbis of Lawrence Barbecue took on John Caddell of Knoxville’s John Boys BBQ in a pulled pork challenge, once again making North Carolina proud. Wood’s barbecue joint is slated to open in the Research Triangle Park in a matter of weeks as one of the areas most-anticipated new restaurants.
TV, though, was not something he planned on. Like Sampson, he was contacted by “Moonshiners” producers.
“We ended up not looking like idiots on TV,” Wood said. “It’s odd seeing yourself on TV, but we ended up winning. ... I think the guys on the show did a great job making it about the guys doing the barbecue,” Wood said. “TV in general was not on the priority list, we’ve got a lot on our plate obviously. I want the (barbecue) to speak for itself. But it was a lot of fun.”
Wood’s episode was the pork butt challenge, but also featured pork shanks and trotters as secret ingredients. Wood made trotter collards and also a crispy shank, paying homage, he said, to his days as the chef de cuisine at the now closed Jason Smith restaurant 18 Seaboard, where the pork shank was a beloved dish.
Barbecue and reality TV
The “Moonshiners: Smoke Ring” series follows a long line of barbecue reality shows, popularizing the meat-smoking craft many devote their lives, or maybe just their weekends to.
“Barbecue is such a lifestyle,” Wood said. “Folks get mixed up in it from the regular 9-5 work world. This is guys who have taken it beyond the backyard.”
Winners get bragging rights, but also a trophy of crystal clear moonshine in a mason jar, distilled by show host Stephen Ray Tickle himself.
“I’m not a huge drinker, but I keep a bourbon collection,” Wood said. “This is something special.”
The series airs weekly on Tuesdays on Discovery+. Legendary pitmaster Ed Mitchell will appear as a guest judge on a later episode.
This story was originally published March 24, 2021 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Raleigh’s up-and-coming barbecue pitmasters take their winning flavors to reality TV."
