Monk: Dr. Howard Conyers, a NASA scientist originally from Paxville, South Carolina who attended both NC A&T and Duke University for engineering degrees, is fighting the good fight when it comes to creating awareness of the black contribution to the roots of barbecue. This is a conversation between Howard and his father Harrison, a pivotal figure in his barbecue journey.
Description:
Monk: One of the most recent exciting trends in barbecue is the fusion of other cultures with (primarily) Texas-style barbecue. The Gravy podcast producer Jess Eng visits Houston to explore the beginnings of this fusion with Khoi Barbecue before heading to San Antonio to meet with Curry Boys BBQ in this latest barbecue-focused entry into their podcast series. Bonus: Khruangbin on the backing track.
Monk: A recent episode of the Gravy podcast featured Mackenzie Martin’s story on Henry Perry, the forefather of Kansas City barbecue but also a nearly forgotten figure until very recently. When he passed in 1940, his three notable apprentices went on to cook for the two most historically famous barbecue restaurants in Kansas City: Arthur Pinkard at the first Gates BBQ, and Texas brothers Arthur and Charlie Bryant, who created Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque.
Martin is a a podcast producer and reporter at KCUR, and an earlier version of this story was nominated for a James Beard Award.
The Gravy podcast from the Southern Foodway Alliance interviews Ed Mitchell and his son Ryan on the past and the future of their barbecue ventures and how it hasn’t been so easy for a black man to innovate barbecue in eastern NC.
Description: Ed Mitchell’s name has come to be synonymous with Eastern North Carolina wood-smoked whole-hog barbecue. From Wilson, North Carolina, he grew up smoking hogs and has tried to continue that tradition, using old techniques and traditionally farm-raised pigs.
But almost since the start, Ed Mitchell’s barbeque journey has not been a straight line—business relationships, racism, and smoke have all shaped his rollercoaster ride.
Reporter Wilson Sayre is our guide in looking at those twists and turns.