[Hugin]

The US is undisputedly in the midst of a barbecue boom - there are currently more than 14,000 barbecue restaurants in the country - but African American restaurateurs and pitmasters may be getting left in the dust. Thanks to television and professional barbecue competitions, barbecue chefs have become celebrities with cult followings, but those celebrity faces are largely white.

I call BS. Nothing is stopping black BBQ owners from entering and winning those contests. None of the judges know whose BBQ they are tasting, let alone the race of the cook. Maybe these guys are just good at making BBQ, but not such good businessmen. Maybe their credit isn't so good. I'm sick of the knee jerk call of racism.

[VerySadAmerican]

I judged a BBQ cook off in Texas once. I tasted some of the worst crap I’ve ever spit out. Some of the chicken was rancid. Lots of the brisket smelled and tasted like lighter fluid. I asked myself “Don’t these guys taste this crap before they chopped off a piece to send to the judging.”