Pitmasters and Legends

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Myron Mixon

BBQ Pit Master - Best Selling Author - Restaurateur - Pit Builder - Instructor - Legend  

If there is an undisputed "King Of Competition BBQ", Myron Mixon would no doubt wear the crown. Myron Mixon was born May 30, 1962, and is an American celebrity chef and competitor on the competitive barbecue circuit. He is not only the winningest man in competitive BBQ with 4 World Grand Championships, but is also a best selling author and owner of Pride and Joy restaurants in Miami and New York. 
Regardless of the competition or where it's held, Myron is the man to beat. Myron started in competitive barbecue in 1996 at a competition in Atlanta, Georgia. He won first place in whole hog and third place in the pork shoulder competition. He originally only took up competitive BBQ in order to promote his family's BBQ sauce which his parents, Gaye and Jack, had created. His father taught him how to barbecue, and Myron named his BBQ company after him, calling it Jack's Old South.
During the course of his career, Myron has won more than 180 BBQ grand championships and 1,700 BBQ trophies. He has been named Grand Champion at the Memphis in May World Championship on four occasions, in 2001, 2004, 2007, and 2016. Myron is a multi-time Big Pig Jig Grand Champion, having won it most recently in 2012, his third victory in a row. He has so far failed to win the Jack Daniel's BBQ World Invitational, which he has described as the most prestigious competition in the BBQ circuit, but he was runner up in 2004, missing out on first place by 0.1 points, and has come first in the whole hog competition there on three separate occasions.
His achievements have earned him the nickname "the winningest man in barbecue." Myron debuted on TLC's reality television show BBQ Pitmasters in its inaugural series as a contestant. In season two Myron served as one of three judges alongside Art Smith and Warren Sapp.
He signed a cookbook deal in 2010 with publishers Ballantine Books. It was published in 2011, with Paula Deen providing the foreword, and quickly became a best seller. Since that time he has gone on to publish two more best selling books. His publishing achievements include:
"Smokin' with Myron Mixon" - Myron Mixon, Alexander, Kelly (May 10, 2011)
"Everyday Barbecue" - Myron Mixon, Alexander, Kelly (May 7, 2013)
"Myron Mixon's BBQ Rules" - Myron Mixon, Alexander, Kelly (April 19, 2016)
He was even elected mayor of his hometown of Unadilla, Georgia, and was sworn in for a four-year term in January 2016.
And as if that weren't enough, he also has his own line of smokers, Myron Mixon Smokers, which are some the best in the business and holds classes to teach others the art of BBQ. 
Myron Mixon, a true BBQ Legend.

Johnny Trigg

The Godfather of BBQ, BBQ Pitmaster and Legend

Johnny Trigg from Alvarado, Texas is an American celebrity chef and competitor on the competitive barbecue circuit. Born in 1938, Johnny is one of the oldest competitors still active on the competition circuit. He is a two time Grand Champion of the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational, and has appeared on the TLC reality television show BBQ Pitmasters. He was introduced to BBQ after he was impressed by a coworkers briskets, and bought his first smoker in 1984. After attending a competitive BBQ event in 1989, he entered his first BBQ event in 1990 in Denton, Texas,  and jokes that BBQ is his "golf game". After entering contests in his home state of Texas, he began competing at Kansas City Barbecue Society events in 1999 as the prize money was better.  He annually enters around 45 contests each year spending between 225 and 230 days each year on the road.  His BBQ team is called "Smokin' Triggers", and he has been nicknamed the "Godfather of BBQ". He has twice been named the Grand Champion of the Jack Daniel's World Championship BBQ Invitational in Lynchburg, Tennessee, in 2000 and 2003   It was the first time that any competitor had won the competition more than once.  The event is considered to be the most prestigious championship in competitive BBQ. He appeared in the first two series of the TLC reality television show BBQ Pitmasters. He was one of four chefs who traveled to Kuwait to feed the US troops stationed there, cooking over a hundred briskets at each station. In 2012 he was inducted into the National Barbecue Hall of Fame by the American Royal Association. Johnny came back to cook in season 3 of BBQ Pitmasters. He not only placed 1st in the turkey and pork belly competition, but advanced onto the finale, eventually winning the title of BBQ Pitmaster Grand Champion.
Johnny Trigg, a true BBQ Legend.

 

Jamie Geer

BBQ Pit Builder - BBQ Pit Master

Jamie Geer is perhaps best known among the masses as being one of the stars of TLC's BBQ Pitmasters TV series, where he was last season Grand Champion. He has been competing in competitive BBQ for the last 29 years.  Outside of the TV show though, Jamie is known among pro circuit BBQ competitors as being one of the top competitors in the country as well as the best BBQ smoker builder in the business. Based in, Fort Worth, Texas, Jamie builds custom pits for enthusiasts and competitors on the BBQ circuit. His world famous smoker line is Jambo Pits.
BBQ Pitmaster - Restaurateur

 

George "Tuffy" Stone is an American chef and competitor on the competition barbecue circuit. He has appeared on the Destination America reality television show BBQ Pitmasters.  Stone is also a major competitor on the competitive barbecue circuit, with his team "Cool Smoke". He also owns a Virginian based barbecue restaurant chain he named "Q Barbecue". His nickname is "The Professor", as he is known to be a bit of an over doer when it comes to his extensive experimentation habits. He also refers to himself as "His own worst enemy" due to his being an extreme perfectionist. Stone was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, and was named George after father. His mother nicknamed him "Tuffy" at the age of two. He attended an all boys prep school and afterwards considered attending East Carolina University on a running scholarship but instead joined the United States Marine Corps for four years. After leaving the Marines, he attended Virginia Commonwealth University. Stone began his culinary career while working under Alain Vincey in 1987 at Vincey's restaurant La Maisonette in Richmond, Virginia. He left the restaurant in 1991, and in November 1993 he started his own catering company alongside his wife, called "A Sharper Palate". He founded his barbecue team "Cool Smoke" in 2004, and cooked alongside his father George. He describes himself as a traditional wood burner, and tends to use hickory wood in his smoking. He was the Grand Champion of the 2006 Albertsville competition, which was organized by the Kansas City Barbecue Society. In 2010, he was named Grand Champion of the Maryland State BBQ Championship, and the same year, he appeared on TLC's BBQ Pitmasters. He later became a judge on the show in season three.
Tuffy's team Cool Smoke won the 2013 Jack Daniel's Invitational BBQ competition in Lynchburg, TN. on October 26, 2013. They went on to win the 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open on October 5, 2014. Tuffy's team Cool Smoke won the 2015 Jack Daniel's Invitational BBQ competition in Lynchburg, TN. for the second time on October 24, 2015, and became the first team to repeat as Grand Champion at the event the following year in October 2016.
In addition to his many other achievements, Tuffy also offers classes on the art of great barbecue.
Melissa Cookston
BBQ Pitmaster - World Champion - Author - Restaurateur

Born and raised in the Mississippi Delta, Melissa Cookston is a trailblazing female food entrepreneur smoking the competition. Cookston is a 7-time world barbecue champion; owner of restaurants, Steak by Melissa in Southaven, Mississippi, and Memphis BBQ Company, a successful barbecue restaurant with locations in Horn Lake, Mississippi; Fayetteville, North Carolina; and Dunwoody, Georgia. She is the author of two cookbooks, “Smokin' in the Boy’s Room” and “Smokin’ Hot in the South. Recognized nationally from many appearances on national news and talk shows as well as cooking shows and the Food Network. Cookston served as a judge on season 4 of Destination America’s “BBQ Pitmasters,” and was named one of America’s most influential BBQ Pitmasters and personalities by Fox News in 2015.

 

Aaron Franklin

BBQ Pitmaster - Best Selling Author - Restaurateur

 

Aaron Franklin is widely regarded as one of the most influential pitmasters in the U.S.. He received the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Southwest in 2015. His popular and critically lauded restaurant, Franklin Barbecue, in Austin Texas, was awarded the Texas Monthly’s coveted Best Barbecue Joint in Texas, and Bon Appetite's Best Barbecue Joint in America. Aaron is also the co-author of the New York Times bestselling book, "Franklin Barbecue, A Meat-Smoking Manifesto" and "Franklin Steak". In addition, you can find him on PBS as the host of his show, BBQ with Franklin. In 2017 Aaron launched an annual food and music festival, Hot Luck Fest, along with partners, James Moody (The Mohawk) and Mike Thelin. In 2018, he opened Loro, an Asian smokehouse and bar, along with fellow James Beard Foundation Award winner, Chef Tyson Cole. Aaron also has an award winning BBQ pit line, Franklin Barbecue Pits. Aaron went on to become a top contender in the competition BBQ circuit. Aaron's interest in barbecue started with the backyard cookouts that he and his wife and business partner, Stacy, would throw. The had no idea what they were getting themselves into when they opened up a small barbecue trailer on the side of an Austin, Texas interstate in 2009. Today, crowds stand in line for hours to get a taste of his mouth watering brisket. Franklin Barbecue has been celebrated by everyone from Jimmy Kimmel to Anthony Bourdain to President Obama.