Food & Barbecue
Texas Pitmasters Bring Several Traditions to National Television
A Food Network competition puts Central Texas smoke, South Texas influence and live-fire cooking on the same stage.
Texas barbecue has a large presence in Food Network's competition series Pitmasters, with Lone Star competitors representing several distinct approaches to smoke and live fire.
The Texas cooks
The Texas contingent includes Esaul and Grecia Ramos of 2M Smokehouse in San Antonio, live-fire cook Al Frugoni in the Boerne area and Ruben Santana, associated with Barbs-B-Q. Together they represent Central Texas technique, South Texas and Mexican American influences, and open-fire cooking beyond the traditional offset smoker.
What the competition tests
The series places regional technique, fire management and creativity at the center of timed barbecue and live-fire challenges. Those tests reveal the unglamorous part of the craft: fuel choice, heat control, timing and the ability to adjust when a cut of meat does not behave as expected.
Why national attention matters
Texas barbecue is both a cultural calling card and a travel draw. Television exposure can lengthen restaurant lines, but it also gives viewers a closer look at the family histories, regional ingredients and evolving ideas behind the food.
- barbecue
- pitmasters
- san antonio
- live fire
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