BBQ Crawl

Danielle Dimovski starts her BBQ roadtrip in Nashville, TN. She digs into some dry ribs, barbecue sushi and a killer pork sandwich. The adventure continues at the Music City BBQ Festival where she enters a margarita contest.

In rural Tennessee, Danielle visits Helen’s BBQ, a place run by a female pitmaster! She's been stacking wood and hauling pigs since 1995. It's nothing fancy, but she serves up the best pulled pork sandwich anywhere in the state.

Danielle makes it to Longoria's BBQ, famous for beef jerky and brisket sausage. Then she heads to the urban core of Dallas to the Oink n’ Moo Food truck for a modern take on Texas 'Q. Danielle and BBQ buddy, Ernest Servantes, compete at the Bedford Blues and BBQ Festival. This is her second time at the contest, and the heat is a killer. Can she overcome the weather and do better than last year?

Danielle heads south to Lockhart, the birthplace of Texas BBQ. First up, is Smitty’s Market, an old building that serves up traditional German-style BBQ...which means smoked sausage. After that, Danielle hits up the famous Kreuz Market. From the pits to the portion sizes, everything is HUGE. Next up is Black's BBQ, the oldest family-owned BBQ joint in Texas. They claim to be the first BBQ joint to put brisket on the menu, but these days they are getting buzz for the giant beef ribs which is what Danielle is here to try. Then we dip south to San Antonio, the land of barbacoa a.k.a. steamed cow's head for a taste of this Spanish-style BBQ.

Bison is the state animal for Kansas so it's the theme of Danielle's travels here. In downtown Wichita, "Public at the Brickyard” Danielle noshes down on their tasty bison burgers complete with crushed espresso seasoning and chipotle aioli. Then it's off to the Indian Creek Bison ranch to see these beasts in person. Danielle and BBQ buddies, Andy and Kim Groneman compete at the Sky’s the Limit BBQ Classic in Garden City, Kansas. This is a super small contest, with only 15 teams! This is a welcome change from Danielle’s usual 50 - 100 team contests. This contest is small but mighty. Danielle takes a risk by switching up her pork recipe.

Danielle heads to Jet BBQ in Wichita Kansas. Located in a historic firehouse, this is a true drive-thru: drive in one door, order your goods, and drive out. Danielle enjoys some the Jetman's 'Q then heads out in his truck for a joyride! Danielle crosses into Oklahoma and heads to an o' fashioned cattle auction. Farming is big in Oklahoma and these guys know how to pick their beef. Danielle sits in at a live auction, meets some real life cowboys and talks to the auctioneer who gives her a lesson in “auction talk. After that, it’s off to Leo’s BBQ. An old converted gas station that makes a Strawberry Banana Cake that you won't forget. The last stop in Oklahoma is Van’s Pig Stand, the oldest bbq joint in Oklahoma. Danielle enjoys a Pig Sandwich, a two pieces of buttered toast piled high with tender, smokey cubes of pork.

Danielle visits sauce empire “Head Country”, in Ponca City Oklahoma. They churn out 6000 gallons per day. Danielle chows down on the Sampler platter: ribs, sausage, half chickens and brisket. Danielle stocks up on their sauce for the upcoming competition. Then it's off to Cookshack, where Danielle loads up on essentials for the upcoming American Royal BBQ competition. Danielle competes alone at the Cherokee Strip Cookoff.

Danielle hits up the lively city of New Orleans to eat at Boucherie, a southern fine dining experience that fuses together traditional BBQ and international cuisine: Boudin balls, pork belly, blackened shrimp and grits. Then, it's all aboard the Mister Jug shrimp trawler! Danielle helps haul in and sort through thousands of shrimp...it's a true Louisiana experience. Lastly, it's the Jim Bowie BBQ Throwdown in Vidalia, Louisiana. Danielle competes with Chad Ward, her “brother from another mother.”

Danielle visits Johnny Mitchell’s Smokehouse, a backwoods BBQ joint. They serve up hand cut steaks, and something different...smoked tofu. They also pair their BBQ with wine! Danielle does all of the above AND dessert.

Danielle crosses Georgia to the Oink Joint. They have a rep for their HUGE sandwich creations and Danielle tries one called The Fat Boy.... It lives up to its name. Then, it's off to sunny Saint Simons Island for some fishing!

Danielle hits up JB's Smokehouse, the only BBQ joint on Johns Island, SC. She chows down on their smoked ribs AND their 32 side dishes! Next, Danielle visits Sweatman's Bar-B-Que, a place that cooks the whole hog.

Danielle arrives at the American Royal Invitational contest in Kansas City Missouri. She kicks off her time there at The Golden Ox, the oldest steakhouse in Kansas City. Next, Danielle heads to Woodyard BBQ where she grabs a beer and a seat on their patio while chowing down on Pecan Smoked Salmon and some burnt end chili. Team Diva Q arrives and they head to Plowboys BBQ. They serve 'competition style' BBQ meaning that they inject the meats with flavour and use similar cuts of meat. Danielle and the team load up on everything. It's fuel for the upcoming competition!

Danielle and her team compete in the American Royal BBQ Competition. There are two competitions The Open and the Invitational. The INVITATIONAL is tougher. They are up against 100 of the world’s grand champions. The team kicks off the competition with a huge party located in the Dark side of the grounds. This is where the party revelers go and the Kansas City locals. A storm sweeps in but doesn't dampen anyone's spirits.Danielle and the team cook their butts off the next day. They turn in a whopping 13 categories!!!!! Will they score well? It's all up to the judges.