Watch BBQ USA

BBQ USA is a mouthwatering tour of America's best barbecue joints hosted by chef and pitmaster Michael Symon. In each episode, Michael travels to a different region of the United States to discover the unique barbecue styles and traditions found across the country. From Texas brisket to Carolina pulled pork, Michael leaves no smokehouse unturned in his quest to showcase the diversity of American barbecue.

The show kicks off in Michael's hometown of Cleveland, Ohio where he traces his own barbecue journey that began right in his own backyard. Michael then heads down South to explore the barbecue capitals of Texas, Kansas City, Memphis and the Carolinas. In Texas, it's all about slow-smoked brisket and beef ribs. Kansas City is known for its signature sweet and tangy barbecue sauce slathered on pork ribs and burnt ends. Memphis specializes in dry rubs that permeate the pork shoulder during the low and slow smoking process. The Carolinas have a rivalry between eastern and western barbecue styles - eastern Carolina barbecue focuses on the whole hog with a heavy vinegar sauce while western Carolina barbecue features pork shoulder with a ketchup-based sauce.

No American barbecue road trip would be complete without a visit to some of the legendary smokehouses that have stood the test of time. Michael visits joints like The Salt Lick in Texas which has been cooking Central Texas-style barbecue over an open pit since 1967. He stops by Arthur Bryant's, a Kansas City staple since 1940, where the original pitmaster created an iconic sauce with a secret recipe. And no barbecue aficionado skips Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous in Memphis - they've been serving smoke-charred ribs since 1948 in a basement downtown.

Along the way, Michael meets the pitmasters keeping traditions alive and learns the tips and tricks of their smoke-filled craft. He learns how cut of meat, wood choice, rubs, sauces and cooking time all impart a unique flavor. Whether it's hickory wood in Kansas City or fruit woods in the Carolinas, the pitmasters take pride in regional nuances. Michael even puts some of those lessons to work himself in cooking demonstrations where he fires up smokers, trims briskets and ribs, and layers on rubs and sauces. He shows how regional influences shape barbecue preferences across the country.

By the end of BBQ USA, viewers come away with a deeper appreciation for American barbecue in all its glorious regional diversity. From quick weeknight meals off the grill to slow smoke-infused feasts, Michael Symon proves there's no wrong way to barbecue - as long as you're bringing people together around good food. BBQ USA celebrates how American communities build traditions around the primal pleasure of meat, smoke and fire.

BBQ USA is a series that ran for 2 seasons (14 episodes) between July 11, 2022 and on Food Network