Barbecue Showdown

• Season 1
• Season 2
• Season 3

Eight of the country's best backyard smokers and pitmasters vie for the title of American Barbecue Champion in a fierce but friendly faceoff.

Reality

1Fri, Sep 18, 2020

Barbecue in the Blood

The competition kicks off with a smokin' staple: the barbecue combo plate. That's two mouthwatering meats and two succulent sides.

2Fri, Sep 18, 2020

Red, White and Barbecue

The competitors make a feast for 50 first responders in a Fourth of July throwdown. Tri-tip, pork chops, cheeseburgers and more are on the menu.

3Fri, Sep 18, 2020

Don’t Need Teeth to Eat This Beef

Time to celebrate the greatest invention in the history of food: ribs! The cooks tackle pork and beef ribs — one with a dry rub, one with a wet sauce.

4Fri, Sep 18, 2020

Tournament of Sandwiches

The smokers serve up a trio of sandwiches: savory chicken with crunchy slaw, tender and tangy pork, and five-layer stacks of beef and sausage.

5Fri, Sep 18, 2020

Raccoon, Iguana and Hare — Oh My!

The pitmasters sink their teeth into some wild meats, delivering dishes like lizard stew, beaver tail crackling and pulled alligator.

6Fri, Sep 18, 2020

Cooking It Old School

Working in pairs, the barbecuers prepare popular proteins from the past, cooking mutton, goat and whole salmon on wooden platforms and over open pits.

7Fri, Sep 18, 2020

Barbecue Around the World

Ingredients and equipment from Morocco, Argentina and Japan spice things up and force the contestants to cook outside their comfort zones.

8Fri, Sep 18, 2020

The. Whole. Hog.

The final two tackle their biggest challenge yet: building their own pits and cooking a whole hog and brisket. It's gonna be a long night!