Around the fire · Tall tales & ghost stories
Boastful men, a rotisserie turning over the coals, an iron pot talking steam — the same circle where Jim told it tall and true. Pull up a stump. The night still remembers.
We put the Q in BBQ — and the ghost in the smoke.
Featured archive · Press play if you dare
In the 1990s, journalist Lolis Elie and photographer Frank Stewart sat down with Jim and pressed record. These are the tapes — donated to the Southern Foodways Alliance — Jim in his own words, championship BBQ told like a ghost story over the coals. Transcribed by Michael Quessenberry.
Why did barbecue catch on? Jim Quessenberry's theory, from European TV to hard times, in this Smokestack Lightning interview with Lolis Elie and Frank Stewart.
Listen to the tale →
From the Smokestack Lightning tapes: Jim Quessenberry talks with Lolis Elie about Arkansas BBQ joints, his mother's sauce and the dream behind Sauce Beautiful.
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Jim Quessenberry tells Lolis Elie how he got into competition barbecue — from Britling cafeterias in Memphis to his first Memphis in May in 1978.
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Jim Quessenberry tells the story of locking horns in Cleveland over ribs — and how his ribs went missing like Jimmy Hoffa.
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Jim Quessenberry tells Lolis Elie and Frank Stewart how barbecue was part of his family's celebrations from the start, and shares a laugh about green ham.
Listen to the tale →Pre-order · Digital on launch day
The interview tapes are free by the fire. The full Trav'ler memoir is ready for pre-order — alone or bundled with championship sauce and rub.
Most popular · Softcover + Digital
The championship BBQ memoir — pre-order before launch pricing kicks in. Every print edition includes PDF + ePub on launch day.
$16.99
Michael's memoir in softcover plus a three-bottle championship sampler.
$43.98
Numbered signed hardcover with the Ultimate championship trio.
$61.98
Passed around the circle
Clippings, hall-of-fame nights, and the letters home — stories that don't need a tape deck, just a slow fire and someone willing to lean in.
Meet Lee and Michael Quessenberry in Wynne, AR, Sat Nov 7 from 10 AM. Smoked BBQ ribs $25 a rack and free Sauce Beautiful samples, while supplies last.
Read by the coals →
In a 1993 KWYN Yawn Patrol radio interview, Jim Quessenberry remembers the all-night Fourth of July goat barbecues of his boyhood in Birdeye, Arkansas.
Read by the coals →
In a 1987 recording, Jim Quessenberry gives Ardie Davis a tour of his propane-assisted whole hog smoker from the wild-west days of competition barbecue.
Read by the coals →
The BBQ Central Show names Jim "The Arkansas Trav'ler" Quessenberry a serious Barbecue Hall of Fame contender, citing his pioneering competition career.
Read by the coals →
The American Royal announces Jim Quessenberry among the Barbecue Hall of Fame 2019 Top 9 Semi-finalists, alongside legends like Aaron Franklin and Meathead Goldwyn.
Read by the coals →
Barbecue historian Ardie Davis pays tribute to his friend Jim Quessenberry — championship pitmaster, Arkansas BBQ legend, and American original.
Read by the coals →
A Jim Quessenberry BBQ mustard sauce took third place at the 2019 American Royal "Best Sauce on the Planet" contest, the world's largest BBQ sauce competition.
Read by the coals →
Lee Quessenberry reflects on four years of building the Jim Quessenberry BBQ brand — new products, expanding reach, and carrying on his father's legacy.
Read by the coals →Stay until the embers. The best stories wait for the last man standing — and the best meals start with Sauce Beautiful.
Memoir · Pre-order · Digital on launch day
Michael's championship memoir — the Trav'ler story, the pits, and the family that kept the fire going. Lock in pre-launch pricing before the digital and print editions ship.
2× World Champion 
Irish Cup World Champion 1985 Irish Cup World Champion 1987 
BBQ Hall of Fame Semi-Finalist 2019 
Arkansas Trav'ler Cooking Team 
Memphis in May 1978–1994 
