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.
Jim Quessenberry shares his theory on why barbecue caught on — European TV, hard times, and a Sears pool in the backyard — in this Smokestack Lightning interview with Lolis Elie and Frank Stewart.
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In this excerpt from the Smokestack Lightning interview tapes, Jim Quessenberry talks with Lolis Elie about Arkansas BBQ joints, his mother's sauce, and the dream that inspired 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 about how barbecue was woven into his family's celebrations from the beginning — 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 $19.99
Michael's memoir in softcover plus a three-jar championship sampler.
$43.96 $46.96
Numbered signed hardcover with the Ultimate championship trio.
$59.98 $66.98
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.
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 correspondents name Jim "The Arkansas Trav'ler" Quessenberry as a serious contender for the Barbecue Hall of Fame, 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 →
Sauce Beautiful Gold wins third place in the mustard category 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.
Pre-order · Digital on launch day
Michael's championship memoir — the Trav'ler story, the pits, and the family that kept the fire going.
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 
