Stories
Jim's legacy, the Smokestack Lightning Interview Tapes — actual transcribed audio of Jim talking BBQ — and the family carrying it on.
Featured Archive
The Smokestack Lightning Interview Tapes
In the 1990s, journalist Lolis Elie and photographer Frank Stewart sat down with Jim Quessenberry and pressed record. These are the Smokestack Lightning Interview Tapes — donated to the Southern Foodways Alliance — Jim, in his own words, telling the stories that built championship BBQ. Transcribed by Michael Quessenberry.
Interview by Lolis Elie & Frank Stewart · Transcribed by Michael Quessenberry
Smokestack Lightning Interview Tapes: Jim's Theory on the Popularity of BBQ
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.
Interview by Lolis Elie & Frank Stewart · Transcribed by Michael Quessenberry
Smokestack Lightning Interview Tapes: Jim Quessenberry on Arkansas BBQ and Sauces
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.
Interview by Lolis Elie & Frank Stewart · Transcribed by Michael Quessenberry
The Smokestack Lightning Interview Tapes: Origin Story on Competing
Jim Quessenberry tells Lolis Elie how he got into competition barbecue — from Britling cafeterias in Memphis to his first Memphis in May in 1978.
Interview by Lolis Elie & Frank Stewart · Transcribed by Michael Quessenberry
The Smokestack Lightning Interview Tapes: Cleveland Rib Mafia
Jim Quessenberry tells the story of locking horns in Cleveland over ribs — and how his ribs went missing like Jimmy Hoffa.
Interview by Lolis Elie & Frank Stewart · Transcribed by Michael Quessenberry
The Smokestack Lightning Interview Tapes: Jim Quessenberry's BBQ Origins
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.
Tributes & History
By Lee Quessenberry
Jim Quessenberry — BBQ of the Old Days — KWYN Yawn Patrol 1993
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.
By Lee Quessenberry
Pioneering Days of BBQ
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.
By Lee Quessenberry
Jim "The Arkansas Trav'ler" Quessenberry: Serious Contender for the Barbecue Hall of Fame
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.
By Lee Quessenberry
Barbecue Hall of Fame Semi-Finalist Press Release
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.
By Ardie Davis
Jim Quessenberry Remembered
Barbecue historian Ardie Davis pays tribute to his friend Jim Quessenberry — championship pitmaster, Arkansas BBQ legend, and American original.
By Lee Quessenberry
Sauce Beautiful Gold Takes Third in American Royal BBQ Sauce Contest
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.
By Lee Quessenberry
Dear Dad, We Did It
Lee Quessenberry reflects on four years of building the Jim Quessenberry BBQ brand — new products, expanding reach, and carrying on his father's legacy.