Get ready to enter the high-stakes world of competitive barbecue – as TLC cranks up its BBQ Pitmasters series tonight at 10:00 PM ET/9:00 PM Central.

Folks – you’re going to gain insight into how some of the biggest names on the professional BBQ circuit do what they do best – make smokin’ good ‘cue.  Each episode will take viewers to a different competition and provide behind the scenes information on what it takes to win big in BBQ.

Eight one-hour episodes of BBQ PITMASTERS have been ordered – so this already has the makings of one heck of a collection set for BBQ aficionados!

Wondering which BBQ Pitmasters we’ll see as part of this initial series?  Hold on  to your tongs, mabel… ’cause the line up is pretty darned impressive:

	Myron Mixon Myron Mixon is a three-time world champion from Unadilla, GA. Get Myron Mixon’s Jack’s Old South Grilling Tips
	Paul Petersen Paul Petersen is executive chef at Rick’s Chop House in McKinney, TX. Get Paul Petersen — Pablo Diablo’s Grilling Tips
	Harry Soo Harry Soo is head cook of team Slap Yo’ Daddy BBQ in Diamond Bar, CA. Get Harry Soo’s Slap Yo’ Daddy Grilling Tips
	Tuffy Stone Tuffy Stone owns Q Barbecue and A Sharper Palate in Richmond, VA. Get Tuffy Stone’s Cool Smoke Grilling Tips
	Johnny Trigg Johnny Trigg is considered the “godfather of BBQ,” he’s from Alvarado, TX. Get Johnny Trigg’s Smokin’ Triggers BBQ Grilling Tips
	Lee Ann Whippen Lee Ann Whippen is owner of Wood Chick’s BBQ in Chesapeake, VA. Get Lee Ann Whippen’s Wood Chick’s BBQ Grilling Tips
	Jamie Geer Jamie Geer is based out of Burleson, TX.

Catch Never-Before Seen Footage of Real BBQ Competition Action

The TLC BBQ Pitmasters series will transports viewers into the heart of the competitive BBQ cooking subculture, where an estimated 10 million people visit each year to get up-close and personal with the leading chefs of America’s burgeoning barbecue circuit.

Like an all-star poker tournament or a championship car race, it is at these events that reputations and respect are gained and lost. For pit masters, the honor rides on the virtues of one perfectly charred rib, and hundreds of thousands of dollars trade hands after a single, mouth-watering bite of brisket.

The men and women featured are part chef, part athlete, and part five-star general. They not only talk a big game, but walk it every step of the way: with grease on their hands, sweat on their brows, and meat on their minds from sun-up to sundown.

Check Out These Sneak Peaks:

Production follows these BBQ Pitmasters at home with their families as they prepare for and compete at various events across the country, including ones in Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, and Nevada.

In addition to the Pitmasters, viewers will also meet the “supporting characters” – the outrageous customized “pits” themselves. Considered the secret weapons and a BBQ Pitmaster’s best friend, these pits seems to develop their own personalities, with names and sometimes even genders.  (Think B.B. King’s guitar “Lucille.”)

“For the competitors we follow, barbecue isn’t a hobby – it’s a passion. Countless hours of work, hundred of miles of travel, and years perfecting recipes go into making one perfect bite of food – with the hopes of winning the title and millions of dollars in prizes,” explains Eileen O’Neill, President & GM, TLC. “BBQ PIMASTERS adds to our menu of programming, sharing stories of passionate real-life characters with the wildly popular BBQ backdrop.”

Original Media CEO Charlie Corwin adds, “The colorful characters and deeply competitive spirit of the American barbecue subculture is truly something to behold, and we have captured this captivating competitive action and bold egos in vivid detail. With this series, we are excited to be further expanding our relationship with TLC who has been a great partner on such series as LA INK, MASTERS OF RECEPTION and the forthcoming FLOWERS UNCUT.”