Legendary Pitmasters Past and Present: Chris Lilly

For the next 12 weeks I will be writing weekly posts about 12 pitmasters who have made significant contributions to barbecue. It can be challenging collecting this type of research because most of these people have not written books and there are no websites including their detailed biographies. Perhaps this will change in the future as barbecue gains popularity.

To start this series, I have chosen one of the most well known faces in barbecue.

Pitmaster: Chris Lilly

Positions: VP of Big Bob Gibson's B-B-Q and head of competition team, corporate pitmaster for Kingsford Charcoal, author, TV personality

Still Living: Yes

Restaurant: Big Bob Gibson's B-B-Q; two locations in Decatur, AL and one location in Monroe, NC

Years in the Business: He began barbecuing after graduating from college. He married the great-granddaughter of Big Bob Gibson and left the pharmaceutical sales business to manage a new Bib Bob Gibson's restaurant. Through a lot of hard work and patience, he grew to become an expert pitmaster.

Vitals: World BBQ Champion, multiple Memphis in May titles, wrote Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book: Recipes and Secrets from a Legendary BBQ Joint

Specialties: He enjoys cooking large cuts of meat. His specialty is pork shoulder. He injects flavors into it, and it is so tender that he can pull the bone out by hand.

Quote: "What I love most about barbecue is actually cooking it.  I like to cross the boundaries of regional cooking styles, flavors, and cooker temperatures.  I don’t think you can classify my barbecue as any one style or category." Chris Lilly, Meet the Pros Interview

Sources:

Chris Lilly's Grilling Tips

Chris Lilly, Meet the Pros

Chris Lilly's Pork Shoulder Barbecue

Chris Lilly at BABBP

Home of BBQ

Videos:

Pork Butt Part One

Pork Butt Part Two

The Finished Product in the Big Apple