“There are a lot of strong women in the barbecue world,” says Sawyer Lewis of LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue in Austin. “They’re making big things happen and being taken seriously.”
These innovators can be found shoveling coals in smoky pit houses, serving guests out front, and running the day-to-day operations behind the scenes. They’re teaching others the secrets of barbecue and live-fire cooking online, on television and at in-person events too. Much of this energy can be found in Texas, a place that’s long been a bastion of Southern ’cue traditions. Here are just a few members of this new generation of Lone Star State women who are shaking things up and shaping the future of the industry.