Episode 8

Barbeque Legacies in Los Angeles

Barbecue Legacies

One of the lasting effects of the Great Migration is the movement of Black foodways, and one of the best examples of this movement is barbecue. On this episode, Deb speaks with Black pitmasters from the Midwest and West about how they are carrying on the Barbeque traditions and legacies of their families.

In this episode, Deb talks to:

• Mona Holmes, an food writer for Eater LA

• Lonnie Edwards, pitmaster and owner of Ribtown BBQ

Episode highlights

LA’s Black Barbecue Scene

• Between the 1940s and the 1970s, 700,000 Black Americans moved to Los Angeles during the Second Migration, Deb explains. 

• Mona talks about the prominence of barbecue in LA, arguing that most people think of Los Angeles barbecue with a Southern lens. She says that LA barbecue is different from what you’d find in New Orleans, North Carolina, or Texas. 

• Vaquero culture heavily influences the way that barbecue is prepared in Southern California, she adds. Common preparation includes seasoned meat over a pit of wood-burning coals often made from redwood.

The Art of Barbecue

• Lonnie has been barbecuing since he was 10 years old, he says, and his aunt Pumpkin taught him most of what he knows.

• His specialty is rib tips, which are commonly associated with Chicago barbecue. Rib tips, which are tough to work with but delicious when cooked, are exemplary of Black foodways, Deb says.

• He then talks about the difficulties of running a barbecue business, from changing suppliers to the art of cooking.

• Lonnie is from Texas, and while his roots influence his cooking, he doesn’t claim Texas barbecue. For example, he doesn’t smoke his meat as heavily as other Texans. 

Legacies of Black Barbecue

• Lonnie reflects on the history of Black barbecue in LA, which until recent years was starting to dwindle as many of the restaurants closed.

• Deb comments on the recent return of barbecue to the LA food scene. Lonnie adds that social media has played a huge role in this resurgence.

• “This isn’t the South,” Mona says. “This is Los Angeles.”

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