Episode 187: Who Built American Barbecue? with Adrian Miller

Barbecue is American history — but not the version most of us were taught.

In this episode, I talk with James Beard Award–winning historian Adrian Miller about the untold story behind his book Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue.

Who built American barbecue? How did enslaved pitmasters shape a national cuisine? Why have Black barbecue traditions been minimized in the stories we tell about Texas brisket, Memphis ribs, and Southern food culture?

We dive into Juneteenth celebrations, church barbecues, political gatherings, regional myths, and the fight over what counts as “authentic” barbecue.

If barbecue is America’s food, this conversation asks a bigger question:
 What happens when we forget who built it?

Adrian Miller is an award-winning culinary author, professional speaker, certified barbecue judge, and recovering attorney. He previously served as a White House special assistant to President Bill Clinton, and as a senior policy analyst for Colorado Governor Bill Ritter Jr. Adrian is currently the Executive Director of the Colorado Council of Churches, and was also lead curator for the “Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History” exhibit, which was on view at the Museum of Boulder from summer of 2024 to September of 2025, and will reopen at the Pueblo History Museum in January of 2026.