Two-day event at Travellers Rest invites guests to get closer to the fire, meet the cooks, taste food straight from the pit and watch young pitmasters compete alongside adults
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — August 11, 2026 — Nashville already knows good barbecue. On September 11–12, the National Barbecue & Grilling Association is giving people a chance to experience it from a little closer to the fire.
Nashville Fire & Flavor will take place at Travellers Rest Historic House Museum and bring together pitmasters, live-fire cooks, barbecue personalities, young competitors and barbecue fans for two days centered around food, fire and the people who make both memorable.
The idea behind the event is simple: create an up-close barbecue experience.
Guests will be able to watch cooks work over live fire, taste food coming straight from the pits, meet the people behind the food, ask questions, hear their stories, visit with barbecue and grilling brands and enjoy live music along the way.
The weekend will feature some familiar names from the barbecue world, including Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q; Nashville’s Carey Bringle of Peg Leg Porker Barbecue; Pat Martin, host of Life of Fire; Dave “Sweet Baby Ray” Raymond, founder of Sweet Baby Ray’s; the BBQ Pit Boys; two-time World Steak Champion Kirk Malzer of Hickman’s Fat Boy BBQ; Rob McMurtrie; and weekend host Michael McDearman.
“Barbecue has always been about more than what ends up on the plate,” said Janet Phelps of the National Barbecue & Grilling Association. “It is the people around the fire, the stories they tell, the things they teach each other and the traditions they pass along. That is what we want people to experience in Nashville.”
Friday Night Around the Fire
Friday, September 11, from 6–9 p.m., guests can enjoy live-fire cooking, tastings, pitmaster appearances, barbecue and grilling vendors, live music and a cash bar.
Cooks will be working throughout the evening, giving guests a chance to see how the food is prepared, talk with the people cooking it and taste food coming right off the pit.
Friday night will also introduce guests to four young pitmasters representing the next generation of barbecue.
The Future of Q Live Fire Cooking Team includes Clayton Dixon of Kentucky, Rae “Lil Gringa” Barker of Texas, Brooklyn Moody of Nashville and Jacey “Bugsy Q” of Mississippi.
They will have their own pit fired up Friday night, preparing food and serving samples to the public.
And that is only the beginning of their weekend.
On Saturday, they will step onto the competition field alongside the adults.
Young Pitmasters Take the Competition Field
Clayton, Rae, Brooklyn and Jacey will cook together Saturday in the Nashville Fire & Flavor live-fire competition, competing on the same field as adult cooks.
All four are also members of the Future of Q Magazine contributor team, where they help share the stories of youth barbecue, young competitors and the families helping grow the next generation of barbecue and outdoor cooking.
Future of Q Magazine is part of a larger effort to tell the stories of the barbecue community, alongside Barbecue News Magazine, which covers barbecue news, competition barbecue, pitmaster stories, events, products, recipes and the broader barbecue industry.
During the event, the young cooks will also take part in demonstrations for kids, giving younger guests a chance to watch, ask questions and learn from young people who are already cooking over live fire and competing.
For Brooklyn Moody, the weekend will be especially meaningful because she will be cooking in front of a hometown Nashville crowd.
“We can talk all day about keeping barbecue traditions alive, but somebody has to give young people the chance to actually do it,” Phelps said. “These kids are not coming to stand behind the adults and watch. Friday night they will be cooking for the public. They will be helping with demonstrations for other kids. Then Saturday, they are going out there and competing with the adults.”
Phelps said she hopes younger guests leave the event seeing barbecue a little differently.
“If a child watches Clayton, Rae, Brooklyn or Jacey cook and goes home saying, ‘I want to learn how to do that,’ then that means something,” she said. “That is how you keep a tradition going.”
It’s All About the Experience
Nashville Fire & Flavor is for serious barbecue fans, but guests do not need to know anything about competition barbecue to enjoy the weekend.
Families, food lovers, outdoor-cooking fans, groups of friends and visitors looking for something different to do in Nashville are all invited.
The experience is about more than tasting good food. It is about standing close enough to the fire to watch the cooks work, meeting the people behind the food, asking questions, learning something new and sharing the experience with friends and family.
Kids 12 and under are free with a paying adult, and parking is free.
The event will be held outdoors at Travellers Rest Historic House Museum, 636 Farrell Parkway in Nashville.
“We want people to come hungry, but we also want them to come curious,” Phelps said. “Talk to the cooks. Ask questions. Let your kids meet the young pitmasters. Taste something that just came off the fire. Stay awhile and enjoy being part of it. That is really what this weekend is about.”
EVENT DETAILS
Nashville Fire & Flavor
September 11–12, 2026
Travellers Rest Historic House Museum
636 Farrell Parkway
Nashville, Tennessee 37220
Friday, September 11: 6–9 p.m.
Live-fire cooking • Tastings • Pitmasters • Vendors • Live music • Cash bar
Saturday, September 12
Live-fire cooking • Tastings • Pitmasters • Competition • Future of Q youth demonstrations • Young pitmasters competing alongside adults
Kids 12 & under: FREE with a paying adult
Parking: FREE
Event information and tickets:
NBBQA.org/nashville-fire-and-flavor
Future of Q Magazine:
FutureofQ.com
About the National Barbecue & Grilling Association
The National Barbecue & Grilling Association (NBBQA) is the professional association for people and businesses in barbecue, grilling and outdoor cooking. NBBQA brings together barbecue professionals, pitmasters, business owners and others in the outdoor-cooking industry through education, networking, events, professional development and industry resources.
About Barbecue News Magazine
Barbecue News Magazine is a source for barbecue news, competition barbecue, pitmaster stories, recipes, events, products and coverage of the barbecue industry. The magazine connects readers with the people, places, competitions and stories shaping barbecue and outdoor cooking.
Learn more at BarbecueNews.com.
About Future of Q Magazine
Future of Q Magazine focuses on young pitmasters, youth barbecue competitors, young cooks and the families helping build the next generation of barbecue and outdoor cooking. Its contributor team helps tell those stories from the perspective of the young people who are living them.
Learn more at FutureofQ.com.
