Houston's Smoke Ring - The Feud, the Fire, and the Birth of the World's Biggest Barbecue Contest

It was February 1974 in Houston, a city on a rocket ride of oil-fueled ambition. Inside the Astrodome, Elvis Presley was commanding the stage of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, creating a cultural earthquake. But the real story wasn't under the spotlights. It was outside, in a cold, muddy parking lot.

There, on a rusty flatbed trailer, an Oscar-winning movie star and a feared food critic sat poised to judge the first-ever World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest. What began as a small, volunteer-led party—a grassroots cook-off between established pitmasters and a cocky crew of amateurs who claimed "You Can't Beat Our Meat!"—would ignite a fifty-year debate over the very soul of Texas barbecue.

"Houston's Smoke Ring" tells the story of how that humble party in a parking lot exploded into a multi-million dollar, exclusive mega-event. We trace its journey from a democratic celebration of smoke and community to a sprawling, corporate tent city with velvet ropes and private security.

Join us as we explore the clash between a populist Hollywood cowboy and a perfectionist critic, the stunning upset victory by a mystery man from Pasadena, and how the passion of a few became a massive industry. This is the story of what is gained, and what is lost, when a backyard party becomes the biggest in the world.

Houston in Story is made possible through the generous support of Rothberg Realty Group.