The barbecue scene in and around San Antonio will get more attention when Food Network’s new series, Pitmasters, debuts later this summer. San Antonio-area pitmasters will be on both sides of the judging table, showcasing their expertise on the barbecue competition show.
Pitmasters is a barbecue competition that pits two teams of nine against each other for a prize of up to $50,000. The show will be hosted and judged by big names in the food world, including Andrew Zimmern, Jess Pryles, Moe Cason and Ernest Servantes. San Antonio locals might know Servantes as the chef and owner of the lauded Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin, which earned a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide.
On the competitor side, San Antonio’s own Esaul and Grecia Ramos of 2M Smokehouse will be among the show’s contestants. Additionally, two chefs with Boerne roots are set to compete on Pitmasters, including barbecue entrepreneur Al Frugoni and Ruben Santana, the pitmaster and founder of Bark Barbecue in Brooklyn, New York.
Challenges in the competition will include breaking down a whole hog, preparing and serving four barbecue essentials and creating a family-style barbecue platter in under nine hours. Pitmasters will premiere on Food Network at 8 p.m. for San Antonio viewers on Monday, July 13, according to a news release. The following day, the new episode will be available to stream on HBO Max…