American BBQ

On Da Smoke.

Brian Stefan’s earliest cooking memory is of watching Julia Child with his mom and playing with his toy cooking set alongside her: “I put my plastic stuff on the actual stove and turned it on...so the first thing I ever attempted to cook was a total disaster.” Born on the Jersey Shore in 1982, surrounded by Italian cuisine and a descendant of Hungarian immigrants who started a new life in the foothills of West Virginia, Brian’s varied cultural background has resulted in a rich culinary life.

It didn’t take Brian long to trade his toys for real cooking machinery, studying culinary arts at Penn State before cooking under Sean Brock at Charleston’s acclaimed McCrady’s. His path then took him everywhere from Colorado ranches to kitchens in New Zealand, Alaska, and the Caribbean, collecting flavors and techniques along the way. Those experiences, from smoking elk in the Rockies to learning island spice blends in St. Thomas, shaped the style that would become Southern Smoke.

In 2011, Brian returned to New Jersey and launched Southern Smoke with little more than grit and a smoker, he has since taken the business to Vermont, where it lives today. Now, his menu blends soulful Southern barbecue with the global influences of his travels. Brian’s smoked pork is served with apple coleslaw, a recipe he learned from his grandma; his spices often come from the old North End of Burlington, and he even features a smoked beef rib shoulder recipe that comes from the “muscle memory” of his culinary origins. Whether it's the paprika he cooks with, a staple in Hungarian cuisine, or his insatiable desire to always learn new global techniques, Brian embodies his motto of “always trying” to improve, grow, and satisfy with his cooking.