Barbecue lovers are in for a real treat on Tuesday, July 30, 2013 when Alabama Public Television features two University of Alabama documentaries on Alabama barbecue restaurants. “A Taste of Hog Heaven” will air at 7:00 p.m. followed at 8:00 p.m. by “Holy Smoke over Birmingham.”
“A Taste of Hog Heaven” takes viewers on a behind-the-scenes look at nine restaurants scattered across Alabama. The restaurants range geographically from Big Bob Gibson’s in Decatur to The Brick Pit in Mobile. Dreamland in Tuscaloosa and Jim’s Pit BBQ on Highway 82 near Billingsley, both popular stops for Crimson Tide football fans, are included as are The Bar-B-Q Place in Ft. Payne, Boar’s Butt Restaurant in Winfield, Sho’nuff BBQ in Alexander City, Dallas Soul Food and Barbeque Restaurant in Camden, and 13th Street Bar-B-Q in Phenix City.
“Holy Smoke over Birmingham” follows a similar approach but concentrates on nine Birmingham area restaurants including Bob Sykes, Carlile’s, Costa’s, Full Moon, Johnny Ray’s, Miss Myra’s, Original Golden Rule, Tin Roof, and the Top Hat BBQ.
The two documentaries provide a historical look at the interesting people and variety of cooking techniques that make Alabama barbecue so special. “A Taste of Hog Heaven” was filmed in 2003 and “Holy Smoke over Birmingham” was shot is 2006. Some things have changed at the featured restaurants but the legacy of great food continues at all of them today.
“A Taste of Hog Heaven” was produced by Dwight Cammeron and Max Shores. Cammeron is a professor in the UA department of Telecommunications and Film and Shores is a producer-director in the UA Center for Public Television and Radio. “Holy Smoke over Birmingham” was produced by Shores as a followup to the first barbecue documentary. Both are narrated by David Thompson, a retired educator who is now serving as a United Methodist minister.
Alabama Public Television is a nine station network covering the state. The University of Alabama has provided programming for APT since 1955 through the Center for Public Television and Radio which is also home to Alabama Public Radio and the University’s TV stations WVUA and WUOA. The Center is a service department of the College of Communications and Information Sciences.
For more information:
A Taste of Hog Heaven
A description of the statewide tour of nine barbecue restaurants.
Holy Smoke over Birmingham
Profiles and links to the featured restaurants in Birmingham.
Alabama Public Television
