10 Questions With Renowned Pitmaster Pat Martin

Pat Martin isn't your average barbecue guy. Sure, he fits some of the check boxes. He's got a southern twang, so he sounds the part. He's got the scruffy beard and he's not usually found without his trademark "Martin's BBQ" ballcap, so he looks the part. I didn't get close enough, but barbecue smoke is pretty much built into the professional pitmaster, so I'm pretty positive he smells the part as well. 

Pat Martin, pitmaster and founder of Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint in Nashville, Tenn., isn't your average barbecue guy because his brisket and butts are blowing up the culinary world. He's building buzz, has people traveling all across the country to try his barbecue, and can be found on the pages of Bon Appetit and Esquire. Pat played a quick round of ten questions with us, here's how it went down.

You wake up at 3 a.m. and you're starving. What are you eating?
Pat Martin: I usually will go and grab either a giant glass of chocolate milk, in the rare occasion my wife bought chocolate milk, it will usually do the job for me. Or, I just finger blast a jar of peanut butter. Just crush it and go back to bed.

What advice do you have for anyone who wants to be a Pitmaster?
Be very humble, ask a lot of questions and put in your time.

What is something you will not be doing in 10 years?
I will not be working so hard to get others to do their job. One way or another I will not be doing that.

If there were yearbook superlatives for chefs — what award would you win?
I would definitely win the black sheep of the class award.

If you could have entrance music or a theme song when you walked into a room, what would it be?
I would probably say Enter Sandman by Metallica.

Dogs or cats? And why.
Dogs. Because cats suck.

What is the food fad, or movement, or craze that you just don't get?
I tell you what the thing I don't understand at all these cronuts, croissants and croissant donuts, and cupcakes... all that stuff. I've never gotten all that.

In honor of your hometown Nashville's Meat & 3 genre of restaurants... is Mac & Cheese a vegetable?
It sure is.

Do you have a favorite country artist?
Waylon Dungeon Jennings

What's something the general public doesn't know about being a Pitmaster?
They don't know sh*t.

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