Since appearing on Season 3 of Netflix’s hit reality competition series Barbecue Showdown, Sloan Rinaldi has become a household name when it comes to the art of craft-style barbecue.
A fourth-generation pitmaster from Houston, Texas, Rinaldi decided to pick up the family trade after retiring from the male-dominated industry of construction, where she rose to manage large-scale commercial projects. For 32 years, she worked on sites alongside upwards of 50 men.
Wanting to venture into something new, Rinaldi quickly became a pioneer for women and founded Texas Q in 2013, driven by her love for smoking BBQ and putting a modern twist on her family’s centuries-old recipes. With a line of award-winning barbecue sauces, Texas Q captured the attention of H-E-B, and the brand is now carried in more than 300 stores across the Lone Star State. In 2021, Rinaldi decided it was time to rebrand and meticulously modify her products with high-quality ingredients, eliminating high fructose corn syrup and switching to top-of-the-line meats, distinguishing Texas Q in the highly competitive Texas BBQ market.
On top of managing a business and competing on television, Rinaldi also released her highly anticipated Barbecue Showdown Cookbook, which features her 13 challenge-winning recipes as seen on the show.
Instinct recently caught up with the celebrated pitmaster to talk more about her Netflix experience and favorite dishes, as well as the journey of following in her family’s footsteps, her tumultuous childhood, and breaking barriers for queen women.
Check out the full video interview below.
Sloan Rinaldi…
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