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October 27-28, 2023
Southern Foodways Symposium ⟶
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October 27-28, 2023
Southern Foodways Symposium ⟶

Oral Histories

The SFA oral history program documents life stories from the American South. Collecting these stories, we honor the people whose labor defines the region. If you would like to contribute to SFA’s oral history collections, please send your ideas for oral history along with your CV or Resume and a portfolio of prior oral history work to info@southernfoodways.org.

< Back to Oral History project: Texas BBQ

ORAL HISTORY

Don Wiley

Since 1981, Don Wiley has built over 1000 custom-made barbecue pits for businesses, college football teams, and individuals in and around central Texas and as far away as New Jersey and Colorado. Each pit is numbered and built to customer specifications. Some of his pits can cook up to 90 briskets or 1000 turkey legs at a time, depending on the needs of the customer. When asked what qualities distinguish a Texas-made pit from others, Wiley is quick to point out that Texas pits just “cook right.”

Date of interview:
2007-06-26 00:00

Interviewer:
Marsha Abrahams

Photographer:
Marsha Abrahams

Download Transcript

“

"Each pit that I build I number. And so I’ve got a record of every pit that I’ve built since 1981…I told my wife—I said I would retire at 400 pits. That didn’t happen. My customers wouldn’t let me." - Don Wiley

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