Heath Riles
Heath Riles is a Mississippi pitmaster, barbecue teacher, and host of Shootin’ The Que, sharing competition techniques and backyard recipes alongside his line of rubs and sauces.
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Latest
Heath’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Heath Riles BBQ
Heath Riles BBQ
Heath Riles BBQOverview
- From
- Mississippi; began competing in Ashland at 18
- Work
- Pitmaster, recipe creator, podcast host, and barbecue entrepreneur
- Brand launched
- Heath Riles BBQ, 2016
- Signature wins
- Memphis in May Grand Champion, 2025 and 2026
Mini bio
How it started.
Heath got his start at 18 on a competition barbecue team in Ashland, Mississippi. In a later interview, he traced that introduction to Don Moody and the Tippah Bottom Hog Rustlers. He had taken welding at school and built his own grill after catching the barbecue bug.
Finding his own name.
He competed as Victory Lane Barbecue before advice from Dave “Sweet Baby Ray” Raymond and Famous Dave Anderson helped persuade him to use his own name. After working in beverage sales, he committed to barbecue full time. Heath Riles BBQ launched in 2016.
A style of his own.
In his Cheshire Pork interview, Heath described combining Memphis, Carolina, and Kansas City barbecue traditions. That mix of sweetness, spice, savory seasoning, and smoke carries into the recipes he teaches home cooks.
From the judging table to your backyard.
His team won Memphis in May’s ribs category in 2022, 2024, 2025, and 2026, adding the overall Grand Championship in both 2025 and 2026. Fans can follow his methods through recipe tutorials and hear him swap cooking stories with guests on Shootin’ The Que.
Creditschronological, newest first
Recipes and collaborations
- 2026Cooking with Friends: Grilled Rack of Lamb with Bobby THost and recipe collaborator
- 2026Grand Champion McRibRecipe creator
- 2026World Championship Baby Back Ribs on the Outlaw PitRecipe creator and instructor
Podcast
- 2026Shootin’ The Que: Inside the Royal Oak Invitational 2026Host with Candace Riles
Barbecue products
- 2016Heath Riles BBQFounder
Awards
Quotes
Develop new recipes and cooking techniques to be a better cook and a better mentor.Heath Riles, YETI ambassador interview
Asked how he improves his work year after year in an interview published March 17, 2023.
Trivia
- He told YETI that his own backyard is his favorite place to barbecue.
- Asked whom he would most like to barbecue with, he chose his grandmother because of her love of cooking.
- He once worked in beer sales before making barbecue his full-time career.
Find Heath
Follow Heath for new cooks, barbecue conversations, and life on the competition circuit.
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