More than two decades ago, a group of neighbors gathered at the end of a quiet dead-end street in Knoxville for a Memorial Day pig roast. About 40 folks showed up that first year, more than 500 came back the next, and that same neighborhood spirit is what you’ll find every time you walk into our place on Sutherland Avenue.

Now that story has a cover, 200 pages, and a whole lot of barbecue know-how inside. We’re proud to announce Dead End BBQ: The Search Is Over, the first cookbook from our co-owner George Ewart, coming from the University of Tennessee Press in March 2027.

There’s plenty happening around here before the book arrives, too, so pull up a chair! Here’s everything you need to know about the cookbook, plus what’s cooking at Dead End BBQ this season…

Meet the Dead End BBQ Cookbook: The Search Is Over

George’s barbecue journey started back in his early teen years, learning to smoke and grill from his father in the backyard.

Years later, that backyard education carried him through local, national, and international barbecue competitions, including representing Tennessee at the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue, and eventually into the kitchen at Dead End BBQ.

The Search Is Over collects decades of that experience at the smoker and the grill into one book that’s packed with recipes, photographs, practical tips, and the stories behind them. Inside, George walks you through every step of a great cook, including:

• Picking your meat: How to choose the right cuts at the grocery store before you ever light the fire
• Rubs and sauces: How to build the flavors that make barbecue taste like your barbecue
• Sides: The dishes that round out the plate, because at Dead End the sides have always mattered as much as the meat
• Stories: The people, cooks, and competitions that shaped how we do things, from that first pig roast to the competition circuit

It’s written for backyard cooks who want to level up and for seasoned competitors who want to compare notes, and George knows both crowds well, since he also teaches annual smoking school classes at the Beef & Forage Center in partnership with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture.

How to Preorder Your Copy

Dead End BBQ: The Search Is Over will be published on March 23, 2027, in hardcover and ebook formats. Preorders are open now through the University of Tennessee Press, and you can also find it at Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers.

Gifting tip: Shopping for the backyard pitmaster on your list this year? A preorder makes an easy holiday gift, and it’ll land in their hands just as smoking season heats back up in the spring.

Why George Wrote It: A Note from Our Co-Owner

We asked George what he hopes people take away from the book, and here’s what he said:

“I’ve been cooking barbecue since I was fourteen, and almost everything I know, I learned standing next to somebody at a smoker. This book is my way of standing next to you. Every rub, sauce, and story in it comes from a real cook, whether that was the first pig roast on our dead-end street, a long night on the competition circuit, or a regular Tuesday in our kitchen on Sutherland. If it helps one more person cook something their family remembers, that’s a win for me.”

The Burny Mac: Our Food Network Top 10 Dish

If you want a taste of how George thinks about barbecue before the book comes out, the best place to start is the dish that caught Food Network’s attention. Our Burny Mac was named a Food Network Top 10 dish, and once you try it, you’ll see why.

The Burny Mac is a generous portion of our house-made macaroni and pimento cheese topped with brisket burnt ends, and here’s how it comes together:

• The base: our creamy house-made macaroni and pimento cheese, the same one that’s a go-to side on our menu and the star of the Dead End Mac-Attack sandwich
• The burnt ends: rich, smoky pieces of brisket with that dark, caramelized bark barbecue lovers chase, piled right on top
• The bite: smoke, cheese, and tender brisket together on every forkful, which is exactly why folks keep coming back for it

Want to see it built step by step? George walks through the Burny Mac himself in this video on our Instagram, and it’s a good preview of the kind of hands-on tips he packed into the cookbook.

Fall Flavors & Local Brews on Tap

Cooler weather calls for hearty meals, which is why our seasonal Smokehouse Stew and Hillbilly Chili are back on the menu. The stew is loaded with smoked chicken, pork, and sausage along with fresh vegetables and potatoes, and the chili brings burnt brisket ends, ground beef, beans, and our own blend of spices.

Pair either one with something from our drink menu, where our taps rotate through local and regional favorites. (Check out what’s on tap at Dead End BBQ this season.) And if you’d rather sip something stronger, our Smoked Old Fashioned, Big Orange Old Fashioned, and whiskey flights are made for a chilly game night.

It’s Holiday Catering Season in Knoxville

Once November hits, the holiday parties start piling up, and our holiday catering is ready to take something off your plate. Holiday catering from Dead End BBQ is available November 1st through December 31st (excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day) for groups of 20 or more with one week’s notice.

Our Holiday Meal Pack comes with your choice of smoked turkey breast or smoked ham, three sides, and yeast rolls or corn muffins, and you can add cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes with turkey gravy, seasonal cobbler, banana pudding, and more.

Whether it’s an office party or a family get-together, fill out our catering request form to get started and make handling the holiday spread that much easier.

Come Find Your Spot at Dead End BBQ This Season

Between a cookbook on the way, a Food Network-recognized dish on the menu, football on the screens, and holiday catering ready to go, this is one of the best times of year to stop by Dead End BBQ.

Can’t make it in? You can always order online for pickup! And keep an eye on our blog and social channels — we’ll be sharing more about the cookbook as the release gets closer.