BBQ Boy

12-year-old Austin barbecue pro snags spot on newest Food Network show

Carter Hull Austin contestant Kids BBQ Championship TV show 2016

Look for Carter Hull on the premiere of Kids BBQ Championship on Food Network.

Photo courtesy of Food Network

While most pre-teens are gearing up for summer vacation, one young Austinite is competing for grillmaster status on national television. Later this month, 12-year-old Carter Hull will appear on Food Network's newest cooking show, Kids BBQ Championship.

Eight competitors under the age of 14 will show off their skills at the grill, and one will walk away with $20,000 and a profile in Food Network Magazine. Contestants will barbecue their way through themed, elimination-style challenges on six episodes featuring a rotating cast of celebrity judges, including Tim Love, Danielle Bennett, Kardea Brown, Adrian Davila, Graham Elliot, and Kent Rollins.

"My favorite part about being on the show would have to be just waking up every morning and being there," Hull says. "We might be eliminated on national TV, but we're still on national TV, and we beat out hundreds of thousands of kids who wanted to be on the show."

The young barbecue master says he "got into barbecue by just being around it. Growing up in Austin it's on every street corner." His favorites are The County Line and, of course, Franklin Barbecue's brisket.

So what's this young pro's style? "My go-to technique is to brine the meat overnight, and then a dry rub. If I'm feeling fancy, then I might inject it," says Hull. "Right before I pull it off the pit, I will sauce it for a nice glaze."

Hull says grilling is all about personal taste. "Just be you. Do what you want to do. If you're spicy and you like hot seasonings, do that and use hot and spicy," he says. "If you don't like spicy stuff, like me, use sweet stuff — sweeter sauce, sweeter injections, sweeter rubs."

Kids BBQ Championship debuts on Monday, May 23, at 7 pm on Food Network. On the premiere episode, Hull and his fellow competitors will be tasked with making barbecued chicken and side dishes to impress Texas celebrity chef Tim Love.

barbecue tv celebrities interview kids media

Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.