TrueSouth

TrueSouth explores the Whole Hog Triangle of Tennessee, where the old ways of cooking barbecue endure and two families work together to secure a future for this remnant of our rural past. Defined by Lexington to the west, Parsons to the east, and Jacks Creek to the south, the triangle is set below I-40, east of Jackson.

Narvaez welcomes the crew into his world, which revolves around Baseline Road, the Camino Real of Little Rock. He and his brother Raul Narvaez own four business in town, including El Super Pollo, a western wear store and two grocery stores. Cooks at El Super Pollo work beneath a tent, in front of the western wear store, turning out whole chickens, kissed by flames and brightened by a spice mix that carries flavor all the way to the bone and gives the birds a neon-orange color.

Johnson works downstate in Mobile, Ala. as a writer and teacher. His next novel, tentatively titled Lou, was inspired by recent research: sorting through old family photos, listening to old family stories, asking new questions. When Caleb was a boy, Ronnie shielded his son from talk of the mines. For this episode, Caleb and Ronnie sat down to talk about that work, what it made possible for their family and the price they paid across generations.Justice Evans grew up in his father's welding shop on the edge of Jasper and the coal mines drove that business. Justice followed his father, Howard Evans, into said business. He also followed his father onto the track. His father raced a stock car at the nearby Sayre Speedway and by second grade, Justice was racing a souped-up go-cart. Now, he races his father's old Monte Carlo.

Singleton grew up in Greenwood, S.C. and now lives on the outskirts of Spartanburg with his partner Glenda Guion, a ceramicist. They make their living as artists, working in side-by-side backyard sheds, accompanied by their dog, Cleo.Two restaurants anchor this story. Both serve chili-slaw dogs, born of the days when cotton mills were the primary employers here. Singleton's stories, which are sometimes sad and always funny, focus on what happened after the mills closed and people had to figure out new jobs and new ways to feed their families. Both spots make their own chili and slaw and serve dogs that are worth detours:Holmes Hot Dogs – On the edge of Spartanburg, S.C., Holmes Hot Dogs is owned by Kyle "Cowboy" Childers.Saxon's Hot Dogs – Set in a gravel lot in Abbeville, S.C., Saxon's Hot Dogs is run by Sue Beasley.

The seventh season of Emmy Award-winning TrueSouth Presented by YellaWood wraps up with the crew's annual behind-the-scenes episode – showcasing the 1,000-plus mile road trip across the SEC footprint, beginning in Oklahoma City, Okla. and ending in Spartanburg, S.C.Traveling, the crew talked about what it means to live and work in the South and marked changes in TrueSouth restaurants they've come to know and love: Helen Turner (season three) of Brownsville, Tenn., the hardest working woman in barbecue, a veteran of four decades in the pits, put down her cleaver back in August. Hunter Evans (season five) from Elvie's in Jackson, Miss., renovated the Mayflower, the beloved Greek seafood restaurant downtown. We lost Carol McKinney (season four) of the Iowa Buffet in St. Louis this year. Ask the crew to name their favorite bar and no one will agree. Ask them to name their favorite barkeep, though, and it's unanimous.

Season 8 kicks off in Clinton, the small Georgia town where host and writer John T. Edge was born. During season 3, Edge began writing a memoir. House of Smoke, which publishes this September, brought Edge back to reconnect with the places and people that made him. The restaurants that catapult Edge back in time are Nu Way Weiners in nearby Macon, where he and his father ate chili-slaw dogs; and Fresh Air Bar-B-Que near Jackson, to which father and son traveled on pilgrimages. On this return to where he began, Edge asks honest questions about home and belonging that transcended the personal to become universal.

This is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the nation, the subject of endless magazine listicles and breathless influencer reels. Is it possible to sidestep the algorithms and really see and hear and taste Charleston? In the process can we learn something about the past and present South? Those are the questions the crew asked. Answers came in conversations with, among others, architect Reggie Gibson, observer of alleyways and courtyards; Jaime Tinoco and Pamela Sierra of Kooben Cafe Mexicano, the vibrant new brunch restaurant near the airport; Bethany and Dano Heinze of Vern's, a neighbourhood restaurant that out-punches its weight; and the daughters of the Albertha Grant, who serve red rice and okra soup at Bertha's, the Gullah-soul mainstay named for their late mother.

Across generations, people have flocked to this Atlantic Coast city to follow their dreams. Farm workers from south Georgia arrived here in search of jobs as longshoremen. Immigrants from Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries came in search of religious and economic freedom. Those dreams inspired prayerful songs like "Lift Every Voice and Sing." And they inspired the hard work and adaptation that drives a sandwich culture here that's second only to New Orleans. Getting to know the Salameh family, proprietors of All American Hot Dogs and Sandwiches; and the Doe and Boutros families, who run Russ Doe's Sandwich Shop, we get a glimpse of what it takes to realize those dreams.

Walter Anderson was one of the most prolific and visionary artists the South has produced. His drawings, paintings, sculptures and ceramics reflect his mantra: "In order to realize the beauty of humanity, we must realize our relation to nature." Beginning at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs, this episode takes viewers on a search for beauty and truth. Along the way, the team pulls oysters from the water off Eagle Point and spend an idyllic Sunday at Wat Buddhametta Mahabaramee, the Thai temple in Gautier, where monks in saffron robes wok-fry cashew chicken for weekly fundraisers and a beautiful woman named Jume Bessier welcomes all.

The behind-the-scenes episode returns for a sprint across the belly of the SEC, in search of really good cheeseburgers. Highlights include: Burger Burger in Biloxi, Miss., for po-boy loaves, layered with double patties and onion sauce; Troy's Snack Shack in Montezuma, Ga., for beautifully sloppy chili-slaw burgers; Hamburger King near downtown Montgomery, Ala., for burgers that pick up an ideal char from the griddle; and Downton Grill in Macon, Ga., for a conversation with Will and Jenni Harris of White Oak Pastures in downstate Bluffton, who talk with Edge about the new-old promise of raising beef cattle on grass.