‘Top Chef’ Shoots Season 23 in Charlotte, Judges Try Out Local Barbecue Flavors

The hit cooking show Top Chef has picked Charlotte, North Carolina, as its newest spot. It's the first time the cameras have rolled into the Queen City, where smoke fills the air and meat sizzles on pits.

Host Kristen Kish and judge Gail Simmons are getting their first bite of Charlotte's food scene. Tom Colicchio, who knows both Carolinas well, joins them. "Carolina obviously is known for barbecue, and all eyes are on barbecue when you come here," said Kish, according to Unpretentious Palate.

The show's experts have sampled the state's best pit-cooked meats. Each bite tells a story: from whole hogs doused in sharp vinegar-pepper sauce out east, to smoky pork shoulder with tangy red sauce in Lexington, to South Carolina's golden mustard-based creation.

Between takes, Simmons stopped at Midwood Smokehouse and Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge. "Generally, the Eastern style seems to be more up my alley — a little less sweet, like more vinegar," said Simmons per CharlotteFive.

Colicchio, who watches UNC basketball games in Chapel Hill each year, stays neutral in sauce wars. "I tend to like it all," he told CharlotteFive. Yet he admits, "I don't love the fine chop that they do here ... I like to chew."

At home, Colicchio works his own magic with short ribs. He rubs them down overnight, smokes them for five hours, wraps them up for one more hour, then lets them sit. "I'm no expert — it's something I mess around with. There's other people who've spent a lifetime with it," he said.

In the East, pit masters chop whole hogs fine as sand, mix in spicy vinegar-pepper sauce, and serve it next to creamy white slaw. Head west to Lexington, and you'll find pork shoulder swimming in red sauce with a side of red slaw.

Cross into South Carolina, and the sauce turns golden yellow. Pit masters mix mustard with vinegar, then stir in brown sugar and honey until it's just right. Slaws might come tangy or mustardy, depending on the spot.

Bravo hasn't told us when Season 23 hits screens. Last time, the show took viewers across Canada.