Chef Matthew Register and his wife Jessica opened SOUTHERN SMOKE BBQ in 2014 in Garland, North Carolina, carrying on a family tradition of smoking pork the old fashioned way – low and slow over an oak wood fire in their custom designed smoker, “Jezebel.” Food & Wine and The Today Show sang the praises of SOUTHERN SMOKE BBQ and Men’s Journal named it one of the “Top 25 Best Road Trip BBQ Restaurants in the US.” SOUTHERN SMOKE BBQ has recently been featured in Our State, and was recognized among the “Top 5 Best BBQ Places in NC” by USA Today and “Best Ribs in NC” by Food Network.

Register is equally well known for his seasonal, southern sides, elaborate feasts offered through his sister company SOUTH CATERING, his SOUTH SUPPER SERIES and the SOUTHERN SMOKE BBQ FOOD TRUCK. In May 2019, Register debuted his first cookbook – Southern Smoke: Barbecue, Traditions, and Treasured Recipes Reimagined for Today – sharing his barbecue, sides and deep-rooted food traditions celebrated throughout the South. Southern Living, Garden & Gun and The Local Palate recommended it upon release. In 2022 Saveur magazine named Register’s Collard Chowder as one of the best recipes in America.