Known as the “Barbecue Nerd,” Christopher Prieto is a champion pitmaster, cookbook author, TV personality, BBQ evangelist, and lover of all things ‘cue. In early 2020, Prieto opened Prime Barbecue in Knightdale, North Carolina, and in 2023 expanded with Primo Latin Cuisine celebrating the fusion of his Puerto Rican heritage and barbecue expertise from a food truck located behind Prime. In the short time since Prime Barbecue’s fires have been burning, the restaurant has received Southern Living Magazine’s distinction as one of the “South’s Top 50 Barbecue Joints”, News & Observer’s “Best Barbecue Joint in the Triangle,” and Texas Monthly recognized it as number 2 among the “Top Texas-Style BBQ Joints Outside the Lone Star State.”

Prieto’s life in barbecue has taken him to the stages of Food Network’s “BBQ Pitmasters,” “BBQ Brawl” with Bobby Flay and Michael Symon and “Chopped,” as well as Cooking Channel’s “Man Fire Food.” He also lent his expertise as the author of Southern Living’s “Ultimate Book of BBQ: The Complete Year-Round Guide to Grilling and Smoking.”

Living by his simple mantra – “Stay humble and stay hungry” – Prieto explores all that barbecue means to him and shares his expertise regularly with sold out tickets to his “Ultimate School of BBQ Class” at Prime Barbecue. He also shares his passion for barbecue with America’s Veterans through on-going participation in the Wounded Warriors Project, and honors veterans, first responders and their families with a dedicated civilian sponsored table in the pit room.