Season 7 of TrueSouth explores new territory, returns an old favorite

The Emmy Award-winning series returns with host John T. Edge and producer Wright Thompson painting a rich and deeply delicious portrait of the American South. A wildly popular event on the SEC Network, it appropriately debuts with the start of the college football season. Here’s why you should tune in.

Fascinating journey

The TrueSouth team has come a long way since the popular series debuted in 2018. From the inaugural episode in Birmingham, Ala., to a delicious stop at the center of the country ham universe in Bentonville, Tenn., Benton’s home, these compelling excursions it shows the incredible diversity of the region from a culinary perspective. John T. — as the host is known to friends and fans — said he’s pleasantly surprised that there’s no shortage of tasty stories to tell.

“The South provides an inexhaustible source of material,” John T. said in a recent telephone interview. “When we first started, I thought we would rely on the places we knew and the people we knew. But the joy of the show has been meeting new people and learning about new places, many of which are driven by suggestions from our viewers.”

Season 7 opens with a trip to Oklahoma cattle country, where, yes, there are still cowboys walking and riding. John T. and crew take viewers on a tour of OKC’s famous backyards. “It was really remarkable to be on the catwalk looking over the cattle pens, seeing the whole world from above and talking later to people who know how much marbling an animal has by the way it looks.”

A trip to that neighborhood wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the historic Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, which has been serving up T-bones and the like for more than 100 years. “You’re probably going to see somebody who’s low and saved to treat themselves eating side by side with somebody who looks like the latest version of a cattle baron,” John T. said, calling the dinner there a prime example of “democracy with a small d.”

And by the way, Botari’s meals come with all the dishes from salad and fresh bread from the oven, baked potatoes or fries and vegetables. (We vote yes to this Old School approach!)

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Back to the future in the whole country of barbecue pigs

When it comes to the entire Hog Triangle of west-central Tennessee, John T. has a history with the people and the place. In the early 2000s, when he was head of the Southern Foodways Alliance, he traveled with a video crew to capture that region’s special story. The result was director Joe York’s captivating Whole Hog, which debuted to thunderous applause at the Culinary Institute of America’s Worlds of Flavor conference in 2006.

Since then, the film’s most colorful character, Ricky Parker of BE Scott’s BBQ in Lexington, Tenn., has passed away and his son has stepped up to fill those big shoes.

“It’s nice to step back into that world and see how Zack Parker has honored the way his father did things while figuring out how to build a business that can be sustained across generations.” said John T.

As sustainability moves from a buzzword to a smart way of doing business, the model has long been in place across pig country. “It’s about capitalizing on the strengths of the rural economy, where pig farmers work with craftsmen and a good source of hickory from an area where that wood is used to make ax handles and drums,” explained John T ..

Then there are the loyal customers who know and love the whole hog barbecue, which isn’t about the ribs or the shoulder, but about all the parts coming together for the most incredible sandwich you’ll ever eat.

Important Note: Watching TrueSouth will make you want to hop on a plane and visit. Even if you don’t go, the show certainly hits its mark in telling the complex stories of a part of the world where food brings people together.

Here is the trailer for season 7 of TrueSouth, which airs on the SEC Network, ESPN and is streaming on Hulu. The series is produced by Bluefoot Entertainment.

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