Sloan Rinaldi, a fourth-generation pitmaster whose family has been in barbecue since 1909, is expanding her Texas Q brand from sauces and rubs into international media. Her story, featured on The Building Texas Show, highlights a career pivot that began after she left construction at 50 and was inspired by a single sliced brisket sandwich at Killen's Barbecue. Rinaldi has since commissioned her own smoker, competed in barbecue championships, and landed a statewide deal with H-E-B for her original sauce, which she later reformulated to remove high fructose corn syrup. Now, she is leveraging that foundation to launch a nine-episode docuseries, From Texas With Love: United We BBQ, filming across eight countries and three continents.
The series, which will explore live-fire cooking traditions from Ibérico hogs in Spain to Japanese wagyu and Argentine gaucho asado, represents a significant step in Rinaldi's media ambitions. Each episode will end with a Texas barbecue collaboration, and the final episode will bring every featured cook to Houston for a cook-off. This format not only showcases global barbecue cultures but also positions Texas barbecue as a unifying culinary force. Rinaldi's philosophy, that barbecue is "the most uniting cuisine or culinary culture on earth," is central to the project. By pairing international traditions with Texas techniques, she aims to bridge cultural gaps and create a platform for cross-cultural exchange. The docuseries also serves as a proof of concept for Rinaldi's broader media strategy, which includes a Houston-based culture series, Grillz on Grills, featuring rappers Bun B, Slim Thug, Trae tha Truth, and Paul Wall.
Rinaldi's international reach is already tangible. She recently hosted two Taiwan-based venture capitalists on a private Texas Q barbecue crawl in Houston. The guests flew 15 hours and fasted for a full day to prepare for an itinerary that included one of only three Michelin-starred barbecue restaurants in the world and two Top 15 stops, one of them Top 10. By the end of the day, conversations had shifted from barbecue to business, with Rinaldi hinting that several cities are now in play for future ventures. This encounter underscores the economic potential of her brand and the growing global appetite for authentic Texas barbecue. It also demonstrates how food can serve as a gateway to international business relationships, a theme Rinaldi is keen to explore further.
Beyond the docuseries, Rinaldi is filming Grillz on Grills, a new Houston culture series expected to launch on YouTube, with hopes of bringing it to Netflix. The show delves into Houston's food, music, and custom-grillz scene, which Rinaldi says has gone global. She and her co-host even get their own custom grillz built during the series, adding a personal touch to the exploration of local culture. For Rinaldi, these projects are not just about entertainment; they are about showcasing the entrepreneurial spirit and cultural diversity that define Texas. Her journey from construction to pitmaster to media mogul illustrates the power of reinvention and the universal appeal of barbecue.
As The Building Texas Show continues to spotlight entrepreneurs and creators shaping the state's economy and culture, Rinaldi's story stands out as a testament to the opportunities that arise when passion meets opportunity. For those interested in learning more or reaching out, the show provides an Email Contact for media inquiries. Rinaldi's expansion into media not only amplifies her brand but also elevates Texas barbecue onto the world stage, proving that a 1909 legacy can evolve into a modern, global phenomenon.
