Before the Fire: Barbecue, Bondage, and Black Brilliance

Before the Fire is a lyrical and unflinching journey through the smoke, soul, and survival of Black barbecue in America. From sacred ancestral fire pits in West Africa to the alleys of Chicago, this sweeping narrative blends real history with fictionalized voices to honor the enslaved cooks, unsung pitmasters, and modern culinary griots who turned smoke into salvation.Told across centuries, this is not just a food story—it is a reclamation of brilliance.Discover how barbecue became a symbol of protest, pride, and power, and meet the women and men who carried the flame through slavery, migration, crack-era collapse, and TikTok revolutions.Every flame tells a story. This one tells ours.