Georgia's Kyle Bryner Takes All in 'BBQ Brawl' Season 6

Calling his final feast an “Ode to Appalachia,” pitmaster and restaurant owner Kyle Bryner used his Appalachian ingenuity to land an unlikely win over final co-competitors Tyler Anderson and Brad Leighninger.

The season began with 12 competitors divided into three teams captained by chefs Bobby Flay, Maneet Chauhan and Antonia Lofaso. Kyle and Brad were initially on Team Bobby together before Maneet used her “Steal Card” to bring Kyle to her team at the beginning of Episode 5. It turned out to be a smart move for the first-time team captain on BBQ Brawl.

Maneet, the Indian-American chef and two-time winner of Food Network’s Tournament of Champions, identified with Kyle’s desire to bring a more “obscure” style of cooking to a wider audience.

“When I came to America, I was so surprised to see how badly Indian food was represented, and that’s [why I] get along with you so well, because that’s what you are all about,” she told him as they worked on his final feast.

Kyle, a self-described “unknown hillbilly,” owns Blue Hound Barbecue in Dillard, Georgia — population 337, give or take a few. Dillard, tucked into a small valley in the southern outcrop of the Appalachian Mountains, has been home to Blue Hound since 2023. Kyle cooks what he calls “Southern Appalachian barbecue,” which combines traditional barbecue flavors with Appalachian home cooking, but Kyle’s cooking experience spans more than two decades and has taken him throughout the Southeastern United States.

Challenge Accepted

The last competition of this season of BBQ Brawl was a grueling overnight 15-hour challenge where competitors had to prepare two proteins and three sides. The proteins had to be cooked two different ways: one low and slow and the other cooked over a live fire. Each dish was worth 10 points, for a total of 50 points. The final point total would then determine who would be named Master of 'Cue.

With just 30 minutes to plan, Kyle knew just what to do.

His Ode to Appalachia included chicken-fried ribs, a sausage trio, beef cheeks, pimento cheese grits and a sweet potato crunch — all of which are available daily at Blue Hound Barbecue.

“I don’t come from these areas of big barbecue tradition. My focus has always been on what I consider to be Appalachian barbecue. You know, the underutilized cuts of meat. I love the resourcefulness of it. If this menu doesn’t blow their mind, I don't know what will,” he said.

As the sun set, Kyle worked methodically to prep the beef cheeks for the smoker and mix three distinct flavors of sausage: Appalachian kielbasa with whole mustard seed and garlic, a jalapeño sausage and a Southern morning staple: breakfast sausage.

Breakfast sausage turned out to be a safe bet when judge Carson Kressley appeared before dawn with a bonus challenge for the competitors: prepare a morning meal for the judges and a chance to win up to 10 additional points toward their final total.

Kyle’s pimento cheese, corn and sausage fritter with peach pepper jelly crema secured him an 8-point bonus, though it still left him in last place as the final two hours ticked by.

Still, Kyle pushed on, thinking of his late father as he worked to chicken-fry the ribs and prepare the grits.

“I just know he would be in the grocery store telling every stranger in the milk aisle about his son up in the mountains who’s making a name for himself and for his family,” Kyle said.

Ode to Appalachia

Carson, along with fellow judges Brooke Williamson and Rodney Scott, was treated to Kyle’s chicken-fried ribs with Alabama white sauce as the first taste of his Ode to Appalachia.

“The feast I made is my barbecue journey. It all started with ribs for me,” Kyle told them.

The beef cheeks, which Brooke described as “everything I want out of a beef cheek,” came next, followed by the sausage trio.

“This is the point in my life where barbecue turned into a craft,” Kyle told the judges about his sausage.

Carson was less than impressed with Kyle’s pimento cheese grits with fried green tomatoes, saying he wished there’d been more salt and savory flavor to the dish. The sweet potato crunch — almost a sweet potato souffle with a sweet pecan streusel — received rave reviews from the judges, team captains and fellow competitors.

The Moment of Truth

As the dust from the final feasts settled, judges were faced with a conundrum: there’d been a tie for first place and they would have to talk among themselves to name the winner.

“Essentially, you guys are all winners tonight, and whatever happens tonight, please remember that,” Brooke warned before the final announcement was made.

“Our next Master of 'Cue is Kyle,” Carson said, as Kyle dropped his face into his hands.

Kyle and Brad tied for first place with 52 points. Tyler was on their heels with 51.

“My family is going to be so proud of me. My dad is so proud of me; I can feel it,” Kyle said.

Stop in for a meal from Master of 'Cue Kyle Bryner at Blue Hound Barbecue, 6712 Hwy 441 N, Dillard, Georgia. Blue Hound is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.