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What is Old is New Again: Jimmy Rae of Old Virginia BBQ

By Southern Grit · On May 18, 2020

Article and photography by Fitz

In times of adversity, people will reveal their true character. Covid-19 ravaging our country is one of those times, and Pitmaster Jimmy Rae has shown himself to be a barbecue man who wants to feed the people who most need it.

On April 11, along with his better half Stacy Miller Fowler, Rae and his barbecue team Old Virginia BBQ fed hundreds of people free barbecue meals at Autumn Trails Vet Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. Days later, he contributed heavily to Red’s BBQ Relief in Ashburn, Virginia, which provides free meals to those in need.

Jimmy Rae smoking brisket at the BBQ Exchange in Gordonsville, Virginia

Before covid-19, Rae was quickly making a name for himself by feeding people at the highly regarded BBQ Exchange in Gordonsville, Virginia as it’s Pitmaster since October of 2019. The same year, he founded the Old Virginia BBQ Facebook group page, which boasts close to 2,000 members and serves as a hub for all things Virginia barbecue. Not too shabby for someone who spent more than 30 years as “the grill master” at family events before deciding to look into taking his love for cooking meats to the next level.

Collards freshly made at the BBQ Exchange

If you ask Rae what makes a true barbecue Pitmaster, he will tell you that, “apart from being good at cooking on a single smoker, as many people are, a true Pitmaster has learned enough to cook ‘his authentic barbecue’ on any smoker, in any ambient weather conditions, with control of not only the pit temperature, but also [getting] the same results, no matter what’s on the smoker.” This is where his Old Virginia BBQ slogan, “Any Q Anytime” comes from.

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To begin your culinary journey visit chefva.com or click the flier above.

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Rae’s obsession with barbecue truly took fire after watching the TLC/Destination America cable television show BBQ Pitmasters many years ago, which inspired him to get into competitive barbecue. His exploits in competition barbecue then caught the attention of BBQ Exchange owner/chef Craig Hartman who sponsored Rae’s team (also named Old Virginia BBQ), and asked him to be the Pitmaster at his restaurant. The fit was perfect, as Rae explained, “I love my job as Pitmaster at the BBQ Exchange. The number one reason is the old school methodology. We use green hickory only. We burn it to coals to feed our smokers. We have six smokers on hand…daily, I use three to four minimum.”

Half chickens on the 24”x30” Meadow Creek Cooker

Hartman’s stressing of old school approaches coupled with Rae’s constant hunger for more barbecue knowledge (which drove him to visit much of Virginia and twenty plus states to firsthand experience additional styles based on traditions) pays delicious dividends for barbecue lovers in Gordonsville. For Rae, “the central thrust of great barbecue is low and slow and that requires a lot of time.” At the BBQ Exchange, under Hartman’s eye, Rae is taking his time and using old proven methods to deliver great barbecue to today’s Virginians.