Helen Turner

Helen's BBQ in Brownsville, Tennessee

Helen Turner's gotten used to customers poking around her modest barbecue shack looking for the man who runs the place. But she's been stacking hickory and hoisting pork shoulders since 1995. Customers who aren't diverted by the idea of a female-run barbecue joint are often equally struck by the thick smoke that clouds the interior of Helen's BBQ. She tried installing fans to clear the air, but the pit's heat melted them. "Some people say sauce makes it special, but the smoke is what makes the flavor," Helen says. 731/779-3255