Slab BBQ Is Now Stack City BBQ — Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Update

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 29, Episode 14 Aired February 22, 2019

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives visited SLAB BBQ & Beer in the "Sandwich Showcase" episode, which aired February 22, 2019, featuring what the show called Triple D's first rib sandwich. According to FlavortownUSA, Guy Fieri tried the McDowell, made with deboned smoked ribs, SLAB's Soul-Glo sauce, pickles, and onions. SLAB BBQ & Beer, which traced its roots to the Sugar Shack BBQ trailer founded in 2006, operated a location at 9012 Research Blvd in Austin; that same address is now home to Stack City BBQ, per Stack City's own website.

Man v. Food, Season 8, Episode 19 Aired November 19, 2019

SLAB BBQ was a local-flavor stop in Man v. Food's Austin episode (Travel Channel, host Casey Webb, aired 2019-11-19), which centered on a Six-Alarm Fire Challenge of six ghost-pepper-salsa tacos elsewhere in the same episode, according to Wikipedia's episode list for the series; the SLAB BBQ segment instead highlighted the restaurant's smoked-meat plates. According to Community Impact Newspaper, the business began as the Sugar Shack BBQ trailer at the University of Texas before becoming SLAB BBQ, with original pitmaster Mark Avalos still involved. Community Impact reported on March 27, 2026, that the North Austin location, at 9012 Research Blvd, had rebranded as Stack City BBQ, with a representative for the business confirming Avalos remained on staff under the new name. A Yelp listing for Stack City BBQ at the same Research Boulevard address shows reviews updated in August 2026, while a separate SLAB BBQ location on William Cannon Drive is listed as closed on Yelp.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 43, Episode 14 Aired October 2, 2026

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: Triple D Nation revisited Slab BBQ in Austin, TX in the check-in episode "Burgers, Breakfast and Barbecue", which aired October 2, 2026, with Guy Fieri returning for its BBQ banh mi, according to Food Network's episode guide.