We’re almost to the end of May, which means National Barbecue Month will soon be drawing to a close. I hope you’ve been celebrating appropriately. You did know that May is National Barbecue Month, right? And that May 16 was National Barbecue Day? I, for one, can never forget, for each year my email is flooded with pitches from PR reps convinced I have completely run out of things to write about.

“With it being National Barbecue Month,” one begins, “I wanted to check in and see if you have any roundups planned of must-try barbecue spots in Little Rock.”  Another generously offers, “In honor of National Barbecue Month, we’re sharing this coveted BBQ Shrimp & Grits recipe from Nashville’s [restaurant name redacted].”

No, I do not have any Little Rock roundups planned, and it’s kind of rich for a Tennessee restaurant to offer a shrimp-and-grits recipe to a writer in Charleston, where the dish was invented. But thanks for checking in. Those pitches must strike a chord with someone, for every May newspapers and magazines across the country recommend “Five Spots to Celebrate National Barbecue Day” and implore readers to “Celebrate National Barbecue Month with Tips from these........

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