The seventh season of Emmy Award-winning TrueSouth Presented by YellaWood hits the road for Episode 3 on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET, exploring the Whole Hog Triangle of Tennessee. The series revolves around two food stories told from one place, which TrueSouth sets in conversation to make larger points about Southern beliefs and identities.

All episodes of TrueSouth are available on demand on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ immediately upon airing.

TrueSouth Episode Hub

Episode Summary
TrueSouth explores the Whole Hog Triangle of Tennessee, where the old ways of cooking barbecue endure and two families work together to secure a future for this remnant of our rural past. Defined by Lexington to the west, Parsons to the east, and Jacks Creek to the south, the triangle is set below I-40, east of Jackson.

Filmmaker Joe York serves this episode as our cultural expert. In the early 2000s, he began working with TrueSouth host John T Edge, back when Edge directed the Southern Foodways Alliance at the University of Mississippi. They collaborated on barbecue films for almost 20 years, Edge as a producer, York as director. York’s work for the SFA, and his knowledge of this triangle, form the backbone of this show.

Music for our shows, curated by our director Tim Horgan, plays like a jukebox for the modern South. Representing Tennessee this week are The Dirty Guv’nahs, Judah and the Lion, Hogslop String Band, and more. To hear songs from seven seasons, head to our TrueSouth Spotify list from ESPN Music.

Two restaurants anchor our story:

• BB Scott’s BBQ – Zach Parker runs the place, while his wife Taneal Parker runs Jacks Creek Bar-B-Q, an historic spot they recently revived. Zach Parker began in the pits here, learning from his father Ricky Parker, who learned from Benjamin Early Scott, whose name remains on the sign. Zach was about to turn 22 when his father died. This is the story of what happened when Zach stepped into the smoke to live up to Ricky’s belief in him.
• Ramey’s BBQ – Ramey’s BBQ is just 18 miles down the road in Parsons. Daryl Ramey and his sprawling family, led by his daughter Candice Lineberry, rely on the same hog farmer that Zach Parker does. They use hickory wood, too, cut from the towering trees that blanket this countryside. They cook those pigs low and slow for around 24 hours, too. Daryl has made a few innovations along the way, but these two places are best defined by what they have in common: dedication to the hard work of whole hog and dependance on family.

Season Summary
Season seven began August 27 in Oklahoma City, Okla., exploring the oil and cattle work that puts money in pockets and ribeyes on tables at Cattlemen’s Steakhouse and Junior’s Supper Club. Episodes premiere every other Tuesday, ending Nov. 19. Up next, we drive the Upstate of South Carolina to eat chilidogs with short story writer George Singleton. In coming episodes, dive into coal mining and its legacies in Jasper, Ala., travel southwestern Little Rock, Ark., to eat chicken al carbon, and close the season with our annual behind the scenes road trip. 

Advance press screeners of TrueSouth: Season Seven, Episode Three are available upon request: [email protected]. 

About TrueSouth
TrueSouth is an Emmy Award-winning limited series on Southern food and culture, airing biweekly on SEC Network. Four-time James Beard Award winner John T. Edge writes and hosts the show, which is executive produced by two-time New York Times best-selling author, ESPN senior writer Wright Thompson, and produced by Bluefoot Entertainment.

The series, now in its seventh season, revolves around two food stories told from one place, which TrueSouth sets in conversation to make larger points about Southern beliefs and identities. This season’s featured places are Oklahoma City, Austin, Texas, Lexington & Parsons, Tenn., Spartanburg & Abbeville, S.C., Jasper, Ala., Little Rock, Ark., and a special behind-the-scenes finale to finish out season 7. Seasons 1-6 of TrueSouth are available in their entirety on ESPN+.

Music plays an integral role in TrueSouth’s storytelling via on-screen performances and on-screen credits. The TrueSouth playlist on Spotify shares the full soundtrack and score of every season of TrueSouth. A TrueSouth hub on SECSports.com will debut this fall.

About SEC Network
The Southeastern Conference and ESPN launched SEC Network on August 14, 2014. The network televises hundreds of games across the SEC’s 21 sports annually. Programming includes in-depth analysis and storytelling in studio shows such as SEC Nation, Marty & McGee, Out Of Pocket, Read & React and Rally Cap, daily news and information with The Paul Finebaum Show and SEC Now, original content such as the Emmy Award-winning TrueSouth, SEC Storied and SEC Inside, and more. Hundreds of additional live events are available for streaming exclusively on SEC Network’s digital companion, SEC Network+, via the ESPN App and SECNetwork.com. Follow SEC Network on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter/X.