Since 1960, A.N. Bewley Fabricators has been bending, slicing and welding steel for high-quality barbecue pits that can easily cost $20,000.

Pit master Rodney Scott is now on his fifth leg of the tour and has set up shop behind Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q on the south side of Birmingham, Ala. Scott greets old friends as he tends to a ...