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Hello, Eaters! There’s a new vendor inside Woodbine Food Hall, at 545 W. 700 South in the Granary District: Salt City Barbecue opened up shop a little over a week ago, and I sat down with pitmaster and owner Rusty Monson to talk about his barbecue. Monson said he got his start in barbecue as a kid growing up in Lehi.
Back then, it was common for people to hunt deer, he said, and the best way to make venison taste good is to smoke it. He would help his grandfather smoke deer and whole chickens, and his grandfather would sell the meat to bars as a side business. (Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rusty Monson at Salt City Barbecue in the Woodbine Food Hall, Salt Lake City on Friday, March 21, 2025.
“He would sell out immediately, and then we’d go back to injecting and brining and smoking the next day, and it was just something I’ve always liked,” Monson said. After he went to culinary school, Monson wanted to get into competition barbecue, so he traveled to Kansas City to learn from the greats Brad Leighninger and Tim Scheer . Monson started out in amateur backyard competitions, then moved to the professional division, receiving two Grand Champions (first place) and four Reserve Grand Champions (second place).
In 2021, Monson started Salt City Barbecue as a food truck, which still travels all over. He won Best Ribs in Salt Lake.