Houston barbecue company surprises Chris Shepherd with new trailer after prized smoker stolen

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Chris Shepherd may not have recovered his stolen barbecue pit, but the story will have a happy ending. Pitmaker, the Houston-based company that built the stolen smoker, announced it will donate a replacement to the chef's Southern Smoke Foundation, a non-profit that raises money to help people in the restaurant industry cover emergency expenses.

"Pitmaker barbecue pits have been used for this noble purpose at Southern Smoke every year for four years," co-owner George Shore said in a statement. "This is why Pitmaker is completely replacing the barbecue trailer that was stolen free of charge. We will not allow theft or ill doings to hinder the incredible mission in our community industry that Southern Smoke is about."

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