For nearly fifteen years, Sam Taylor, owner and pitmaster of his namesake barbecue joint, occupied a no-frills space at 435 South Cherry Street, but after serving brisket, bones, pork and chicken to a longtime posse of regulars (ironically, Taylor also catered a Pretenders concert back in 2009 for a very-vegan Chrissy Hynde), his pit has gone black.

Sam Taylor's shuttered last Friday, and that sign on the door that alerts knockers to the fact that it's been sold? The buyers are Sam and Patrick Armastad, who own two Sam's No. 3 locations, one downtown at 1500 Curtis Street and a second at 2580 South Havana Street.

And while the Armastads turn the former barbecue joint into an American/Mexican diner -- one that TV dope Guy Fieri showcased on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives last year, Sam Taylor's is selling off just about everything it has during an Internet-only auction on Tuesday, August 21, at 2 p.m.

What's for sale? An Ole Hickory Model SSE gas-fired rotating front load smoker that includes three wood outbuildings; metal patio furniture; Alto Sham holding cabinets; a Combitherm double-stack steam convection oven; two meat slicers; a gas griddle and gas char grill; three walk-in refrigerators; a 46-inch Panasonic plasma TV (!), and a whole lot more. If you want to bid, you can go to http://www.rollerauction.com/auction/41087_SamTaylorsBBQInternetOnlyAucti.asp.

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