| "You should open a restaurant" so many people said. I didn't really want to get married to a restaurant. So I did the next best thing - started my own catering business doing on-site southern style barbeque. The gigs were fun, but not surprisingly, a lot of work, too. To be honest, it was one of those things I decided to do just to prove I could do it. I can check that one off my list. As a way of making a living, however, it doesn't cut it. I'm sticking with my original business of electronics manufacturing.
I no longer do BBQ for hire. I only do BBQ for certain non-profit events with humanitarian causes. And of course, if you're a personal friend of mine, you know exactly where to find the ribs!
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"You should sell your BBQ sauce in stores" so many people said. Seriously? Have you looked at how many brands already crowd the shelves at the grocery store? I've followed the careers of a few BBQ sauce entrepreneurs, and I find little to be attracted to in their struggles to make it. Yes, I spent 20 years perfecting my recipe. But it is good because I don't cheap out on the ingredients. It would never be commercially viable.
"Is the recipe a secret?" I've been asked. Not any more - I'm posting it right here. And I would have given it to you anyway if you really wanted to make a batch of it.
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I fell in love with barbeque years ago, and once I was hooked, I was always on a mission to learn how to do it better. I have owned a few different types and brands of equipment, and every new piece of equipment I get does a better job than that last. But of course, I know what I'm looking for by the time I go shopping for equipment again.
Good barbeque is not so much about the equipment, though. It is more about the combination of smoke, slow cooking, rubs and sauces.
I have tested many recipes over the years, and ultimately combine my learning experiences into just a few recipes that tend to be pretty popular. My sweet and spicy sauce has as much pure maple syrup as vinegar. My bold and hot sauce has a touch of habanero. There is a hint of Caribbean Jerk in all my sauces and rubs.
I have won a couple of local amateur cook-offs. I have competed in professional barbeque contests (and won some awards). When I got frustrated over not winning often enough, I decided to see what judging was all about. I went to school and became a KCBS certified barbeque judge. Once I discovered judging was a lot less work than competing, I didn't go back to competing.
I ultimately decided I don't need trophies. The best reward for me is hearing people in the back yard saying "those are the best ribs I've ever had". I didn't believe the first guy, but after hearing it a few times, I'll accept that my ribs (and pulled pork and brisket) are pretty good. And now, on this site, I'll share my "secrets".
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