BBQ Is A Never Ending Learning Curve

Many weeks ago, I enrolled in my second class with Mike Mills, "The Legend" of 17th Street Bar & Grill fame. My first class with Mike covered how to cook BBQ for KCBS contests; we did babyback ribs, St. Louis style ribs, pork butt and brisket. Learned many "tricks of the trade." My second class was "The Business of BBQ." Or, how to run a BBQ joint....and then some.

I gotta tell you, Mike Mills is the goodwill ambassador of BBQ. Not only does he know the art of BBQ, he's all too happy to share it with his students. He is truly a wonderful man and I consider him a friend and if nothing else is accomplished in my travels down this road, his friendship is the crown jewel in my world.

Our instructors in the class wasn't just Mike Mills, but his daughter Amy Mills-Tunnicliffe and the "Aussom Aussie" Paul Mackay and they were wonderful, too.

This photo was taken by me just before these two BBQ Pitmasters demonstrated how to cut a Brisket properly to guarantee the greatest yield from the "flat" of the Brisket.

What's Next? I Don't Want To Know

Had to pull double duty today. First off, in what seems to be a never ending string of trailer calamities, the waste water holding tank had frozen solid. Now keep in mind, we'd added some antifreeze to the tank, but it still froze solid. Another day open lost.

I rented a 150,000 BTU kerosene heater and finally got things unthawed so we can be open tomorrow. I hope folks understand, this two week arctic blast really did a number on our plans to be up and running full-time.

Meanwhile, as the heater heated I had to prepare for our first catering job tomorrow. We're doing lunch for 40 folks at The Bridge Church, where our serving trailer is located. We had gone to Sam's yesterday to get a case of Pork Butts, which they had plenty of. Problem was we opened the box to refrigerate the butts, but they weren't butts; they were babyback ribs. I even bought a Lottery scratcher game ticket today and it was a loser. Should've known.

After getting the real case of Pork Butts, I injected, seasoned and put 6 butts on the pit. Made enough baked beans to feed Cox and his army and slaw's being made tomorrow.

After the past few days, I've felt like FEMA with a BBQ pit. Warmer weather should help two things get going in the right direction, fewer problems and more customers wanting some good 'cue.

"Pitmasters" On TLC Thursdays

Now that the holidays are over, nighttime TV is getting back to normal and that goes for the series, "Pitmasters" on TLC at 9pm, Central.

If you haven't seen this show, it is interesting and entertaining, especially Jack's Old South's Myron Mixon.

This show is like being back on the cook-off circuit. TLC follows these BBQ teams around during the 2009 cook-off season. It depicts life like as it is at these contests, especially the part of the cook-offs that sent me packing and that is many teams shelve their BBQ for what the judges want. I would not no will I do that for a BBQ Judge, and I'm one of them. Your BBQ is your BBQ and if the judges like it, fine and if not, fine. You will hear the teams make reference to what the judges "are looking for." Everyone on the circuit does chicken thighs and I mean everyone. Last episode, Myron stumbled across another team that adopted Myron's style of doing thighs and that was to cook them in a muffin pan. Myron's thought was it made his thighs look uniform to the judges. This really ticked Myron off, but Myron had best prepare himself because in 2010, everybody at every KCBS cook-off will be comin' with a muffin pan in their arsenal. That cat's out of the bag.

But for a look inside the world of competition BBQ, watch this show. Myron is a hoot followed by Johnny Trigg of The Smokin' Triggers BBQ team. Trigg comes off a little grumpier while Myron's about half-a-rebel.

Come and Get It

Chain Gang BBQ opens tomorrow, December 31, 2009 offering the Nixa/Springfield area with real Championship Quality Barbeque. I know I'm not a neutral party, but folks we've got the BEST tasting BBQ this neck of the woods has seen: Kid you not.

Our chickens are brined overnight in our own blend of salts and spices. Briskets are bathed in a wonderful mustard slather that's rich in a beefy, southwest flavor profile all the while, basted in special spices to deliver a wonderful BBQ taste budapalooza. Spell check loves that word.

Come by. We're in the candy-apple red trailer in front of the Bridge Church on Highway 14 in Nixa. To be even more specific, we're right across the street from Walgreen's and McDonald's.

Rediscover what BBQ is all about and what it tastes like when it's cooked from the soul.

The Ice Man Cometh

We had our final health inspection Friday, or so we thought.

I had gone to our serving trailer to make sure we were set; the only thing standing in our way was for the Health Department to verify we had hot water. Friday morning, as it turned out, was the coldest it had been so far this season and inside the trailer was no exception: 16 degrees.

Our water lines were frozen solid and no time to get them functional again before the inspector was scheduled to arrive. So, needless to say we had to reschedule for Monday afternoon for our final, final inspection. I now have a Sun Twin heater running non-stop inside the trailer to prevent the lines from freezing again.

Once we get our final approval and a permit to serve BBQ we can then arrange for other permits to open for business. Look for us mid December.

On The Road Again

Wow! An up and back in one day road trip to KC. I placed the BIGGEST meat order in my life with Bichelmeyer Meats in KC; it ended up being over 600 pounds and $1600 bucks, but once I saw those briskets and pork butts, I knew they were top drawer.

I took 4 huge Coleman coolers I bought at Sam's with me and I filled every one of them. It was a cold day, so all the ice I packed the meat in was still in the coolers two days later; of course I'd unloaded them the night I got home, but they were chilly-willy. Now they're resting at about 36 degrees in their cryovac packaging.

But, while in KC I made two extra stops. One was to Smoke & Fire in Overland Park, KS. What a place that is and it's always fun to shop till you drop while you're there. Heck, even Chef Paul Kirk loves the place. Then, I went north a bit to Penzy's Spice store which I believe is still part of OP. I had been tempted to buy stuff on line at Penzys.com but for some reason never did, but that store was, as Tommy Boy would say, "AWESOME." They've got anything and everything spice wise as well as seasonings and rubs, but I have to say, they had something I'd never heard of; Vietnamese Cinnamon. OMG! That stuff was to die for, but instead of that option, I just bought some.

I have always loved going to Kansas City, now I find the trip even more enjoyable because that town is BBQ and no one else takes the time and trouble to export that love for the pit but yours truly.

Good Food Ain't Cheap and Cheap Food Ain't Good

There's been a lot of planning, thinking, experimenting and soul searching when it comes to opening a BBQ joint, especially in this economic tsunami we find ourselves in now days.

Ever since I had the spark for good BBQ handed to me by my granddad, I have been trying to perfect my cooking skills; some through self-taught trial and error and the other from BBQ folks who travel the cook-off circuit from coast-to-coast. When I first began, I was armed with a small Weber "bullet" smoker and a lone cookbook authored by Rich Davis (the KC Masterpiece guy) and a food writer for the Kansas City Star, Shifra Stein. In the early 1980's, there was no KCBS, no Internet and no access to many of the spices, chili's and peppers that we have today, so much was truly experimenting without a safety net.

I had my granddad's passion for 'cue. I also had my passion and I fused the two of them together. For example, I love to make my own seasonings; instead of buying Chipotle powder at the store, I'll smoke 40-50 jalapeno peppers and then throw them on a dehydrator for two days or so and then grind them to powder. Some might say, that's a lot of work, but what they don't understand is this style and dedication will give my BBQ a flavor profile no other BBQ joint can match. It separates the mediocre from the extraordinary. That's what passion is, plain and simple.

Passion doesn't end there. I make my own sauce, not just one flavor but four. All made from scratch. Every rub seasoning is homemade as are the baked beans, 7 cheese mac n' cheese, cole slaw, sweet n tangy pickles and our hot link sausages. My single goal in starting this business is to bring you the best BBQ I possibly can because Springfield has never been known as a BBQ mecca as say Kansas City has been known for. As an example, KC's BBQ joints are known for "Burnt Ends," and we're gonna have them every day because these little morsels of meat scream BBQ; real BBQ.

I have searched high and low for good, consistent fresh meats to put on the pit because good meat means good BBQ and no offense to local grocers, but good meat cannot be found. My solution? A family owned and operated business with over 100 years experience in raising, processing and proudly offering  beef, pork and chickens with their family name on the label. I found them in Kansas City and I have sampled their meats off my Pit and the quality is unmatched. I guarantee, you will notice a difference because businesses like theirs is a dying breed being squeezed out by big box stores selling big named products that just don't equal the quality my guys offer.

Look for us soon in Nixa. We'll be located in the Bridge Church parking lot on Highway 14 across the street from Walgreen's and McDonald's. Our family looks forward to serving your family.