Where did your love of BBQ come from? It really was a love for cooking and food before barbecue. In high school during the ‘70s, I was looking for a goof off class and signed up for cooking. I went there to play around but I loved to cook from that moment on. Barbecue wasn't my thing at the time, but when I was 25 my friend signed us up for a ribs cooking contest. I borrowed a grill, bought some ribs, did a little homework and learned how to cook these ribs for this contest. We didn't win anything, but I found my place. Later came the real interest in the history and the culture of it. I've lived it since then. It's been a wild ride. I've been very much the beneficiary of barbecue becoming a big deal. I like to think that I helped make that happen, but I've also been the huge beneficiary of it. What inspires you as a pitmaster? The reaction of people when they eat. People have a passionate relationship with ribs. When you cook a slab of ribs for someone and you can tell they’re thinking, "Holy cow, how did he do that?" — it’s amazing! What's your favorite thing to cook? When I cook for myself, it changes every day. But when I'm cooking for other people, the one thing I'll always cook for them is ribs because everyone has a personal relationship with ribs and can usually remember where they experienced their favorite ribs. Has a specific person influenced you in your career? For me it started with the barbecue competitions. Ed Roith was an old Kansas City guy who was one of the top competition cooks at the time. I bought the same smoker that he had—there was only a handful of us that had this smoker —and he took me under his wing and showed me the ways. Another guy, John Beadle from Michigan, was also on the circuit. He wasn't that competitive of a cook, but he was the guy who would remind you to have a good time when you're there and show up early and stay late. How did you break into TV? That's a good question. It probably has to do with Guy Fieri. I met Guy before he was on TV. He had restaurants in California and started coming around the barbecue circuit. At the time, I was a rock star in this world; he will tell the story that when he first came around, not everyone was nice to him, but he’ll never forget that I was nice and welcomed him with open arms. I think Tailgate Warriors with Guy Fieri was the first show we did together. I was a judge on it all the time. And then I was on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives with him. The Food Network executives got to know who I was and it took off from there. I've been around so long, and there were a handful of us that became the "go-to" guys who would get phone calls to be part of a show. How does it feel to be famous? Are you recognized on the streets? It's funny. Laura Reiley wrote that I have the perfect level of fame. I do get recognized a lot, but it depends on where I am. Up until the last year, I've been more famous nationally than locally. People are nice and will come over and say hi, take a picture, which is nice. FROM TOP LEFT: Bone-in Duroc Pork Loin, Dr. BBQ Cornbread SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 localsDISH 15
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