Shotgun BBQ

Dan - Host: 0:00

Today's episode of the meat & Greet BBQ podcast is brought to you by iOS outdoor kitchens. They are the South's leading outdoor kitchen design and installation specialists Welcome to another episode of the meat & Greet BBQ podcast today we have shotgun who you might know him from the Netflix TV show American barbecue showdown, fascinating man really, really passionate and really knows his stuff and winning competitions all in his area. But shotgun will tell you all about that. So without much further ado, here Shakun

Owen - Host: 0:40

Hi, shotgun. Welcome to the meat & Greet BBQ podcast. Thanks for coming on. For anyone that doesn't know who you are, please introduce yourself.

Shotgun BBQ: 0:49

I will I live in North Carolina. I'm a former US Marine. I've been out for about 25 years now, originally from Georgia grew up in California man but um, you know, a lot of a lot of things transpired between then and now. And I decided, you know, to get into barbecuing and everything. And then I'm already shut down because I was a truck driver. That was my CV handled. You know, we had to have a little nickname to go by my, my my friend. Top guys. So he said we need their piece. I like top done something that Ryan was shot down by shot though like no shot gun. So I said okay, cool. So it's the, and I've been I've been I've been under shotgun for about a man for about 23 years not been shot done. And since I started barbecuing and everything, you know, I was like, Okay, well, let me change my name to something where people would that would actually fit my barbecue. So I came up with the name Boerhaave you know, like, like the wild hogs and stuff. Here. I changed my name to bore hog barbecue. And a good friend of mine because he's gonna make a t shirt for him. He's like, man, don't buy no board this this right here in North Carolina, Fayetteville. He said everybody no more hog hair by no shot done. He said why don't you change it to shotgun and barbecue. And I was like, it has a nice ring to it. So I said you know what's in North Carolina. I'm gonna go with shotgun barbecue fit a bit North Carolina, bam. And it was born. I've been competing under that name. For I've been I've been struggling for a long time. But I've been competing on the shotgun barbecue since 2014. There's another gentleman in the United States in Alabama, is named Edward Peterson. He's also sad on barbecue. But he shot a barbecue period. I'm shadowing barbecue Fayetteville, North Carolina, so you know where I'm at. With my YouTube

Dan - Host: 2:45

Well, in the UK, we're quite far behind you guys when it comes to barbecue. But you know, we're progressing we're learning we want to kind of become the best that we can. And so speaking to people like he was really going to help with that. So kind of when it comes to like the basics of barbecue, if you were to run through people how they should even think about taking their level up to competing wish they even start

Unknown: 3:07

for me or for or for people that want to like follow me, follow you people want to follow, I mean, the best thing to do the best thing to do, honestly, you know, get you a little small grill. If you don't, if you're not familiar with grills, get your little small Weber kettle or Lysol small, you know, whatever squirt grill, and or even a green egg or something, you know, and start in the backyard. And the best thing to do is just start cooking chicken. Chicken is the cheapest. The I mean, you really can't mess up unless you burn it. You know, it's kind of hard to try it. Well. It's kind of easy to dry out. And we would use some chicken and chicken legs, go in the backyard and just start practicing. And the good thing about chicken is that there's any seasoning out there, you can put on chicken, what does I mean? It will help you kind of really decide or figure out as what I did, it will help you figure out the best is the best season down to the worst seasoning to put on chicken. And then you can learn your temperatures of it you can learn you cook in different climates, rainy days, hot rainy day for where you guys are cold days. Straight up. Nighttime cooking, you know in cool evenings, because what's this going to do that's going to help you learn how your actual grill works in different climates. Not Not only that, but it's also gonna show you where your stall points will be. Once you get to like 225 or 250 and then your grill falls back to like 212 to 20 and just like I've been on the grill for like four hours. I don't take chicken legs or chicken wings for hours to cook. Well. If you don't know your grill. It's kind of like knowing your girlfriend. If you don't know your girlfriend, and you reach over to give her a kiss. She might suck you one right she's not ready for that you don't you You didn't take the time to talk to her and learn her. Learn her. Nobody wants surprises.

Dan - Host: 5:05

Yeah, yeah. I just so passionate about barbecue as well. Well, where does that passion come from?

Unknown: 5:11

That my passion, my passion came from my father again, you know, learning, watching him cook and everything man, you know, not when I was a little boy. And I mean, to be honest with you, I've never really wanted to get on the grill. I told Netflix to same thing. I never wanted really to grow, I was clean, had to sell him and I wanted to, I want to be a dentist and all that, you know, they like hey, man, you know, look good with the ladies and stuff. You know? What, um, but as time went on, you know, I moved out, I moved out and I got, I made a little small loss, my Weber kettle grill, you know, which my father saw on our farm when I was a young buck. And I started cooking chicken and half of hams and just kind of like, you know, not really knowing what I was doing. Just kind of like falling off of what I remembered saying my father and my uncles do in the backyard. You know, just from the simple seasonings to the simplest barbecue sauce, boom, bam, there it is. But as time went on, you know, I started learning more, I started learning about the different types of woods, I started learning about different types of coals, I started learning the different types of grills what to use. I mean, I mean, it just started pouring out like Niagara Falls, and I just kind of like, you know, I was, I was so open, open to it. You know, it's like, Wow, I love this man. Because, you know, again, going back to when I first learned how to cook, I had my family had a little boy who lived in an apartment complex. And I'm like, I'm back. And I'm like, Okay, I mean, rock this. When I got my grill started, everybody started coming to us like, oh, man, you got nothing smoking. This smells good back here. Alright, yeah, cool. Cool. No problem. I like that. So I kept kept doing kept doing it. Then we moved. We came to Fayetteville, North Carolina, from Georgia. And I started doing a lot of a lot of summertime birthday parties and stuff in my backyard. The only thing that I really had a problem with learning how to cook before I really love grilling was ribs. I didn't really know when ribs were done when when you can know where ribs are done without putting a thermometer and then checking them because No self respecting griller actually puts the meat thermometer inside a slab of ribs to check the temperature. I mean, we know that pork is done in 195. But technically speaking, when you pick up a rib, and it's still stiff like this, because it's been cooking for three hours or four hours. It's not done. If you pick it up and it drops like Oh, yeah. If a bowl top out or you just busted. So now it's time to wrap it. So was my brother in law taught me how to do that. You know, I mean, again, my passion just kind of grew. It's just kind of expanded the horizons a little bit. And I was like, I love this shit. You know, I'm, I'm, I'm out here like, boom, you know. And then one day, I thought to myself, I said, Because I'm after a lot of backyard parties. And I would always invite friends over. And all the meat was on me and I will tell them, I can get you guys full, but I can't get you drunk. So if you bring the beer, I got to meet you. You bring the heat. I got to meet you. So a friend of mine told me here's my cousin actual he was like, man, because uh, hey, man you ever thought about like because you love this shit so much man you ever thought about you know, instead of via people over and you spend all your money feed everybody and then when they leave all your foods gone with whatever you have left just for yourself. You're gonna buy selling shit, man. Like, not really bro because I just love I just love the camaraderie and my backyard and everything that became my sanctuary. And they said you need to think about that. So I did my little homework and everything and I was like, Alright, let me see how this gonna work. So I went and did When did my little research came back. And I was like, Alright, I think I think I think I'm gonna try this shit. So I stepped out on the corner one day and I had about I think I spent about 100 bucks. I think I made about 100 and maybe 30 or 40 $50 it really wasn't much but I knew right then I was like, oh shit, he was right this machine is good everybody fucking with me, you know? So from that point on man, I mean, my Wingspread I caught it I caught a little breeze and I just kind of flew I was okay. Now this guy just kind of just kind of flew with the breeze and and up then I kind of pan out a little bit a little higher dropped a little bit but But I say all that to say this even though I'm up in the air I stayed grounded mentally. Because Because no matter what you do, or how good you get at it, and that short of time, or and that long of a time. If you let this blow up like a balloon. You get too high, too much pressure is gonna bust and when that balloon We'll pop you right back to where you started. You know why? Because you got too big for your own britches. So you got to stay humble with what it is that you do, and still pay it forward to the ones that taught you. Yeah.

Owen - Host: 10:14

I couldn't agree more. So, where, where? Where did that backyard kind of, you know, passion? And then like you said, taking it to the street? How did you end up in competition barbecue from there?

Unknown: 10:28

Um, well, I used what from the backyard from the backyard again, you know, came from the doing just a lot of my birthday falls in the summertime. And when, when I was learning how to grill, you know, and then I just kind of like, grasped just a basic idea of it. When I was living in Georgia, then we moved to North Carolina here in Fayetteville. And I just kind of, I just kind of like gravitated to it more, you know, still inviting people over, because in my mind is like, okay, if I'm gonna do something, I just want to do it, and then give it to you and be like, hey, hey, what do you think, to me, it's the shit, but you was like, so before I do that, I want to protect myself. So when I perfect it, we are our own worst critics. So the way I perfected is, I invite my friends over. Now, if you my friend, you come over, you know, my barbecue is nasty shit. And what I need to do is to sock it to peppery bone. And I'm still in the process of learning. I'm gonna put myself back in the kitchen, I call it the lab. And I'm gonna go back into my soccer practice and my seasonings. Or if I leave it on the grill too long, well, how can I really tell what my chicken has done? Instead of going by I by sight, because what looks good, what may look not may not be done will look good, may not be good for you. So I learned how to take my thermometer and different thermometers by and I started learning the, the the temperatures of this now, where that came about was I used to watch a lot of food channels a lot of a lot of fun. Food paradise and, and best destination. BBQ pitmasters. And, I mean, I didn't wasn't really big on, on, on on was it called Gordon Ramsay and all that I was really, really big on all them. Because that's more like the chef side. I'm I'm strictly outside, you know, strictly means no cakes, no size and desserts. I'm not into all that, which is great, but it's not me. So I decided just to stick with with the BBQ pitmasters and then to paradises and all that. So when they go into the kitchen, and they started cooking and everything, even if they're grilling and everything, and I'm watching, I'm learning the tools that they're using, and I'm paying attention to this, and I'm soaking it in like a sponge will ship what I do I get on the phone, I call other people that's actually already doing this. That's that's that's one to teach me. You know, and they say, Hey, what are you thinking about getting the competitions? And I was like, Man, I don't know i Good. Well, you only know if you try. I said Well, shit. Okay, damn well, all right. What's gonna be what's gonna be your cook, man? Well, I'm already shot gun was shit. Shotgun, barbecue, and favorite North Carolina art decimate. So I became shot. And the barbecue competition served. And I did my first I did my first show. Now, it was my holy idea. And I brought my Burgoyne on it. I said, Look, man, we're doing all these backyard cooking and everything. You know, like, Okay, I think I want to get into competition. I say I'll pay for everything. I'll even supply the shirts and the grill and the transport come pick you up and everything. I'm gonna see yo, yo, what's up he said, because I was kind of like my my partner in crime. You know, I was getting into remember I told he taught me how to cook ribs and everything. So so it's gonna be so here's our article with it. So the first show we did cost me like, like 150 bucks to get in. And I paid up the I paid the fee, you know, when they got two shirts made. And then we showed up with some random dance groups. was happened to be in October back in 2014. It was cold at night and our first show we did it was cold and we had little pop up tents and had a kerosene heater and we tried to gather air still coming in with cold and shit. Everybody else you know, they got a campers and, and whatever it is they were sleeping in and we are siding and lawn chairs and drinking looking at drinking beer and cooking. Not really knowing what parts of the mix to turn in, you know, for all that we just know how to cook. So we know how to grill so it was like, boom, we turn our meats and she wouldn't get called for nothing. But then when they did the People's Choice Award for Okay, well, when everybody come to the show and they Need a little bit of money, and they walked by all 15 teams, and they sat blueberry bowls of cool a barbecue. Lo and behold, we won People's Choice. First show ever won People's Choice. Wow, I left him at a trophy for like two or three days. And I was like, Hey, I'm gonna see your partner. That's my shit. Remember you my helper, my shit comes home and shotgun barbecue and the competition circuit. And, man, it was kind of crazy because probably about let me see what do you think? Probably about maybe five, maybe six seven shows after that. We didn't want to shut out. And then we'll tell you why don't we just because one of the guys is my barbecue forefathers I caught my big brother and everything. Well, one of my one of our forefathers, he passed away. Or he taught me he kind of learned that I was you know, due to via Facebook and all watching my videos and everything. And then my other guy right here. And right away. She said though, he learned who I was. And he was more reachable than the other gentleman's like two hours away three hours away. And we're just talking, talking, talking to me, and he comes to the house come to the house every day. And I'm back to doing some doing that. And he said, Man, you know when you went because choice, that's kind of like for your first sentence like that love. Well, I began if that's really what drew is something else. But by the time the six years came, you know, my brother in law, his son played baseball, he had to he had to skedaddle on so it was just me. So I wasn't winning, but I was placing 1112 13, sometimes 15 out of like 18 and 19 teams, so I'm losing by like maybe 2/1000 of a point. I mean, not by far. So if I'm like 14 and 15 out of 19 Yeah, I'm kind of down there. But in all the categories, if I'm an import, if I'm pouring 1415 And I'm ribs, like like 1112 and I'm chicken, you know, like like seven, eight, I'm in the top 10. But I'm not school, but I'm not wanting any trophies. I'm not winning any money, but I'm placing. And to me, that's what really mattered. Because I know if I can get in the top 10 Those categories, I perfect my game a little more than I did start winning trophies. Well guess what happened? I did that I started winning trophies, or winning trophies. Let's see the first big trophy out. Well, actually the second trophy I won. After we won People's Choice. It was a little it was a little church function call 535 I'll just get in. And we won second place in beef ribs, which we probably shouldn't want to first but it was a church function. And we didn't go to the church. And people didn't actually went to the church. They knew the pastor was saying the pastor kind of fooled us, as in asking us questions to how to cook the rib to be friends, as if he didn't know. So we've been all cocky. Again, kind of let our hands get a little bigger, a little bigger. You know, they'll do big. We're gonna help him and an ant. He winds up beating us. Oh, no, it was cool, though. So alright, cool. Like say that's what that's what that little gap went to. I was winning. I was kind of by myself. And I was doing all these shows, local shows, probably about maybe a two hour drive for wireless at you know, south, or maybe, maybe maybe west or just maybe 50 miles or here in Fayetteville things I can get to that wasn't gonna break the bank. You need to be able to go to show as well as show up with my beer. All the food I got to buy for myself plus gas emergency money what not, you know, I know so I wonder I wonder if doing a wonder of doing a hearing about that show sometime last year. They had they had all black BBQ cookoff. And they were like why people couldn't get in. They can get in. But they can't cook they can be out helper. So I showed up by myself. I had my friends they were like kind of there but who took it on by myself. Lo and behold, I won first place. I want the whole competition. Hey, I want to hold competition I got a belt. I got a trophy I got like $1,500 I got two trophies a belt and 50 100 all I won the whole competition and and the thing was like during the time everybody I'm cooking again some people I couldn't get the for some people I didn't I want first place chicken tied to my chicken game. I want to second place where if I won overall by a landslide in all three categories. Everybody I competed against if I 15 teams that I competed against was like Hey, man, I'm good things talk shit, man. Once you've gotten that girl over there, man. You're gonna turn that shit in while you keep living your grill up, blah, blah, blah. Just trying to throw me off my game. I'm blocking out I'm drinking my beer. I'm drinking my liquor. doing one thing and having fun. And to the day I won grand champion, you know how motherfucking sorry, people were shaking my hand, but you really, but you got the sad face on. Because you thought you should have won. And then not only that, but you're talking shit to me because I went on Netflix, and I came home on the first episode. Well, just to show you how God don't like ugly. Netflix didn't really give me a chance to debut my real cooking skills. I come back to Fayetteville, where most of my haters were, and all black competition, and I would be everybody as you, you tell me, where where did I go wrong?

Dan - Host: 20:44

No, it is one of those things. I rewatched that earlier and I watched a few episodes afterwards, it's such a shame because everything changes after that first episode, there's so much more that you get to cook that you get to compete in a different way. You get to introduce things like the sides as well. And you have to show your versatility which you didn't really get the opportunity to do.

Unknown: 21:06

I really did get an opportunity to do and of course, again, you know, on the back side of what you said that was more of a faster a more of like a like a faster type cook wasn't

Dan - Host: 21:17

enough, I was just nothing really

Unknown: 21:20

nothing. But we had to run around around. Man, I got a prosthetic hip and a bat and a bulk back tail. I can't move that fast. I like to get on my grill, set it up getting going sit back, crack a beer, talk shit to the guy next to me across the yard and let my girl go get up when I get ready to check my food turn machine and next day. Well, eventually, those episodes turned into that. But I think in the first episode, they probably already knew who they were going to send home. Just based on watching watching their their Facebook feed. I've done a lot of better when I cook. I mean, that's my thing, though. I love Coke for the viability was there. And to me, I cook better when I'm drinking Coke 45 and on all my videos on my Facebook, that's what I say, Well, I'm having fun doing it. And I'm always original. I mean, you can hear it in my voice I tell him to turn my frown upside down. I'm always original. I keep it straight. 100 I don't get up here and okay, because you're so how are you? Stuck in board and shit? No, then I'm gonna do. We're gonna dance. We're gonna clap. We're gonna live we're gonna rap. We're gonna do it all we're gonna drink. We might even trip and fall, but we're gonna have fun. And the end of the day. We're gonna have fun. We have fun doing it. And in my mind and my sight. I love cooking. It's a hobby, but I have fun. Don't I don't turn shadow take ship person. Not. Now, I'm competing in everything. And I gotta turn in some meat. Yeah, I could turn off. I could turn it down a little bit and zone in. Yeah, once I get what I need zoned in and then back the bullshit again. Once that tray goes, Hey, let's rock and roll.

Owen - Host: 22:59

How did the How did the Netflix show come about?

Unknown: 23:03

Well, again, so one of my members guy told you that lives in my big brother's barbecue. Yeah, he lives kind of like about maybe 30 miles from me give or take. And, and all my videos on my Facebook page. I used to make a lot of videos, drinking and having fun and all that dancing. I was told like, Okay, keep doing that, but just kind of refrain from showing the beer so much. So he was like, Okay, well, I was like, Man, fuck that. I'm gonna be me. I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do. You can drop off your phone, whatever, whatever. And one day my my guy he hit me said hey, man on no game, because I'm wanting to get into competition barbecue and stuff. And he was like, I don't like two or three shows. And he was like, Man, I sent me this message, this link and I was like, fuck this. Then I called he said, I think this would be a good look for you. I think this will help you get more world renowned. And he said give it a shot. And that's it. All right. So I went through check that out. Check that out. It was a three month process of applications and cooking every day, sometimes two or three times a day had to go through talking to people and zoom and taking tasks and does all kinds of crazy shit so well. Lo and behold the first bathroom I made it to like I guess the second or the third round, the same guy and it shouldn't be too late. He said hey man, I'm in a neighborhood I'm gonna come by your house and he said What are you cooking? I said Netflix wanted me to cook some chicken thighs or something sauce it up was awesome size and posted. uploaded. He was like a really it's okay to say I'm gonna come down and as highlighted below, I'm like alright, that becomes the my house because like we talked to my wife and everything he said kind of work clothes on, because they weren't a chicken. He dried out, he pulls his phone out. He pulls up the fucking website and Netflix. He starts fucking giving his comments on it. Needless to say, he was one of the representatives for Netflix. A good friend of mine I did not know it completely took me by surprise. Broadcom, Bluetooth. And by the way, he were like, I'm one of the judges in this area. He said, I know the girl this she assigned me, but I didn't tell her I knew who you are. I sent you this link, because I kind of I thought this will work for you. But I can tell him now you made a display. Now you made it to this point. And I like your food anyway, because I've told you before on the circuit, I'm gonna let her know Hey, shotguns good to go. That was that was like some really amazing shit, man. Because all like, Yo, wait a minute. You way. You're jealous. Because somebody who was good at my house, but I know who and it was him. He was a judge. And from that point on, man, you know, every episode after that, every segment after that was zoom calling at 738 o'clock, having to tell the story about this about that. I mean, it just got repetitive. And then it started getting kind of old, you know, because of having to repeat the same shit and talking to different people and Okay, well, we got to get to where we need to go. You know? And September the 2009. Three years ago, like are you guys gonna have your your September? It was September, August either August. Oh, it was August 29. Three years goes by you guys gonna have your plane ticket Bobo. We got there. No, like, we take it 10 people, like, I like 20 503,000 people that have blocked for the shit. I mean, you should have saw all the negative comments about man out there enough for the fuck I do. And this and that, and this, so on and so forth. So, I mean, it was cool. I mean, you know, like, Okay, I'm not worrying about what you're doing. I'm gonna do what I'm gonna try to do and see how it's gonna work out for me. So I went, and I went and showed up and did my thing. And then, you know, they tried to make it seem like I kind of wasn't really, that kind of makes him like, I kind of wasn't really knowing, like, what I was doing, and everything on the show, but I knew what I was doing. It was just like, the kind of it was a different pace for me, you know, just different pace. And then when I came back, and then the show aired, and people got a chance to see it. You know, I believe I got more lovers and the world either here and then I had haters. I mean, there was a lot of people hating me was God, Representative fibrillar he didn't know this. He didn't know that. Oh my God, He made us look bad. He can cook for shit. Everybody's like, Dude, why are you talking like that? Well, guess what this man did. Suddenly Johansson didn't do. Well, I wish I wanted to do it. I would have sold him. Well, you had the opportunity to do he damn it. So why don't you talk to shit about it now.

Dan - Host: 27:59

It's also the pressure when you in that sort of situation as well. Huge difference. And resonated because, you know, people nominated you and asked us to reach out to you to have you on the podcast. That's why you're here. People who follow exactly.

Unknown: 28:15

I mean, you guys are my second podcast. But check this out. I have another show that's streaming in Japan. All over the world. In April, I want to say March I'm gonna say next month or April will be one year since they came right here to my house in my backyard. And they filmed me since I did the Netflix show. And I did the same thing beer can chicken and Japanese Japanese TV production in Japan. And it's only in Japan I had to sell them the right suit and everything so so I have to so I have my own TV show in Japan. I got Netflix I got this will make what my third or fourth podcast I got radio I got I was on the news. So everybody that wants to that wants to shame because it wasn't them suck my dick go to hell You know what I accomplished?

Owen - Host: 29:08

And set it up

Unknown: 29:10

man I'm happy I mean yeah, I walk down the streets you might even say I use I got I'll never remember what happened to you. Why do you keep it on first episode? Why the fuck you are known episode was good, but why the fuck you trying to call me? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Jealous. throwing rocks out.

Owen - Host: 29:37

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Dan - Host: 29:43

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Dan - Host: 30:03

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Owen - Host: 30:41

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Dan - Host: 30:45

So at home, what are you cooking? What's your setup at home?

Unknown: 30:50

What do I have at home so I have I have a barrel smoker, I have a barrel drum feed if I've got a barrel drum, I have a char girl which is which is the same thing as a barrel drum instead of uprightness horizontal. And I have a really, I have a really big long, probably five and a half foot pig smoker. That I call it the casket hasn't lifted have the liquid with two hands that are heavy the lid is and it closes down home just like that. It's about at about 84 inches of cooks based on it. I've had 125 pound hog the whole hog on there, no head, no feet. And I've had, which I actually cooked at a competition. Last year. I cooked it in actually everybody knows that the competition had to have the hawk done and eight and a half hours, eight and a half hours. And it was me and another guy that was only cooking on charcoal and wood. Everybody else had had gas. So I tell people, I say man, you're doing 1416 hours cook, cook a whole hog. I say bro, it does not. You can get a home done eight and a half hours. I said how do I know? Because then the competition I did. That was the protocol. By eight o'clock in the morning, everybody's girl had to be turned off. Everybody's hog better had been done while you're getting disqualified as they did with our hogs about 738 o'clock that night, I put my hog on the grill about 930. And I went high and fast. And by the time the sun came up, I mean I had to keep checking and checking and you know, adding cold and moving the cold around and keep it going. By the time the sun came up and Mohammed was done. I'm thinking my grid was was about 151 70 Just enough to keep it warm enough. So the judges coming back to me off and check to check the temp, it's done. Shit eight and a half hours too easy. With that, I've had about 80 for chicken leg quarters, I mean big ones all the way across the whole grill. So it's got a lot of tube space on it. Those are my those are those three of my grills. And then I have another I have another upright grill. That's an that's an extra offset grill. So I put my meat and racks 123. And down here is a smoke box. So the smoke goes in and filled the chamber that way and my meats just on the racks and cool I take the racks out and I can hang my ribs and their swing as they cook. So there's this couple of things in the backyard. Nothing major, nothing big time. But the money I put into. Yeah, I started off with about with about probably maybe $400 For my big big cooker. And I've been had that thing maybe about seven, eight years now. And I probably got about maybe about $900,000 tied up into it because it's cast iron steel. And of course still they started wearing Geron rusting, get holes, so I had to go back and refurbish it. And on Monday I added to it. It was an investment it already paid for itself. 12 times over. Yeah. My belt. My Obi barons drum was a gift from my barbecue, big brother, the guy that came to check out my chicken for Netflix. I went to his house one day to just kind of chill. He showed me a couple of things. Right ready to leave. We cooked on the same girl that he gave me. Brand new, he say take this home with you. I was like what is uh, yeah, me and my wife. Were given us a gift. Because we know that you're very passionate in what you do. And we love it. He said, Man, I love to cook with you. I love to cook next to you. I'll keep you posted on all the shows. Around even in South Carolina, the ones that you can get to it's not gonna break your bank. I mean, this guy is like this. I like shit like a seven eight time, like, like, world champion grand champion. I mean, I'm not going to that level yet. I mean, I'm a I'm pitmaster grew up master slash, you know, amateur Pro, but I'm not I wouldn't call myself a professional pitmaster I don't you know that comes with it. without any, I mean sponsors and, and I mean, I got I have my own gear, I have my own logo and design and my shirt and everything but I mean you talking about sponsors, man and, and camera man and, and people with the light when they take a picture of your meat, you know should just don't look like that it looks, it looks more closed real nice. And I mean the word like you can be in a magazine type shit. Yeah. And I don't have that it takes a lot, you know to get that. But of course, I don't want to hear that. Because when I get that, and I'm already disabled, and I draw so secure disability that requires a lot of traveling. And if you're paying me, you know, just to show up for these shows and your supply of grills and the coals and you give me checks and everything, you're going to have to wind up showing some type of 10 Nine and I forget where the money is going. I cannot show where I'm receiving the money. So for me to do what I do, I pay my own little only $250 $200 You know, for this show here that show there. And if I win 2000 or 25, or even three or $400 That's my money. I didn't get report shit. I've come back home with more than I went with. I'm happier. Yeah, I won. I got a trophy. There's what they call hardware. I got hardware. I got bragging rights. Hey, man, I'm happy with it. I'm cool.

Owen - Host: 36:22

With with the competitions that you're doing, are they fairly local? Or do you travel across the states?

Unknown: 36:28

No, they're there. I travel across the state. And some of them I travel, I travel, I travel outside of the state. I mean, give or take, like variabile, North Carolina is only about 50 miles from the border of South Carolina. I mean, that's kind of how low I am in North Carolina, you know, for failure to go south to the border, and South Carolina. But if I'm going to actually go into South Carolina, I could probably wind up doing maybe a two and a half hour trip from failure into South Carolina. But I have not ventured off to a three or four or five hour barbecue trip. You know, going north or going south to going west? Could I do it? Yeah. Do I have the means to do it? Yeah. Do I really want to do it? Not really. Not really. I mean, there's so much to do like a five hour trip from North Carolina to West Virginia or somewhere, which I had been invited to go do these shows. And, and I'm paying 350 to get into these shows. And I got to bring all this stuff with me. I mean, that's again, that's emergency travel money. I have a I have a pull behind camper trailer, that I that I that are invested in real nice, very comfortable, you know, but again, you're dealing with, you're dealing with road hazard, you know, I mean, then you got to go to them shows you don't winch it. You know, whatever reason, you know, you come back empty handed. So that's $350, we'll say about 800 hours that you spend on auto ship to go to a show, but that's the name of the game. They're gonna have the same thing if I went 20 miles here in Fayetteville across town to do a show, and I do anything and I spent 100 hours. Yeah, with me. It's just more like this is more like, yeah, am I really trying to travel like that? I just kind of keep it. I just kind of keep it within within a two, two and a half hour drive radiation. Where am I back to the house. And that's from Friday to Saturday. I leave out about Friday afternoon. I get one going Friday evening. We started our grill up about Friday about nine or 10 Somewhere around there. Cook all night drinking and shit I want to do in the morning by sleep chilling whatever you're gonna do. It's got a chance to talk to you this morning. We turned in our chicken at 10 we're turning our ribs at 1030 We turn in our pork at 11 we turn our brisket at 1130 depending on if they have a for meat category turning or to the category return in a rib at a port cookoff or maybe just already cook off with a steak by hand. I mean there are a lot of different compositions out there. You just don't I mean even down to Chile, I just did a chili contest two weeks, three weeks ago won first place off of Chile. You right here fed and I only drove like like like lugging 50 miles from my house. But I spent about I spent like about let's just say I spent like 60 Maybe 5560 bucks in my gradients that I want to have. I want I want 200 And how much was it? Like what like 170 bucks? Or 50 bucks it has to come up that's a nice I mean shit. I mean, you tell me did I go wrong anyway? Do

Owen - Host: 39:45

you normally have to? Do we have to buy your own ingredients or buy your own ribs or

Unknown: 39:49

brisket? Well, not all the time. Some shows you some shows you go to. They'll they'll they'll have they'll have the rib for you. Like if I visit ribs Cough, they'll have to rip for you. If it's a chicken cook off, they'll have the chicken for you, it just kind of depends, should it just kind of depends. So for the most part, yell, if they do have the root for you, and Ally giving you two slabs of ribs to start, you know, I turn in your best aid cuts, you might want to bring maybe about maybe two more, in case you get a third rainstorm or your grill burn out or whatever the case, or you are you just go to sleep and forget your ribs on and you dry them out and bring them up. And they look blacker than my phone. You know, it's like, wow, how can I? Well, either I'm disqualified or jump on this other pack and try to get them done scoops I can't get them turned in, because I still got enough time to do that. Yeah. And that's what they always tell you. Even if they don't give you to me. And you show up to competition and chicken ribs and chicken, ribs and pork. Well, you always want to bring at least three slides. And two packets of chicken thighs or two packs of chicken legs, family pack and one brisket. I mean, you ain't got time to cook another

Owen - Host: 41:12

14 hours.

Unknown: 41:16

Hey, sorry. Now what do you got? I take your point. Come back on grind.

Owen - Host: 41:22

One of the things that we like we hold dear on this podcast is barbecue fails. So we want to hear about the things that haven't gone so well for you. We quite often have them you know.

Unknown: 41:34

Oh, yeah. So I'll tell you how you learn. Yeah, as I learned so once I'm I was my kids are in school. And I then you know, John drinking throughout the morning everything. And I put some chickens eyes on the grill. And I was like, alright, yeah, I got I got my vet said just right. Come and Go and take a nap. And I came back I will go buy the chicken, my chicken, my chicken nozzles and black shirt. And I had friends coming over to eat with me. That was that was one another one another fail. I was I mean this isn't like just kind of funny moments. You know. I was out I was out at the racetrack that the drag strip and I was cooking real good you know always indulging and stuff selling food and everything. And I thought I taught my grill down real good on my trailer. ride back motorcycles, cars, everybody who just rolling. I go to turn a corner. I don't realize my back my credit sitting the bill instead of falling backwards. So for my rags, my goal, everything fell out and all these things were fired. Everybody running beside me blowing the horn. Hey, you're like, why was it Okay, okay, I'm Brian home. When I get home. I see my grill actually turned over. I lost my grades. So whatever meat was on there fell off. I didn't even know it. Because I didn't. Man, I was like, Oh my God. I mean, they're just funny moments, you know? What else happened?

Owen - Host: 43:20

That is a first but that's the first by the way. We've we've spoke to lots of people, you know about fails. And normally people have burned themselves or set them on fire but actually to lose. Oh.

Unknown: 43:33

You said that right. So so so I was cooking. I was cooking for this college for the big college. And the girl had given me like she gave me I think like Max like charcoal. I don't use next slide. But that's all she had because she was actually sponsoring the show. And all I had to do was show up pick up. So so long my beard is right, there's a little longer. So you put the pieces together, right? So I get the fire started and I'm on my big casket. My casket is about it's probably about maybe three feet deep on the inside, probably probably two and a half feet deep. So I got these big the big gloves on. And instead of me using a stick and move my goes around. I put my face down in the pit and I moved to goes around. I don't realize that the fire has thinning to my beard. A friend shows up. And he like Amen. Why is your beard orange and my beard and he's like, you gotta see your beard. And now like, I'm doing this I'm pulling hair off. And I'm like to hell. And I go look at a mirror. Burma hold them we both died. I mean, I probably burned about a half inch and a half inch all around my beard. Everything was and I'm pulling hair. And I'm like oh my god. Beard smelled like straight burnt hair. I didn't even know that I burned my beard is a fire came upon me. I'm down Oh wait, I didn't realize, Oh my God. Now that was that was another embarrassing moment. Everybody looking at me telling me thinking I dyed my beard and my shoes burned. Yeah, that was crazy. That's about all I can think of right there.

Owen - Host: 45:16

That isn't good. It's real good selection. Yeah,

Dan - Host: 45:18

the good ones, the good ones. I mean, most of the things that we've been having more recently, I mean, I've had nightmares. I've been trying to pizzas more on the Komodo and the amount of times that I actually get the pizza stuck on appeal, and then you try and flick it off. And it just absolutely destroys the stone, things like that. It's just absolutely absolute nightmare. But I do need to up my game if I'm going to be losing a grill on the back of a car, right?

Unknown: 45:45

I want you I want to do that.

Owen - Host: 45:49

So what So what's next for you shop GM for 2023? What's your plans?

Unknown: 45:54

Ah, well, March the fourth coming up in about a couple of weeks. There's another chili cook off at the Harley Davidson dealership in Fayetteville. I'm thinking about doing it again. If I do, I'm gonna do the same chili recipe I did three weeks ago, which was a brisket, chili. I know beans. And a lot of people around here is not really doing that. Although I do have venison, which deer meat already chopped up and ready to go for chili as well. So I'll start off with that. And then march 25, the whole hog come start telling you about this about two and a half hour drive away. I'm thinking about doing that one again. That one is called the the barbecue. The barbecue blue is blues brew and BBQ, blues, music brew and BBQ answering entry and they supply what you're asking why the whole hall. Their only thing is they don't want you to bring into the hall at home. But of course, if I if I gotta pay to get into them, I'm stealing some of their I'm getting a lot of harm to the house. They go try that and throw that barbecue in there. And go take it over there to the corner and give out the rest and hope I win people's choice or something. If I didn't win a trophy, you know, first, second and third place. So that's what I got going on so far. But like I say again, you know, with my father situation, you know, between now and then. I mean, I just really I just really don't know. Take it as it comes. Yeah, yeah, take Yeah, I'm just I'm just I'm just I'm just going wherever it whichever way I'm arrived, you know, with with whatever is, in my way, the law to move it out the way so I can do what I'm gonna do if, if I don't know, it's just, I don't know. I just don't know. Yeah, I want to compete. But you know, I got again, that's my most important worry right now. And if that if that wasn't wasn't there, then yeah, I'd be a little more excited about telling you. You know, what, first shotgun and 2023? I mean, I can honestly say I didn't start the year off right. Doing the chili competition winning first place. Very first one January to 27th It was actually was it what we had March, January, February? Yeah, January 27. A couple of weeks ago, I did the first one first show for the year. You know, first month ended a month but hey, you know to come home with a with a little small trophy and money and stuff. I mean, yes. Cool. I'm happy. You know, again, I'm still grounded with it, though. I'm not. I'm not Oh, you can't beat me all that type

Owen - Host: 48:49

of fantastic. To be honest, I'm not sure what else is there anything else that you?

Unknown: 48:57

Actually I was gonna, I was gonna ask you to ask that question. Yeah, um, you know, to pay it forward to a lot of my friends that look at me as as, as Bobby pitmaster in their eyes, they're like, what I do envy what I do admire what I do want to learn also me kind of pay it forward to them. I mean, that that most definitely not just a 22 or three, just something I'm gonna continue doing that I've already started doing my videos and just kind of letting people know Hey, man, you know, you want to learn something? I mean, of course, you know, it's gonna come it's gonna I mean, there's certain things like to free and there are certain things in life that you're gonna have that's gonna come you know, with with a small price. You know, I can't give you all my secrets for 40

Dan - Host: 49:45

Yeah, well, I need to see the shotgun cookery school. That's what we need to see shocking.

Unknown: 49:50

I mean, hey, you know, I mean, I started to do that but, you know, I started with cookery school, mainly just involved and maybe like maybe one person that that they may follow me on Facebook or talk to me on via messenger and, or just come by the house, whatever, and they see me in action. I don't let everybody know what I'm doing. I mean, especially like, like, if I'm going to be cookout tomorrow, I got like, 50 chicken legs and, and three slabs of ribs. I don't set all my I don't set all my seasonings are on the table, so everybody can see what I do. I generally generally like to have all my stuff already done. Because when people are there, and and I'm not really teaching, I'm just doing what I used to do, you start to ask questions, it kind of like throws you off a little bit. You know, if I'm in a teaching mode, then yeah, it's gonna be a lot slower paced, you know, a lot more of, okay. Instead of using this, you can use this, well, what do you use? Well, I can show you what I got. But I use copper tile, but backyard stuff, I have some backyard stuff here as well. So you can use this? Well, it just kind of makes it matter what you do. And you want to if you want to do this this way, chop it this way. So I said that way, tremendous way, get this guy off the monitor, probe it, you know, when it's done, whatever, whatever it's just all point, open up the event, open up this opening up that you know and add more codes to it. Just kind of like basically walking them through it. And then when I come to your house, I get to sit down and watch you show me what I just told you.

Dan - Host: 51:25

With a bit it was a bit of a

Unknown: 51:27

gut level. Yeah, a couple of days.

Owen - Host: 51:33

If you could only if you could only cook one meat for the rest of your life. What would it be?

Unknown: 51:40

Yeah. Chicken, well, how

Owen - Host: 51:43

chickens or chicken thighs legs against

Unknown: 51:46

quarter chickens. I don't really like doing chicken wings. You know, I like chickens, it's gonna take at least about an hour and a half, maybe. So it's good. Because I like to play around with a grill. You know, I like to I like this, I like to stall it. I like to, I like to get it you know, to get my temperature back up to where it was. I mean, this is all helping me. So if I'm doing just like a chicken wing, like a 50 minute cook or a sausage or something, I'm going to insert my girlfriend and shit like for real like our damn hamburger. And I wow, this is delicious. So you know, I like to cook you know, whole chickens takes about a good three and a half hours I cook with wood. So cooking with wood with dry wood and wood itself. You know, smoke is going to take a lot longer than just cooking with gas. So you get a chance to, you know, to play with, you know, to play with the meat, learn the meat, learn the grill, warm temperatures. Not only that, but again with a plethora of different types of seasonings. So if I'm doing three whole chickens, I might do one lemon pepper, I may I may do one, you know Cajun style, I may do one strictly strictly Sweet Heat, more heat and sweet. Well, let's switch that around. Well, let's just do one, salt and pepper black. Easy. All right, let's do one, maybe one maybe with a chicken rub that has no seasonal flavor in it at all. And then hit it with a little hit it with a little mayonnaise or something which is basically oil or mustard, the oil if I could would oil is committed. So make the whole chicken look a little bit more shinier, you've got a little more crisp, a little more crisp on the skin. Because that's what oil does, you know, to chicken, or if I use a mustard, you know, it's going to help the season stick and still give it that crisp when I bite into the skin. Depending on how hot my grill is I'm cooking to 250 I'll get that home cooked around to 25 to 40. Now, I may not get that the skin may come off, the skin may come off, you know kind of kind of like kind of like a little rubbery or something like that. But it's gonna be done. It's gonna be done, you know? So I mean, it'd be for me the chicken. Chicken all day. Well,

Owen - Host: 53:56

fair enough. I think mine would be pork. You do.

Unknown: 53:59

I mean, I love pork to pork, both pork shoulders, but that basically cooks itself. It's really no fun in that. I mean, you season it down, you trim it out, you throw it on the grill shit. Four or five hours later is done. You pull the bone out, just chop it down, is he? I mean what are you going forward to smoke ring on the little bitty pieces of meat I mean briskets are kind of the same thing. You out there, you trim out the fat you give you trim down to one fat, you're gonna dry it out. If you don't trim off enough, you know, it's gonna be hard. It's gonna be rubbery. I mean like well, when you go for again, the smoke ring, you learn to how to cut against the grain and with a grant, that's a good thing. That's a really good thing. Well, let's go with that. My new thing now what I grill is really not grilling is learning how to D bone, the bone, whole pieces of meat and still keep the beat intact and wrap it up and cook it like I bought the whole turkey twice for New Year's and things and Christmas and Thanksgiving this year. We have to fold it came out real nice. I mean, you know, then I did bone the whole dear shoulder. I mean the whole deerstalker I mean D boned it, cut it up in the States could have been the dudes that are fat. I mean, I probably had about a handful of that junk meat that I didn't want off the deer shoulder versus putting it in a pot and just boiling it all down. So no deep boning, I mean, even with a turkey, cut off the legs in the wings, and then cut off from the brass all the way down, you know, to the back and all that, flip the scan over, turn him over, cut him off and just left and just left for the whole carcass with just the meat you couldn't cut off. And then take the whole take take the whole bird, you know, having laid out taking falling over like that. And that rapid low, kind of like, you know, you know, kind of like, like a cigar. Yeah. That takes that takes skill. I mean, I had to learn that but I learned all that through the school of YouTube. I put myself through school YouTube, I'm not reinventing the wheel. I'm just adding you know, spoke to it. That's all I'm doing. I'm bettering myself by learning what's on my authority. Good.

Owen - Host: 55:59

Yeah. Are you are you on YouTube as well?

Unknown: 56:01

Yes. Yeah. So I'll go and barbecue nine when

Owen - Host: 56:05

I was just about to say, What's your channel?

Unknown: 56:09

That's my that's my that's my you actually you'll see the turkey on there. I mean, it was cold as hell and I did it. I did boned it. And then I got another video on there when I actually seasoned it. And I tried and I tried and I tried to I tied it up and but you didn't What you didn't see when it was cooked on my Facebook page. You'll actually see because I did two turkeys the second time I did the burger was a little bigger. So I kinda like didn't really bone it right. But it came out real good and the meat was excellent day. And my wife said do it that way because when you when we smoke whole turkeys we wind up don't have the meat away. If I divided everything, and when I took my wrap it up it looks like this beer can, you know horizontally? And once I slice it into pieces, I mean that's that's that's that's all Turkey Where's, what are you left with if you don't want to let go when the majority of the bird is gone? Yeah. And the turkey breasts in the back, you know in a loins on, all tight ends together. So that's the majority of the bird right there. Most people when they cook turkeys and everything to breakfast dry, or they wants to leg or to bag, and then you wind up going away a big ask them to some bird with a shitload of meat on

Dan - Host: 57:24

shipping, eating everything that we can offer to animals. Keep everything keep it, eat it, enjoy it.

Unknown: 57:30

Enjoy it. So yeah, so that's so that's kind of you know, that's one that with that, I mean, I love doing what I do. I even went to the local college and talk to talk to one of the chefs about you know, teaching me what they know, because I don't want to get into culinary. I'm not I'm not a coder. I'm not a chef. I'm a barbecue grill master slash pit master which is some stuff starts inside in the kitchen, washing it off and cleaning it depending on you know if it's raining outside it was snowing outside and my water hoses froze and I got to wash the meat off and all that and blotted dry and then clean it I really do that outside so whatever falls on the ground, the environment conservancy or the birds kind of get into something I didn't got all that shit all over my same fucking kitchen smelling like raw as meat. You know gotta go and clean out the sink and and transport shit outside. Yeah, so I do all my stuff on the back porch on a table and all that good stuff and I put it out there in the dirt and all that and whether it falls on the ground, if it's edible and the dog can get out let it happen if if it's a bone or something and he can't he just swallow it. I tried to pick it up as quick as I can or step on so he don't get it. So when I click my hands I pick all that should put in the trash bag and throw it away. Yeah, don't leave land in my backyard. I mean little small pieces of meat you know and stuff like that fall Yeah, the birds of the ants or whatever the squirrels come find that shoe they'll eat it go back today come back to the squirrel nest to get hit by a hawk got a meal and got two meals.

Dan - Host: 59:02

Well shock and thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us today. We really appreciate it. Again as we said you know people asked us to get in contact with you to have you on the show. I was telling one of my friends the other day that we're gonna be speaking to you and he was so excited. And you know we're so far away here in the UK and my friend marks like tell shop and I love him he's great. So keep keep doing what you're doing be all

Unknown: 59:24

everybody I really appreciate the love and you know for shotgun barbecue fed good North Carolina love the support man. I do only what I can do. And then some to show them this too. Hey, you only if you're only as good as you train if you train sloppy, you're gonna cook sloppy.

Dan - Host: 59:50

You're gonna love the gym just like the gym right?

Unknown: 59:53

I mean, if you train sloppy, go look sloppy. If you if you get in the kitchen and you practice and you practice it so well you're gonna cook exceptionally well you're gonna have bad times gonna have bad cooks gonna have you're gonna have some bad days have good days hopefully more good than bad Didn't you just my breakeven don't give up and each one teach one each one teach one so if you learn something that your brother over there don't know don't be afraid to go over there and show him how you got to where you are when you die you can't take them all that you can take with you but who can use it nobody

Owen - Host: 1:00:28

that's that's a really good piece of advice no such company has been absolutely amazing to having you on and yeah, we hopefully we can talk to you again.

Unknown: 1:00:39

Yeah, hopefully hopefully Yeah, I really appreciate you guys having me man it's it's been again you know, like like a like like a not so good day for me but again, you know, compensation everything I just kind of turned my frown upside down you know, it's probably it's gonna probably I just kind of drained a little bit you know it's it's actually a 55 Nine O'Clock my time so I hang out with you guys on the lead my dog in and get ready to retire as you all say

Dan - Host: 1:01:10

2am Our time so we will do is

Unknown: 1:01:16

I bet a Squale on down to the local pub and give it give me another

Dan - Host: 1:01:21

you go do that. Thank you so much Chaka it's been great speaking all you

Unknown: 1:01:25

need to do now is to get a passport and fly me over to UK. My wife says she wants to come

Dan - Host: 1:01:32

will speak to you. Sounds good. We'll speak to the government and we'll get them to sanction it.

Unknown: 1:01:39

Look, as long as you try we're good. Trying is half the battle.

Owen - Host: 1:01:44

Exactly. Exactly. Thanks very much. Yeah.

Unknown: 1:01:50

Good morning, wherever.

Owen - Host: 1:01:53

Have a good evening. All right. That's it for another episode of the meat & Greet BBQ podcast. Thanks so much to shotgun for coming on. What a legend guys so much fun and clearly passionate about barbecue. And it was a joy to talk to him as ever we want to hear from you. So if you get in contact with us through our social channels or on our website, so it's at meat & Greet BBQ podcast or & Greet BBQ podcast.com. Until next time, keep on grilling Today's episode is brought to you by aos kitchens, the South's leading outdoor kitchen design and installation specialists