SBN Invitational & Kids Que Competition

[00:00:02] What you want, when you want it, where you want it. This is The MESH.

[00:00:11] Conversations about competition barbecue are nothing new for the Low & Slow Barbecue Show, but today we're going in a competitive, different direction.

[00:00:20] One that's put the best of the best into competition alongside some of the youngest pitmasters around the Carolinas.

[00:00:27] We're talking about the Southern Barbecue Network Invitational and the Kids Que Cook-Off.

[00:00:32] We're talking with Bill Engelhoff from the Southern Barbecue Network.

[00:00:36] Bill, welcome to the Low & Slow Barbecue Show.

[00:00:38] Thank you. Pleasure to be here.

[00:00:40] We're looking forward to finding out all about the SBN Invitational.

[00:00:44] But before we do that, a quick invitation to visit our website, LowSlowBBQShow.com.

[00:00:50] That's where you'll find our library of podcasts and blogs.

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[00:00:56] It provides the latest Carolina barbecue news and pitmaster recipes, as well as links to some of our latest content.

[00:01:04] All that delivered to your inbox on Tuesdays.

[00:01:07] And while you're at LowSlowBBQShow.com, be sure to find our conversations with other Southern Barbecue Network pitmasters and event organizers like Bill Engelhoff,

[00:01:16] who's going to tell us all about the Southern Barbecue Network Invitational.

[00:01:20] Bill, what is the SBN Invitational?

[00:01:22] What is it?

[00:01:23] When is it?

[00:01:24] And where is it going on?

[00:01:25] Sure, sure.

[00:01:27] So, Southern Barbecue Network has been holding its kind of, I would call it its World Series, seeing as it's fall.

[00:01:34] Use a baseball analogy, but we invite 20 teams that have competed in our fall of 23 schedule and also in the spring of 24.

[00:01:44] And anyone that gets a grand champion or possibly a reserve if the grand champion's already taken a slot, those people are invited.

[00:01:53] And we fill it up with 20 teams and we bring them out to Monk's Corner, the recreational center in Monk's Corner on Main Street there.

[00:02:03] And in conjunction with the Lions Club, put on a two-day event that features anything but a kid's queue and then, of course, the main event, the championship.

[00:02:18] Great.

[00:02:19] Well, take us kind of through the competition.

[00:02:21] We'll get to the kid's queue in just a moment, but take us through the competition.

[00:02:24] What's happening Friday and what's happening Saturday?

[00:02:26] What can folks expect?

[00:02:27] Yeah, so Friday night is a really good event for people that want to come out and just mingle, so to speak.

[00:02:34] I would call it the general public to go out and sample what we call anything but, which is where the pitmasters will create something unique for the walk around.

[00:02:47] And people get a chance to sample, cast votes, people's choice kind of things, and also interact and just see who's there, what's going on and so forth.

[00:02:56] So Friday night is a great just casual event.

[00:03:01] And then on Saturday is when the turn-ins and the teams start turning their meets in on Saturday.

[00:03:08] Okay.

[00:03:09] And take us through some of the categories that they're going to be competing in on Saturday.

[00:03:12] Sure.

[00:03:13] Well, this one is unique because most of our events probably do two meets, maybe three.

[00:03:21] But this one really requires people to bring their best because they're cooking pork, they're cooking ribs, they're cooking chicken.

[00:03:29] And then, you know, a twist for a lot of them, they got to throw in some brisket as well.

[00:03:34] So this really, if you want to raise up to the top of this one, you really got to bring your A game across the board.

[00:03:43] Yeah.

[00:03:43] Okay.

[00:03:43] So you told me that you've got the grand champions from the fall and the spring coming in, you know, the best of the best that have been in the Southern Barbecue Network competitions throughout kind of a calendar year of starting late in the fall and then moving through the spring.

[00:03:57] So, you know, how are these guys, how close are they in competition?

[00:04:01] And what I guess I'm trying to find out is, you know, how many points are separating each one of these guys?

[00:04:06] And then when we get to the big SBN Invitational, how close does that competition really get?

[00:04:12] Yeah, it can be.

[00:04:14] I mean, we do not, when we present scores, we can go out four and five digits past the decimal point.

[00:04:20] Wow.

[00:04:21] Some of these teams, I mean, are there by literally an eyelash, if you want to say it that or is it tight.

[00:04:28] So the competition is really tight.

[00:04:31] And obviously, if a team already is accepted from a previous win, a grand champions won, it will go down kind of in order.

[00:04:39] And so there may be some teams that get separated a little bit, but you're definitely bringing, you know, a majority of the teams have won one or more of our events over the course of the year.

[00:04:51] So it's good competition.

[00:04:53] Okay.

[00:04:54] Well, tell us about some of the pitmasters who are going to be there.

[00:04:56] Who are some guys that we can expect to see guys and gals in groups?

[00:04:59] Yeah, if you don't mind, let me read a couple off the list here.

[00:05:03] Sure.

[00:05:03] In no order of importance and not necessarily reflecting scores or anything.

[00:05:07] And I will say these are people that have been invited and we're still confirming the list.

[00:05:11] But Backdraft Barbecue, I think you've spoken with him already.

[00:05:15] Mm-hmm.

[00:05:16] Yeah.

[00:05:16] Puts R Us, The Ultimate Tailgaters.

[00:05:18] I know you talked with Chris a while ago.

[00:05:20] Vicious Pig.

[00:05:21] Yeah.

[00:05:22] In the Army, Fu Man Q, The Omar Drifters, Smokin' Gringos, Sweet Willy Tees.

[00:05:31] And probably another six or seven more we're waiting on.

[00:05:34] So we've got a pretty good list.

[00:05:37] And if you follow the SBN ratings and things, you'll see these people are pretty much in the money one way or the other.

[00:05:44] Pretty much every week we run an event.

[00:05:46] Yeah.

[00:05:47] And of course, The Ultimate Tailgaters, we know they've won the overall championship of the year a few times real consecutively.

[00:05:53] But how many of the guys and gals of the teams do you have competing year after year after year?

[00:05:59] How many of these folks did you see last year and the year before that?

[00:06:02] And how many of these guys are new to the competition for the SBN?

[00:06:06] Yeah.

[00:06:06] Yeah.

[00:06:06] No, that's a good question.

[00:06:07] And I would say most of these people are kind of veterans on the circuit.

[00:06:11] As far as I know, and someone I'm sure will correct me if I'm missing somebody that's new this year.

[00:06:17] But I think most of the people that are in the fray this year at the competition are hardened veterans of the circuit.

[00:06:25] Yeah.

[00:06:25] So they know what to expect.

[00:06:27] Of course, you can get all the details there about the competition season and the events that are coming up at the website.

[00:06:33] That's SBBQN.com.

[00:06:35] Of course, that's the home of the Southern BBQ Network.

[00:06:38] And as you said, we've enjoyed having some of those folks on the Ultimate Tailgaters, Backdress Barbecue, and a lot of the folks that have organized and been part of the events now.

[00:06:48] When I go in there and I look at some of the specifics about the SBN Invitational, I see that there's something called a throwdown alongside these other competitions for pork and chicken.

[00:06:58] And as you said, brisket.

[00:06:59] What's the throwdown all about?

[00:07:01] Well, I think the throwdown refers to one of our events coming up later in the year.

[00:07:05] Okay.

[00:07:06] And that's out in Stedman, North Carolina.

[00:07:10] That actually is the last event of the year.

[00:07:12] Bobby Brinson from the Vicious Pig actually sets up a barbecue setup in his backyard where 30 of his teams will set up camp.

[00:07:24] And when we talk throwdown, I mean, this is as much for bragging rights, I think, as it is for points.

[00:07:32] It is a sanctioned event in the circuit.

[00:07:36] As one of them said that the way we settle things here is we don't use words.

[00:07:41] We use what's on the smoker.

[00:07:45] So there's definitely bragging rights going on there.

[00:07:47] And the other difference, too, is that the cookers will bring all their own meats.

[00:07:52] There's no supplied meat by the event organizers.

[00:07:55] Also, there's no what I would call kind of a public walk around or sampling or servicing of the event.

[00:08:02] This is strictly pitmasters getting down and dirty and cooking up their best stuff.

[00:08:07] I got you.

[00:08:08] Cool.

[00:08:08] So that's neat.

[00:08:09] But going back to the spectators in the walk around for the SBN Invitational, you mentioned that we can come out and do that Friday and walk around and be amongst the pitmasters and talk to them.

[00:08:18] Can we do that Saturday as well?

[00:08:20] Sure.

[00:08:20] After the I think after the event closes, at least all the food has been turned in.

[00:08:26] That's a good time to come out and and see.

[00:08:28] You got to catch them fast, though, because some of the teams pack up and hit the road.

[00:08:32] But definitely go out and there may be some samples or things that you can take a look at.

[00:08:37] I got you.

[00:08:38] But then Friday is really the great chance to go out and mingle and sample and vote on some competitions.

[00:08:44] Absolutely.

[00:08:45] And also, it's a chance for the kids to show their stuff, too.

[00:08:49] Yeah.

[00:08:50] We'll get to the kids in just a second.

[00:08:51] But first, I want you to tell me, what does it take to win the SBN Invitational?

[00:08:56] And I know points and you're all going to calculate and all that.

[00:08:58] But really, what's it going to take to get the big win?

[00:09:01] You know, you've got people that will be bringing their best product to the competition.

[00:09:10] So having judged this for a number of years, it's a really hard judge because you're looking

[00:09:16] at a lot of the entries that you're like nitpicking them apart to get something that's not right.

[00:09:25] A little off taste.

[00:09:27] The appearance might be a little right.

[00:09:28] Texture just wouldn't quite make it.

[00:09:30] But everyone's definitely, you know, up.

[00:09:33] Then they should be really scoring high up in the scoreline.

[00:09:36] So, you know, they're all experts on this.

[00:09:40] They've been through the competition circuit before.

[00:09:44] So they're hopefully at their point where their game is at their best right now.

[00:09:48] You know, again, kind of use the World Series analogy.

[00:09:51] Those teams are peaking right at the end of the season when they got to play for the money.

[00:09:55] And there's a lot at stake here, too.

[00:09:57] I mean, this is one of our richer purses.

[00:10:01] And the winner is going to walk out with $10,000.

[00:10:04] So, wow, it's a nice it's a nice bucket of cash.

[00:10:08] Yeah.

[00:10:09] And I also know, again, that it's important for Southern Barbecue Network to support that charity event.

[00:10:13] You mentioned the Lions.

[00:10:15] How much support will those guys take away from this type of event?

[00:10:18] Yeah, it's the after all the fees are paid for and particularly the contributions that people make during the anything but competition.

[00:10:27] That money goes into the Lions Club Coffer for their charities.

[00:10:32] Yeah, that's fantastic.

[00:10:33] Good for you guys to help something like that.

[00:10:35] So quickly, before we get to the kids barbecue, if folks haven't heard before, we've had some of your judges on before and talked about the judging process.

[00:10:43] But kind of give us a quick overview of what the judging process looks like in these types of competitions.

[00:10:49] Sure.

[00:10:50] Well, the key thing is it's a blind judging process.

[00:10:54] Right.

[00:10:54] So people will submit boxes.

[00:10:57] They're renumbered and then distributed among the different judging tables.

[00:11:02] And the judges are scoring against the three categories that they are reviewing.

[00:11:10] Appearance, taste and texture.

[00:11:13] And they come up with a numerical score.

[00:11:17] And those get ground through the computer system and they will end up with a score.

[00:11:23] Right.

[00:11:23] And you'll take a winner, the top guys from that.

[00:11:25] So, OK, let's talk about the kids.

[00:11:27] Tell me all about the Southern Barbecue Network Kids Barbecue.

[00:11:29] What's involved in that?

[00:11:31] Sure.

[00:11:32] Well, this is, to me, a fun thing.

[00:11:34] And it really is a way that we like to kind of help bring the up and coming grill masters, pit masters, whatever you want to call them up.

[00:11:44] And give them an opportunity.

[00:11:45] I know a lot of them help their parents.

[00:11:48] A lot of them even may have part-time jobs in that area.

[00:11:51] But it's an opportunity for them to kind of show their stuff and win some great prizes.

[00:11:58] So what are they doing?

[00:11:59] What are they competing in?

[00:12:00] Are they out there smoking briskets?

[00:12:01] Because, I mean, I'm a grown-up and I don't know if I want to smoke a brisket.

[00:12:05] Sure.

[00:12:05] Like, we all have that problem, right?

[00:12:07] So we have two categories for the kids.

[00:12:11] There's what we call the juniors, and those are 11 to – I'm sorry, 6 to 10.

[00:12:17] And then we have the senior group, which is 11 to 16.

[00:12:21] The younger, the juniors, they will cook burgers.

[00:12:24] And the older will cook pork loins.

[00:12:27] And the kids that make the burgers, they present one kind of all set, ready to go.

[00:12:34] And then they have small pieces that the judges can sample.

[00:12:37] And then we have the same thing with the older kids when they bring the loin.

[00:12:41] So, obviously, the age differential makes a lot of sense.

[00:12:44] The burgers require a little bit less over open flame, I'm guessing.

[00:12:48] And then the pork loin, is that more of a slow, longer, smoke it type process?

[00:12:52] It depends.

[00:12:54] And people have all sorts of different things.

[00:12:57] There's really no restriction in how they cook the product.

[00:13:02] So, we'll see what people bring and how they want to cook their loin.

[00:13:07] This episode of the Low and Slow Barbecue Show is sponsored by the Southern Barbecue Network.

[00:13:13] Since 2010, the Southern Barbecue Network has sanctioned barbecue tournaments to further their goal of preserving a southern tradition

[00:13:20] by providing well-trained judges to contests that are raising money for charitable causes in the Carolinas.

[00:13:26] In addition to supporting charitable barbecue competitions, the Southern Barbecue Network also donates annually to numerous local community organizations, hospitals, and nonprofits.

[00:13:36] To find out more about the Southern Barbecue Network competition program and barbecue judge training classes,

[00:13:42] please visit sbbqn.com for more information.

[00:13:47] Again, that is sbbqn.com.

[00:13:53] But why did you guys decide to start getting the kids barbecue competition?

[00:13:56] And how long have you been doing that?

[00:13:58] Yeah.

[00:13:59] SBN has been pushing, and certainly a lot of other events have them as kind of ancillary events.

[00:14:07] We just had one a few weeks ago up in Union that had a kids' queue competition as well.

[00:14:12] So, there's certainly a little bit of a circuit out there for it.

[00:14:17] But really, for us, I mean, it's really helping the kids get started, getting them a taste, you know, helping them think through how they want to organize their world as far as cooking is concerned.

[00:14:30] Managing a grill.

[00:14:31] I mean, there's some good skills that can be learned there.

[00:14:34] Getting prepped, watching a timeline.

[00:14:35] I mean, there's some interesting skills that you could translate there.

[00:14:39] But it's also, too, just an opportunity to have some fun.

[00:14:41] And I know parents are quite anxious when they sit on this one.

[00:14:48] They're kind of like, you know, the kids at the soccer games or the little leagues where they kind of have to just watch from the sidelines because the kids really have to manage this whole process themselves.

[00:14:58] But it's a fun event, and we always look forward to it.

[00:15:01] Oh, you mentioned those parents.

[00:15:03] And I think a kind of connection between some of the pitmasters kids are out there.

[00:15:06] But how many of the kid competitors have parents who are also competing versus the kids that are just out there without pitmaster parents?

[00:15:14] That's a good question.

[00:15:16] Sir, I don't have an exact answer that I can give you.

[00:15:18] But the answer is yes, there are some.

[00:15:20] And there's also some that just come for the event.

[00:15:23] Yeah, that's great.

[00:15:24] So I asked you about how to win the SBN Invitational.

[00:15:27] Are you guys judging the kids in a similar manner as you do to the adults?

[00:15:32] A little different.

[00:15:33] We kind of turn the judging model on a side, and we judge the kids on the overall appearance of the entry.

[00:15:41] So we open the box and see how it looks.

[00:15:44] We take a look at taste and texture, which is obviously very important for them.

[00:15:49] And then the last thing we look at is execution.

[00:15:51] Like if somebody is making a cheeseburger, you know, how well did they get that concept of cheeseburger in there?

[00:15:58] The bun, the cheese, you know, that kind of stuff.

[00:16:00] And they're scored on that as well.

[00:16:03] And the winners have trophies coming and also Weber smokers and some other such prizes that will be available for them.

[00:16:13] So if people come and participate, there's some good prizes for showing up.

[00:16:19] Yeah, sounds like a nice purse there.

[00:16:21] Some Weber smokers and trophies and all that good stuff.

[00:16:23] Is the competition as tight as it is close as it is for the grownups?

[00:16:28] Sometimes it is.

[00:16:30] And other times, you know, there's, you know, different gradations.

[00:16:33] You'll obviously see a little bit more variation with the younger kids than the older kids.

[00:16:37] But they're all doing really good work.

[00:16:40] And there's a lot of very impressive stuff that you see as a judge.

[00:16:43] So don't sell these kids short.

[00:16:46] They're working hard on it.

[00:16:48] I never would.

[00:16:50] That's great.

[00:16:50] We've heard a lot of them.

[00:16:51] Oh, I'm sorry.

[00:16:52] I was just saying we've heard a lot of them, too, have been practicing.

[00:16:55] Yeah, that's great.

[00:16:56] Good to hear you making some food for mom and dad.

[00:16:59] Maybe they're friends there.

[00:17:00] It's been a great season to do that type of thing.

[00:17:02] So we asked about the adults.

[00:17:03] What does a kid need to do to win the Kids' Q competition?

[00:17:07] Again, outside all that judging stuff, what's the winner going to do?

[00:17:11] Yeah.

[00:17:11] I mean, to me, it's somebody that, and this is really where you can really do well with originality.

[00:17:22] Sure, you could bring a cheeseburger, but what are you doing different?

[00:17:26] How are you making that thing different beyond?

[00:17:28] Unlike, say, the people that are bringing the meat for pulled pork or for ribs or something,

[00:17:34] it's like there's a picture of what that rib should look like.

[00:17:37] This one is almost an open palate.

[00:17:39] And this really gives the kids a chance to be creative and really kind of push it a little bit

[00:17:45] to see where they want to go with their food.

[00:17:48] So I'm always surprised when we open the boxes.

[00:17:52] Yeah, that's great.

[00:17:53] Push the boundaries a little bit.

[00:17:54] And again, this is the Kids' Q competition.

[00:17:56] It's part of the Southern Barbecue Network, the SBN Invitational, coming up November 1st

[00:18:02] and 2nd in Monk's Corner, South Carolina, in conjunction with the Monk's Corner Lions Club.

[00:18:07] Now, I want to talk to you just a little bit about your barbecue story, Bill.

[00:18:11] How and when did you get involved with the Southern Barbecue Network?

[00:18:16] I've been with them since 21.

[00:18:20] Moved to Charleston from the Washington, D.C. area and before that was in the Chicago area.

[00:18:25] So relatively new to the low country.

[00:18:27] And, you know, as would have it, you know, you end up knowingly or unknowingly,

[00:18:33] but you're like, you know, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a barbecue place.

[00:18:40] So it certainly is an opportunity to really dig in more.

[00:18:44] And I saw an ad, believe it or not, or actually an article in the local paper that said,

[00:18:49] hey, you want to be a judge?

[00:18:50] And I'm thinking, well, when in Rome, let's see what we can do with this.

[00:18:54] So I've been involved with the organization and kind of started out judging and then worked on some

[00:19:01] community assignments and ended up this past August becoming president.

[00:19:07] Great.

[00:19:08] Well, that's fantastic.

[00:19:09] And now tell me, you're swinging cats and hitting barbecue restaurants.

[00:19:13] Are you doing any cooking, any smoking yourself?

[00:19:15] What's your experience like?

[00:19:16] Yeah.

[00:19:17] And I have to admit, right?

[00:19:19] So for the longest time, I was better on a grill than a smoker.

[00:19:25] And since I've been involved here with this group, I've really kind of gone to school as best I can on

[00:19:32] good smoking techniques.

[00:19:35] I've been to some competition barbecue schools, have signed up and been judging with other barbecue

[00:19:42] societies and really trying to get inside of what it is.

[00:19:47] What does it mean to cook and be a fitness?

[00:19:49] And obviously, my level of experience is, well, you know, like, whoa, whoa,

[00:19:55] versus some of these people that have been barbecuing longer than I've been on the earth.

[00:19:58] But it's really catching up and getting organized.

[00:20:02] And I'm finally at the point now where it's like, yeah, I can do a few things here and there

[00:20:07] and feel pretty comfortable about it.

[00:20:09] So I'm making headway.

[00:20:11] Great.

[00:20:11] What do you like to smoke?

[00:20:13] What's your favorite thing to produce?

[00:20:15] Well, after I went to some of these competition schools, everyone has the, you know, the super

[00:20:21] deluxe chicken thigh, right?

[00:20:22] And I actually had a new smoker that I was breaking in.

[00:20:25] And one of the things they tell you to do is cook thick chicken thighs.

[00:20:29] Nice and greasy and smoky.

[00:20:30] And it gets a patine and all that stuff going on.

[00:20:33] So I did competition chicken thighs.

[00:20:35] And as a rule, I hate chicken, but I liked my chicken.

[00:20:38] I thought it was really good.

[00:20:39] And then a little while later, I worked on some ribs.

[00:20:43] And funny, funny thing is, when I brought the ribs in, my wife dug into them and she

[00:20:48] told me these were the best ribs she'd ever had in her life.

[00:20:52] Wow.

[00:20:53] Has she ever had ribs before?

[00:20:55] Oh, yeah.

[00:20:56] Oh, yeah.

[00:20:56] No, she goes out with me to barbecue often.

[00:21:00] Okay.

[00:21:01] But that was a win.

[00:21:02] And so it's like, okay, I'm 2-0 right now.

[00:21:05] And I don't want to go, you know, go crazy.

[00:21:07] I'm not going to be on a competition anytime soon, but we're making headway.

[00:21:10] Okay.

[00:21:11] And now you also do the judging.

[00:21:13] What do you enjoy about the judging?

[00:21:14] And what do you like to judge the most?

[00:21:18] Judging to me is, it's really fun to see a really good piece of barbecue.

[00:21:25] And you know it and you taste it and you can see it.

[00:21:30] And having that thing, I mean, I don't want to overstate it, but, you know, put it in the

[00:21:34] work of art stuff.

[00:21:35] I mean, when people really execute this well and having seen behind the scenes what a lot

[00:21:39] of people do to this, it is a work of art by the time they put that stuff in the box.

[00:21:43] So that's really impressive.

[00:21:45] And when you get a good bite and it just hits home and it's like, you're in heaven.

[00:21:51] So I'm sure a lot of people are, right?

[00:21:53] So that to me is what I really enjoy.

[00:21:56] And then also too, just the whole social environment.

[00:22:01] Great families of people, you know, the barbecue family.

[00:22:06] Everyone always talks about the great barbecue family, but it's true, right?

[00:22:09] I mean, in between different entries, you got time to kill and people talk and you get to

[00:22:17] know a lot of great people.

[00:22:18] So it's a great family to be with.

[00:22:22] And I really enjoy the experience.

[00:22:24] Yeah, definitely a barbecue community, whether you're lined up outside a restaurant meeting

[00:22:30] new friends or you're working alongside other pitmasters or just kind of mingling like they'll

[00:22:34] do on November the 1st, the Friday night of SBN Invitational.

[00:22:38] So appreciate your time, Bill.

[00:22:41] A lot of great information here.

[00:22:42] And I'm going to jump into the low and slow showdown in just a second.

[00:22:45] But before I do that, I want to give you one last chance.

[00:22:47] What do people need to know about the SBN Invitational?

[00:22:51] Why should we all come out to it November 1st and 2nd?

[00:22:55] This is the time to see your group of your best pitmasters competing.

[00:23:00] And you don't see a lot of that down in the low country, right?

[00:23:04] There are, you know, bigger events elsewhere, right?

[00:23:07] We can talk about the Jack, the Royal.

[00:23:09] I mean, you can go on and on to some of the bigger events, but this is a really good competition

[00:23:12] right here in the low country.

[00:23:13] So if you're in this end of the state, I definitely encourage people to come out.

[00:23:18] Fantastic.

[00:23:18] All right.

[00:23:19] November 1st and 2nd, Monk's Corner.

[00:23:21] It's the Monk's Corner Lions Club SBN Invitational.

[00:23:24] Going to be exciting stuff there to check out.

[00:23:26] All right.

[00:23:27] Low and slow showdown time, Bill.

[00:23:29] What is the name?

[00:23:37] Oddly enough, coming out of Chicago, the family dinner always used to be down the street on

[00:23:44] the north side of Chicago.

[00:23:45] We'd go to a place called the Twin Anchors.

[00:23:47] It wasn't really barbecue as we know it here, but it was probably some of the best ribs you'd

[00:23:52] ever have.

[00:23:54] And from there, a lot of local barbecue in the Chicago area and a very unusual way they

[00:24:01] make it there, they have what they call the aquarium barbecues, which is a little storefront

[00:24:07] and a guy runs a fire pit sitting over a big glass box.

[00:24:11] It's literally like an aquarium.

[00:24:13] Wow.

[00:24:13] And rib tips coming out of there and ribs out of Chicago were to die for.

[00:24:19] But thankfully, though, I've also had the opportunity, a lot of business travel, and I've traveled

[00:24:24] all over the country.

[00:24:24] So I've had a real good experience in going down through the barbecue loop and around multiple

[00:24:31] times.

[00:24:32] Yeah.

[00:24:33] Well, that's fantastic.

[00:24:34] That's the first time that the barbecue aquarium has come up on the program.

[00:24:37] I'll have to check out that a little bit more.

[00:24:39] Now, where's your current barbecue go-to?

[00:24:43] I am a big fan of Lewis here in Charleston.

[00:24:50] Mm-hmm.

[00:24:51] And he has just an incredibly good brisket, which I love.

[00:24:56] And he also does really good sausages.

[00:24:58] But without slighting other people, I mean, I can be down the road in the Melvins.

[00:25:04] You've got Rodney Scott's.

[00:25:06] I mean, you can just go down.

[00:25:09] You've got the Bessinger family that has an outpost here in one of their many locations.

[00:25:14] So there is just darn good barbecue.

[00:25:16] And then also you have kind of the experimental barbecue.

[00:25:19] You've got the guys like Palmyra and King or something that are kind of doing a little

[00:25:24] different spin on their barbecue, but it's still really good.

[00:25:26] So like I said earlier, it's like you can't miss on barbecue down here.

[00:25:30] Yeah, that's right.

[00:25:31] Palmyra is one of my favorites too.

[00:25:32] The beef cheeks he's got are fantastic.

[00:25:34] So what is your favorite side dish?

[00:25:38] Um, I'm currently working on macaroni and cheese, um, in which I can eat pretty much 24 seven.

[00:25:46] If I had to, I'd probably be about 900 pounds if I did, but yeah, that, and then certain sides

[00:25:52] have to go with certain pieces, right?

[00:25:54] So if you're going to do the pulled pork to me, you got to have the slaw on top.

[00:25:57] Sure.

[00:25:58] Um, so those kinds of things, but I, if I, my go-to is probably a good mac and cheese.

[00:26:04] All right.

[00:26:04] So what's your favorite dessert?

[00:26:06] Uh, no questions.

[00:26:08] Nana pudding.

[00:26:10] Nana pudding.

[00:26:10] That's always a winner.

[00:26:12] Okay.

[00:26:12] You, you mentioned that you've traveled around a good bit with a good start at Chicago.

[00:26:16] You got to DC.

[00:26:17] Now you're in South Carolina.

[00:26:19] What is the best state in these United States for barbecue?

[00:26:23] Um, well, I, I, I want to vote for South Carolina.

[00:26:28] Um, and, and if I say anything more, I'm probably going to get myself in trouble.

[00:26:33] Generally being a president of a South Carolina based barbecue group.

[00:26:37] So we'll, we'll leave it at there, but I could go on off the record in a later time.

[00:26:43] South Carolina is the great answer.

[00:26:45] Uh, and the off the record answer, we'll just assume is North Carolina.

[00:26:50] But what about the best barbecue style?

[00:26:52] Is it Eastern like, or Western the Lexington style, or is it the South Carolina mustard?

[00:26:58] Well, um, I'll take a pulled pork and you don't, it's interesting.

[00:27:03] You don't see a lot of mustard based, um, uh, queue in, in competition.

[00:27:08] For some reason, people kind of shy away from that.

[00:27:11] Um, but from a personal side, yeah, definitely.

[00:27:14] And I, you know, it was a long time ago.

[00:27:16] It was like introduced, uh, on one of my trips, somebody took me to, uh, uh, piggy park

[00:27:22] up in Columbia where it was the first time I'd ever even heard of mustard based sauce.

[00:27:26] Um, and then, uh, but yeah, no, I personally, I don't mind mustard, but, um, it, it, uh, if I would have a, a style, I would say, uh, um, let's go with, uh, Western North Carolina barbecue.

[00:27:41] Okay.

[00:27:42] Okay.

[00:27:42] So our Piedmont Lexington style.

[00:27:44] Good.

[00:27:44] So what about the sauce?

[00:27:46] Is the, is the meat better with or without the sauce?

[00:27:49] Um, half and half.

[00:27:51] I, I will dab, I will dab.

[00:27:54] And I always love to experiment when you go on these barbecue joints, you know, they have

[00:27:57] the table full of like half a dozen bottles and I'm like testing them all.

[00:28:02] Yeah.

[00:28:02] So I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll do that if I can.

[00:28:06] That sounds like a good barbecue judge.

[00:28:08] Now let's take it outside the barbecue world.

[00:28:10] What's your favorite non-barbecue meal?

[00:28:13] Um, if I get a good piece of dead cow, like a steak that wins the award most times.

[00:28:20] But, uh, since I can't afford that, um, I'm probably a good Italian, uh, pizza would be perfect.

[00:28:28] Fantastic.

[00:28:29] Great.

[00:28:29] Back to barbecue.

[00:28:30] And this is our last and probably the most important one is barbecue a verb or a noun.

[00:28:35] Uh, we're going to call it a noun.

[00:28:37] And that my friends is the lowdown from Bill Engelhoff from the Southern barbecue network.

[00:28:42] Bill, thank you so much for joining us today.

[00:28:44] It's been a real pleasure.

[00:28:45] Thank you, Michael.

[00:28:46] Thank you.

[00:28:47] You've been listening to the low and slow barbecue show on the mesh.tv network of podcasts.

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