Chris and I met years ago when we both trained at the same martial arts studio. It was there that we both learned the fine arts of karate, and jiu-jitsu….eventually both earning our black belts in Karate. It was also there that I had the absolute privilege of tasting Chris’ unbelievable BBQ. I’ve always been in awe of anyone that has a great passion for anything, and Chris’ commitment to perfection is no exception. I hope you enjoy my interview with Chris – and afterwards pop on over to his blog NibbleMeThis.com to get your juices flowing and pick up a couple great recipes. Then when your hooked go pick up his book “The Kamado Smoker & Grille Cookbook”
Tell us a little about yourself and what sparked (pun intended) your interest in BBQ.
It all started with my first bite of BBQ, real BBQ, when I was about 7. My family was visiting my grandparents’ farm in the middle of extremely rural North Carolina and the local fire department was selling BBQ as a fund raiser. I took one bite of that chopped pork and knew it was the best thing I ever tasted. The flavor of smoke, the bite of vinegar, and kick of spices stuck with me. Years later I began trying to figure out how to recreate that perfect bite of BBQ and that is what started my BBQ journey.
Do you have any specialized grills and equipment, or is this something that the average backyard chef could accomplish?
I try to stick with stuff that you can find in backyards across the country. Some our competitors use $10,000+ smokers like Champion Smokers which are made right here in Knoxville. But we use kamado grills like the Big Green Egg (similar Vision models can be found for $399 at the end of the season at wholesale clubs). There are also teams out there doing well using just a pair of Weber Smoky Mountains ($399 at big box hardware stores) or “ugly drum smokers”. We do have a tow behind BBQ pit but we use that mostly for large cooking events, not contests.
We do use some specialty equipment that most people might not have on their back yard grills but it is available to them. For example, we use computer controlled fans (Flame Boss, Guru, CyberQ) that keep our grills at certain temperatures. Our thermometers are super-fast and precise Thermoworks models ($96-300) instead of the $20 models at stores.
How long had you been you cooking before you decided to enter your first competition?
I started seriously chasing BBQ in 2004. As a BBQ blogger I started off covering local BBQ contests around East Tennessee. Next, I hit the big events (BBQ has “majors” like golf) such as the Memphis In May World Championships. Over the years, I started to know all of the big players and even got chances to help them out as a “pit bitch” (person that does all of the dirty work for a team). Then Alexis and I became Certified BBQ Judges so we began seeing first-hand what BBQ competition teams were turning in at contests.
The turning point was in 2013 when my wife, Alexis, got to help multiple World Championship winning, Chris Lilly, do prep work for a contest here in Knoxville. That got her hooked on BBQ competition and we dove into running our own BBQ competition team the following season in 2014.
It doesn’t take 10 years to get the skills you need to enter a competition. If you can cook great BBQ that wows your friends and neighbors, you can do it. Just know that competition BBQ is an entirely different animal than backyard BBQ, so you should probably help out with another team for a competition or 2 before jumping in on your own.
How many competitions do you participate in per year, and what is the farthest you typically travel?
This year we are competing in 5 KCBS BBQ competitions plus the Memphis in May World Championship contest. Each KCBS event costs our team about $1,000 to participate so we set a budget at the beginning of the year, based on our sponsors’ support. Memphis in May easily costs over $10,000 but we compete on Grilla Grills super team (an All Star type team composed of BBQ Pitmasters, Chopped, etc type folks).
Memphis in May is the furthest we have traveled for an event. I try to stay relatively close to East Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and Kentucky because we have to haul our loaded trailer for these events. We are planning to do the American Royal (one of the “majors”) in Kansas City within the next 2 years.
Who was your first sponsor and how did you gather sponsorship? (Maybe list out and share some of your sponsors)
My very first sponsor was a local company, Bush’s Beans. It was a huge surprise to get an email from a PR firm asking me if I wanted to get paid for creating a custom recipe for a company. They saw my blog and approached me. That’s what 90% of my sponsorships come from – being paid to produce content (recipe, photos, etc) for grill related clients. For example, one of my premium clients is Char-Broil, using their products to create fantastic grilled dishes. But it’s more than dollars. It’s great having professional relationships with big companies like Kingsford, Char-Broil, Kroger, and the National Pork Board because of the resources they provide for knowledge. Opportunities like getting to spend 2 days with the chefs and food scientist of Certified Angus Beef getting hands on butchering lessons – are you kidding me? That’s better than cash money!
But I also love working with small, entrepreneurial companies that are new on the market. Companies like Pit Barrel Cooker, Meat Church rubs, GrillGrates, Albukirky Seasonings, Craycort, Kick Ash Basket, and Flame Boss. It is a complete honor to get a test rub with a hand written label before going to market. Or getting a prototype piece of equipment to provide feedback before the final model goes to production. These are usually 1 man operations and being able to be a part of their dreams is amazing.
What is an “Eggfest”?
Eggfests are crazy! They are festivals where teams of Big Green Egg users (anywhere from 20-70) come together to cook for crowds of “tasters” (hundreds to thousands). The teams pay their own way and for the food they cook. The tasters pay for tickets with proceeds usually going to a local charity. The sponsoring local dealer provides all of the brand new Eggs used for the event and people can buy them for steep “used once” discounts. It’s really a mind blowing marketing deal that I can’t imagine working with any other product.
This year, we are doing 3 of these. We cooked at the Sunshine State Eggfest in Melbourne, Florida and served some 1,200 samples that day. We went and hung out with a crowd of 2 dozen of our closest Egghead friends at the Porkopolis Eggfest in Cincinnati. And we’ll be one of the celebrity judges at the Pensacola Eggfest in November. These things are SO MUCH fun and if you ever get the chance, you should attend one in your area if nothing else but eating some great food.
What is it like to have authored your own grilling book?
Humbling, honestly. I never thought anyone would ask me to do that and I never thought anyone would buy it if I did. I’m so proud that it has done so well but I’m looking forward to what I am doing differently on my next one.
Have you met any celebrities as the result of your grilling?
Not really what most people would call celebrities…. more like BBQ celebrities. I’ve gotten to meet, work with, or cook against just about anyone on BBQ Pitmasters. I’ve gotten to help World Champion, Chris Lilly, prep all day for a BBQ class and the photoshoots for his book. I get to judge each year with Moe Cason (BBQ Pitmasters judge) at an Eggfest. I’m doing an event next month with Tuffy Stone (BBQ Pitmasters judge) and Smithfield. For me, THOSE are the celebrities that I remember most.
Finally, the question I’m dying to ask- based on your posts I can’t help but wonder how much meat you go through each month?
Ha! It’s really not as much as you would think. We cook a metric crap ton of food on the weekends, especially when doing content work for clients, but we usually stretch that food out throughout the week. Plus, we give a lot away to my co-works, neighbors, and even a cashier at the nearby convenience store. But our food budget is pretty ridiculous.
Latest gun gear?
Funny, my older son and I just went shopping this month for carry guns. My current one was 15 years old and he needs his first. We both ended up picking the same handgun – a Bersa Thunder UC in .40 and matte black. Alexis has had their .380 for about 10 years and that thing has performed like a champ. I liked the feel in my hands, the location of the controls, and it conceals well.
