BBQ Interview Series - Kevin’s BBQ Joints

Zach Parker - B.E. Scott's BBQ - Lexington, Tennessee

In this episode I have the privilege to sit down with(I think Zach was actually standing though) Zach Parker from B.E. Scott's BBQ located in Lexington, Tennessee.
See all things B.E. Scott's BBQ here: https://www.facebook.com/bescottsbbq
Follow Zach Parker on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/zach_bescottsbbq
Hours: Tuesday -
Friday - 9AM - 6PM
Saturday 9AM - 4PM
CLOSED Sunday and Monday
Generally sells out by 12:30 on Saturday
10880 Highway 412 W Lexington, TN, US 38351
Free Delivery in Henderson County for orders $26 dollars or more
Scott's BBQ was started 1962 in by B.E. Scott until his father Ricky Parker purchased it from B.E. and then passed onto Zach in 2013. This is great because Zach explains the whole process of his business, how to order(tell them what meat you want, sauce you want, slaw you want (vinegar or may based) and they try to make it exactly to your liking), what his favorite order is. He explains middling and some cool special things to order you wouldn't think of.
We talk about what it was like growing up in the business and what he had always dreamed about as a kid. There is a whole lot of whole hog talk. He goes through 20-25 whole hogs a week and they take 24 hours to cook.
We talk about how he wants to give back to the community right now in people's time of need and talks about how the community reached out to him after his father passed and he took over the business immediately. We mention Elliott Moss from Buxton Hall, Pat Martin from Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint, and Carey Bringle from Peg Leg Porker. AND the myth is true about the tennis shoes.
BONUS: Zach explains where he goes for sushi.

Alex Graf & Chris Fultz - ZZQ Texas Craft Barbeque - Richmond, VA

In this episode I reconnect with Alex Graf and Chris Fultz from ZZQ Texas Craft Barbeque - Richmond, VA. It's been almost 3 years since we last spoke a lot has happened since then.
See all things ZZQ Texas Craft Barbecue here: https://www.zzqrva.com
Place an online order here: https://www.toasttab.com/zzqrva/v3
Buy a gift card here: https://www.toasttab.com/zzqrva/giftcards
Order merch here: https://bit.ly/3iO99IN
Follow ZZQ on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/zzqrva
Check them out on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/zzqrva
Hours of operation: Wednesday - Sunday 11AM - 6PM
He is Texas. She is Orange. From the beginning of the pandemic they have been overly cautious. They worked so hard to make the right choices at the right time with their crew at the top of their list for safety and overall well-being. They are now a completely different operation than they were prior to February. They had a huge year revenue-wise and felt comfortable enough with the team to leave for Texas for a two week vacation.
They immediately shut down the operation to assess everything and have now been open with to-go only and have online ordering, which they didn't have prior. They are not serving pastrami at the moment(due to cold storage space) and serve beef ribs EVERY day.
Some fun Breaking News is that they will be bottling their sauces to hopefully begin selling in the fall. They will have three sauces: Thick, Thin, & Sassy. Also they are working on selling their rubs and their sausage for shipment nationwide.
This interview is detailed, heartfelt, and full of so much knowledge and experience. There are a lot of insights into the new normal food-wise that I was shocked to hear along with a lot of costs that consumers don't think about. A cool thing they have done is they opened up their beautiful backyard filled with trees to their customers which is essentially an urban park they can eat at.
I can't thank Alex and Chris enough for taking the time.

Phillip Dormont - Treaty Oak Distilling - Dripping Springs, Texas

In this episode I get to sit down with Phillip Dormont, Director of Product Development for Treaty Oak Distilling.
See all things Treaty Oak Distilling here: https://www.treatyoakdistilling.com
Follow Treaty Oak on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/treatyoak/
Purchase their alcohol online here: https://shoptreatyoak.com
Their Ranch(and Alice's Restaurant) is located at16604 Fitzhugh Rd, Dripping Springs, TX 78620.
Shop for cool Treaty Oak swag here: https://www.treatyoakdistilling.com/shop
See them on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/TreatyOak
See where to buy Treaty Oak Distilling near you here: https://bit.ly/2PRyPYI
We do our interview from Pedernales Cellars(https://www.pedernalescellars.com) in Stonewall, Texas. I caught him right after he got back from a long(ish) vacation because at the time they distilling because of the pandemic(they had switched over to making hand sanitizer). Phillip runs the whole development program at Treaty Oak and we talk in depth about what they offer. They are:
Treaty Oak Red Handed Bourbon, Treaty Oak Ghost Hill Texas Bourbon, Treaty Oak Schenley Reserve Rye
Treaty Oak Old Fashioned Cocktail
Waterloo Old Yaupon Gin, Waterloo No. 9 Gin, Waterloo Antique Gin
New products coming: The Day Drinker, Gin and Tonic(and citrus version RTD (ready to drink world), Navy Strength Gin
Sign up for their newsletter(Pursuit of the Curious) at the bottom of the page here: https://www.treatyoakdistilling.com/news
He was born and raised in Dripping Springs(and now lives back in Dripping Springs) and has roamed from North Carolina to Nashville. It was in North Carolina that he started making moonshine with a friend and that leads him to why it made a perfect fit at Treaty Oak.
A great takeaway from this interview is a discussion of the history of whiskey and what makes bourbons, ryes, and what sets Treaty Oak Distilling apart.

Michelle and Andrew Munoz - Moo's Craft Barbecue - Los Angeles, CA

In this episode I catch up with Michelle and Andrew Munoz from Moo's Craft Barbecue in Los Angeles, California(Smokey the french bulldog and their son Diego make special appearances and they are sitting in front of their new Harper Barbecue backyard pit).
See all things Moo's Craft Barbecue here: https://www.mooscraftbarbecue.com
Place your online orders here: https://www.mooscraftbarbecue.com/online-ordering
Follow Moo's Craft Barbecue on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/mooscraftbarbecue
Check them out on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/mooscraftbarbecue
We talk in depth about what life is like for them right now, what it's been life since Smorgasburg(http://la.smorgasburg.com) was shut down due to the pandemic and how they have pivoted a few times to make things work. They are doing strictly online orders now with curbside pickup outside of their kitchen in DTLA. The experience is completely contactless(you text when you arrive in your car and they put it either in your trunk or backseat). Pickup between 11-2. They are also able to experiment more now that they aren't on the Smorgasburg schedule(they were cooking A LOT of food for each weekend). We talk too about their plans for a brick and mortar in the near future. They want to do it with offset cookers though and have hope because of what Danny and Brenda at Heritage Barbecue have been able to do in San Juan Capistrano with their two offsets.
Online ordering menu:
Meats by the pound which currently includes: Creekstone prime brisket, Duroc spare ribs, Duroc pulled pork, 4 packs of jalapeño cheddar sausages(with rotating special ones), and whole smoke chickens.
Plates - Texas Trinity(which includes approximately .3 lbs of brisket, 2 ribs, sausage and your choice of two small sides.(beans, mac, or slaw))
Sides: They are currently offering beans, mac n cheese, potato salad, & cole slaw.
Weekly Special - This week beef rib or smoked beef cheek
Dessert - Key Lime Pies Extras / pickles or pickled onions / 2 different bbq sauces

Kimmy and Bryan Bingham - Bodacious on Mobberly - Longview, Texas

In this episode I chat with Kimmy and Bryan Bingham from Bodacious on Mobberly in Longview, Texas.
See all things Bodacious on Mobberly here:https://bodaciousmobberly.com
Order Bodacious online here: https://bodaciousmobberly.hrpos.heartland.us
See all things Baked on Mobberly here: https://www.instagram.com/baked_on_mobberly
Follow Bodacious on Mobberly on Instgram here: https://www.instagram.com/bodacious_bbq_mobberly
Bodacious Mobberly on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/TheBodaciousBBQ
See them on facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/Bodaciousonmobberly
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday - 11AM - 5PM
Current Seating Capacity: 50%
Curbside, Take-out, and ONLINE ordering added. This second interview was a long time coming and wonderfully it included both Kimmy and Bryan who are not only husband and wife, but work together at Bodacious on Mobberly. We discuss in detail what the journey was that Kimmy took that led up to her leaving her hospital job to work at the bbq spot. We discuss the balance of family and home life and get in depth about relationships and how additionally difficult that is to manage during the pandemic.
We talk extensively about the menu which is relatively the same, they just a little bit less of everything now. Specials are Wednesday (Boudin),Thursday(a special sausage), Friday(whatever Bryan is in the mood for), and Saturday(pork belly or beef ribs or both). Kimmy doesn't make the sausage yet, but she does brainstorm with Bryan about new creative ideas. Lastly, Bryan and Kimmy strongly recommend supporting local businesses.

Joseph Quellar - JQ's Tex Mex BBQ - Houston, Texas

In this episode I have a great conversation with Joseph Quellar from JQ's Tex Mex BBQ in Houston, Texas.
See all things JQ's Tex Mex BBQ AND place preorders here: https://www.jqstexmexbbq.com
Check out JQ's Tex Mex BBQ on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/jqstexmexbbq
See JQ's on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/jqstexmexbbq
Currently they are only doing preorders and announce on social media when that window for ordering has opened up.
He is going to be getting a trailer which will opening the end of August/early September and plans to be open Friday, Saturday, and Sundays.
This interview goes deep really quickly. We talk about his upbringing, country vs. city life, the first job he took on when he turned 18 which was labor intensive, rigorous, and ultimately dangerous. But this interview evolves into what is truly important to Joseph. That being the BBQ family and how they have lifted him up and inspired him along with way. He talks of Ernest Servantes, Robert Jacob Lerma, Patrick Feges, Evan LeRoy, Clay Cowgill, JC Reid, Michael Fulmer, Arash Kharat, and so many others that have either given him advice, a chance. or just moral support.

Justin Easterwood - Chef J BBQ - Kansas City, Missouri

In this episode I get the chance to sit down with Justin Easterwood from Chef J BBQ located in the historic West Bottoms(https://www.westbottoms.com) area of Kansas City.
See all things Chef J BBQ here: http://chefjbbq.com
Pre-order BBQ here: http://chefjbbq.com/saturday-pre-order-menu
Check out Chef J BBQ on Instagram here:https://www.instagram.com/chefjbbq/
Follow Chef J BBQ on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/chefjbbqkc
HOURS: Every Saturday 11:30 - 4PM(or sold out)
ALSO, every first Friday weekend he's open Friday-Sunday
Preorders are picked up starting at 10:30
 
This is a great conversation and to be honest, it felt like I was chatting with a friend I knew for years. He's that nice and that likable. More importantly, he's INCREDIBLY passionate about BBQ and putting out great quality food each Saturday. They are at the same location as THE BEAST(https://www.kcbeast.com) haunted house which is the oldest haunted house in America. He was born and raised in Kansas Cit and has worked in the restaurant business since he was 14.
They started selling BBQ here in February of 2020 and then signed a lease in March. You know what happens next...the pandemic. This didn't stop him and as I mentioned above, they are rolling through each week selling out.
He's building a smokehouse for his dual firebox pit that he currently has AND a new 1,000 gallon pit he is getting made by Collin Gray from C. Gray Ironworks.
We go over the menu in depth. He has the Texas Trinity(brisket, ribs, and house-made sausage), but he also offers turkey, pork belly burnt ends and more. He offers an insane array of sandwiches all of which I want to try. The sides sound incredible as well as the desserts.

Tuffy Stone - Author | Storyteller - Interview

In this episode I get a chance to sit down with Tuffy Stone.
See everything Tuffy Stone here: https://tuffystone.com
Check him out on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/tuffystone
See all things The Westover Richmond, Virginia here: https://www.facebook.com/thewestoverrva
The Westover address: 5047 Forest Hill Ave, Richmond, VA 23225
Cool Smoke BBQ: https://coolsmokebarbeque.com/
Info on his cooking classes: https://cool-smoke.myshopify.com/pages/cooking-class
If you want an autographed copy of his book 'Cool Smoke The Art of Great BBQ' which came out in 2018, you can follow this link: https://cool-smoke.myshopify.com/collections/pantry/products/signed-copy-of-cool-smoke-the-art-of-great-barbecue
 
We talk about a myriad of things throughout the course of our chat, but note that he is extremely humble and would rather talk about anything other than himself. I do get things out of him, but it should be mentioned that he has 6 World Championships at Memphis in May, he's won the Jack 3 times, as well as the American royal and The Open.  He teaches all of the world and doing these classes is his true passion.
 
He was inducted into the BBQ Hall of Fame in 2018. His catering company, which he started with is wife in 1993 is called A Sharper Palate.
See all things(and book events) A Sharper Palate here: https://sharperpalate.com
 
Some of his partners: Tyson Fresh Meats, Snake Rivers Farms, Yeti and Weber.
 
He discusses in depth his philosophy on partnerships.
 
Additional info on The Westover: 'We have retooled The Westover and we have many additions. We have a small local market, now, where you can pickup dry goods, specialty products, cheeses, charcututerie, beers, wines, and such. We will slowly be offering in-house prepared foods. A new ice cream counter has been built and we are proud to be serving King Of Pops, Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches, and Gelati Celesti Ice Creams and Sorbets. We will have ice cream cones and cups, sundaes, and milk shakes. Our hours to start, will be Wednesday through Sunday 8am to 7pm.
 
We will be serving breakfast, lunch and a limited dinner offering. We will have the espresso drinks and coffee, as we offered before we closed. We intend to grow our dinner and market offerings in time. If we can do enough business to support our costs, we will expand our hours. We just need to grow to that. Again, please have patience with is, as we reopen and work towards getting better at what we are doing.'