Latest / BBQ Therapy / #53 Kim Darnell - Old Virginia Smoke | Standing Tall in a Male-Dominated BBQ World

Transcript

#53 Kim Darnell - Old Virginia Smoke | Standing Tall in a Male-Dominated BBQ World · BBQ Therapy

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I think it's sometimes the perception of as far as women in
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BBQ, sometimes it's, oh, we're, we are the spouse and so we just
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tag along because we don't have anything else to do.
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We're just there to make a box and to turn in a box.
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But when you talk to most of the spouses or females as part of
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this team, we are so much more in BBQ.
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The tough part about KCBS is there's one pitmaster that's
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listed for a team, and that's really difficult because there's
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so many female pit masters out there that we're not the head
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cook for a team. But could we be head cook of a
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team? Yes.
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Do we do as much as our spouses or our teammates?
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Yes. Listen, learn, get inspired.
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I'm Tavis Bryant and this is BBQ Therapy.
0:46
Like subscribe and follow to help grow the BBQ Therapy
0:50
community. Also visit my website at
0:52
www.barbecuetherapypodcast.com. Welcome to the BBQ Therapy
1:05
podcast. My name is Tavis Bryant and
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everybody sees the trophies, they see the pitmaster, they see
1:13
the moment your name gets called.
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But what they don't see is the person holding everything
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together when it's falling apart.
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Today's guest lives in that space, Kim Darnell, AKA the
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literal general part of Old Virginia Smoke.
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But let's get one thing clear right now.
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She's not behind the team. She's part of the reason the
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team exists. And today, we're talking about
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the side of BBQ most people never hear about.
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Miss Kim, welcome to barbecue therapy.
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I got one rule. Make yourself at home and speak
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freely. Thank you.
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I'm excited to to be on your show.
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I definitely appreciate it. I want to start off, I always
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start from the beginning. Where were you born, Where did
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you grow up, and how was the food scene in your house growing
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up? I was born up near Rochester,
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NY. That's where my mom and dad were
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both from. And then when I was about third
2:05
grade, and then I kind of grew up in Southern California, SO2,
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very different areas, farm country of upstate New York and
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then beach country, you know, Orange County, Southern
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California. My mom was Italian, and so I
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grew up in an Italian family with a lot of food and the love
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of food. And then my dad was always
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somebody that was in the backyard grilling all the time.
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Oh wow, and what did he grill? Just.
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Everything. I mean it was steaks and burgers
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not not so much BBQ but just your typical grilling chicken
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and and pork chops and steaks and burgers.
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Okay, how did you end up in Virginia?
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I know it's very, I know it's very odd.
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My, my dad, he used to work for Xerox and then he worked for
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NASA for some time. So because he was a computer
3:00
guy, we just, we moved a lot growing up.
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And so it was, and I'm very thankful that we did because I
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really got to experience a lot of different areas, different
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cultures, different food scenes. And so I always appreciate the
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fact that I got to see all of that growing up because I know
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that they didn't get that opportunity.
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They grew up in upstate New York their whole life until we moved
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to Southern California. And what part of your upbringing
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shows up most and how you operate today as a whole?
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I grew up and my whole family, we grew up playing sports and my
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dad always had that attitude, hey, I don't care if you're
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down, it doesn't matter. Rub some dirt on it, keep going.
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So I think that philosophy really helps in BBQ because you
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do get knocked down more times than you're standing up on stage
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and it's with a trophy. So I think that resiliency of
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just, you know what, if you work hard and you really have passion
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and you love what you do, just keep on moving and keep going.
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And a mantra that we have in our trailer is, you know what, If
4:01
we're having fun, we're going to keep doing it.
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As soon as it stops being fun, we're done.
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And we're not done yet. We're still having a lot of fun.
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I got to ask the follow up question.
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Which sports did you play? Oh.
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Gosh, I was a lot. I was volleyball, softball,
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track, gymnastics primarily. Oh wow, I was one of those.
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I played a sport every single season in in high school and in
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middle school because I just thought it was fun and I like
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things to be a very quick pace. So that's why I love sports.
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Wow, there's something new all right, from your point of view.
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We heard from Luke before, but how did competition BBQ enter
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your life 'cause I know you were the one that brought it to him,
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correct? So what's your version?
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I am, so I'm, I'm a school counselor by trade.
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And so at the time I was working in the elementary school and one
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day I walked in and our attendance secretary, actually
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she was our bookkeeper. I said, hey, how was your
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weekend? She said, oh, my husband was
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cooking some barbecue in the backyard.
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And I said, hey, mine was too. What, what was he cooking?
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And we talked about it and she said, Oh, my husband's on a BBQ
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team. And I was like, really, tell me
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more about this. And as she was explaining, she
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was talking about Kansas City BBQ Society and said, hey, we're
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looking for somebody to be on the team.
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Would your husband be interested?
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So if I hadn't have had that just random conversation, we
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never would have known about KCBS.
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He never would have joined that team.
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We never would have branched off and had our own team.
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How did Luke take it when you came home?
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Like, I don't want to hang around though.
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How did he react? You know, he was, he was just
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very inquisitive, inquisitive just very much.
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I'm curious about this. I want to know more about it.
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So I connected them, and that's how everything got started.
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It was just, hey, I'm really interested and curious, and I
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love to barbecue in my backyard and teach me about what this
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case CBS is about. And never in a million years did
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we think that it was going to give us, you know, all of this,
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this whole entire new portion of our lives.
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So when he was getting started, do you imagine what it was going
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to be or you had no idea? Really didn't have the idea of
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the depths that it was going to take us and the roads it was
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going to lead us down, but very thankful that it did.
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Basically what we wanted to do was just go out there, learn
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about it. Yes, you always want to go and
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do your best, but we really wanted to just go out there and
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meet people and see what we could pick up.
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And we always want to improve because as barbecuers, yes,
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you're technically competing against other people, but
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honestly, you're really competing against yourself every
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single time you go out there. It's what did I do last time and
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how can I improve upon it the next time?
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So we just kept that throughout all of the years is what can we
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do to improve what we're doing and that we're tuning in
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something that we're happy and that we're proud with.
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Yeah, and Wendy's said he wanted to start his own team.
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Were you 100% behind him being out there all the time?
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100% We were behind. So at the time, our friend
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Leanne Terry, she was a part of our team and he would always be
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cooking in our backyard. And the one thing he cooked
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really well from the start, which is really strange for
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somebody starting out with BBQ, was brisket.
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He had that really well nailed down right from the beginning.
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And so we said, hey, we love what you cook, we're in it with
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you. 100% let's go in and see what we can do.
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It's strange for that area of the world, I.
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Know, right. Yeah, exactly.
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And he had he he knew how to cook brisket.
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And we said, hey, and of course we look like the Beverly
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Hillbillies coming on in with WSMS in the back of the car.
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And I have all the gadgets and everything that we needed.
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And we thought. And then just the people that we
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got to meet and all of the the information we got to pick up
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on. Sometimes just sitting and
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listening to people and what they're doing and what they are
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they love to do makes it so much fun and the funds gets you, gets
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you into it and the family aspect keeps you going the whole
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time. Yeah, definitely, definitely.
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That's what sucked me into just the people.
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I haven't competed yet, I just walked around.
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But I'm hooked because the people are so nice.
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It's like is is this real or is this not?
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Real. I know, right?
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Right. You know, when we always talk
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about when we first started doing this, we'd always talk
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about, we'd say our BBQ friends, our BBQ friends.
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We stopped cutting out BBQ friends because they are our
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friends now and we love being able to go out and see them.
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And we love seeing people outside of barbecue and just
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being like, hey, let's get together or let's go camping.
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Let's get together wherever we are or hey, let's meet in a in a
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neutral location so we can just catch up.
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Yes, we talked about BBQ the whole time mostly but but it's
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but it's also gone beyond that too.
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You know, the kids and the different stuff.
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So it is. That's what I like about it and
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me doing this podcast, I try to be different from other people.
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I get out and do the legwork, meet people, shake hands and
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find out about them and show that hey, I'm interested in who
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they are. Not just the interview, but the
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person. I want to meet people and and be
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friends with them and all that and just hang out because it, I
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love it. It's like a different experience
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because what caught me was Mark Bayless from Blues All Yeah.
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And me and my wife went to Memphis and May in 2023 and we
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were just standing out in the back and he came to us out of
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the blue out of everybody standing there and just started
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talking to us. What did BBQ at the beginning?
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What did BBQ require out of you that you wouldn't expecting at
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the beginning? Well, one thing I, I, I am, I'm
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a very organized person. I'm very type AI like to have my
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lists and everything. And so I guess I wasn't
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expecting as much preparation at first.
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I, I didn't realize how much preparation really went into it
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because at the beginning Luke was very involved in getting
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everything together and packing things up.
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And then we were realizing he was starting to take on a little
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bit too much and then it was tough to be able to focus on the
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cook. So I think once we realized,
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wow, we really kind of have to have things organized and know
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exactly what we need to do and we need to have a timeline, make
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sure we know exactly what's happening at what and what
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specific points in the cook. So I think that level of
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organization, we weren't quite sure about it first.
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That was a little shocking. Do you remember your first comp?
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How did that go? Yeah, our first comp is
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unfortunately a competition that's no longer there, but it
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was in Fredericksburg, VA, and it was called BBQ Jamboree.
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And I remember we had packed tents and we were as far away
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from Turnins as we could possibly get.
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And I remember us cooking there and we went on a Thursday and we
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wanted to meet people. And I remember Luke and our
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friend Leanne always would play guitar.
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So we were just sitting in our sight playing guitar.
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And then this one gentleman, his name's Mike Palmer, and he came
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over and he said, hey, you play guitar.
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And we thought we were bothering them.
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We're like, Oh my gosh, we're so sorry.
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We didn't mean to be playing really loud.
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We'll stop if you want us to. And then he said, no, he goes,
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take those guitars, come over here and come and meet some of
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the best people in barbecue. And we and, and we learned a lot
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from them and just talking with them.
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I remember being super thrilled that we were our best.
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We did, I think was tied at for 12th place and chicken.
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We didn't get a call and, and back then that competition was
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like 100 teams. So to tie for 12th place and
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chicken our first time out, we were completely thrilled and we
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had so much fun meeting people, talking with people that again,
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you get hooked and then of course you get super hooked.
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When you finally hear your first call, that's when you're like,
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OK, you're in, you're in 100%. You're not going back.
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Do not call, do not pass code. Could not collect $200.
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Exactly right and do you remember the moment where it
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shift from something we just do to this is part of our life and
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we we all in. I think when you, you know,
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because at first we were like, oh, we'll just do 5 competitions
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and that first year we did 10. And then I think you start to
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really realize you're into it when you're keep adding comps
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and you're looking at the KCBS website and you're going, oh,
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hey, I've never heard of this one.
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This is a new one or we should add this one to the list.
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And then before you know it, you have 20 per year.
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And then before you know it, you have 30.
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And then you, and then that's when you realize, wow, I'm
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really into it. And then also when, when you
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start looking at and you start taking classes, when you see the
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and you start and then maybe you get a sponsor here or there or
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you start to pick up a certain tip, then you realize, wow, this
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is more than just OK, I'm going to go every now and again and
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cook for the weekend. And or then when you're looking
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forward to seeing your friends, then you're like, OK, we're 100%
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in. Yeah, exactly.
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All right, I'm going to slow this part down and we go get a
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run through of your duties. Can you walk me through the
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competition week, what you do strictly on the week and then
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what you do on the weekend from your side?
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Was just doing it before I came to sit down with you.
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So our rules have shifted a little bit because again, I'm a
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school counselor. Luke used to be a lobbyist.
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So now he does BBQ full time. So he has a little bit more of a
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flexible schedule. So things have shifted a little
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bit since then to the past five years.
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So basically I'm the person that is always keeping inventory of
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what our supplies are. So I'm always letting him know
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what we need to order, what we're low on.
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I'm always the one that packs the spice bin.
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So I'm the one that puts all of the the rubs together, all of
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the finishing powders, all of the other ingredients that go
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along with our cook. I put together all of our sauces
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and all of our injections. So that's something that I'm
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always doing, He's usually doing.
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I used to buy all the meat, but now he he does that, he does
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most of the trimming. So that's my part.
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And then that's his part of what we're usually doing.
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We're usually both sharing responsibilities of packing
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things up in the trailer, making sure that we have everything
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that we need. I'm usually packing things like
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towels and other things we need in the trailer, all that
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different stuff. So I definitely have my role and
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he has his role. OK.
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And what are your responsibilities on the weekend
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as far as? Keeping him in line.
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Everybody knows that. No, I mean, basically my job
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when I get there is I'm making, I'm mixing injections, I'm
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putting everything out. When it's cook time, I'm waking
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up and I'm running all four drums.
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That's what I'm doing. I'm checking, I'm constantly
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checking. I'm doing fire management.
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I'm checking to make sure that that the color is right on
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everything. I'm making sure that everything
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we're staying on the timeline and then just making sure that
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everything is running smoothly. So I'm kind of doing the outside
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part and he's doing the inside part.
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That's pretty much how the cook is going.
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I do the boxing of everything. So I'm the one that's cleaning
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everything up, putting things in the box.
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I'm the primary taster. We both taste.
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Please don't get me wrong, we both do that.
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But he always says he goes, can you have a really good palate
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for this? You're really good at knowing if
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something's too sweet. If we need salt, we need to add
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more finishing powder. So that's pretty much my role
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too. And then I'm the one that's
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usually boxing it and then I'm taking it into the judges.
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From where Luke said that you're excellent chicken cook.
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How did you get to start doing chicken?
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It started because we had the jambo and then we were like, and
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we, we were at one point we were the chicken team a year.
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I think there was 2016, we were chicken team of the year and we
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were doing everything on the jambo And then all of a sudden
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the next year, man, our scores tanked completely and we're
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like, all right, we need to change things around.
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So we decided to start cooking on a can and trying it out.
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And I said I'd be happy to run the chicken can.
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I would like to do that. And that's how that got started.
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And it and I love it. I got a little baby drum and I
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love working. I love being able to work the
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drum, playing around with the paddles, figuring out the
16:12
temperature and what works. And then last year when we
16:16
decided not to cook on the Jambo and do 100% on the drums, I said
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I'd be happy to run the drums. I I really enjoy that part.
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I like sitting outside. I mean, at the Royal it was
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freezing cold. You were there with us and it
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was so cold at that point. I was like, oh wow, OK, I asked
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for this and why did I get it? Yeah, definitely freeze it.
16:36
Yeah, it was cold. Yeah.
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So, yeah. So, so now it it basically it
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started with the success of doing well with the drum with
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chicken to now doing all four meats.
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It sounds good, all right. And when you're in the truck,
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are you more focused on logistics, timing or just
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reading the situation and just flowing wherever needed?
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Yes, yes, yes, all those things, basically, yeah, we're looking
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at all of those things. I'm definitely always looking at
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the timeline, making sure we're hitting our marks, always
17:05
checking because something always can pop up depending on
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humidity, depending on temperature, depending on how
17:13
charcoal is burning that day or anything that's happening,
17:16
looking at and checking color, checking tenderness.
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I think we need to pull it a little bit early because it's
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getting a little darker than we normally would have at this
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point. So we're definitely, and we're
17:25
looking at all of those factors because every cook and every
17:28
piece of meat is going to be different.
17:30
So you're always having to check and recheck and that's very much
17:34
a team effort. We do a lot of things to really
17:37
together as best we can. Yeah, that's the best way to do
17:41
it. Do you ever have to adjust how
17:44
you communicate with Luke depending on how the cook is
17:46
going? We do, yes.
17:49
Yes. And I think we do that for each
17:51
other. We know when we need to kind of
17:53
bring a little bit more energy or when we kind of have to hold
17:56
it back a little bit. Because one thing that people
17:58
don't know about Luke, I mean, he cares a lot about BBQ.
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He really does. He might seem like Mr. Fungi and
18:04
I'm out there dancing and I'm having a good time, but he
18:07
really cares. He cares about BBQ, He cares
18:09
about what we do, and he just cares about the sport in
18:12
general, which is why he decided he was the Mabba president for
18:15
several years and that's why he decided to be a part of the
18:18
board for KCBS. So sometimes when I realize he's
18:22
getting really stressed, I have to say, hey, you know what,
18:25
let's have fun. This is just BBQ, even though I
18:28
know you care about it and we want to do well and we want to
18:30
do our best. This is just barbecue and let's
18:33
take it back a notch or let's talk a little.
18:35
Let's just quiet things down a little bit.
18:37
Sometimes we know when that volume of the BBQ playlist needs
18:40
to go up or when we have to turn it off and just talk things
18:44
through. What separates a good support
18:45
person from a great one in competition BBQ?
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I would say anticipation. You always just have to be
18:52
ready, like knowing what the next step is going to be.
18:55
And that's what I'll, I will do for him.
18:57
And that's definitely what he does for me because he supports
19:00
me in what I do. If I'm sitting outside and I'm
19:02
running the cans, he's going to be like, hey, is there something
19:04
that you need right now? And so I think it's the
19:07
anticipation and definitely communication and not being
19:11
afraid to be honest because neither one of us want to blow
19:15
sunshine about we know what how this cook is great and
19:17
everything is going well when I'm not really feeling that way.
19:21
So I think it's just being honest and being quick and on
19:24
your toes of what needs to change.
19:27
There's sometimes that it's like, do I think it might be a
19:30
little bit salty? And there might be times I'm I'm
19:32
even battling within myself. Is that something I should tell
19:35
him or is that just me? Am I just thirsty?
19:38
And I'm feeling like it's too salty?
19:40
But I think it's just being honest.
19:42
Yeah, yeah. And it helps a lot trying to
19:46
fair the person's feelings and then wind up losing the contest
19:49
because you're trying to be nice and.
19:52
Yes and no. Yeah.
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And that's what we had to learn a long time ago is just be 100%
19:57
honest with what we have going on at that moment.
19:59
Do you think if you and Luke reverse roles, could you do
20:02
everything that he do and he do everything you do?
20:06
We always joke about that. He always teases.
20:08
He's like, you know what? He goes, Kim, if for some
20:10
reason, like I was sick or whatever or I couldn't do this,
20:13
he goes. I know that you could go and
20:14
pick up and do exactly what I'm doing.
20:17
There's parts that I would probably struggle with just
20:19
because he does it more than I do or he that's where his area
20:23
of expertise is. But yeah, I mean, he absolutely
20:26
big detail. Well, I'm more of the small
20:28
detail person where he's the big thinker person.
20:31
So for him, organization, he is an organized person when he
20:34
wants to be. But sometimes that's, that's,
20:37
that's an area where he struggles a little bit.
20:40
But he but I think we definitely could switch roles if we needed
20:43
to. I, I think so, yeah, I, I think,
20:47
I think we could. Do I want to do that?
20:49
No, because we have almost 15 years of doing it a certain way.
20:53
But if push comes to shove and there was almost a time that we
20:56
had to because we were cooking, gosh, it was Urbana.
20:59
I don't know if it was last year or the year before.
21:03
He ended up getting really sick after after one meets and he
21:07
turned to me and he goes, Kim, I don't know if I could cook
21:10
tomorrow. And and then he goes, are you up
21:13
for it? And I'm like, Yep, we're here.
21:14
Let's go, let's we'll do what we need to do.
21:17
Might not place, might not do well, might surprise you, but
21:21
I'm willing to try. Pull it off AGC, Yeah.
21:27
I know, I mean, it's like I was like, I will try my best.
21:30
That's all I can, that's all that I can do.
21:32
And that's all that anybody can ask of me is I'll do my best and
21:35
see what happens. Luckily he was fine the next,
21:38
the next morning, he just, I think he had a small allergic
21:40
reaction to something and then he was fine the next day.
21:43
I was doing a little bit of a because I really didn't want
21:46
that responsibility, but if I had to, I, I totally would.
21:50
And he would totally do that for me too.
21:52
And let's talk about desserts. Your dessert score, your being.
21:55
How was that skill picked up? Was it picked up growing up or
21:58
did you just learn it as you went along?
22:02
Or how did that come about? Definitely.
22:03
Growing up, my mom was a fantastic cook in all aspects
22:08
and she taught me how to cook and she taught me how to bake.
22:11
And I enjoy doing the ancillary categories.
22:13
I I think that they're fun. Some are very elusive for me,
22:16
like I try to do a good dessert. I don't think I've ever gotten a
22:19
dessert call without other people helping and supporting me
22:23
or offering suggestions for things.
22:25
But I do like to cook. I do like doing anything.
22:28
But like in Washington, DC, there's lots of ancillary
22:30
categories, steak, and we like to do all of those types of
22:34
things. But yeah, definitely, again, my
22:36
mom was a really good cook and then my dad was a good griller.
22:39
So I think that really helped to have that.
22:42
And what do you think is y'all greatest achievement in BBQ?
22:45
Because y'all didn't want a lot of stuff so.
22:47
And it doesn't have to be a trophy, it could be something
22:51
that happened or anything. A big dream that really came
22:56
true was last year when we were we GG seed the Open at the
23:00
Royal. That was a really big
23:02
accomplishment for us because we had, especially after switching
23:06
from the Jambo and being able to go to Cannes.
23:10
Another really a big one also was the World Food
23:13
Championships. That really meant a lot because
23:17
it was cooking the four meats and then having to, to cook
23:20
something totally different the very next day, having to switch
23:23
and pivot really fast. That was something that we were
23:27
really proud of. And I, I think what is also
23:29
something that has just been a big motivator for us again, is
23:34
just how can we keep getting better at what we're doing, you
23:38
know, and that that's where that love and that passion just keeps
23:40
coming in every single time is how can we just keep going?
23:44
And it's tough when you've done it this long.
23:46
We're not cooking anything close to what we used to do years ago.
23:49
What used to go would be really popular back then is not what
23:53
people are doing now. And so constantly having to
23:56
adapt. I think that that's something
23:58
that I'm really proud that our team has done too, is that we
24:02
just keep switching. It's like, hey, we've got to
24:04
switch with the times. I think judges are liking this
24:06
more. And I think we need to try this.
24:08
And we're not afraid to be able to try something different if we
24:11
need to. OK.
24:12
OK, and what's something in competition?
24:15
BBQ if added or adjusted or taken away would make a big
24:19
difference. I think that I know that's
24:25
that's a such a tough question sometimes.
24:28
I think what would be helpful if there was a little bit more
24:33
where there was more with the judges and the cooks and the
24:38
reps all together. Sometimes I feel like there can
24:40
be a divide within those 3 factions and I don't feel like
24:44
they're necessarily needs to be. I mean, we're all doing it
24:48
because we have a love of barbecue and we love being out
24:51
there and seeing people and being a part of everything.
24:53
So I think if there was something that we could bring
24:56
everybody a little bit more together and understand what
24:59
it's like in everybody's job doing that I think that would be
25:03
a little bit helpful. Do I know exactly how that would
25:07
look? Not necessarily, but I think
25:10
that it, it could sometimes be helpful if we could do that.
25:13
And I do see that more like, for example, like this weekend,
25:15
we're going to have a judge cook with us.
25:17
And that's something that we really like to do.
25:19
We've had lots of judges cook with us and we'd love to do that
25:22
so we that they can understand what we're doing and then we're
25:25
understanding what they're doing.
25:26
Even though Luke and I are judges, we don't get to go out
25:29
and do it as much as we might like to be able to do it because
25:32
we'd honestly rather be cooking. That's our first passion.
25:35
But anything that we can do to kind of bridge that, that gap, I
25:38
think would just be really, really beneficial for everyone.
25:41
Yeah. Because I don't know what it's
25:43
like to run a contest. No idea.
25:45
I mean, I see friends and I talk to them, but really the
25:48
logistics of it, that's something I'm unaware of.
25:50
And I would like to more know more about that.
25:53
That's something that Luke and I constantly talk about.
25:55
He's like, I'd like to run my own contest.
25:57
And I'm always like, no, stop, no, can't add anything.
26:00
We cannot add anything else to our list of things to do.
26:04
But eventually I think we would probably go that route.
26:07
Yeah, I mean, that sounds fun. And my, I think that I'm a judge
26:11
for GBA down here in Georgia. But sometimes I think it'd be
26:14
like the judges versus the cooks because I don't know, some of
26:18
them might be trying to prove a point as a judge.
26:22
Some of them be unfairly harsh, but they don't know the full
26:27
process of what the cooks going through.
26:29
You didn't spend $1000 on meat and then been out in the hot sun
26:33
and cooking and all that just to have somebody insult what you
26:38
just did and not be reasonable with the criticism of what you
26:43
did. And I don't, I think that's.
26:44
Fair. And.
26:46
Yes, and Speaking of judges, I one thing about it you just like
26:50
sparked something I've said before is I think that judges
26:54
should cook with teams before they are going to be.
26:57
I know sometimes they wait until oh, I've cooked so many and I'm
27:01
going to then I'm going to be a master judge and then I'm going
27:03
to cook with the team. I feel like if that happened
27:05
earlier, that I think that that would bridge that gap and there
27:09
would be more of that connection right, right away from the
27:11
beginning. And I, I think maybe, you know,
27:13
OK, you, you judge 10. Maybe that's the point that,
27:16
hey, before you start doing more, go, go cook with the team
27:20
and know what it's about. And I think it, I think that
27:23
that would be helpful. And I think also it should be
27:25
like that with teams. OK, You've been cooking so many
27:28
times. I think at least once in your
27:30
career of being a pitmaster and being a team is, is, is having
27:35
somebody be in there. You learn a lot from a judge by
27:37
having them sit in your trailer and have them taste your food
27:42
and have them watch what you're doing.
27:43
I mean, it's really a symbiotic relationship where you can learn
27:46
so much from each other that sometimes I think if it was
27:50
encouraged a little bit, and I do think KCPS encourages it, But
27:53
I think maybe if we kind of maybe said, OK, if you only do
27:56
this many, then we just need to start doing this on both sides.
27:59
Yeah, exactly. And plus, when you judge, you
28:02
get to try everybody else. Food to see how you match up
28:05
against the other people and what flavors they're bringing
28:09
and stuff like that. So it's also helpful from Nettie
28:12
and also. It is when we first started
28:14
doing BBQ, we, that was the first thing we did before we
28:17
cooked any competition. We, we, you know, we, we were
28:21
certified and we, we judged several times.
28:23
So we did have an idea before we started to get out there and,
28:27
and do it ourselves. Yeah.
28:29
And the next area I want to go into is working with your
28:31
spouse. You're not just teammates,
28:34
you're married. So that changes everything.
28:36
So what's something that you had to get adjusted to when y'all
28:39
started competing together as far as both of y'all being in
28:42
the same trail? It honestly happened pretty
28:48
naturally. So you were in the trailer with
28:50
us. I mean, when we, we don't fight,
28:52
we, we very rarely fight in our trailer.
28:55
I mean, we might disagree about something, but we, we don't
28:58
fight. I mean, I think it, I really
29:00
think it, there wasn't a lot of hurdles that happened.
29:03
I think maybe the, the biggest thing was just what are our
29:06
roles going to be? That was the, I think the
29:08
hardest part of who's going to do what, because I think at the
29:10
beginning he was trying to take on so many responsibilities.
29:14
And then we realized, Hey, you know what, we need to divide
29:17
this out a little bit more. Let's talk about this is what
29:20
you're really good at doing and this is what you're really good
29:22
at doing. And let's let's stick with that.
29:25
And I mean as well as being married and y'all already know
29:28
each other and how each other flow so it's easy to work
29:32
because y'all together all the time and it's not like someone
29:36
that a stranger that you have to get used to or no day
29:39
mannerisms. Exactly, and we can sometimes
29:42
say, hey, get go get this, go get this where it's if it's
29:44
somebody else in the trailer, hey, can you go please get that
29:46
for me? Thank you.
29:47
I appreciate that sometimes you, I mean, sometimes you don't have
29:51
time for that. And we know it's like, Hey, if
29:53
I'm asking for something, if I need something, hey, can you, I
29:55
need you to grab so and so. And we know that that we don't
29:58
have to worry about that. And sometimes we do things
30:00
without even having to talk to each other.
30:02
I think that's a good thing because we're spouses and also
30:05
because we've done it so many years together that sometimes we
30:08
just know what's going to happen.
30:10
I'll start putting something out that I know he's going to need
30:12
or he's going to come out and he's going to check on me at a
30:15
certain point because he knows that's what I'm going to need.
30:17
So I think that's what helps by being a spouse and a teammate at
30:20
the same time is sometimes there's just no verbal
30:23
communication. It's it's all the nonverbals.
30:27
Alright, and what's something that Luke do well as a teammate
30:30
that most people don't see? He is really good at listening.
30:38
He's really good at that. I mean he really, he's good at
30:41
taking criticism. He's really good at listening to
30:44
what other people are saying. He really is good at just at
30:47
paying attention of what's going on.
30:49
He can, like I said, he can be Mr. I'm out there, I'm having
30:52
fun and I'm dancing and I'm playing my songs on the
30:55
playlist. But when it's time and he needs
30:59
to focus, he's really good at focusing on what he needs to do,
31:03
calming down and really just being in the moment when he
31:07
needs to be. Sometimes I don't think people
31:10
see that that part of him. They see the fun, fun Luke.
31:13
And he is definitely fun Luke all of the time.
31:15
But he has that ability to be able to really laser focus in
31:19
when he needs to and. It throws people off because
31:22
they just think he's playing around all the time but they
31:25
don't see the actual inside the truck and how y'all operates.
31:28
They probably get it twisted. We'll we'll sit with some.
31:33
Yeah, I mean, we'll sit in the trailer and sometimes, sometimes
31:35
I'll come out and I'll walk back in and he's just kind of doing a
31:38
little meditation. And that's something that I
31:41
don't think people would ever think about what he, about him.
31:44
They're just thinking, oh, he's goofing off.
31:45
And yes, we have fun even in our trailer, 100% we have a good
31:49
time. But there, you know, But
31:51
sometimes there's those quiet moments and they might not
31:53
noticed that about him. Exactly.
31:55
He's very passionate. This is y'all.
31:57
This is what he do 100% of the time.
32:00
So you can't be in there goofing off as well as winning the
32:04
contest. You also has to as far as
32:07
sponsors and getting attention elsewhere.
32:10
So if they don't see the results, a lot of the sponsors
32:15
and stuff turn away. But the results are there and it
32:18
shows. Y'all wouldn't be having the
32:20
results y'all do if you wouldn't take any serious inside the
32:25
trailer so as well as y'all keep it fun and loose because at the
32:29
end of the day, even though it's a contest, y'all out there to
32:32
meet, have fun and enjoy so. Absolutely, yeah.
32:36
And it's it just it takes that balance.
32:38
You have to have the balance of everything and not just in your
32:41
flavors and on the BBQ with relationships, in the trailer,
32:44
relationship with other people and sometimes having that time
32:47
for yourself when you need to just reflect on things.
32:50
When it comes to socializing with people, I don't like where
32:54
some people won't speak to people or if you see somebody
32:58
new, they won't talk to them or say hello when they pass by.
33:02
But they want people to buy their products or be a fan of
33:07
theirs, but they don't take the time to socialize or just say
33:11
hello. It doesn't take much to say how
33:12
you doing. No, not at all.
33:14
And that was a big part of us when we first got started is
33:17
that he's like, I want to meet people, I want to talk to
33:19
people, I want to see what they're up to and what's going
33:21
on. And it's so great that that when
33:24
we go to a cook site, again, unfortunately he gets there
33:27
earlier than I do because of my job.
33:29
Sometimes I'm not, I'm rolling in on a Friday night and then
33:32
sometimes we're cooking Saturday.
33:34
But I always tried to be able to get around sometimes and say hi
33:37
to people or talk to people as best I can.
33:39
And luck he can do that for us because he's going to be there a
33:41
little earlier. He loves to walk around and be
33:44
able to talk to backyard teams, especially new teams, love to be
33:47
like, hey, come on over. If you have a question, come and
33:50
ask. We'll help you as best we can.
33:52
If there's something you need, we know what it was like.
33:55
It wasn't that long ago that we were the new kid on the block
33:57
and we want you to continue to love this and have a passion
34:00
just like we do. We always try to go around and
34:02
talk to people and we always love to pick a new state to go
34:05
to every time. We compete every year and that
34:08
gives us an opportunity to meet people that we've never met
34:11
before. Last year we did Idaho for the
34:13
first time and we got to meet, we got to meet the team, meet
34:16
Candy Q from California, Southern California, and we
34:19
never had an opportunity. And now they are great friends
34:22
of ours and we communicate all the time.
34:25
And that's what I that's what I love about him.
34:27
He's so social. That's why I told him when I
34:29
came to American Roy, I just want to shadow you and walk
34:32
around and meet folks because I like how you do that.
34:35
It makes even the newest person or international team feels
34:39
special that okay, this guy is a world champion and he took the
34:42
time to come over to speak to me and make me feel important and
34:46
make me feel wanted. It means a lot.
34:49
It does, it does and I will say that is 1 of Lukes great skills.
34:54
He will make you feel like the most important person in the
34:57
room and it's genuine. It's not and it's not airs.
35:01
It's not anything he's making up.
35:02
That's just Luke 100% him of you know what?
35:06
I I want to talk to you and I think you're an interesting and
35:09
fascinating person and I want to learn more about you.
35:12
It's awesome that he does that. What caught me with him is most
35:16
people when they come I tell them my name and they are go
35:20
straight to Travis and Tavis and stuff like that.
35:22
He was the only person that remembered my name and kept
35:25
calling my name correctly and that means a lot to me because I
35:28
hear it wrong so many times. I could tell somebody, hey, my
35:31
name is Tavis. And Davis?
35:33
Later, Travis oh, Tavis and I'd be like, I just told you I
35:37
didn't have people come on the show and.
35:41
Right, So can you get my name right on my own show please?
35:46
I was like, OK, but that meant a lot to me.
35:50
It, it may seem small, but it's important to me.
35:54
And he made me feel welcome by doing it.
35:57
And because I traveled all the way up to Virginia to take the
36:01
class and I felt welcomed and, and stuff like that in in the
36:06
class and he made everybody feel welcome and part of the group.
36:11
And we just, it wouldn't just everybody just coming to a
36:15
class, we felt kind of like a family, even though we were
36:18
there a couple of days and and then you came in and it.
36:23
I enjoyed the class and the atmosphere and just his
36:26
personality just made it fun. So.
36:30
Thank you. Appreciate that.
36:33
That's what we want. We want, hey, if you, if you're
36:35
coming to a class of ours, you're always family and we
36:37
always say the lines of communication are always open.
36:40
Whatever you're doing, you text call, whatever you need to do,
36:43
you're always going to be a part of OVS.
36:45
As far as your point of view, what have you had to improve
36:48
about yourself to make the partnership work at a high
36:51
level? Anger management when I, I'm a
36:56
very, I, I'm a highly competitive person.
37:00
I just, I think it became it's sports at a very young age.
37:03
I played in college and I think just, you work so hard and you
37:06
put your heart and your soul and everything into it and you could
37:10
have six people crush that so quickly.
37:12
And I think just being able to, just being able to handle that
37:16
and then channel it into a different, I mean, not to say I
37:18
don't get frustrated, but sometimes I'll have to shut that
37:22
door and I'll just need to let it out with him.
37:24
But I think just being able to be like, you know what, let's
37:26
channel this in a different way so it so that we can improve
37:30
upon what we're going to do next time.
37:32
Or sometimes just take that really hard look and say, what
37:36
was it exactly what we thought? Did we really think that was
37:39
going to be a 180? OK, maybe not.
37:41
Maybe we could have tweaked it this way or that way instead.
37:44
So I think that's something that really I kind of had to kind of
37:48
be like, you know what sometimes and just realize we're not going
37:51
to, we're not always going to win every competition and it's
37:54
not always going to turn out the way we want.
37:56
But if there's something that we can learn for the next time,
37:59
then it'll just make us better. Let's hear your perspective as a
38:03
woman in competition BBQ. What has your experience been
38:06
like as a woman in competition BBQ?
38:11
I think it's sometimes the perception of as far as women in
38:15
BBQ, sometimes it's, oh, we're, we are the spouse and so we just
38:18
tag along because we don't have anything else to do.
38:21
We're just there to make a box and to turn in a box.
38:25
But when you talk to most of the spouses or females as part of
38:28
this team, we are so much more in BBQ.
38:31
The tough part about KCBS is there's one pitmaster that's
38:35
listed for a team and that's really difficult because there's
38:38
so many female pit masters out there that we're not the head
38:42
cook for a team. But could we be head cook of a
38:45
team? Yes.
38:46
Do we do as much as our spouses or our teammates?
38:49
Yes. So I think that sometimes that's
38:52
the misperception at 1st and until people really get to know
38:55
you or really see what you're doing and what you're all about.
38:59
And then when you start talking about your cook or you start
39:02
talking about the process or somebody says, hey, what's
39:05
what's your in your sauce? And Luke comes to me going, Kim,
39:07
what's in your sauce? I have no idea what's in it, you
39:10
know that. Then I think people start to
39:12
understand and then and they get it after a while and they're
39:15
like, oh, OK, She's really a part of the team.
39:18
And I think Luke has been really a big part of that too.
39:22
And really saying, hey, no, Kim is not just here to put the kale
39:26
in the box and that's it. She's a part of everything.
39:29
He's got to see her out there with her little paint brushes
39:31
when she's cleaning up a box or she's sitting there to the
39:34
second making sure to turn something in the can or to check
39:37
the color or hey, I need to spritz something right now.
39:40
So he's really good about that too, as far as talking about
39:44
that. It's definitely important and
39:47
most of it is a stereotype. That's anything that he could
39:51
do, you could do and you've proven it.
39:55
And like you said, he he speaks up for you, which he's supposed
39:59
to be and you already based on the results, it's working based
40:04
on y'all flow. I've been a trailer with y'all.
40:07
So I know both of y'all are doing the work and you doing
40:10
your part and he's doing his part.
40:12
And especially being a married couple is the best because you
40:16
know the person, you know how they think, you know how to calm
40:19
him down, you know how to. And it is there's.
40:23
Certain parts that men are strong at as well as certain
40:27
parts that women are strong at, and y'all use those to y'all
40:30
advantage and get the results, yeah.
40:32
We do that. I mean, our team is, is so much
40:35
a we. It is 100% we when when we say,
40:39
when we talk about OVS, you know, we're talking about the
40:42
both of us all the time. It's never just him and you
40:44
know, he he always talks. He always goes Kim, sometimes I
40:47
do feel bad because I am the head cook for the team and a lot
40:50
of people will come to me for questions.
40:52
And I think because he does talk me up and now I do have more
40:56
people coming to me. Some people will come to me and
40:58
be like, Hey, talk to me about your chicken process.
41:00
You taught it in class and I have a question and it if he
41:04
wasn't there being my biggest supporter and him and I'm being
41:07
his biggest supporter, I don't think that we would happen as
41:10
much. I definitely noticed it that's
41:12
why I was like I got to get her on the show cause a lot of
41:14
people don't see her point of view of what she does so I can
41:20
let her explain well she do so they'll.
41:22
Sure. No.
41:23
And I I appreciate having this opportunity.
41:26
Hey, power to all the female pit masters out there.
41:28
Yes. Definitely.
41:30
All right. And where do you, where do women
41:32
bring an edge or strength to it team that maybe isn't talked
41:35
about enough? I think a lot of times we tend
41:39
to be, sometimes a lot of us are like the quiet people in the
41:43
background that are doing that. And I think the more that we can
41:46
get out into the forefront and again, we don't have to be the
41:50
head cook. I'm not saying that.
41:52
But the more that we could just be a part of everything that's
41:55
going on, you know, in KCBS and with the team and being a part
42:00
of that, I think that helps. And I think it's just kind of
42:02
talking it up, having in the presence, encouraging more, more
42:07
people to get involved. And I mean, and the great thing
42:09
is like we're seeing more women coming to our BBQ classes, which
42:13
has been awesome and amazing because it is primarily male
42:17
dominated, but having more females out there and asking
42:21
questions. And I love it when other women
42:24
come up to me and are be like, Hey, how did you know questions
42:27
like you're asking me like, how did you get started?
42:29
And what was the best if I want to get started, what's the best
42:32
thing that I could do right now? What's something that I can do
42:36
and get started? And I love that aspect of it
42:39
when people come and ask me that question because I will be an
42:42
open book to anybody that wants to get started doing this.
42:45
Yeah, and how do you stay balanced when it comes to all
42:48
this? Because you got a full time job
42:50
and you compete? How do you find time for free
42:53
time? And what do you do for free?
42:55
What do you do in your free time that you enjoy?
42:58
Oh, in my free time, I spent a lot of time with my family.
43:01
I love to be outside. So that's why I think BBQ is
43:04
great because we can be outside and we're at a campground and
43:07
we're doing things. So I think it's just being able
43:10
to. I think not.
43:12
We don't compete every weekend, but there was a time that was
43:14
like, I think we did like 14 competitions in a row.
43:17
So I think it's having a balance of let's go compete and then
43:21
let's have some free time. So I think being able to be
43:25
outside and just being able to enjoy family and friends and
43:29
sometimes having some days where it's like, Hey, we're not going
43:31
to talk about BBQ today or we're not going to do anything with
43:34
BBQ because it's usually on the top of our mind and it's a topic
43:37
we talk about in the house all the time, you know, But I think
43:40
it's being able to just go out and do other things with, with
43:43
friends and family, I think is really important.
43:45
And but that's the balance because and also I, I'm a person
43:49
that is constantly on the move. I am not a home body by any
43:52
stretch of imagination. I mean, I always say if I could
43:55
just have a trailer and be out and travel all the time that I
43:57
would be 100% happy with that. So being a school counselor
44:02
where you're constantly on your feet and moving and thinking
44:04
quickly and then BBQ I think are hand in hand in so many ways.
44:09
It's when I'm with the kids or with I'm in the trailer, I
44:12
should say my big kid in the trailer.
44:15
I think it's constantly just problem solving and being able
44:18
to do that, being able to pivot quickly when there's a problem.
44:22
So I think because of my job in the trailer and the BBQ team and
44:26
then my job for my other salary, I think they work really well
44:30
together. So when I can have that
44:32
downtime, I, I think it's so important just to be able to be
44:36
outside and just enjoy all the people that are around you and
44:40
all of the all the blessings that we have.
44:42
I got a quick question and then I'm gonna play a couple games
44:45
which and get you out of here. If you had to create an All Star
44:48
team, you and three other pit masters to cook a contest and
44:53
we're going to take a look at the equation and you're going to
44:56
cook chicken. What are the other three pit
44:58
masters that you're going to choose and what meat are they
45:00
cooking? Wow, wow.
45:04
OK, That's a really tough one. Gosh, wow.
45:12
That's a really, really tough question.
45:18
I don't know if I could really pin that one down.
45:21
There's certain people that I would want to be around me just
45:23
because I, I mean, one person that I really, really love is,
45:25
is Bill Gillespie. Bill and Sean Gillespie, Like I
45:29
would have, you know, I would want to be with them in a
45:32
heartbeat because they're fun, they're nice, they're kind.
45:36
They, they, they are so good at what they do.
45:39
You know, I look up to them as far as what Luke and I are.
45:42
So I, I would definitely say, you know, Bill and just his
45:45
consistency and, and just his, his knowledge, he knows more
45:49
about BBQ than most people are for you know, he's forgotten
45:52
most about BBQ than most people know.
45:55
So I think, you know, being a part of of that, you know, if I
45:59
could have, I would, I would, I love from Lucky's Q, the
46:03
Mclawn's Justin and the Lucky and and Kate, Kate Mcglawn, I
46:07
would have in my trailer any, any day of the week.
46:10
And also with Justin too. I think that they're just fun
46:13
people. They were with us when we were
46:16
cooking the Invitational at the Royal.
46:19
And that was just some of the best times that we have ever had
46:23
cooking was when they were in their trailer and, you know,
46:25
definitely miss, you know, seeing them out on the circuit
46:28
like we used to. So I would love to be with them
46:31
or have them. I mean, of course, you know,
46:35
Darren Worth. I would love cooking with him.
46:38
You know, I love having Brad there.
46:42
You know, Joe Pierce, I mean Brian Corbett.
46:45
I mean, I could just, you know, because he's such a good friend.
46:48
He keep he keeps look like nice and steady throughout
46:50
everything. You know, I mean, there's just
46:54
there's so many people David Moore are there are are are
46:57
newer friends on the BBQ circuit and their passion and being
47:00
newer team with this. We love cooking with them.
47:03
I mean he's one of the he's a him and Brian Corbett are two of
47:07
the smartest people in in BBQ as far as just being able to talk
47:11
with them and go through things. You know, I mean I love Timmy.
47:15
I mean from Blues hawk, I mean, you know, I mean I I love him.
47:20
You know, he calls me G all the time and you know, so it's
47:24
really hard to like say who would cook what meat or
47:26
anything, but any of those people.
47:28
I mean, if if they said, hey, Kim, would you join my team?
47:32
I would be really proud to be with, you know, and with, you
47:35
know, honestly, any, any one of them.
47:38
You got a whole football team. I do seriously, it's really hard
47:42
to to narrow it down because there's so many people that have
47:45
been super in, you know, super helpful through US, you know,
47:49
through throughout the years, You know, I mean, shoot, if you
47:51
want to have a good time, chicken and grin and my
47:53
goodness, if you want to party while you're cooking, I mean, go
47:56
join their team. Definitely we do.
47:59
That's the answer. I mean, that's your answer.
48:01
That's your answer. That's the All Star team, man,
48:04
that if I had to put an All Star team together, there we go.
48:07
All right, I'm gonna play a quick game and get you out here.
48:10
Sure. The BBQ Therapy Smoke showdown.
48:13
And I came up with a bracket of 16 meats that you cook on the
48:16
grill and I'm gonna give you each match up and just tell me
48:18
which one you prefer to eat and we'll see which one comes out.
48:21
The winter match up one. OK.
48:23
Brisket versus hot dog? Brisket.
48:27
All right, next match up is smoked chicken versus pork chop.
48:33
Smoked chicken I love a good whole smoked chicken on the on
48:36
the love that. Pork ribs versus lamb.
48:41
Pork ribs. Not a huge Lamb fan, too gamey
48:44
for me. Me too.
48:46
Steak versus pork belly. Steak rib eye all day.
48:53
Beef grills versus BBQ shrimp. I would have to do shrimp.
48:56
I love seafood. Wow, all right.
49:00
Hamburger versus smoked Bologna. Hamburger.
49:05
Sausage versus smoked ham. Sausage and smoked Turkey versus
49:12
burnt ends. Bird 10s.
49:15
OK. That was a tough, that was a
49:17
tough one. Next matchup is brisket versus
49:20
smoked chicken. Brisket, brisket.
49:23
I'll go brisket. Pork ribs versus steak.
49:27
Ribs. Ribs.
49:28
And shrimp versus hamburger. Shrimp.
49:34
OK. I know it's awesome.
49:38
Sausage and burn ends. Burn ends.
49:42
OK. And final four, brisket versus
49:47
pork ribs. Brisket.
49:50
And shrimp versus burn ends. Shrimp.
49:54
Oh wow. Yeah, I love seafood.
49:57
I my dad used to own a seafood restaurant at one point, like a
50:00
raw bar and I love that. Finals is brisket versus shrimp.
50:05
Okay, brisket, Brisket. Brisket is the winner, all right
50:10
and. Ding Ding, Ding.
50:11
Brisket wins. All right, Miss Kim, your
50:14
therapy session is over and you got anything to promote or
50:17
anything you want to say, you could definitely do that.
50:21
You know what I definitely I want I want to say thank you
50:24
very much for having me on I it was very much an honor.
50:27
I was very so pleasantly surprised that you asked me.
50:30
So I really appreciate the time and your questions were
50:33
wonderful. Always want to thank our
50:35
sponsors and our partners and what we do.
50:38
So if I forget somebody, please forgive me, but you know,
50:41
definitely want to thank, you know, Blues hog.
50:44
I want to thank Snake River farms.
50:46
I want to definitely thank BBQ data big Papa smokers.
50:50
I want to I think Traeger is a big partner of ours.
50:53
Yeti is a big partner of ours. We couldn't do this without
50:57
having their support and having having their help.
51:00
So again, I apologize if I had forgotten somebody along the
51:03
way. But if we if we didn't have
51:06
those sponsors, it would really be hard for us to go out and do
51:08
what we do as often. So and, and thank you for what
51:12
you do and getting our love of BBQ out there on, you know, out
51:17
online. And it's just wonderful that we
51:19
have other people that can really be involved with this and
51:22
have a love and a passion for it just like we do.
51:24
So thank you for what you do, Taylor.
51:26
No problem. I mean, you asked me a year ago
51:28
because this didn't even exist. Because I'm like, it's been 11
51:31
months and I didn't release 48 episodes and I'm like, I didn't
51:36
think I'd be going this path. But I mean, I, I like it.
51:39
It's different. I get to bring people's story
51:42
out to everybody and do it my way.
51:44
And people's been receptive to it and it's, it's been great.
51:48
And I try to do things different and get people different voices
51:52
that people don't hear from a lot or cause a lot of people
51:55
have the same people. And there's so many people out
51:57
there in different avenues. And there's so many people that
52:00
may be in a position that be stuck on the fence about getting
52:05
into something and they may have a rub or want to do a
52:08
restaurant. And just hearing somebody's
52:10
story may motivate them to get out there and do their dream.
52:14
And that's what I want to have. And just just to kind of help
52:17
people motivate them and hear other people's stories as well
52:20
as promote the some of the good people in BBQ.
52:23
So that's pretty much what I'm doing.
52:25
And you're one of those people that I felt that need to be
52:29
heard. And there's other people that
52:32
assist with their husbands and stuff like that.
52:34
And just hearing your story and what you do and what you bring
52:39
to the table may inspire other people.
52:41
So I definitely appreciate you just popped in my head in
52:44
January and I fumble around like, Nah, she ain't gonna do
52:47
it. She ain't gonna do it.
52:48
And did a couple weeks ago. I was like let me just send a
52:50
text and see what happens. I mean, I was so shocked.
52:54
I said, I said, me, he wants me. Are you sure he doesn't want to
52:58
talk to you? And he's like, no, he wants to
53:00
talk to you. And I was like I said, I said,
53:01
if so, if my story can help somebody else to, to go out
53:06
there and, and, and do this and to try it out.
53:09
I mean, I hope, I hope so. I hope that this, this helps
53:11
somebody and it might help some other female pit masters or, you
53:15
know, spouses to go out there and be like, you know what, I
53:17
really want to learn about this. And it doesn't have to be
53:19
anything big. Just go out there and start it.
53:22
If this is something you love to do and that because you never
53:25
know where it's going to take you.
53:27
I love the fact that we there are friends that we have across
53:31
the country that we never would have met if it was if BBQ hadn't
53:34
brought us together. And I'm so and I'm so thankful
53:37
for that. And it opened up a whole world
53:39
that just never knew was even out there or possible.
53:42
And the fact that you are making it so accessible for everyone is
53:45
such a big, big boost to what we do because we want BBQ to keep
53:50
going and we want KCBS to be popular and we want people to be
53:54
able to join in and have it be welcoming for anybody who loves
53:58
it as much as we all do. Every little part is important
54:01
and nobody's bigger than another area, so they're like we all one
54:05
family and that's pretty much it.
54:07
I definitely appreciate y'all for welcoming in and allowing me
54:10
to come into the trucker during one of the biggest competitions
54:14
of the season. We had a lot of fun with you and
54:16
we were so happy and you were so helpful.
54:18
You were great. You're like, all right, what can
54:20
I do? Let me get my hands dirty.
54:21
If you need me, I got you and we really appreciated that because
54:25
there were sometimes that we really needed your help and you
54:27
were great and we loved having you in the trailer.
54:31
And so I'm glad that you were able to be a part of it.
54:33
And you could, you know, see the royal and just see the
54:36
electricity and the excitement that's all around the royal.
54:40
It's, it's, it's like nothing that anybody could ever
54:43
experience. We always say, hey, if you get a
54:45
chance to go, go to the royal, have a good time.
54:48
It doesn't matter if you didn't qualify for the Invitational, go
54:50
to the open and experience it and take it all in.
54:53
We're in that BBQ snow globe. Enjoy it.
54:56
Exactly, at least. And we loved it, loved it, yes.
54:59
And we loved having, we loved having your.
55:01
Just coming on the show, I mean, it meant a lot to me.
55:04
Just I was so excited when he said, yes, she's coming, she's
55:09
excited. Thank you.
55:11
I was like I said, I was, I was very, very honored.
55:14
So I, I appreciate you. So thank you for having me on.
55:19
I built something onto my podcast that every BBQ brand
55:22
should be a part of. It's called the BBQ Therapy
55:25
Smoke Showdown bracket 16 meats you cook on the grill go head to
55:29
head and every guest picks their winner.
55:32
It's one of the most engaging parts of the show.
55:35
Every guest plays and every listener loves it Because No2
55:39
brackets are the same. Now I'm opening it up for a
55:42
presenting sponsor, meaning your brand becomes part of the
55:45
segment. Every single show.
55:48
This isn't just an ad. This becomes part of the show.
55:52
And if you're interested, reach out to Tavis Bryant at
55:55
barbecuetherapypodcast@gmail.com. Thank you.
55:59
Thank you for joining us for another therapy session.
56:03
And remember, like, follow and subscribe to help the BBQ
56:06
Therapy community and also visit our website at
56:09
www.barbecuetherapypodcast.com.