Page 5 - OCT 2020 Barbecue News Magazine

bbq legend
The Human
Factor in
Barbecue
Ardie Davis
aka Remus Powers BBQ Hall of Famer ardiedavis@kc.rr.com
Be sure to treat yourself to the new Netflix “Chef’s Table” documentary featuring our beloved Tootsie Tomanetz.
Occasional Lone Star shots of Texans in Western
attire on horseback, Black Angus cattle, oil rig
and other rural Texas scenes set the mood, but
barbecue is the meat of this flick--barbecue sea-
soned with comments from Snow’s BBQ
owner/pitmaster Kerry Bexley, pitmaster Clay
Cowgill, and insightful, reverent narration by Texas Monthly Bar- becue Editor Daniel Vaughn. This up close glimpse of real people with a talent and passion for barbecue, presented with artful cine- matic eye candy is an instant barbecue classic.
Tootsie learned the Texas Hill Country barbecue method years ago while raising three children and working with her late hus- band, Korean War veteran Edward “White” Tomanetz, at City Meat Market in Giddings. The story of how she ended up as head pit- master at Snow’s BBQ unfolds in the documentary.
Tootsie exemplifies a simple but not easy classic Central Texas method of barbecuing with fiery post oak coals and logs radiating direct heat and smoke flavor to hundreds of pounds of salted, peppered and mopped chicken halves, thick pork steaks, beef brisket and pork spareribs on grates and sausages draped over metal rods.
Kerry Bexley orchestrates the entire oper- ation. On camera he carries meats to and from the pits, socializes with hundreds of customers waiting in line, calls their at- tention to the ice chest full of beer and announces raffle numbers for prizes such as a trip to the front of the line or dis- counts on Snow’s swag.
Tootsie adds shovels full of hot coals and an occasional post oak log in the pits as needed, checking the temperature in each pit now and then with her hand, no ther- mometer or other gadgets needed. “I can’t tell you how hot my pits are because I feel ‘em with my hand. It’s just some- thing I do.”
Aside from glimpses of the art and hard work of Central Texas barbecue, a major gift to viewers is the introduction to Tootsie herself. She is solidly grounded in her local and international barbecue family, able to balance her regret that, “Nowadays we’ve moved too far away from each other,” with her many friends in our “close-knit barbecue family. They’re holding me up. They’re walking with me.” Tootsie has no airs. No pre- tensions. She is strong, independent, compas-
sionate, loving, grieving, skilled, humble, persistent, reliable, loyal, principled, devout, and one of the most gifted pitmasters to ever walk this earth. Tootsie Tomanetz herself is the real standout in this documentary. Granted, it’s a glimpse, a snapshot, but you are left with a sense that you know this person. You’ve been touched by her spirit and you’re a better person for having met her.
Be forewarned. The sight of so much quality barbecue in Snow’s pits and on customers’ butcher paper-covered trays, complete with homemade sides and signature Texas raw onion slices with dill pickle chips will give you hunger pangs!
I wonder what the world of barbecue will be like when Tootsie and today’s other real life talented pitmasters are gone and the world has moved on. Is there a secret seasoning? Is it the wood, the temperature, the timing, the pits, the mop, or maybe the alu-
OCTOBER 2020
BarbecueNews.com - 5
Photo courtesy of Daren Proctor
In 2018 Tootsie Tomanetz (center) was inducted into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame along with Tuffy Stone (left) and Charlie Vergos (right).
minum foil? Tootsie says there aren’t any secrets. Daniel Vaughn says, “The secret is the pitmaster.” That’s the human factor.
Sure, it is possible to set up a robotic Hill Country-style mass production barbecue operation that can serve trays of if-you- didn’t-know-better tasty barbecue on butcher paper, but it will never be the same as what you’ll get when you make the early Saturday morning trip to Snow’s and line up at 8 a.m. or earlier for the most memorable barbecue breakfast of your lifetime.
In Kansas City we like to say, “Barbecue isn’t just for breakfast anymore.” Tootsie sets the bar for the best barbecue break- fast on the planet!