Page 9 - February 2022 Barbecue News Magazine

Roger Peugeot with his famous “Burnt Ends” toilet bowl barbecue rig at the American Royal Barbecue in Kansas City’s West Bottoms, mid-1980s.
heating gas, minerals and medicine. Maybe “waste” should be in quotation marks. As science, government and busi- ness begin to transform it into valued resources for health and wealth, the word “waste” may become archaic.
Knock. Knock. “Who’s there?” “Birria!”
“Birria who?” I don’t know, but I do know that words and
humor are two important keys to moving society past the yuck factor as the solid waste industry Health and Wealth Revolution gains momentum.
One of today’s major culinary sensations, birria (pro- nounced “bee-rryah) tacos, for example, owes part of its amazing success to a name that mixes history, humor and intrigue. History due to its origin in Jalisco when Spanish conquistadores occupied the state, bringing with them an abundance of stinky unwelcome goats that at first were deemed “worthless” by the local populace until a goat stew was developed as a means of reducing the goat population. “Worthless Stew” caught on as a flavor sensation that later surged food truck Birria Taco profits in California and now everywhere. Customers in the know get a chuckle from or- dering a delicious taco that literally means “worthless,” “garbage,” or “crap.” The curiosity-provoking name inspires intrigue, especially when presented as a crispy meat-filled taco and a signature dipping sauce. Birria meats today may be goat, beef, chicken, turkey, duck, pork or sausage, stewed and/or smoked.
Back to Roger and his smoked sausages in a toilet bowl. As a popular local plumber who has responded to thousands
of sewery emergencies, Roger was long past the bodily waste yuck factor—so much so that he was having fun with his visual joke and quips to passersby about those sausages. For example, when then Kansas City Missouri Mayor Richard Berkley asked, “Roger, what kind of crap are you
Roger The Plumber’s Burnt Ends Competition Barbecue team at the American Royal Barbecue in Kansas City’s West Bottoms, mid-1980s. They used a heavy gauge steel cooker for chicken, ribs, pork butt and beef brisket.
cooking?” Roger replied, “Mayor, we have some pretty good sh*t over here. Try some!” Posing for a photo as he smiled and took a bite, the Mayor agreed that it was pretty good.
Granted, the first time I spied Roger’s toilet bowl and con- tents, I was amused, but not interested in tasting a sample. However, if a crispy toilet bowl-smoked sausage “Birria Taco” with a special dipping sauce had been offered for tasting, you betcha’ I would have tried one!
How about you? Would you be more inclined to buy a “Bir- ria Taco” than a “Worthless Taco?” Would you rather buy a “Buffalo Zurullo” appetizer or a “Buffalo Turd?”
I truly believe that Roger Peugeot’s toilet bowl bbq grill be- longs in the Smithsonian as a historic destigmatizing har- binger of the 22nd Century Wastewater Health and Wealth Revolution.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
FEBRUARY 2022
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