Page 16 - Barbecue News DEC 2020 Digital Issue

bbq media
BBQ PROFILES:
Kevin Sandridge
T. Michael Garrison
The Flying BBQ Judge mgarrison8@sbcglobal.net
As my readers know I always look for someone who has given back to the BBQ World, to feature in the BBQ Profiles. This month is a person who has given so much back to all of us and continues to contribute in many ways. He is a top
quality guy, a very good friend, and one
I have been looking forward to profiling
for some time. Well known to just about
anybody in the BBQ family, Kevin San-
dridge has a very high profile and is
simply a great guy. I have known Kevin
since moving to Florida back in 2014,
and continue to be both impressed as
well as somewhat amazed in what he
has accomplished. He is perhaps best
known for the BBQBeat, a well moni-
tored Podcast that focuses on competi-
tion BBQ. BBQBeat is in Season 5 and
most recently aired it’s 76th episode. I
am always amazed at how and where he
finds his subjects to include in this very
informative program. Although a long
time Floridian, he does not confine his programs to this area. He has international celebrities plus many from all over the conti- nental US. Some of these come to him by “word of mouth” from his many contacts in the BBQ World, some he seeks out on line and learns enough about them that he wants to pursue them fur- ther with a Podcast, and some just seem to fall out of the sky and a program develops without any structured source. His programs have included cooks and how they have entered and succeeded in
competition BBQ. Many include products such as rubs, sauces and much more. Some are organizers of major BBQ events, covering the particulars of their contest. Many recipes have been intro-
duced on the BBQBeat. He finds very in- teresting people on Social Media and he particularly likes virtual travel around the world, seeking candidates for his podcasts.
Kevin was an Army Brat and his Father served our country in the Army, retiring as a Warrant Officer. Kevin was born in Belgium and spent his early years mov- ing around Europe. As far back as he can remember his family cooked over open fire, so he was exposed to BBQ from his very beginning. While growing up he would spend Summers on a relative’s farm in Virginia. As most farms do, they would harvest animals from the farm for their meat and crops for fruits and
vegetables. Not surprisingly the meat ended up being cooked out- side, over open fires. That was probably his most exposure to BBQ in his early life. He frequently visited an Uncle in the Raleigh- Durham area, and they always prepared their weekend meals in the BBQ style. He learned many new and different skills on these visits. By the time he was college age and into his 20’s he found himself cooking for both himself and his friends, again over open fire and developing his early BBQ skills. He always remembers being creative and trying new and different things. Different sea- sonings, rubs, sauces etc. He was always looking for that new and different flavor to enhance his creations. Kevin’s profession is as a History Teacher in Davenport Florida. He parallels his interest in history to seeking the history of BBQ in the U.S. This has led to some of his podcasts where he focuses on the BBQ history.
Parallel to this he started to become interested in the competition BBQ scene and decided to judge an event. He was hooked. This in- terest has served him well and today he is a Master Judge for KCBS as well as a Master Judge for the Florida BBQ Association. Because of his high profile, when he earned his FBA Master Judge the certificate they gave him was much much larger than normal, about a foot square. This recognition was certainly fitting for Kevin. I have had the distinct privilege to judge with Kevin nu- merous times. He takes his judging responsibilities very serious.
BarbecueNews.com - 16
DECEMBER 2020