Page 5 - Barbecue News April 2020 Issue

bbq tribute
High Flying Pig
Tribute to
Jim Tabb
Jim Tabb: Navy Fighter/Airline Pilot, BBQ Cook/Competitor/Judge, BBQ Festival Founder, and All-Around Barbecue Hero
Jim Tabb, of Tryon, NC, was one of the most knowledgeable and faithful members of our Bar- becue Family. There are hundreds of articles and photos that date back to the early beginnings of the Barbecue News Magazine. Jim, and his wife Kathleen, were seen on many streets paved with barbecue in the United States and several foreign counties. When Jim came on the scene, the crowd who admired his knowledge of barbecue soon formed. Jim loved the "low and slow" aspect of barbecue. It was an excellent way for this man of speed to slow down and "smell the aroma of the world." His initiation to the BBQ family goes back to the 1950s when he was stationed in Jack- sonville, FL as a Navy Fighter Pilot. His squadron challenged another to a BBQ contest, and Tabb was never one to settle for anything less than first place.
Jim served our country honorably in the Air Force, Navy, and Navy Reserves. Jim's tour of duty in the Air Force and Navy was fol- lowed by a career as a commercial airline pilot with TWA. After retiring in 1991, Jim honed and polished his BBQ skills. His new- found retirement allowed time to enter competitions around the
Left to Right: Jim Tabb, Allison Hembree, Madison Ar- rowood, Mike Mills.
country. This skill set even helped him to a first place at the American Royal Invitational in Kansas City. The most no- table pitmasters compet- ing on the different competition circuits back then included names like Doc Gillis and Joe Phelps, Bob Lyon, Mike Mills/Pat Burke, "Fast" Eddie Mau- rin, Byron "Butt Rub" Chism, Johnny Trigg, Chris Lily/Don McLemore, Ray "Dr.BBQ" Lampe. There were many others as well, but this list leaves no question about how fierce competition that was happening even then.
In this barbecue family of ours, winning competition cooks are often sought- after barbecue judges and mentors. For Jim Tabb, this famous barbecue cook and judge, the entire BBQ world showed up and welcomed his taste bud ap- proval. Jim shared his biggest barbecue secret without speaking a word when he started selling his rub, known as Trimm Tab's Pig Powder. Many teams pur- chased this rub in quantity as it soon became part of their "secret" ingredient as well.
If you were in the Tabb Barbecue Circle of BBQ Friends, you were also familiar with his drink of choice — Pig Nose Blended Scotch Whiskey. Bob Lyon, a long time Barbecue News Magazine contributor, said: "Pig Nose was the ab- solute worst drink I have or will taste in
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my life!" Most of us only heard about this unique beverage, but Jim actually shared it on a few occasions while teams were cele- brating a win. Jim would also share it while sitting back, waiting for the slow-cooked delicacies to reach the entry box level of doneness.
Left to Right: Doc Gillis, Julia Child, Jim Tabb and Joe Phelps.