Page 26 - July 2020 Barbecue News Magazine

get his hands on to com- plement the meats he was preparing. His curiosity began to pay off quickly. He began to earn praise for the flavors he was cre- ating. Arthur actually began to take pride in what he was creating, and he became obsessive over continuously improving his output over an open pit.
At the age of 28, Arthur was surprised to find him-
Watts Brothers Hog Fest Pit
quality of his barbecue were unequaled; it would endear him to any locals with whom he shared a taste. He purposefully began by volunteering himself out for church and social events in the imme- diate community of Kewa- nee. His reputation spread quickly via word of mouth, for producing the "best barbecue you have ever experienced"!
Aside from his unique sauces and rubs, Arthur's
Old Arthur’s
Barbecue
It's kind of a strange feeling being the oldest "New Kid" on the block. I say that because our sauce and dry rubs have been a defining part of our family for more than 165 years. My great- great-grandfather, Arthur Watts, first crafted these rich and com- plex flavors. Arthur started formulating his recipes as a teen, never ceasing to refine them over his incredible 108 years of life. Because Arthur invested almost 100 years into perfecting his craft, we sometimes refer to his signature barbecue sauce recipe as "The Sauce of the Century!" To appreciate Arthur's accomplish- ment in developing his sauces, dry rubs, and marinades, you must understand his back story.
Arthur was born into slavery in 1837, just outside of Kansas City, Mo. He was a slave on a production farm owned by a prominent Kansas City businessman. As a child, Arthur had a variety of tasks. Arthur was responsible for keeping the kitchen, the outdoor hearth, and the open-pit stocked with firewood. Arthur moved into his teenage years and became increasingly accountable for much of the cooking that took place on the farm. Roasting meat over the open pit was the primary duty that Arthur was tasked with. He recalled getting minimal instruction from the other cooks. He was directed to tend the fire, cook slowly and not burn the meat, not much more. Arthur was routinely tasked with the hour's interminable tedium of watching meat cook slowly over the open pit. As you can imagine, the consequence of failure was high.
Through dogged determination, Arthur grew more skilled and confident at cooking significant cuts of meat over an open pit. He soon became fixated with making it taste better. Arthur did any- thing he could to get his hands-on spices and herbs. He liberated seasonings from the cooks in the house and scoured the sur- rounding woods for naturally growing herbs. Arthur even con- vinced his master to bring hard to find spices back upon return from his business travel! He continuously experimented with any herbs and spices he could
self freed as a result of the Emancipation Proclamation. Cast into the world, the only thing of value that Arthur had to take with him out of bondage other than the clothes on his back were the recipes and skill at open pit BBQ, which he held in his head.
He had immediately set out on foot heading due north from Kansas City. Within just a few days, he wound up in the tiny, crossroads town of Udell Iowa. This was the first place outside of the former slave state of Missouri that he stopped to lay his head as a free man. Staying there for just a few weeks, he sustained himself by hiring himself out for odd jobs. Within a couple of weeks, he heard talk that other freed slaves had found paid em- ployment available in nearby central Illinois, Arthur hopped a train "hobo like" and rode about 150 miles to Kewanee, Illinois to investigate for himself. (Ironically, Kewanee would eventually come to be known to be the "Hog Capital" of the world due to the volume of pigs raised there to support the war effort in WWI & WWII)
When Arthur first arrived in the Kewanee area, he again relied on soliciting odd jobs to scrape out a meager existence. Daily, he would make the rounds of local businesses to inquire about any cleaning or handiwork that he might perform in exchange for a pittance or meal.
Arthur proved himself to be consistent, diligent, and reliable. He soon established a set of regular businesses and townsfolk that would employ him for either a simple task or a full day's work. In short order, Arthur became more and more established in the community. He grew from being a day laborer doing odd jobs to being fully employed as a bricklayer, paving streets for the city. He quickly became known for his work ethic, intensity, and physi- cal strength. He also resumed his passion for preparing an open- pit barbecue. Not just for himself, however, he had a plan to share it with his newfound community. He knew that the flavor and
By Eudell Watts IV
BarbecueNews.com - 26
JULY 2020