Page 20 - NOV2021 Digial Issue

Ole Hickory Pits: Then,
Now, and Tomorrow
With a humble start in a local BBQ joint, David Knight prepares Ole Hickory Pits for more success in the near future.
Then
The Ole Hickory Pits story began in the early 1970’s in Cape Girardeau, Missouri where David Knight started the Port Cape Girardeau Restaurant.
The restaurant is still run-
ning to this day and without
question is a landmark to
Southeast Missouri as it
overlooks the Mississippi
River. The restaurant spe-
cialized in BBQ ribs and
quickly became very popu-
lar. The company’s experi-
ence with its first barbecue pit design used at its restaurant pointed the company toward the need for better barbecue equipment, which became the Ole Hickory Pits Division of the company.
The original pit for the restaurant was a classic brick and mortar pit that consisted of a three-story tall exhaust. This created a tremendous amount of draw for the pit below so a manual damper was installed about half way up the chim- ney to help control the temperature and keep the extra draw to the pit from turning into a super furnace. Human
error is a fact that David learned quickly after the manual damper was left open. After the third call was made for help, from the local fire department, it was apparent that
there was a need for a bet- ter way to control the tem- perature.
Now
Ole Hickory Pits currently offers over 20 different smoker models. These mod- els range from patio style home use models to mega
capacity commercial units. They also manufacture several different models that are targeted for the BBQ competition circuits across America. Ole Hickory Pits uses its patented ConvectureTM Technology that can instantly turn any user into a true pitmaster. Currently they are selling products throughout the entire world regardless of their different de- mands and wants. Their current business offering also in- cludes a complete line of sauces and rubs that have won several different awards. Their constant goal of customer satisfaction has also led them to add several different ac- cessories that are tailor made to fit different models of Ole
BarbecueNews.com - 20
NOVEMBER 2021