Page 21 - MARCH 2020 Barbecue News Magazine

bbq fun
If you’re a
FOMO, take the
Barbecue Cure!
Ardie Davis
aka Remus Powers BBQ Hall of Famer ardiedavis@kc.rr.com
There’s a fun, tasty cure for the Fear Of Missing Out: Keep Calm & Eat Barbecue. And while you’re at it, join the worldwide barbecue commu- nity as a monthly reader of the National Barbecue News. If you’re not a FOMO, maybe you know one you’d like to wel- come into the barbecue family. Some humble persuasion ideas follow:
You learned long ago that al- though everything in life is in- terrelated, the universe is too complex to keep up with every- thing. Barbecue is a perfect focus, however, either as a tasty distraction from the fear of missing out—or, if you’re into heavy duty philosophy and metaphysics, you can strive to understand the inter- connectedness of barbecue with everything else in the universe. If that gives you a headache, take a barbecue break and break bones with other barbecuers. New insights could develop.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve al-
ready missed out on many
years of barbecue fun. That’s
life. No matter how hard we
try, we’ll always miss out on
more than we can possibly take
in. So much fun, so little
time—but that’s okay; nothing to fear.
Here’s a smidgeon of some barbecue fun you may have already missed out on:
- Doc Gillis, Joe Phelps & Remus sharing stories and laughs with Willie Nelson on Honeysuckle Rose II after Willie’s concert at the
Photos courtesy of Ardie Davis
Cleveland Rib Cook-Off.
- Brian Heineke & Remus treating Jerry Jeff Walker with ribs and a fresh cigar before Jerry Jeff’s per- formance at the Tryon NC BBQ Festival founded by Jim “Trim” Tabb.
- Billy Bones cracking jokes and telling stories, like why he named his famous chili “Bucksnort.”
- Silky Sullivan holding court at Silky O’Sullivan’s on Beale Street or showing up at bbq contests in a variety of memorable costumes—from frontier coonskin cap mode to a robe and crown befitting of royalty.
- Butch “Smack Your Lips” Lupinetti’s contagious sense of humor everywhere he competed, like at The Jack when he did his own Magic Hickory Nut ritual.
- Celebrating John Willingham’s 80th Birthday at the 2012 Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.
That was then and now is now. You have your own fun and memories to create. Here are a few ideas for inspiration:
- Crank up your Saint Patrick’s Week this month with Smoked Corned Beef (pastrami) and Colcan- non. If you have leftover pastrami at the end of the week make Irish Pastrami Stew. Need a recipe? Ask Chef Paul Kirk or BBQ Buddha Ray Sheehan.
- Compete in barbecue contests. The camaraderie is great & you’ll learn a lot from other cooks. Warning: when you earn your first call & get a rib- bon or trophy, you’ll be hooked!
- Earn a Certified Barbecue Judge credential from the Kansas City Barbeque Society, Memphis in May, Memphis Barbecue Network, Steak Cookoff Association, or all those and others. Contests everywhere value judges who know the rules, re- spect the teams and judge fairly. You pay your own travel & other expenses. Your reward is the fun, camaraderie and championship quality barbecue you’ll sample.
- Help as a volunteer at contests and local barbe- cue organizations.
- Take cooking classes to up your competition & home cooking skills. There’s always more to learn.
Find some opportunities in the National Barbecue News.
Barbecue is a perfect antidote to the Fear of Missing Out. Try it, join the family, and nobody will call you a “FOMO” anymore. Wel- come to the family!
John Willingham with his 80th birthday cake at the 2012 Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.
MARCH 2020
BarbecueNews.com - 21
Birthday cake for John Willingham’s 80th birthday; Memphis in May, 2012.