You could say I've got smoke in my blood. I admit it; I'm an addict.
Smokehouse meats are my passion. Well, my second passion. My wife is my first -- but that's another story.
See, I've been working with meats and their infinite possibilities since grade school -- a long, long time ago, as my grandkids like to remind me. I appreciate the fine textures and the different ways in which meat can be prepared. I know meat's beginnings, and I know its potential for bringing great pleasure to the palate.
And by far, the best way to prepare meat is with smoke. Nothing beats the fall-off-the-bone, melt-in-your-mouth flavor and texture of meat prepared in a smokehouse. There is nothing else so tender, so traditional, and so mouthwatering.
I've spent my life working in the meat industry, including time spent on a farm on the East Coast when I was a kid. It was my wife's family's farm, come to think of it. See how the two passions come together?
In junior high, I got my first real job working for a traditional smokehouse, preparing meats the old-fashioned way - slow cook convection ensuring natural preservation and flavoring. You could say my love affair, my addiction, started when I was a kid, and I carried through with it.
My passion grew so much that my wife and I ended up opening a meat and deli market. Then, we discovered the beauty, serenity, cooperativeness, and delight of farmers' markets. For 25 years we ran a series of farmers' markets across the West. It turned out to be a great environment for raising our kids, as well as nourishing our lives. We always made sure to include the finest meat offerings, with an onsite smokehouse, of course. Then, 15 years ago, we had the opportunity to open a meat distributorship with one of the country's finest meat producers, expanding our knowledge and experience on a nation-wide scale.
Now, we've taken our passion for family, culture, community, quality foods, and success to create Smokey's House of BBQ -- a time-honored tour of America's best smokehouse traditions.
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