...And It All Started With A Backyard "Pig-Pickin'!"

Hey There...Welcome back to Que-Licious!

Today I thought I would share how Whiskey River BBQ was born...and it all started with a backyard "pig-pickin'!" Actually, it started with the dream of starting my own food business, the pig-pickin' just cinched it. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted my own food business; the problem...deciding which avenue I wanted to pursue because they all appealed to me. I was fortunate to have previously owned a small convenience store business, which included a deli. It didn't take long for me to fall in love with that part of the businss and start adding to our menu. I also found that I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with the different types of customers that came into the store each day. I guess it's because that environment reminded me a lot of my upbringing being surrounded by family, friends, and food that always created a good time. Simply stated, I didn't know exactly what I was suppose to be doing with my life, but I knew it involved food. This would become very clear during a trip to Raleigh, NC one summer that lead to the purchase of our first little pig cooker.

During the summer of 2008, we found ourselves enjoying the hospitality of the wonderful residents in the small southern town of Zebulon, NC, east of Raleigh, as part of a road job for Jim's work. While there, we happen to attend a weekend flea market at the State Fairgrounds and stopped by a booth of a smoker manufacturer (whose name truely escapes me now) who happened to be located on the carolina coast. So, pamphlet in hand, Jim headed to work the next day and asked the guys at the shop if they knew of the company or their product; and if they did what they thought about their smokers. The guys were quick to point out that they had no idea about that company but if we were looking for a smoker, there was only one place we needed to look...BQ Grills in Elm City, NC. Two of the guys had purchased a patio model for their own backyard and told us quote, "those guys can make damn near anything". So, we got in the car and drove to Elm City and 3 months later we were the proud owners of our first little portable pig smoker.

So what's a girl to do with a brand new portable pig cooker but throw a backyard pig-pickin' for her family and friends...and that's just what I did. We invited about 50 people out to the backyard and went hog wild! JD and I love cooking together especially for a crowd and with barbecue there are so many flavor combinations to create! JD is drawn more to the tangy vinegar based barbecue you would find in the Carolina's; while I tend to gravitate toward the sticky, sweet-heat you mind find in Kansas City. I have rarely tried a style of barbecue that I couldn't find something to like about it be the smoke, the sauce, or the meat. So when we decided to try our hand at a recipe for our own barbecue sauce and what style we wanted to use, you can imagine the trials and tribulations of finding one that stuck with both of us!

We both read book after book on barbecue trying to find some sort of inspiration to head us in the right direction we wanted to go with our products; almost to the point where I felt like I was on barbecue overload. So one day JD decides to dig out his own homemade barbecue sauce recipe that he had used for years yet somehow never managed to make for me until the pig pickin' plannin' was underway. My first and only question to him was why is this not on the shelf EVERYWHERE?!?!? Admittedly, I try almost all barbecue sauces I can get my hands on and I know a distinct flavor when I taste one...this sauce had it. You folks know what I'm talking about right? In a blind taste test I am certain that I would know Sweet Baby Ray's sauce from Montgomery Inn's sauce. Both sauces are two of my favorite's because they each bring a unique identifier to the table...pun intended. The sauce that JD made for our pig pickin' was that kind of sauce; a real one-of-a-kind taste...and we were not the only ones who thought so. All of our guests enjoyed it as well and we even had a couple of people ask where we bought it. (Proud moment)

So with that; we decided it should be our signature sauce/product and we call it "JD's Jacked-Up BBQ Sauce"! Next, we focused our attention on the rub, the slather, the injection, and getting the star of the show ready for his grand entrance. I plan on another pig pickin' this summer and will document our process from start to finish. So be sure to subscribe to the blog so you won't miss the post!

We trimmed...

we slathered & rubbed...

we smoked, and 14 hours later...WE ATE!

Our guests were treated to whole hog barbecue slow smoked for 14 hours over a mix of hickory and apple wood, baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw, and roasted cheesy potato pockets compliments of my good friend Amy Donaldson at Live.Love.Mom! A good time and full bellies were had by all who attended and after receiving such good compliments about our sauce and the taste of our barbecue; we couldn't help but wonder what complete strangers would think our food. So, with that thought we set out to find a "test market" to see what John Q. Public thought of our barbecue, but more importantly...what about that sauce! Well, it just so happened that we were going to get the opportunity to see during the annual 127 Yard Sale weekend...and we couldn't have been happier with the results!

 Keep cookin' y'all!