Crafting the Ultimate Tailgate Feast with a Barbecue Champion

Get ready to fire up your culinary engines and revolutionize your tailgate parties! This episode is a treasure trove of flavor, from the secrets behind delectable hot chocolate and coffee rubs for meats to a gourmet twist on mac and cheese with gnocchi and beer cheese sauce. We're taking classic comfort foods to new heights and even crafting a homemade McRib that'll have your taste buds dancing. Plus, discover our ingenious strategies for selecting and prepping competition-worthy pork and ribs – becaus

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 1:04

Hello, food Fam. This is the Walk and Talk podcast, your favorite podcast, and I'm your host, carl Fiedini. Welcome to the show. We're podcasting onsite at Ibis Images Studios, where food photography comes alive and I get to eat it. So you've heard the yummy food descriptions. You've seen the fabulous food photography? Yeah, you've seen it all. Here's a reminder about what we do and your opportunity to experience what all the fuss is about. I'm referring to our Farmers Cravable Dinner event coming up on January 13th at Cahaba Club Farm. You need to get your tickets. Time is running out. Don't be late, man, show up, go to yeah, that's right, I said it Go to thewalkintalkcom and get a seat at the table On the menu today. Thank you, peninsula Food Service, by the way, for supplying all the proteins for today's production.

Speaker 1: 2:00

It's tailgating season. Big games are our front and center. The food choice. Well, I hope this doesn't rub you the wrong way. We're talking hot chocolate rub. We're talking coffee rubs. We're talking fat Sammys. Man, this is. You gotta see what's going on over here. What's going to score, by the way, go meat chicken, baby. Yeah, coming up. You know what I'm talking about. National championship, all right. Also, this week's guest is the pit master. Wow, it is Tillman Lee, nelson Pit master and owner of Tillman's line of barbecue sauces. He'll be coming up soon. Jeff Jefferson, this is our first podcast of the year. By the way, happy New Year everybody. I am geeked up. I don't know if you can tell. You saw, with that sandwich man like I slammed it. I took a murderous bite out of that amazing thing. Why don't you pop the clutch and slam into pre-shift baby? Make it happen.

Speaker 2: 3:02

This is my definitely wheelhouse. I'd love to sit there and we were talking in the green room, john, and where I was telling him I love and I don't know if Tillman will do this, we'll talk to him in a little bit but I love to aerate or dry out the product that I'm going to be using, and what that means basically is I use whatever means of the quote, unquote glue, yellow mustard for my ribs and then I do my rub, the rub. I actually used sweet water coffee. So, thank you again, that's something I use.

Speaker 2: 3:30

They took the espresso. I ground it really nice and fine. I put that as the base layer after the mustard and then I put on the original gangster or the OG rub and then I let it sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours to get kind of like dehydrated and a crust started. I do the same thing with the chicken. So the chicken actually had a Mexican hot chocolate, so it's got cayenne and I ferment my own chocolate or Chipotle sorry, I ferment my own chocolate and that was rubbed on the chicken and let that aerate or dry to dehydrate for that one day. Then we had some collards and I want to do something different to focus in on what you could do for tailgating. You, being Italian, I figured might as well just step up mac and cheese and bring it to the next level. I did a.

Speaker 1: 4:15

You did good, man. Those gnocchis were fire. Yeah yeah nice, they weren't heavy. No, they didn't sink to the bottom of my stomach. They were light, airy, beautifully done.

Speaker 2: 4:26

I'll be honest with you. The trick to doing it is not boiling your potatoes, because that adds a lot more water to it and that can make it a little bit heavier. So it's a little more starchy, so it gets kind of gummy. If you roast the potatoes, it brings out the natural sugars too.

Speaker 1: 4:40

Those are straight potato gnocchis, yeah, and then a little bit of cheese in there too. Okay, they were just so light.

Speaker 2: 4:46

Yeah, well, there's egg there's. I was trying to be nice because John's wife can't have certain products and Dingy forgot about eggs that she can't have. But I did gluten-free flour and it just turned out so well. Binded really together well, had a little Thai and spices in there, but I'd made a beer mac and cheese sauce.

Speaker 1: 5:07

It's so good man, and you know what? I'm really sorry for Cindy that she can't have this, because I'm taking it home.

Speaker 2: 5:12

Yeah, there's a lot. So I did that. I did rice cauliflower and pink Dominican beans, but I did it in the style of more of Cuban style of the bean. And then we did, let's see, we did a lotte for the one and then we did bacon-braised collards, just something that it's traditional, but I kicked it up with a little bit of peach vinegar so that would actually bring that flavor out. And, believe it or not, my ribs didn't go the 321 style. They cooked really good, really fast, so I'm lucky that I keep an internal clock, if you want to call it that. And I didn't burn them, thank God. But they really turned out well. And then I wanted to do something. I want to pay. I have a friend of mine who's from Germany and loves the McRib and I'm like, really, you like the McRib. So I wanted to do a rib sandwich and that thing was just a sexy beast.

Speaker 1: 6:03

It was so pretty and it's already packed People. You have to understand something. This is about the new year and while I have gained a tremendous amount of weight here doing this and it's happy weight this is like smiles. This is like rainbows unicorns.

Speaker 2: 6:23

Well, if anybody wants to see, go see the BTS when you're groaning.

Speaker 1: 6:27

Yeah, it's good, but I am trying to control myself. You did a good job, I did right.

Speaker 2: 6:34

I'm very proud of you.

Speaker 1: 6:35

I'm going to eat it all at home when I get home. I know In the closet.

Speaker 2: 6:38

In the garage, but I'm showing out here.

Speaker 1: 6:42

I'm doing my best, right Restraint. Yeah, I'm showing restraint.

Speaker 2: 6:45

But that sandwich had the ribs, it had pickled red onions, the collard, or yeah, that one had the collards on it and it was like a hoagie bun. And then we did a cheese bun of Fontina cheese, white cheddar and Gruyere.

Speaker 1: 7:00

You know, listen, mickey D's eat your heart out literally yeah.

Speaker 2: 7:04

But I think you like that chicken sandwich Because the chicken skin acts like bacon.

Speaker 1: 7:09

Yeah, man, you're hurting me, you know, literally and physically. You're hurting me Because here's the deal, like I took a bite out of that and I'm thinking to myself man, first of all, does this match the previous sandwiches? And every week and I hate saying it because I don't want to have redundancy, or hey, the guy says that Carly says the same thing every time. No, I don't want that. I want it to be like wow, hey, here's my favorite. No, they're all so damn good and I eat them all and they're all great you know what's bad for me.

Speaker 2: 7:42

I have the hardest time and I'm looking at John and you. I have the hardest time coming up with something that's going to be better than the last one.

Speaker 1: 7:50

Look, I think at this stage we're like almost 90 episodes into the show.

Speaker 2: 7:58

It's been a year but that I've been playing with food Every Thursday.

Speaker 1: 8:02

Yeah, I mean, you're living your best life, too, as a chef, right?

Speaker 2: 8:05

Yeah, definitely have fun.

Speaker 1: 8:07

We're having a good time. I'm getting to eat. John's taking awesome photography.

Speaker 2: 8:10

This is like well, he gets to eat. Today he got to eat.

Speaker 1: 8:14

We allowed it.

Speaker 2: 8:15

Yeah, I think John, if he would actually say something. I think his favorite today was the sweet potato pecan tart.

Speaker 1: 8:21

Yeah, it was good. Yeah, but I was like I will allow it. You know, it was like that Let him eat.

Speaker 2: 8:29

Let him eat cake, yeah, so tarts.

Speaker 1: 8:30

That's a cake, All right, yeah, so listen. As far as the sandwiches go, man, I love them. I have my name's Carl and I have an addiction to you know, Jeffery sandwiches. I just can't help it, man, it's really good.

Speaker 2: 8:46

You're going to find them. One of the events we're going to be doing as a pop up there will be a sandwich, I know, as a pop up bite you people listen, use, use guys, use peeps.

Speaker 1: 8:55

You need to get to the website and go order tickets. There's spots left, not many. You need to just get on there, make it happen.

Speaker 2: 9:02

I, a Vicky Webster actually reached out to me. She goes what day you're available next week, Cause they might want to go on TV with channel 10 for me. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 9:10

To do something.

Speaker 2: 9:11

So look forward to that.

Speaker 1: 9:12

Hopefully, that would be great. Yeah, I had a. There was another podcast and I have to. I got to look it up real quick Cause I don't want to say the name wrong, but they sent a side note on Instagram and they have a prior engagement or you know they would have been coming to like the I got to. There was a lot of side chat. I think, going forward when we put these events on, I think we do it with just a little bit more time out. You know, um, this way we can really saturate and, you know, put the word out and, kind of, you know, corral everybody up.

Speaker 2: 9:45

Well, I think this next one, having all the influencers there it's going to be huge. Cause those that do not come, you're going to miss out.

Speaker 1: 9:53

Oh man.

Speaker 2: 9:53

Yeah, a hundred percent.

Speaker 1: 9:55

I mean, we're going to do our walk and talk, recording every you know we're going to have the uh tasting cam is going to be really every influencer.

Speaker 2: 10:02

when I told them the idea, quote unquote behind the tasting cam to it, they're like seriously.

Speaker 1: 10:07

And I'm like yeah, they're like oh my God, we call it tasty tasty cam, not tasting cam. I think you know it's pretty.

Speaker 2: 10:12

I like that. Tasty yeah, tasty cam, come on, cause things are just tasty. Speaking of tasty, yes.

Speaker 1: 10:19

All right, um, now, uh, let's. I don't want to wait any longer because there's, if there's, nothing I like more. It's talking about barbecue. Okay, in every, every single aspect, mr Tillman, uh, welcome to the program and thank you for uh, thank you for being on the show.

Speaker 3: 10:41

Thanks for having me guys Appreciate it.

Speaker 1: 10:43

Absolutely. Um. So you have. So you, you do a lot of really cool stuff. I've actually had your product, um, you know, uh, through John and I love it, so, um, so there I'm just saying I'll put it out there.

Speaker 3: 10:57

Appreciate it. Yeah, that's awesome yeah.

Speaker 1: 11:01

I would love, one of these days, when you're doing one of your competitions um, I do, I would love to shake your hand and meet you and, you know, get some, get you actually fresh, cause that would be, I think, also fresh. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3: 11:11

Um, that would be. Yeah, that would be the the most ideal way. If you can make it to a contest, that'd be great.

Speaker 1: 11:16

Yes, so let's talk about that. What's your so? First of all, real quickly, if you can maybe spend 30 seconds, um, you have a story to your, to your sauce line, what?

Speaker 3: 11:27

is it? Yeah, so grandma had a recipe that was passed down uh in the forties from uh. I guess it was her uncle, so it would be my great uncle in it actually originated in highly Florida, uh, back then, and they had a package type store with uh. They lived in the backyard and there was a store up front I guess you could do that there then and then they would have a barbecue events for all the customers on the weekends and that sauce was just primarily what was made and used, which is my grandma's original red, and that's where it started. I'd she, you know she made the sauce when we were growing up and, um, I just kind of started with that recipe and asked her one day if she minded if I started bottling it, and she loved the idea and that's where it started.

Speaker 1: 12:21

That is a very good, and any kind of story that has to do with lineage and, um, you know, family history. We here at the show in general are all about that. Um, what's your what's, how did? But what did? Is that where your passion came from? For, you know, being in the pit hitting the grill, the barbecue, like what, where is that? Is that what it is?

Speaker 3: 12:42

It was actually. It was more or less just kind of funny. I was gas grill, you know, replacing burners, and I'm like you know what my dad and my grandfather cooked on a Weber 22 kettle my whole life. They never had a gas grill, so I threw it out. I threw out the gas grill, got a Weber 22 and just started doing that. Next you know, I'm finding all these little gadgets you can add to it to do smoking and it just took off from there and made some pretty terrible barbecue for about a year, because my wife was here she would be chiming in on that. Yeah, dude, yeah, you know, that was basically where it started. And then I had a couple of guys that I worked in an automotive shop and Every Monday we'd be bringing in the leftover barbecue from the weekend and mine always seemed to be superior, and so I just grew from that Aspect and it started my first competition and won, and that was it.

Speaker 1: 13:40

I was hooked how long ago was that the competition?

Speaker 3: 13:43

That was in 2013. That, believe it or not, 2013 was the first contest in dearfield Beach, florida, and we won first place in pork. And Once you get a call like that, especially your first time out, we basically it's like a fish and water. I mean, you're hooked, it's over, and now I have a motorhome, I cook trailer and a sauce line and that's what happens.

Speaker 1: 14:04

It's his trailers ridiculous. I know you told me about it.

Speaker 2: 14:08

I want to see it, it's like it's every pitmaster, whoever's in the barbecue it's. It's your dream come true.

Speaker 1: 14:14

We need to get him over at the world food championship and competing up there. Absolutely, that's we need to do. Yeah, we can make that happen.

Speaker 2: 14:22

We can't be judging, though we would be. That would be biased.

Speaker 1: 14:27

Whatever, we'll figure that out, but we can get him in there. We got it. We got to get him in.

Speaker 2: 14:30

Yeah, I'm at him at what pigfest is the one? Yeah, pigfest.

Speaker 3: 14:34

Yes, it was pigfest, which is coming up again soon.

Speaker 2: 14:37

Yeah, and then you're gonna be there too. I think it's gonna be this what you were talking 26, 26, 27th weekend of January.

Speaker 3: 14:44

Yeah, I'm definitely gonna be there.

Speaker 2: 14:46

I won't be able to go. Unfortunately, if it's the 27th, I actually have a cooking class Based on believe it or not, asian barbecue.

Speaker 3: 14:55

That's.

Speaker 1: 14:55

I love that there's nothing not to believe the profile. So how many competitions are you doing a year?

Speaker 3: 15:02

so last year we took on a pretty big list, should I say, and I think we ended up around 15 contests, which it's I. Some guys have a go that's nothing, I'll do 25, but for me, with two kids in school, full-time job, and Especially we traveled to Kansas City during one of those events and it was just a lot. But this year it's probably panning out to be around the same about 15 16 contests, depending on how well we do throughout the year, because we might get it invited back to some bigger events that are out of state and if that happens that might change the schedule around a little bit.

Speaker 1: 15:43

How are you preparing for this?

Speaker 2: 15:45

like, especially, the ones where you have to try to make, he's trying to be straight If you need a taster, he'll be the person, because I'll be there.

Speaker 1: 15:53

I jumped right into Jeep. I'm there, buddy, you know.

Speaker 3: 15:59

I'll definitely let you know when the local events are gonna be for you and hopefully you can make it out.

Speaker 2: 16:05

He doesn't care about local hill. Do you go anywhere for food?

Speaker 1: 16:09

I travel. I travel for the, for the barbecue trust me, I watched him in Dallas.

Speaker 2: 16:13

He'll go wherever.

Speaker 1: 16:17

Part of my, a large part of the weight gain from this year. It legitimately came from Dallas. I just what can I tell you? All right, so how are you prepping for this stuff, man? What do you? What do?

Speaker 3: 16:28

you do honey. So it's, it's an overdeal, believe it or not, you know it's, it's crazy because it's like oh, you know, just go get some ridge chicken pork brisket. Yeah, and, as you know, anybody in the culinary industry knows to find top quality. Weekend and week out is not always easy, and so basically a luckily with the beef I have a content. I have a connection Butcher shop it's. It's called the butcher shop in Pensacola. They have a Australian, a nine plus wagyu brisket.

Speaker 3: 17:02

Okay that they import and that's about as top tier as you can get when it comes to the, the beef that we're cooking. But they have them on pretty much on hand most of the time, so I can get those ordered in to me. But the chicken, pork and ribs it's. I don't like to buy it ahead because you know now I'm freezing it now, which I mean I will freeze here and there if I have to, but Prefer to try to get it. You know, go out on get.

Speaker 3: 17:35

We get back on Sunday from an event and then Monday I'm out shopping after work every night trying to find top quality ribs and pork from either restaurant Depot in town or Some butchers the local butchers that I might venture out to things like that. But In terms of preparation, I'm Getting all my meats together and then we can trim in advance. We are allowed to trim in advance. So me and my wife call it the chicken trimming date night. We'll get in the camper. I'm getting into the cook trailer on Wednesday after the kids are done with dinner and we're in there trimming our chicken thighs, because that's the most tedious Trimming session there is and thankfully I've had her help now with it.

Speaker 2: 18:18

What do you have to do? That's trimming on a chicken thigh, you taking the bone out, or you leaving the bone in. What's the tedious?

Speaker 3: 18:24

we leave the bone in. So I'm buying a bone in skin on thigh and the thing we've learned over the years is pulling the skin. Scraping this fat off the back side of the skin will help with the rendering and the bite through skin. So the judges want to see the skin on and they want to be able to bite through that thigh and the skin stays in place and it bites through clean. So you would think you'd want to crisp it up on the grill and then sauce it. No, not in the competition scene. It's got to be soft and and basically bite through. So that's one aspect of it. But you know you're you're not. You're knocking off the big knuckle on the one end and then Squaring it off. So by the time you're done it's it's kind of rounded like a pillow Gotcha Gotcha.

Speaker 3: 19:12

But then there's some tendons, some tendons and some veins that need to come out of there, because if you, you know, get any kind of blood in the meat, even if the thigh's cooked Really thoroughly, if you get one vein or something like that, you can get dq, and so you know, you just got to kind of go through each thigh. So just take so much time. By the time you get done with the, I like to have about 18 trimmed and ready to go. So Wow.

Speaker 2: 19:42

And how many do you present to the judges, so out?

Speaker 3: 19:44

of it has a good question. So out of 18, you only turn in six. If you're cooking for Kansas City Barbecue Society, the, their sanctioning requires the minimum of six pieces, but if it's Florida Barbecue Association, it's a minimum of eight. So the tricky part is when you have to put it in a styrofoam clamshell box and the fba Florida Barbecue Association they only want eight. But you can't put eight in there and it looks symmetrical. So now I'm turning it nine. So out of 18. I've got to have nine perfect thighs to put in a styrofoam clamshell box, so it's a little challenging to get that done. But then the KCBS six of them goes on top of a better green, so it's a little more forgiving.

Speaker 1: 21:12

So what I wanna know is this right, cause I've had maybe three or four, four I wanna say, of your barbecue sauce, of the barbecue sauce. So the Florida Gold is my favorite, okay.

Speaker 3: 21:28

Thanks.

Speaker 1: 21:29

Yep, so, but what's? And I didn't know this, but what is? What's the? What is this Brown sugar honey hub and arrow thing? What is that? Is that?

Speaker 3: 21:39

that's a hot sugar.

Speaker 1: 21:40

Yeah it's, I'm looking at. I'm looking at your, I'm on your IG right now, before we get into that tell me hold on, hold on, let me see those are okay, all right. So what I wanna know sorry about that what I wanna know is on your Florida Gold okay, yeah, is that your? Is that the one that you actually won the award on?

Speaker 3: 22:03

Yes, that one won the best sauce on the planet, which was like I was blown away because it's a mustard based sauce, which I mean. I love mustard based sauce. A lot of people do, as you said. You love it, it's your favorite one of all of them. But you know it's going in against all different categories tomato base sweet, tomato base mild, tomato base spicy. They got the most votes out of all flavors, in all profiles and all bases, so it was pretty cool to see a mustard based win best overall.

Speaker 1: 22:37

Yeah, that's probably not a typical thing. So your main thing in life right now is selling the barbecue sauce, or what is it that you're? Is that your primary role? Is that what you're doing for work every day?

Speaker 3: 22:51

No, I wish. I mean it would be great, but thankfully I tell people I make the joke all the time. Luckily I had a full time career before I started the barbecue sauce business, because it's definitely a large undertaking.

Speaker 1: 23:04

Brother I get it.

Speaker 3: 23:05

No, I do. I do mechanical claims during the day and I've been with the company for quite a while. They've taken care of me over the years, and then the barbecue thing has grown on the sideline and now it's like a moonlighting shipping sauce, packing sauce, just all the details surrounding it.

Speaker 1: 23:24

Do you have distribution?

Speaker 3: 23:28

Actually working on it right now. Right now, I'm really just distributing myself, so I don't have it set up for like. I have many small mom and pop grill shops, I have some ace hardwares, but I don't have any corporate companies right now. Part of the reason is probably because distribution I need to be ready for that large move and that's my 2024, that's the goal, so we're going to go that route for sure.

Speaker 1: 23:52

Okay, yeah, I mean, we should probably talk a little bit. Maybe there's some opportunities. I can maybe connect you with some people where we can help you get that going.

Speaker 2: 24:02

You have a co-packer that does the sauce, though, correct.

Speaker 3: 24:06

Yep, I have a co-packer and he actually is going to start with distribution forming this year. But in terms of I know there's multiple facets for that, so I might need to branch off into some larger opportunities with that. So we definitely can talk. But yeah, my co-packer is Jim Elcer sweet smoke you. And in Lakeland Florida I make the joke now where I don't even make the sauce on my own anymore because he makes it better than me in a large batch. I can't even make it on the stove as good as he's making it. So I just I had to let him take over the reins and you know, obviously we out legality wise. That's what I had to do anyways. See, you know FDA approval and everything. But we're also going to come out with some rubs. We've got two rubs coming out this year a beef and a pork and chicken that I use in the competition now that I just haven't released until upcoming this year. So I can't wait to get that going.

Speaker 1: 25:04

When's your next, your next one? You set us up here.

Speaker 3: 25:08

Yeah, I'm actually. I'm here now at insane Augustine and starting Friday morning we're heading over. Just found the street to the Jimmy Jam barbecue slam, which is a KCBS sanctioned contest, and that was last year. They were the Michael Simon was out here and we did barbecue USA and they filmed us that for that episode out here in St Augustine. So it's awesome, it's a great event.

Speaker 1: 25:34

When are you going to be here in the Lakeland area? January 26th, 27th, 26th.

Speaker 3: 25:39

Yeah, that's 26. Let me see, I'm looking at my calendar to make sure. Yeah, the 27th is a Saturday. That's the Saturday we'll be there, but then we'll be pretty pretty close every week after that, because February 3rd there's one, I think it's in Winterhaven, not that close, it's a little closer. The 10th, I'm trying to think February 10th, is Davenport, I think. So I mean there's a bunch in central Florida in the next few weeks. So I'll have to let you guys know the schedule so you can come out.

Speaker 1: 26:15

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can commit to that too. Let's make it happen. I want to get out there. Awesome yeah, absolutely so again for so long. March 7th. You can't commit to that. No, not on 7th, no, no. We got Patrick Kelly's boat tour. Extraordinaire extravaganza that's going to be. I'm actually pretty excited about that, very excited about that.

Speaker 3: 26:42

Yeah, that's going to be awesome.

Speaker 1: 26:43

Yeah, everybody who. He has another podcast that's called the Produce Industry Podcast and he's a good dude. He rented out a 150 person yacht and invite only. There's going to be all sorts of good food and stuff happening on there. It's going to be cool. So that's on March 7th.

Speaker 3: 27:10

I think I'm available March 7th. Is there any?

Speaker 1: 27:13

Yeah, but I mean, maybe, if you're going to, maybe you bring the the brisket. Yeah, bring it, bring it.

Speaker 3: 27:19

Bring the sauces.

Speaker 1: 27:20

Bring that Wagyu biscuit and the sauces I think we're working on. Yeah, make that happen, that's good. Yeah, that could work, actually, you know, let's talk about that after off air. Now you got my gears turning. You got my sales and marketing gears. They wound up here. Yeah, we'll talk about that actually.

Speaker 3: 27:40

Okay, awesome, yeah, that works.

Speaker 2: 27:42

Tillman, have you ever heard of Compark pork, Compark Dorac?

Speaker 3: 27:46

Oh yeah, oh yeah, absolutely so awesome product, cooked a lot of it and I have a lot of competition friends who cook a ton of it and always use that wholeheartedly. But I have found I end up with a better result with Prairie Fresh, which is a seaboard Seaboard farms. It's not a Dorac breed, it's actually non-Dorac. Now, that's just, that's just the way it's been going for me lately. But the Dorac is definitely a great and that Compark farms, I mean, they have a great product. So there's, it's just my. You know, I guess it's. I hate to bounce around. It's just one of those things when you start doing well, you just keep going down that same path. You try to replicate everything you're doing and, for whatever reason, I can nail tenderness with those ribs all the time. So it's like and that's where it's at. You know, timing, tenderness is where you need to sell 100%.

Speaker 2: 28:50

There's a lot. There's only four farmers that I know that have registered Berkshire here in Florida. We actually have three of them that are part of the farmer's crevice dinner, but there's so many different other ones. There's city chicks down in Bernita Springs. No, bernita Springs.

Speaker 1: 29:09

You know, it would be really cool. What, Nicole? Yeah, of course, always in the services. Oh, Nicole, always is cool. No, but that's not what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about is if one of the next shows that we actually do events, we should do like a barbecue one and have him come up and you know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 29:28

He can do most of the work. I don't care. That's what I'm saying. He's got all the duds for it. The only thing I would love to do is the one with the cross, whether you put the whole animal on the spit. Oh God, it's cooking style. I forget the exact it's Argentinian though yeah, I want to say it's carne asada, but it's not. I can't even remember what it is.

Speaker 3: 29:50

There's a term for it and it's. I have not been able to do it yet, but it looks awesome. I'd love to try it.

Speaker 2: 29:56

Yeah, you just take it's. Basically you take the fire and you're looking for the infrared or radiant heat actually radiant heat and then you just basically throw salt water on it with like a herb Francis Millman we talked about it the last time.

Speaker 3: 30:10

So cool.

Speaker 2: 30:11

And you just kind of like spray it as it's cooking and it keeps the moisture. It's almost similar to the when the Bedouins would take a Donner or a Giotto and they would kind of build that up, but it's the radiant heat from the fire that is actually cooking the product. It's amazing the tenderness that you get from it and the complexity from it.

Speaker 3: 30:30

You know, as full as I am at the moment I'm pretty sure that I can jump right back in.

Speaker 1: 30:36

I might heat up one of those sandwiches.

Speaker 2: 30:37

no, she's getting on the way home.

Speaker 1: 30:39

It's a barbecue, it's barbecue. What can I tell you? Yeah, I think we should do a thing, man, If we can, that would be kind of cool.

Speaker 2: 30:46

Let's not do it in July or August. No, it's the worst time of the year to do barbecue.

Speaker 1: 30:50

Yeah, no, no, no, no. Who said July and August?

Speaker 2: 30:52

I'm just making sure you understand that.

Speaker 1: 30:55

What do I look like? No, Neanderthal. Johnny you wanna answer that? Stay silent. All right, john, just stay silent over there. God, yeah, let's put some stuff together because I think it would be kind of cool to do that. And one of the sponsors vendor partners to the Walk and Talk media is Penance LaFood Service, which is largest Creekstone farm distributor in the Southeast, so we can bring in some nice big, badass Creekstone brisket, get to bring in some pram and have some fun with it.

Speaker 3: 31:34

Yeah, they have a great product.

Speaker 2: 31:37

I got two A9 brisket that are burning a hole in my refrigerator right now.

Speaker 1: 31:40

Yeah that too, I mean you should have brought those over too. Listen, I don't know. I mean, maybe you just come over to the house, let's just move in. Can you move in? I got an extra we got in the room.

Speaker 2: 31:49

Yeah. So, tillman, I have a buddy of mine that works for PilotMeets and he was like hey, I got a deal for you. He got me two A9 brisket 30-something pounds. It was just unbelievable. I'll tell you how much it was.

Speaker 3: 32:01

Oh man.

Speaker 2: 32:02

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3: 32:04

I understand.

Speaker 2: 32:05

I have a strip line that he just left in my freezer, and then I have Wagyu burgers and Wagyu hot dogs as well. I'm really interested in that.

Speaker 3: 32:13

You're loaded yeah.

Speaker 1: 32:14

I'm really interested in those dogs. They're fantastic. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 32:19

I've literally there's. I've eaten a lot of hot dogs because I like hot dogs and stuff. Me too, me too, me too, I mean especially the non-nitrate ones.

Speaker 1: 32:28

Yeah, I'm going to do the pan. I'm going to do the pan. You know you don't say much, but when you do, you really you really stick it right on my side when you're doing the competitions.

Speaker 2: 32:36

getting back on that subject, isn't there a certain way you were talking about chicken? Isn't there a certain way that the pork has to be presented? There's a certain way that the brisket and the ribs have to be?

Speaker 3: 32:46

can you go over that stuff too? Yeah, sorry, I know we got. We got side-tracked there. We always do, it's okay.

Speaker 2: 32:50

It's ADHD.

Speaker 3: 32:55

So what you want to do, you know ribs. It's pretty cut and dry. I'm glad, although I guess not necessarily because you don't really want to turn in baby backs in Forte barbecue or in Kansas City barbecue. Most of the time it's a spare rib, but it's a St Louis cut spare. So there's really not too many variations you can do is in terms of what to turn in. You literally just want to put in your best ribs in the box, which工作 you want to work in college is also a skill to try and determine that, because you can't bite it and then turn it in. So that's the best part about the ribs and the chicken. You're kind of at the mercy of choosing correctly and poking, prodding and visual the whole nine.

Speaker 1: 33:41

But when it comes to pork, you need me In order to really hone this in and take it to the next level. You need my tasting and judging abilities.

Speaker 3: 33:56

I'll take you up on it. Any guidance, I'm always open. But the pork it's typically shoulder or bon butt is what we cook and what you want to showcase is the different muscles in the pork shoulder that you can pull out and demonstrate. So you got. They call it the money muscle. Everybody's probably familiar with that term. The money muscle. It's that beautiful part in the front of the Boston butt that has those fat lines going through it and if you can medallion those up nicely, and then there's tubes which are down inside the Boston butt area. Then there's the bacon which is under the fat cap on the bottom. If you can pull that out the whole, the key is really to be able to cook it all perfectly, and it's hard not to have one term to mush when the other one's perfect and so on. So, and then demonstrate all of it in the presentation box properly.

Speaker 2: 35:01

Yeah, there's. There's not just you slap it down and then they go ahead and eat it. There's, there's an actual step by step thing that we got to do. This is more science than it is cooking.

Speaker 3: 35:12

It really becomes science yeah.

Speaker 2: 35:14

Baking and pastry. It is.

Speaker 3: 35:57

It's insane how much it's become science project. I make that joke all the time Like this is a science project. Now, because I'm outside. How is the weather? Which way is the wind blowing? Is it raining, is it? You know what's the humidity? And then we got our cambros. You can hold the food in a cambro after it's cooked. But, okay, you're going to hold it vented, you're going to hold it, you're going to. You're going to what we call burp. The cambro release some of the pressure. There's. There's so many different things. After you're done, okay, it hit temperature by probe and it looks great, feels great. Put it in the cambro. It's not time to turn in, it's not time to carve yet we need it to rest. But if you leave in the cambro and you've got too many other things in the cambro now it's cooking again, you know. So there's, there's definitely a whole science thing, that's for sure.

Speaker 2: 36:43

So what's funny? You just said that we were in Dallas and we ran into the different kitchens and then one of the suppliers was Metro and they're known for shelving and storage and I got giddy because they had this like portable, like a prep table and a head, three third pans, six pans and a cutting board. You cut on it and like go from there. Well, well, really impressed me. There was a hot box that was vented. I just want to reiterate it's a hot box that's vented and anybody knows a hot doc, a hot box that can be vented, knows exactly. You get giddy. That's something you might want to talk about with Metro. We can introduce you to AJ and those guys, cause that thing is.

Speaker 2: 37:23

I think for barbecue would definitely be in especially cause they think you're rigged on the food trailer. You have electric on that too, so you could definitely use that.

Speaker 3: 37:34

Yeah, now granted, if it's an electric box, then I can't we can't use anything electric to plug it.

Speaker 2: 37:42

Oh, yeah, it's sterno. That's what we do in the hotels. It doesn't work anymore. Well, we're not throwing it out, we're putting sternos on the bottom of it.

Speaker 1: 37:58

Repurpose. Oh, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3: 38:00

Now the funny thing is you can use a pellet drill because your fan is plugged in and you have a temperature controller which we can use, but the fire technically is carried on by, I guess, that glow rod gets the pellets burning. Once the pellets are burning, the glow rod turns off. So now your fire is just contained in that little, I don't know pot You're supposed to speak, and then the air keeps it going. Those are legal, so it's a funny circumstance.

Speaker 1: 38:31

I didn't realize there were. That's what a restriction.

Speaker 2: 38:35

I mean, I eat barbecue, I don't you know, oh, when you go into competition, especially barbecue, there's a whole list of different, like he was talking about. There's different sanctions, different rules.

Speaker 1: 38:45

I mean not for nothing, but when we were at World Food Championship and they had the live fire where Pooch and I were judging, that would be I don't know 20 something, I forget how many 20 plus contestants out there, competitors and man all like they had the, the radiant heat rig that you were talking about, like there were a few of those and it's pretty amazing, like the effort that it takes into to grilling and barbecue and smoking and you know all that man, it's not for the faint of heart.

Speaker 2: 39:23

No, barbecue is one of those things that you are wired wrong.

Speaker 1: 39:26

It sounds like it sounds probably really expensive. It's an expensive endeavor.

Speaker 2: 39:33

I let Tillman answer that. I can tell you I have three smokers and I can tell you how much I spent. Not like he, he's, he's retarded.

Speaker 3: 39:40

It's insane. I mean, I don't even. I try not to add it all back up over the years, honestly, because it would probably just put me into a depression.

Speaker 2: 39:49

Yeah, but you're having fun though.

Speaker 3: 39:51

But it is, it's fun yeah.

Speaker 1: 39:54

See what I'm, what I'm what I'm down in the dumps I eat my way out of it Like you're you. You're self-propelling you're self-propelling man Like you. Hey, I'm down in the dumps, ah, but I'm making barbecue, I'm happy. You know it's like. It's like this circle of of life man, right, right in front of you, you're living it.

Speaker 3: 40:09

That is very true. And now the thing is when I have to stop at a fuel station with the RV and the trailer and fill up and it's okay, we're just going to a contest, it's not, it's going to be great, and then, and then I'm good.

Speaker 2: 40:21

Yeah, His trailer is like no, not like kidding it's it can be its own restaurant in itself. Really, yeah, I mean he's, you've got a duck oven, if I'm not mistaken correct, or something similar to a duck oven.

Speaker 3: 40:37

Well, no, it's more like well, I mean, I don't have any cooking devices inside.

Speaker 2: 40:41

No, there's something outside you need to put a hood. Yeah.

Speaker 3: 40:44

Oh, I have that. Yeah, it's, I actually got. I got rid of that one. It was an upright. I got rid of that and I had plans for another one, but yeah, it's a. That was an upright gravity feed style smoker with a. It holds charcoal and a fan will keep it running until it runs out of charcoal Basically.

Speaker 1: 41:04

I'm looking at it right now. Tillman, I'm on your Instagram and that's that is bad ass.

Speaker 2: 41:13

Yeah, he did not spare any expense on that one. He really wanted to go in. How do you?

Speaker 1: 41:18

how are you? Yes, how, how? How do I say that? You, you, you said that you're, you're getting support from the misses, right Is that you know does she like barbecue? Does she like to eat the barbecue? I think this will answer the whole thing. Does she eat barbecue?

Speaker 3: 41:37

She okay, this is a tricky question. She likes barbecue, but not if I say right now, hey, there's a barbecue restaurant in town, can we go check it out? She's basically, I get the look like really working at barbecue. So you'll eat it, but we'll, we'll get done with the contest and then, okay, I don't want to eat anything else, I don't want to eat barbecue again. I don't want to eat it until the next contest where, because I keep passing your, you know she's my taster. So I'll be like, okay, this is good, what do you think? Give her a bite and you know. So, yes, she likes it, but then I've kind of worn that out over the years, I guess.

Speaker 2: 42:13

So you know. Good news for you, tillman. I think Carl will step in to be your wife's workwife. He'd be the official taster.

Speaker 3: 42:22

I'm down for that.

Speaker 1: 42:24

I mean that's the most masculine way. So listen, I'm yeah, no, but the, the, the, the um, he's going to hang up the phone. I'm looking at the smoker, look at that thing. It's like oh yeah. It's like oh yeah With the, with the Tillman logo and everything that's yeah, he's done a really great job.

Speaker 2: 42:41

In fact, his bus is really cool too. I'm looking at that.

Speaker 1: 42:44

So the so you're towing. You tow the rig behind the bus right.

Speaker 3: 42:49

Right. So the the story behind that is well, I used to do tents, tables, smoker. You know, we slept in a tent before, before the kids, thankfully and that got old real quick. And then we got a trailer where I started loading the smoker into the back and it's not a sale like a toy hauler and then, uh, loading the coolers and the tables and the chairs. And then next weekend we're going camping and my wife's like, why does it smell like barbecue in here? Well, we just quit the contest out of the camper. Finally, after seeing how exhausted I was and she was tired of the barbecue leftovers, he's like we need to just get a barbecue trailer and a motorhome. I'm like, uh, sign me up, yeah, I'm in. He won that battle.

Speaker 1: 43:37

Dude, you're living the life I want. I'm not even kidding, I'm looking at this. Like this is I mean the. The bus is like this is really cool, oh yeah.

Speaker 3: 43:45

Yeah, thanks, we've. I feel like we've kind of graduated. I tell people, as I get a lot of the guys who are just starting and I'm like, man, you know, you're, you're this, how do I get to that? I'm like, listen, I slept tables, chairs, coolers and ice and everything you can imagine for years. I feel like I've graduated to it at 10 years in and this is where we're at. But you just got to keep on grinding.

Speaker 1: 44:06

You know, that's just the thing, and you're smoking, shopping for deals, but Tillman, your smoker is like a hopped up um. You know, go the golf carts. Like it's cooler looking than a golf cart, Like it's got the mag wheels on it. Look at this thing. I mean I know you guys have seen it, I have not. That's my first time seeing it. Look at that, that's bad ass.

Speaker 3: 44:27

So that's a offset.

Speaker 2: 44:29

Right, that's the offset.

Speaker 3: 44:30

It's a Texas style offset and it's built in Indiana. There's a guy out there named Jay um has outlaw smokers barbecue smokers in Indiana. They're awesome.

Speaker 2: 44:41

We met them outlaw smokers. They were in Dallas, did they?

Speaker 1: 44:44

Yeah, they were the ones when you came out. Maybe we got to give them a call.

Speaker 2: 44:47

The ones and when you came out of the, when you came out of the auditorium and you went down, they were right there on the right hand side. They had the Santa Maria grill and all that. They had all that stuff in the tastings.

Speaker 3: 44:55

I was just saying you probably had a booth there. I wouldn't got it.

Speaker 2: 44:59

Yeah, there was a couple of guys there. We had one other dude that was doing grills, but there was a guy that does smokers and one of them was the one you mentioned, because I remember that name outlaw smokers. I remember seeing that. Yeah, we should probably reach out, but that thing is.

Speaker 3: 45:14

That thing is it's the most efficient offset I've ever cooked on. And you know I don't have to blow through wood. It just I keep it rolling with small sticks, nice small fire, nice clean smoke, and it'll run hot or I can keep it down to 275, but if I want to go for 450 it'll even cruise at that temp if I wanted to. It's pretty cool.

Speaker 1: 45:37

It looks like it actually goes off-roading. That's what it looks like. Listen, so the audience wait, as I was an audience. If you're listening, whoever is listening. Apparently there's a lot. Go to Tillman TIL L M a n s bbq on the Instagram. Go check out what this guy's doing awesome yeah, man.

Speaker 3: 45:59

Thanks, yeah, of course check it out man, I really I don't know, I feel like a fanboy right now.

Speaker 1: 46:06

Sorry, I'm usually not like this. The bus is so cool.

Speaker 2: 46:10

Yeah, everything about when you're talking about barbecue. There's a lot involved in it and there's there's no trial I saw it. Wait, did he paint it? It was in that color. Was that car?

Speaker 1: 46:20

Yeah, are you gonna get that wrapped, or you? I mean it's cool, it's beautiful, I mean you don't have to touch it.

Speaker 2: 46:24

We know a graphic designer if he needs a ride.

Speaker 3: 46:28

The bus, the back of the bus, the bus, oh the bus. Well, that was off-limits because the when I came, when I came home with a teal motor home, everything I own now is teal. My wife has gone teal crazy, so we have everything teal. So now there is no wrapping the bus. I can wrap the trailer, but the bus is off-limits.

Speaker 1: 46:48

Wow, okay, hey, listen, what do you wrap it in teal? You know what you need to do here. Look, I'm glad we had this talk here. This is what you got to do, okay, oh, here it comes. No, I'm gonna make this. So what you do is you come out with a barbecue sauce Okay, that has something to do with like a I don't know something that you can use a teal logo and you make that your number one Sauce. Right, that's the one you're gonna go out from now on and just kick everybody's ass with. Right that you're gonna. You're gonna just Demolish everybody with this particular teal, you know logo barbecues us. And then then that is when you take that bus and you turn it into the Tillman bus with the bar with the colors.

Speaker 1: 47:32

Man like this is all you need to do, john, let's do it Can we work on a teal on corporate.

Speaker 3: 47:36

Yeah, love it.

Speaker 1: 47:37

Yeah, sorry great idea and you can be called tealman.

Speaker 2: 47:44

Teal man, teal man.

Speaker 3: 47:48

The funny. The funny thing is over the over the past few years. The nickname of the bus is the teal turd. Oh wow, she's been good to us, but the guys in the competition will go there's till man with the teal turd and it's just, it's kind of stuck.

Speaker 1: 48:06

So I don't know if I like I mean I've that you're tarnishing my, my, my Vision of this whole thing, man.

Speaker 2: 48:13

I will tell you the brotherhood when you'd go out to. You know when we went out when I first met Tillman yeah there was a guy, a family, that was from Seattle, right the north oh they were.

Speaker 3: 48:25

They were from Colorado.

Speaker 2: 48:26

Yeah, they travel on from Colorado.

Speaker 3: 48:28

Yeah, great people.

Speaker 2: 48:29

Yeah, and that's the thing I mean. It was like tillman was, when I walked up and John was introducing me, timlin was like, oh, you got to try this. And the guy was trying to, hey, you need to try this. And it was like back and forth, even though they're competing, you still have that camaraderie, did you see?

Speaker 3: 48:42

yeah, we competed against each other. Yeah, it was awesome.

Speaker 1: 48:45

So the camaraderie thing is it's real in at the world food championship. Did you see the family of?

Speaker 2: 48:52

but like I had the, the she won the live fire of women's live fire.

Speaker 1: 48:55

Yeah, there was like two daughters and a son. That's the wrong couple, yeah, no, no, no. So there was a. You know, married, the family, right, husband life. There was the daughter who was probably, I'm gonna say, 10 11. They had another son, either two daughters or two sons, I forget but the middle child was probably seven and then they had the kid in there. He was like five and Everybody had a role. Yeah, it was really cool. Everybody had a job, you know, even, even even the young, and he had a job too. You know, he took a little bit of coaxing, but the, the camaraderie and the family affair of it, the barbecue, the, yeah, man, it was really cool. I know that you got.

Speaker 2: 49:35

That's how everybody gets down in that that life, I guess but I thought you know that when you were talking about that family, there was one family that the guy that won the pickle King won the jam. He was the jam King. His wife won live fire for the women. Their son one was going out for the chef one and they were at. They were at Mike McLeod's house doing the dinner when we were invited and she did that tiramisu. That was that's the family I thought you were talking about. But yeah, I mean anything dealing that. That's another thing about barbecue. When you're dealing with barbecue, because it takes so long, what do you do? You sit around and you talk and you tell stories and that's one of the great things about it, besides being primal.

Speaker 2: 50:14

Yeah for me, that's as a chef, it's. It's getting back to the roots of fire and tilman, I got a question for you. Do you still keep a journal, Like when you're right? I do yeah, see that's and who's who's a pitmaster you look up to like use. This is that's your god for pitmaster.

Speaker 3: 50:34

So I mean I gotta say my remix and I've said that in the beginning. He's the he started it. I mean he not, I can't say he started it, but he really empire this whole competition world and he started from his father Doing, you know, live fire whole hog cooking on brick style pits, and you know he kept on Going through and he designed a smoker where it was portable, but not not necessarily a, not really a brick, but more of a steel box type of thing where you still got live fire underneath.

Speaker 2: 51:08

Yeah, he does the other knees and the meats on the top.

Speaker 3: 51:12

Which is pretty cool, and I mean he's just one of many that have come out over the years who I've learned a ton from. You know Heath Riles is doing really well and the sauce and rub scene. Now I Watched his videos over the years on YouTube, learned how to cook many different things. I mean, the list goes on. I'm not in that, just guys who I've cooked with in the fort of our cue association over the years, who have been on different TV shows Jim Elcer and Matt Barber gets hot watch. Who was there's? I mean so on, so before there's so many that we all kind of help each other. These guys watch me grow to where I'm at now. Now I compete against them all the time and we still pass each other food and I'm like what do you think about this? And then he'll either tell me to go f off because it's amazing, or he'll be like, yeah, or it will be like you need something there, something's missing, and you know, whatever We'll talk about that kind of thing.

Speaker 1: 52:11

But I need to people that your camaraderie, your competitor. This is like a people you compete against.

Speaker 3: 52:18

Yeah, we compete against each other and you know, when I first met them in 2013, I looked up to him like, wow, I mean, these are the big dogs. You know, these guys are killing it and doing really well. And now I'm amongst them and you know, we've, like, grown friendships over the years and we help each other out so much, still competing against each other every week. It's pretty crazy.

Speaker 1: 52:41

Well, now it's to it's. You know, you got into a place where you're like, hey, come here, come here, come here.

Speaker 1: 52:46

Now get out of here, you know, like you're telling me hey, get out of here, kid, I don't need you. No, I'm only kidding. So I mean that is a brotherhood of sorts, cause if you're, if you're, if you can actually have that sort of relationship with people that you compete against, that's pretty amazing. I like this. I mean I'm digging this, Cause this is not something I'm. I mean I eat it, right, but I don't. I've not been privy to the barbecue lifestyle.

Speaker 2: 53:10

You know there, you know most competitions. You watch on the TV and you'll see there's always that villain. And then there's the good person and whatever it never seemed like in barbecue, never seen it. I've seen where you ask questions and they're more helpful and they'll help you get along because they remember when they started out. I mean, how many briskets have you lost? How many you know? How much money have you thrown away? Forget about buying a grill, buying a smoke or buying a camper or trailer. So how much money have you blown away because the food just absolutely sucked. It came out like crap. The reason I asked that question about journaling I took Aaron Franklin's course and that's the pit master.

Speaker 3: 53:51

That's my guy. He's the man, exactly.

Speaker 2: 53:54

So when you read about him and you he's from. The first time I laid eyes on him, I was smoking, I was gonna do it. I wrote everything down, what the weather was doing. So I kind of snickered when you said is the humidity? Is it the you know? Is it the you know cold? Is it raining? Is humidity? Well, how's the wood gonna treat me today? Even to start the fire, and that's something I love to do, how do you do it?

Speaker 3: 54:17

I flew out to take Travis Clark's class, which that guy, when it comes to contests, forget it. You know, if he's there it's a problem. So I flew out to Oklahoma, took his class and and I mean, I couldn't imagine the amount of information I picked up and still have that documentation that I refer to all the time when I'm cooking, because he cooks on an offset style, it's like mine, it's called a Jambo and so, yeah, another another guy who really look up to, and now he's got a restaurant and he's got a line of seasonings and rubs and such. So it's, it's awesome.

Speaker 2: 54:53

There's a guy at the American Culinary Federation. He's a certified master chef and guess what? He teaches Barbecue Rich Rosendale. Rich Rosendale is like that's awesome.

Speaker 3: 55:04

Yeah, I heard that name, yep.

Speaker 2: 55:06

Yeah, chris Tanner was the one that we were meeting with Chris. He was mentioning Rich. Rich does, in fact, rich did a class with a buddy of mine that my buddy got done Joseph Waters, and he's at Jonathan's Laney Membership bought him a $12,000 smoker. Hmm, yeah, so I mean, this thing is gargantuan.

Speaker 1: 55:27

This is, this is exactly the crew of people that I want to be rubbing elbows with. You know what I'm saying. Like this is. I mean, you get what I'm saying. Yeah Right, this is what we need in our life, I'll give you another thing.

Speaker 2: 55:41

So two years. I needed it in my life, I don't know. Four years ago now, the American Culinary Federation was going to do a national culinary convention in Austin Texas. And they looked at me and they go would you like to present? I'm like heck, yeah. Like what do you want to present? Yeah, I go. Plant-based barbecue. What better place to introduce plant-based barbecue than Austin Texas? Obviously, 2020 COVID hit this year February 11th. I fly out to Cater Source in Austin Texas and presenting to 8,000 chefs Plant-based barbecue.

Speaker 1: 56:19

That's pretty cool, it is very cool.

Speaker 2: 56:21

Yeah, little, it's Austin, texas, and I'm not doing meat, which is kind of like what are you doing?

Speaker 3: 56:29

I think they I need some guidance there, yeah. I want to.

Speaker 2: 56:34

There's a whole bunch man.

Speaker 3: 56:35

Exactly.

Speaker 2: 56:37

Yeah, but there's so many other things that are coming out now that you can utilize that, giving that meat texture, and I'll mention a couple shiitake and matakis mushrooms they are. They're kicking it up to another level of what we can play with Beets. Smoking beets and doing like a beet tart tar is. I've kind of not mastered it, but I've gotten it down to where vegans yell at me because it tastes like meat.

Speaker 1: 57:04

And then you've arrived, yeah.

Speaker 3: 57:06

That's awesome. Yeah, I love it. I want to try it.

Speaker 2: 57:11

Listen, you can definitely try that. We, when we do our barbecue thing, I'll do plant-based, you do the meat proteins.

Speaker 3: 57:18

I'm totally down. Is this a challenge? I'm gonna learn a new thing. It's not a challenge.

Speaker 1: 57:21

Is this a?

Speaker 2: 57:22

competition no, there's no competition, not enough. Cause you, he'll my barbecue sauce against his. I'll definitely do that. Oh yeah, we should do a cool thing like that oh.

Speaker 2: 57:30

Yeah. So here's the story. Last year we were in Amphem and it's a restaurant equipment thing and Citrus America, which is really good partners of ours. They have a juicer and this thing they had Noble Citrus Crunch right, it was the Tantrine. Oh my God, it was literally like a cup of Florida in the in the class. Every time you tasted this orange juice and I looked over at Carl and John I went you know what this would be really good at and they're like what I'm like, an old fashioned like drink. And then I went you wouldn't really be good as an old fashioned barbecue, as in like make the drink and throw it in a barbecue sauce. Your buddy, jim, designed that for me and he nailed it on the first try. So I'm gonna get with somebody to do my labels and hopefully I'll be coming out with my Mimaz Sassy sauce. That's awesome, that is awesome, that's awesome.

Speaker 1: 58:15

Now we should put-.

Speaker 3: 58:16

I'm glad you were able to make that happen.

Speaker 2: 58:18

And then I have an Ahi Vedade, which is the green Peruvian sauce that someone doesn't like mayonnaise to my right, but the one across from me, which is Carl, loves that sauce.

Speaker 1: 58:27

No, I love everything, I don't have hangouts like that. So look, no, no, no, no, no. But listen, let's do this, let's do the Mimaz sauce against I don't know, like what Would you do the Floridian? What?

Speaker 2: 58:41

would you do? No, it's too different. But that one the one for I have is more Kansas City based, so it'd be. I mean I would do it and I'd put it up against the Florida, but it'd be so different.

Speaker 1: 58:50

Yeah, but is that what you would do? Tell me, what would you throw in there. What would you do?

Speaker 3: 58:56

I mean that's a tough one because you know, like you said, it's going to be such a variation. But then again you said it was more like a Kansas City style.

Speaker 2: 59:05

Yeah, definitely Kansas City. It's got the molasses and ketchup and all that the tomato.

Speaker 3: 59:10

I'd put my competition brew against it. That's for sure that one is a Kansas City style sauce.

Speaker 1: 59:15

It's good. John's shaking his head.

Speaker 2: 59:17

No, I've had it too. Yeah, it's good.

Speaker 1: 59:19

He's winged candy. He's doing all sorts of weird stuff. I don't know what he's doing up there. He agrees.

Speaker 3: 59:24

But when you say I'm going to do a competition, now I want to tweak it and I want to modify it on the fly, that's what I'm saying.

Speaker 1: 59:31

This is the power of the podcast right here. Yeah, that's what we want. Yeah, that's what I want. You know what? Do something cool like you know grill for pink slips, or something like hey, I get your smoker. You get my smoker, I'm kidding, sort of.

Speaker 2: 59:47

I'm used to my smoker. How long has it taken you to when you got the new smoker? How long did it take you to get?

Speaker 3: 59:53

I'm not going to get to it. That's a good question. That's a good question and that's also where I kind of and I don't want to boast or anything, but I just felt like I've come to that point where I feel like I graduated. I looked at the wife and I said I think I could cook on anything at this point and pull it off, because our first contest out of the gate with the outlaw, first place brisket, and we had wind and rain and all sorts of craziness going on and you know, basically it's like once you learn the fire control, you know and you just get it pretty quickly. You just need to figure out where you're choking off what and how to choke it off and not to over smoke by adding too much wood or oh, it's getting cool, we need to add more wood. No, I won't do that, you know. So there's just a lot of things that I've learned over the years. It didn't take me long. On the outlaw, I will say that it is a pretty easy cooker to get used to, that for sure.

Speaker 1: 1:00:47

So I feel like we're going to call these guys just saying outlaw yeah.

Speaker 3: 1:00:51

Oh yeah, Absolutely.

Speaker 1: 1:00:53

I could use a new smoker.

Speaker 3: 1:00:55

Let me know you know what I'm saying?

Speaker 1: 1:00:56

Yeah, I could use a new smoker. Right, we're going to call them.

Speaker 3: 1:00:59

Just don't talk to the right.

Speaker 1: 1:01:01

No, it's between us, man, it's between us and the other.

Speaker 3: 1:01:03

My wife doesn't listen to this thing.

Speaker 1: 1:01:04

So it's OK. You know, and the other you know 1.6 million downloads that we got this year. You know what I'm saying? John's wife listens.

Speaker 3: 1:01:12

Right yeah, true story.

Speaker 2: 1:01:14

Yeah, well, there it was that.

Speaker 1: 1:01:16

She'll text.

Speaker 2: 1:01:17

Erica.

Speaker 1: 1:01:19

What did I start here? It's not my fault. Yeah, it's OK, I didn't do it All right. Well, I tell you what.

Speaker 2: 1:01:27

All right, so wait real quick. Before we start that, I just want to give a huge shout out to Maury Motos down in Disney Springs.

Speaker 1: 1:01:33

OK.

Speaker 2: 1:01:35

Michelle Lenny Jose, you guys did a great job. They recognized, they did their homework. I put the, I put the reservation underneath a name and they, they followed through. It was just unbelievable. So hats off to them, great service.

Speaker 1: 1:01:49

Do you have a? Do you have, like now you know, secretary or something like that? Do you have somebody doing all your assistant or whatever?

Speaker 2: 1:01:55

No, no, no, we can you afford one? No, no, please.

Speaker 1: 1:01:58

All right, mr Tillman, thank you for being on the program. How do people find you? I did the IG. What else you got?

Speaker 3: 1:02:06

So, yeah, it's basically at Tillman's BBQ. For all social media, they can find me Facebook, instagram, I guess it's X now I'm not really on there much anymore, but now I'm drawing a blank Tick, tock, got that. I try to do videos and I have a YouTube channel which, in 24, I'm hoping to blow up, but Tillman's BBQcom as well as my website, and I appreciate the opportunity to be on the show with you guys.

Speaker 1: 1:02:36

Yeah, no, it's awesome. We appreciate you, john. You're awesome as usual. Jeff, you suck. No, I'm kidding. You're awesome, baby, we are out.