Meat&Poultry - June 2013 - 18

competitve bbq

Taste buds

say, ‘I really love your ribs,’”he adds.

company implemented in 2006.

The most popular proteins in barbe-

Kirk doesn’t expect any new cuts

“This is a process where we remove

cue vary from region to region, but

of meat to become popular in barbe-

the bones of a slab of baby back ribs

Kirk believes the most favored meat

cue anytime soon, mainly because the

leaving the meat intact,” says Baker,

in the country for barbecue is pulled

same meats are used over and over on

who owns a patent on the technology.

pork. Flavor and texture are crucial

the competition circuit. But Mixon

“No one else in the world is doing this.”

to tasty pulled pork, he says.

wonders if beef shoulders could be-

Ba ker’s busi ness ser ves Bad

Proper cooking is also important,

come popular. Competitors recently

2D Bone, but his goal is to sell the

and temperature shouldn’t exceed

barbecued them during a competition

deboned baby back rib at delis in su-

195˚F to 205˚ F, Kirk says. “You don’t

on “BBQ Pitmasters.”

permarkets throughout the country.

want to go much higher than that, or it
could become mushy,” he adds.

Mixon expects more people will
start barbecuing turkey, including

But he knows he needs a reliable copacker to do it on a large scale.

Mixon says pork ribs are still the

drumsticks and whole birds. “I think

“We’ve been pursuing co-packers;

most popular meat to barbecue. But

it’s a better-tasting meat than chick-

we want to do it right,” Baker says, not-

“Some people want to eat pork
and some people want to eat
beef, but just about everybody
wants to eat chicken.”
—Myron Mixon

en,” he says. “It has

ing that deboning technology is manual

more of a savory

and labor intensive. “It’s a whole-muscle

flavor.”

meat with the bones removed, but it has

Anderson says

to look like an actual rib.”

that burnt ends are

If he can find the right co-packer,

the “darkest secret in

Baker believes the product will be suc-

the barbecue world.”

cessful — one, because of the popu-

They are the crusty cor-

larity of barbecue; two, because of the

ners of a brisket or pork butt

product’s convenience; and three, be-

that form when the meats are

cause it’s not messy and can be eaten

smoked for about 15 hours.

with a knife and fork. The fully cooked

“The meat juices come to the top

deboned ribs can be microwaved in

beef tri-tips, brisket and beef ribs are

[during smoking] and congregate and

their packages. Consumers will also

becoming preferred. Chicken is still

form this crusty bark,” he adds.

like that they’re not buying a prod-

the old standby, especially for those
who barbecue in the backyard.
“Some people want to eat pork and

In the past, restaurants would cut
off the ends and discard them, but Fa-

uct by the pound and throwing away
weight on rib bones.

mous Dave’s and many other restau-

“That means you can have barbe-

some people want to eat beef, but just

rants have put them on the menu and

cue on a plate in 15 minutes,” Baker

about everybody wants to eat chick-

they have attracted a loyal following.

says. “We live in a convenient society.”

en,” Mixon says.

The Bad 2D Bone has become

Bone out

Bubba-Q’s top-selling rib, even out-

the most popular meat for barbecue.

Baker believes he’s on to something big

pacing baby backs.

“People don’t just come up to me

in barbecue. His specialty is the deboned

“We know we’re on to something,”

and say, ‘I love your barbecue’; they

baby back rib, Bad 2D Bone, which his

says Baker, whose restaurant was recent-

Anderson also says ribs are still

18

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