BBQ Throw Down: Winning Pork Belly Recipe

{George’s Pork Belly Recipe}

1. Lightly coat the pork belly with Peanut oil both sides

2. Lightly coat with ground black pepper both sides of the Pork Belly

3. Coat the Pork Belly with Dead End Rib Rub both sides

4. Let the Pork Belly sweat for 2 hours.

5. Place on the smoker for 2 hours at 274 degrees

6. After the 2 hours on the smoker, place some butter, brown sugar and tiger sauce down on a piece of foil then lay the Pork Belly onto the foil then repeat the process on the other side. Tightly wrap the Pork Belly in the foil for 1 hour.          

7. Remove the Pork Belly from the foil and baste both sides and return to the smoker for ½ hour.

8. Remove from the smoker and let rest for ten minutes then slice into small strips about the thickness of a thick piece of bacon.

9. ENJOY!

BBQ Throw Down

{BBQ Throw Down}

I was asked the other day at lunch what my favorite contest was? Without a doubt it was the 2012 Chick-fil-a Kick Off Classic BBQ Throw Down!  Sometime in May of 2012, I received a call from the University of Tennessee Football team asking if we wanted to represent UT in a BBQ Throw Down in Atlanta. It would be before the Kick-Off Classic football game against North Carolina State and we would compete against a barbecue team from NC State. It took about one second for me to say yes; I mean what an honor it was to represent my alma mater, the state of Tennessee and Knoxville in a BBQ Throw Down!

After accepting the invitation, I then started to wonder who our opponent would be. In the back of my mind, I was hoping it would be The Pit, the most famous BBQ restaurant in Raleigh and the state of North Carolina.   We found out for sure it was The Pit around the end of July!  I knew we had our work cut out because The Pit is one of the premier BBQ restaurant’s in the USA! The game was scheduled for Friday, August 31, 2012 and we would be cooking outside the Georgia Dome in International Plaza.

We left Knoxville Thursday morning. Our team consisted of Duayane Huddleston who has been cooking with me since 2010, Daniel Bryant our then catering manager, Robert Nutt co-owner of Dead End BBQ, Jimmy McElroy a great realtor in Knoxville and Mr. On The Spot during the competition. 

The Barbecuties- Leah Harville, Michelle Gentry and Rachel Ryan and I rounded out the team. As I said we left Knoxville in the morning around 9am but after Robert’s forty pit stops and 55mile an hour speed we arrived at the Georgia Dome at 5pm. Just in time for them to lock us in the park for the night because Georgia State was playing their first Football game that night in the Dome.

After we got the smokers, tents and tables set up it was time to eat!  Our friend Bob Hendon of the Atlanta Bar-B-Q Club, who was one of the organizers, came by to take us out for some BBQ. He took us to Fox Brothers BBQ and we shared everything on the menu. It was all great! By the time we got back to the hotel, The Pit had pulled in and was setting up!  Things were getting ready to heat up; I mean literally heat up because the smokers were started at 2am Friday morning.

Pork Butts and Brisket went on at 3am and the fun began! Turn in times were different than a typical contest because of the scheduled events happening at the plaza, so our cook times were very staggered. This gave me time to talk to my new friends for life Darrell Brown and Sean Barts from The Pit! I cannot say enough good things about those two guys!  

When the Fox television station interviewed Darrell and me early Friday morning he summed it up the best “What else could you want in a BBQ throw down but the best from North Carolina and the best from Tennessee.  Two great BBQ flavors and two great restaurants.” That got me fired up! It was time to get focused and see what we could do!

 

The ribs and chicken went on around 9 am and 10am respectfully. The Barbecuties showed up around 10am to start handing out t-shirts, stickers, hats and food (we started serving around 1pm). Then around noon Bob stopped by our tents and said that there was a fifth category, which was Pork Belly.  He gave both of us a slab to cook and turn in at 4pm. I hate to admit it but I had not cooked pork belly prior to this contest.  So I improvised by realizing the cut was close to the rib area, so I decided to cook them similar to our ribs.

The announcements started about 30 minutes after turn ins. The first turn in was Chicken and we WON!  The second turn in was Ribs and we WON!  The Pit won both Pork and Brisket!  So it came down to the Pork Belly.  When it came off the smoker, I started slicing it and it cut perfectly!  Everyone started eating it as I was cutting 

and we almost didn’t have enough to turn in but managed to get enough in our box!

 So we went to the stage; I was tired and nervous.  The crowd was pretty large, as we were getting very close to kick off time for the football game.  The announcer starting talking about both teams and how great the competition was and then two large trophies appeared on stage!  The tension was mounting and I really wanted to take a shower after being out in the hot Atlanta sun all day! They announced second place and that went to The Pit, so that meant we won!  Rachel was on stage with me and she grabbed the trophy immediately as I went over to congratulate my friends Darrell and Sean.  

I was proud to cook with the guys form the Pit and I was relieved that we were able to represent our Great University, Great State and Great City!  To top off the night Duayne, Daniel, Leah, Michelle, Rachel and I set together to cheer the Vols to a 35-27 victory over NC State! 

- George

Calling All East Tennessee Brides!

Meet The Team Series: Levi Beckelhimer

{Meet The Team}

      A George’s Blog Series

Levi Beckelhimer

Assistant Manager – Dead End Maryville

Years Employed at Dead End: 5 ½ Years

Where Are You From: Johnson City, TN

Tell us a little about yourself…

Raised in the valley of the great Appalachian Mountains, I grew up a country boy with a taste for big city living. Case in point, when I graduated from Daniel Boone High School (rival to aptly named Davy Crockett High School), I decided to move to Knoxville and attend the University of Tennessee. My first three years I studied theatre. At the beginning of sophomore year, I moved off campus to some apartments off of Papermill Drive. Enduring a grueling job search for part-time work, I came across a little restaurant on Sutherland Avenue that was hiring, but not yet open. I started working this job officially on September 28, 2009. That little restaurant began to flourish after the first year and then took off! I worked as a server, bartender, line cook and caterer. I worked there throughout my college career until my graduation in May, 2013, where shortly thereafter I came to Maryville to open and manage our second location.

I graduated with a BA in Italian Linguistics. Strange right? As odd a transition as it was, changing majors from theatre to linguistics, it made me who I am today. Finally, this backwoods country boy had made his way to the “big city” and learnt him a few languages at the same time. During my first few years at Dead End, I took two leaves of absence. I left the company to pursue a study abroad in Italy for 5 months in spring 2011. I then moved back to Knoxville for a year. The following summer I took another two months leave to stay with some colleagues in Spain whom I had made friends with at college in Italy. For both of my stays abroad, I had the chance to show some of my friends how we barbequed here in the states. For my buddy’s 22^nd birthday in Spain I smoked some chicken and pork and made some impromptu seasonings that didn’t turn out half bad! I got to share what being part of the Dead End family is in a country that’s not my own, it was awesome!

In this industry we encounter people from all walks of life and from different locations throughout our country and beyond, customers and employees alike. It has been a tremendous advantage for me to possess and speak Italian and Spanish. I have made rapports with numerous customers and employees who come from places all over. 

And who is to thank? Dead End! While I was pursuing my degree in Italian, I decided to take on Spanish as well. Some of our Spanish-speaking employees noticed my attempts to learn and went along with it. Before long I caught on, and now I speak it with ease thanks to the people who saw a young college kid willing to sound like an idiot for a while trying to properly say esta’ listo? I’m forever in their debt.

When you are at work, what is your “go-to” meal?

Grilled Chicken Quesadilla, half spicy bbq, half dead end red for the base sauce. Add extra pico de gallo, a scoop of queso and salsa. I’m also a sucker for mac-attack sliders……

What is your favorite saying that has been posted on the Dead End Sign?

“Roses are red, so is our sauce, have a pork sandwich.”

Share a memorable experience you’ve had during your time at Dead End…

About two years ago, I was having a beer at Dead End’s bar. This couple sat down beside me and began asking the bartender Garret questions about the menu. I noticed their accents and was immediately intrigued (being a linguistics nerd and all….). We helped them find what they wanted to eat. Afterwards, they told me “You know, you, the bartender and the gentleman managing right now all look so familiar. I think we saw you on TV back home!” Back home for them was the Netherlands. They had seen us on a Danish documentary about American dining that was partially filmed in our restaurant a year or so before. That night, Garret, Neal, myself and a few other Dead Enders were working when the segment on BBQ in the film was made. How cool is that?!