Barbecue Hall of Fame announces 5 incredible inductees
Last week, the American Royal announced five new inductees for the Barbecue Hall of Fame, which seeks to honor many of the most important names in the world of barbecue restaurants, competitions, and business. The three top names were whittled down from nine deserving semi-finalists by a group of barbecue experts.
This year’s three living inductees were Desiree Robinson of Cozy Corner Restaurant, Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue, and Joe Don Davidson of Oklahoma Joe’s Smokers. Legacy inductees for this year’s class were posthumous barbecue pioneers James Lemons and Warner Stamey.
“We all know the last two months have not been fun for anyone and this is something that is,” Emily Park, Event Manager for American Royal World Series of Barbecue, said. “This is something that is joyful and we are honoring people. I feel so lucky that I can help facilitate this. One of my best days the whole year is the day we get to call the inductees with the news. All of them deserved this honor very much."
Below are the five new inductees to the Barbecue Hall of Fame and the backstories that make each one of them a great fit for this honor.
Desiree Robinson
Desiree Robinson and her late husband, Raymond Robinson, started the seminal Cozy Corner Restaurant in Memphis in 1977. He worked at the business while she worked at what was then South Central Bell until her retirement in 1991. She stayed in retirement until his passing in February 2001. At that time, she came in to run the business along with their children, Val and Ray, Jr. After Ray, Jr. passed away, she and Val kept the business going until her grandchildren were old enough to help. Desiree has been involved in all aspects of the business, but enjoyed cooking and talking with customers the most. She is now once again enjoying semi-retirement, only going in when she wants or needs to. She knows the business is in the good hands of her two grandsons Bobby and Sean, her daughter Val, and her two granddaughters in support roles.
Aaron Franklin
Pitmaster Aaron Franklin is an Austin-based barbecue cook, grilling guy, restaurant owner, educator, and writer. Aaron is a self-taught barbecue expert, and he quickly rose to be one of the most well-known pit bosses in the barbecue world. He never cuts corners on choosing quality meats and spending the time it really takes to make some of the best BBQ in the country. In 2015, Aaron won the coveted James Beard award for Best Chef Southwest. His first book, Franklin Barbecue: A Meat Smoking Manifesto, inspired a new generation of pitmasters and became a bestseller. Aaron's second book, Franklin Steak, showcases his deep love for steak. Franklin is also the co-founder of Austin's annual Hot Luck Festival featuring restaurateurs from around the country.
Joe Don Davidson
Joe Davidson, multi-decorated Outdoor Cooking World Champion, has won over 300 state, regional, national, and international barbecue cooking titles. Joe has been in some form of the barbecue business his entire life, since launching Oklahoma Joe’s right out of college in 1987. Oklahoma Joe’s has gone on to produce and sell more than a million grills and smokers to date. Joe is one of the most diversified and successful barbecue entrepreneurs, having impacted millions of professional and hobby barbecue enthusiasts through education, equipment, accessories, fuel, sauces, spices, restaurant dining experiences, and more.
James Lemons
James Lemons was the last of three brothers — Myles, Bruce, and James — who founded the legendary Lem's Bar-B-Q on Chicago's South Side. To this day, it’s one of the most popular and successful black-owned food businesses in Chicago. James Lemons helped create a regional style of BBQ in Chicago built on ribs, rib tips. and hot links as central foods and the "aquarium smoker" glass pit as a unique tool. Coming from Indianola, Mississippi in the 1940s, he joined his brothers in starting a chain of barbecue stands, the original of which is still on 75th Street and busy every day.
Warner Stamey
Warner Stamey is considered by many as the “Godfather of Lexington-style North Carolina barbecue.” Born in 1911, Stamey was a barbecue restauranter who opened multiple BBQ joints throughout North Carolina. With each new restaurant came new innovations. Warner’s barbecue pit designs and restaurant methods are still used by the best pitmasters and restaurateurs today. Warner was also first to pair hush puppies with his pit-cooked pork, a staple of every Piedmont, NC barbecue eatery. In 1953 he opened his sixth restaurant in Greensboro, NC where the fourth generation of the Stamey family continues his legacy and craft.
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All five of these names deserve induction into the Barbecue Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, September 19, 2020 at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue in Kansas City. If you would like to nominate someone for the Hall of Fame, you can do so here.
Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist) and Sean Ludwig (NYC BBQ)
Co-Founders, The Smoke Sheet
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Here are the top recent barbecue news stories from around the country:
David McAtee, a BBQ business owner in Louisville, was killed by law enforcement officers late Sunday night while serving food to a group of people.
David McAtee, a 53-year-old barbecue business owner in Louisville who regularly fed police for free, was shot and killed by law enforcement officers Sunday night, the Courier-Journal and Buzzfeed report. McAtee, owner of YaYa’s BBQ joint next to Dino's Food Mart, was serving food to a group not engaged in protests when shots were fired. Louisville police chief Steve Conrad was fired Monday after revealing officers’ body cameras were not active when the shooting occurred. McAtee’s shooting comes at a time when protests are happening all over the country after the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. McAtee operated his popular business out of a parking lot, but was saving money to buy the lot in order to build a brick-and-mortar restaurant. You can donate to McAtee’s GoFundMe here.
Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue spoke with Austin360 recently about being an inductee into the BBQ Hall of Fame (above), when he thinks about reopening his joint’s dining room, and how he’s tackling rising beef prices.
Hotshot pitmaster Rodney Scott, who was a semifinalist for the Barbecue Hall of Fame, spoke with Alabama Newscenter about adjusting to life with COVID-19 and his plans to build more restaurants in Alabama. Scott also recently shared his rib rub recipe with Eater, which includes a few ingredients that might surprise you.
J.C. Reid of the Houston Chronicle writes about the recent pop-up held by Ronnie Killen of Killen’s Barbecue and Wayne Mueller of Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, two popular names in Texas BBQ. “After two months of sheltering-in-place and a diet of mostly homemade pasta dishes, the tray of beef-laden barbecue in front of me brought tears to my eyes,” Reid wrote.
Staten Island, New York BBQ joint Juicy Lucy BBQ has announced it will soon open a drive-in movie theater in its parking lot, so people can enjoy brisket and ribs while watching classic films like Star Wars and Jaws.
Fainmous BBQ, a destination for Tennessee-style barbecue in Houston, Texas, will officially open its new location at Sawyer Yards this week, Eater Houston reports.
Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly recently highlighted the lasagna at Zoli's in Dallas, which is generously layered with house-smoked brisket chunks.
Hot Springs, Arkansas landmark McClard's Bar-B-Q is changing ownership with new owner Lee Beasley, a restaurateur, taking it over. Members of the McClard family will continue to be involved "going forward” with Beasley.
Brett’s Backyard BBQ has been open for only a year and a half in the city of Rockdale, Texas, but that community has now been hit hard by COVID-19. Now the joint is doing what it can to help feed the community’s children by serving hundreds of free sandwiches every week.
Toriano Gordon, owner of vegan barbecue joint Vegan Mob in Oakland, spoke with Food & Wine about his success and how vegan BBQ could “take over the world.”
The Boston Herald shared some helpful tips for how to better grill vegetables such as zucchini, corn, onions, tomatoes and mushrooms.
Culture site The Travel compiled a list of 10 BBQ joints that celebrities like Oprah, Hugh Jackman, and Bill Murray swear by.
Finally, if you’re looking for some good Father’s Day gift ideas, Larry Olmsted at Forbes shared some top choices for grills and smokers.
Thanks to our sponsor Sauce King NYC, a new virtual event from Food Karma NYC. Enter your best sauce in the competition today!
Here are BBQ shows, podcasts, or books you should check out this week:
Comedian Jim Gaffigan feasts on delicious barbecue in Kansas City in this hilarious video.
Watch: "Kansas City BBQ" Jim Eats The World — Jim Gaffigan
In this video, comedian Jim Gaffigan jokes about his love of Kansas City BBQ during his stand up comedy routine while visiting the city. Later in his hotel room he feasts on platters of food from legendary Kansas City joints Gates Bar-B-Que and Smokehouse Bar-B-Que. The video is both hilarious and mouth-watering. Watch here.
Listen: Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue and Val Bradley of Cozy Corner Restaurant — The BBQ Central Show
Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue joins Greg Rempe to talk about what it means to be part of the 2020 class of the Barbecue Hall of Fame. They also talk about how his restaurant business is operating during the pandemic and how it might look as the country begins to re-open. Next, Greg is joined by Val Bradley of the legendary Memphis establishment Cozy Corner Restaurant. Val’s mother Desiree Robinson is also a new inductee into the Barbecue Hall of Fame this year. They talk about how the restaurant has evolved since its opening in 1977. Listen here.
Read: Peace, Love & Barbecue: Recipes, Secrets, Tall Tales, and Outright Lies from the Legends of Barbecue — Mike Mills, Amy Mills Tunnicliffe, and Jeffrey Steingarten
Fifteen years ago, legendary pitmaster Mike Mills and his daughter Amy gave the world Peace, Love, & Barbecue — a unique collection of recipes, photos, and stories from the world of barbecue. The book includes award-winning recipes from Mills as well as stories and memories from pitmasters and characters from the barbecue competition circuit and notable restaurants around the country. Peace, Love, & Barbecue is a must-have book for enthusiasts of barbecue and live-fire cooking, or anyone who enjoys learning more about good food and interesting people. Buy it here.
Making your own BBQ rub can be a fun thing to experiment with.
How to Make a Barbecue Rub — All Things BBQ
For this week’s Recipe of the Week, we chose this short video from All Things BBQ where Chef Tom shows you how to make a basic, all-purpose barbecue rub. This seasoning is on the sweeter side, with just the right amount of salt, pepper, savory and smoky flavors. Perfect on your favorite barbecue foods, from chicken to pork to beef. View the recipe here.
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