A Tribute to the Baron of Barbecue: Celebrating Paul Kirk's Legacy
The essence of this episode is a heartfelt tribute to the late Paul Kirk, revered as the Baron of Barbecue, who passed away on May 26, leaving behind a profound legacy in the culinary world. As we reflect upon his remarkable contributions and distinctive style, we are privileged to revisit one of our previous interviews with him, showcasing his vibrant personality and profound passion for barbecue. Throughout his illustrious career, Paul garnered numerous accolades, including over 500 awards and seven world championships, establishing himself as a true icon in competitive barbecue. His approach to cooking, characterized by creativity and heartfelt dedication, resonates deeply with both seasoned chefs and home cooks alike. In honoring Paul’s legacy, we invite our listeners to appreciate the art of barbecue and the joy it brings to both the cook and the community.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Kansas City Bullsheet
- National Barbecue News
- CBS
- Anthony Bourdain's Rest His Soul
- Painted Hills Natural Beef
- Hammerstahl
- Heritage Steel
Mentioned in this episode:
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This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Transcript
It's time for Barbecue Nation with JT.
Speaker B:So fire up your grill, light the.
Speaker A:Charcoal, and get your smoker cooking.
Speaker A:Now, from the Turnit Dough Burnett studios In Portland, here's J.T.
Speaker B:Hi, everybody.
Speaker C:It's J.T.
Speaker C:here.
Speaker C:As many of you probably already know, we lost one of the greats in the barbecue world, Paul Kirk, known as the Baron of Barbecue, back on May 26.
Speaker C:Paul had had some health problems for a while, and he was 84 years old.
Speaker C:I was fortunate enough to interview Paul on Barbecue Nation several times over the years.
Speaker C:So in honor of Paul and his contributions to barbecue, I thought we would rerun one of the shows that Paul was on.
Speaker C:Always a character, always a lot of fun, and I think, truly, Paul cooked with his heart.
Speaker C:So I hope you enjoy this.
Speaker C:And like I said, this is to honor Paul Kirk and his life.
Speaker B:Hey, everybody.
Speaker B:Welcome to the nation.
Speaker B:That would be the Barbecue Nation.
Speaker B:I'm JT along with producer Dave.
Speaker B:Hi.
Speaker B:Atop the radio Barbecue World in downtown Portland.
Speaker B:And we want to say hello to all of our affiliates out there on the Radio Northwest Network.
Speaker B:So if I told you there was somebody that's kind of been known for a while as the Kansas City Baron of Barbecue, you might look at me and say, huh?
Speaker B:But it's true.
Speaker B:We've got Paul Kirk with us today.
Speaker B:Paul is one of the most winning people in competitive barbecue.
Speaker B:He's got a very storied history, you might say, and all in a good way.
Speaker B:He also has written columns for the Kansas City Bullsheet, National Barbecue News.
Speaker B:He's been on CBS this Morning, Anthony Bourdain's Rest His Soul in the search of a perfect meal.
Speaker B:Paul's been around for a couple of weeks, and he's won over 500 awards, seven world championships at least from what I can see here.
Speaker B:And so we welcome him.
Speaker B:Welcome to Barbecue Nation, Paul.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:Good to be here.
Speaker B:So I would hazard a guess that you're already cooking something this morning.
Speaker A:Well, I just put on 16 slabs of ribs and 10 chickens.
Speaker B:Is that for consumption or for competition?
Speaker A:That is for consumption.
Speaker A:That Sunday, we're going to celebrate what would have been my mother's hundredth birthday.
Speaker A:She only made it to 99 in 9 months, God rest her soul.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But we're all getting together.
Speaker A:I've got five sisters and a brother, and the whole family's coming in, so I'm cooking for that.
Speaker B:Let me guess.
Speaker B:Because I have this situation in my life, people invite you to parties and situations, other gatherings like that, but they always want you to cook something.
Speaker A:Sometimes a lot of people I've even run into, well, I'm never inviting you over.
Speaker A:I says, for dinner?
Speaker A:I said, why not?
Speaker A:Well, you're a chef, you're going to critique what I do.
Speaker A:I says, I enjoy food too much to critique it.
Speaker B:You kidding me?
Speaker B:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:Once in a while you get invited someplace and they say, well, just, you know, sit down and have a Pepsi or a beer or whatever you want.
Speaker B:And you?
Speaker B:I kind of feel lost sometimes.
Speaker B:When that happens, it's like nobody loves me anymore.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:So let's talk a little bit about.
Speaker B:How did you first get started in turning and burning there on the grills?
Speaker B:Was it something you started as a kid or something you picked up later in life?
Speaker A:No, as a kid.
Speaker A:My dad, he comes from a large family.
Speaker A:We have a large family.
Speaker A:My mom comes from a large family.
Speaker A:And, you know, every summer, whether it's grandma and grandpa's birthday or somebody's birthday or the holidays, we would always grill out, you know, in our backyard.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:And back then, when I started, which was I was nine years old, my dad would buy two and down ribs.
Speaker B:And buy what?
Speaker A:Spare ribs.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:And now the smallest you can get is what, 4.7 and down.
Speaker A:So hogs have grown since then, but he barbecued a lot, and I don't know that I paid that much attention.
Speaker A:Fortunately, I have a lot of God given talent, thanks to my mother and father.
Speaker A:They were both good cooks, as were my grandmothers.
Speaker A:And I've just loved to cook.
Speaker A:And, you know, people say, oh, you've done this, you've done.
Speaker A:I just doing what I love to do.
Speaker A:I mean, I enjoy cooking, you know, and people ask me, well, how can you come up with so many recipes?
Speaker A:I said, I make them up.
Speaker A:That's what's the fun of it.
Speaker A:I've even sent recipes into contests.
Speaker A:Never made them and placed or won the contest.
Speaker A:They're wise to that now because if you get in a lot of these contests, you have to send a picture of it in also.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:So, yeah.
Speaker A:But no, I just enjoy what I do.
Speaker A:I enjoy teaching it.
Speaker A:You know, people, you know, people have asked me for recipes and I've had people say, well, you won't.
Speaker A:You'll leave something out.
Speaker A:I said, I build a reputation of good food, good quality food.
Speaker A:I would never sabotage food or leaving an ingredient out of a recipe.
Speaker A:I want you to be better than I am.
Speaker A:And then back in the early days, somebody figured that 85% of the ribbons won at the American Royal were my students, and people asked me, doesn't that bother you that your students beat you?
Speaker A:I said, no.
Speaker A:That's what it's all about.
Speaker B:You know, that's kind of a really nice accolade to you, really.
Speaker A:Oh, I agree.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:That they come out and they beat, quote the master.
Speaker B:I don't think anybody could give you higher praise than that.
Speaker A:I agree.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So how is the road turned, if you will?
Speaker B:And I use that as kind of just a catchphrase here.
Speaker B:But since you started, and you started back with, you know, at the original Kansas City Barbecue Society and all that stuff that's happened, because you're right there in the middle of the country and, you know, Carolyn Wells and her husband and this whole group, and you guys worked on all this, and you sat on the board for years.
Speaker B:How is that road kind of changed or changed directions or, you know, fingered out into other highways?
Speaker A:Well, I would say not for the better, but that's my opinion.
Speaker A:And, you know, everybody has an opinion.
Speaker A:So we won't go there.
Speaker A:The.
Speaker A:See, I will not cooking aluminum foil.
Speaker A:To me, that's heresy.
Speaker A:They say that.
Speaker A:That I coined the word Texas crutch.
Speaker A:I don't believe I did.
Speaker A:Now, I started off in.
Speaker A: est was the American Royal in: Speaker A:I didn't know about the first one.
Speaker A:So I've been to every American Royal since then.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:And I don't always cook, or I may be on a team now.
Speaker A:I volunteer.
Speaker A:And I was a volunteer down for 23 years before we got dismissed by the new director.
Speaker A:But I still cooked it.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:To me, barbecue's gonna take a while.
Speaker A:You know, if I know I have to just like today, I have to set aside six hours.
Speaker A:Cause I have those spare ribs on there.
Speaker A:Four hours for my chicken.
Speaker A:I know I have to be here and watch it and restock the pit.
Speaker A:And so I put that time away.
Speaker A:Now, if I wrap it in foil, I could, you know, cut some time off.
Speaker A:What I think is funny is the three, two, one method to cook ribs.
Speaker A:You cook them for three hours on the pit.
Speaker A:Then you wrap them in foil with some sauce or a liquid and steam them for two hours.
Speaker A:Then you pull them out of the foil and put them back on your pit for another hour to try to get some of that flavor you just steamed away.
Speaker A:They're fall off the bone.
Speaker A:And number one, I don't like fall off the bone.
Speaker A:I want some texture to my food.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:And I'm Only going to cook my spare ribs.
Speaker A:You know, these are.
Speaker A:Were larger than I wanted, but that's what I have.
Speaker A:So when you buy them by the case.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Well, I'm only gonna cook them five and a half, six hours anyway.
Speaker A:So other than them being real tender, what advantage did that give you?
Speaker A:Lost a lot of flavor.
Speaker B:Well, I don't like my barbecue tasting like it went through a car wash, so.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker B:You know, now I do.
Speaker B:If I'm short on time and I'm doing a gathering of people and stuff, I will wrap a brisket.
Speaker B:I never.
Speaker A:Well, that's a different situation now.
Speaker B:Yeah, but I've never.
Speaker B:I'll never wrap ribs.
Speaker B:Ribs, to me, are kind of like the sacred ground.
Speaker B:I mean, I know everybody.
Speaker B:Everybody gets all hopped up about.
Speaker B:About brisket and stuff, but if you.
Speaker B:If, you know, to me, ribs are like the sacred barbecue thing.
Speaker B:Anyway, that's just my thoughts.
Speaker B:Hey, we're going to take a break, but before we do, excuse me.
Speaker B:I wanted to remind you that this portion of Barbecue Nation is brought to you in part by Painted Hills Natural Beef.
Speaker B:Beef just like your grandpa used to raise.
Speaker B:You can check them out online at painted hillsnaturalbeef.com and I can give you a personal recommendation for that brand of beef products, because I've been eating it for years and cooking it for years, and it's really good.
Speaker B:We're gonna take a break.
Speaker B:We're gonna be back with Paul Kirk right after this.
Speaker B:Don't.
Speaker A:I don't want you lonely mansion with a tear in every room all I lost to love you promised bring me the halo moon.
Speaker B:But you think.
Speaker A:I should be happy with your money and your name.
Speaker B:Hi, everybody.
Speaker C:It's JT here.
Speaker C:As many of you probably already know, we lost one of the greats in the barbecue world, Paul Kirk, known as the Baron of Barbecue, back on May 26.
Speaker C:Paul had had some health problems for a while, and he was 84 years old.
Speaker C:I was fortunate enough to interview Paul on Barbecue Nation several times over the years.
Speaker C:So in honor of Paul and his contributions to barbecue, I thought we would rerun one of the shows that Paul was on.
Speaker C:Always a character, always a lot of fun, and I think truly, Paul cooked with his heart.
Speaker C:So I hope you enjoy this.
Speaker C:And like I said, this is to honor Paul Kirk and his life.
Speaker C:Hey, everybody, it's Jeff here.
Speaker C:I want to tell you about something really cool.
Speaker C:Heritage steel cookware.
Speaker C:I just got mine.
Speaker C:I do a lot of cooking, and it's got five ply construction.
Speaker C:Stay cool.
Speaker C:Handles, it's titanium strengthened.
Speaker C:It's got all the great stuff.
Speaker C:Just go to HeritageSteel us and find out more.
Speaker C:You'll love it, I guarantee it.
Speaker C:This is an encore.
Speaker B:Hey, welcome back to Barbecue Nation.
Speaker B:I'm JT and Dr.
Speaker B:Dave's out doing something probably illicit with his Camaro, but we're never sure about that.
Speaker B:If you'd like to email us, it's BBQ Nation.
Speaker B:The letter is BBQ Nation.
Speaker B:AlphaMedia USA.com youm can always find the podcasts of our shows on the SoundCloud and other platforms.
Speaker B:We've got a ton of platforms that they're on out there now.
Speaker B:And just go to Barbecue Nation with jt.
Speaker B:Same thing with Facebook and oh, couple of special affiliates this week.
Speaker B:KWRO and Coospay and KPNW and Eugene.
Speaker B:We'd like to thank them.
Speaker B:Now, before we get back to Paul, real quick, several weeks ago we had chef Todd Tobin on who griddles.
Speaker B:That's with two Ds.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:And the nice folks at Blackstone griddle sent us a 17 inch portable griddle to give away on the show.
Speaker B:So here's your question, but you have to email me the answer.
Speaker B:You can't call me.
Speaker B:You have to email me the answer.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Last week we had a young man on here.
Speaker B:He was an army veteran.
Speaker B:His name was Jason Lorraine.
Speaker A:I feel no matter what happens.
Speaker A:Sorry about that.
Speaker B:That's all right.
Speaker B:Just hang on a sec.
Speaker B:Last week on the show we had a young man named Jason Lorraine, an Army veteran, and he has a barbecue business down in Salem, Oregon.
Speaker B:Okay, what was the name of his company?
Speaker B:You email me the name of his company at Barbecue Nation.
Speaker B:That's BBQ nationlphamediasa.com and then we'll pick from the winners, the people that got the correct answer.
Speaker B:And here's a hint, if you need help, if you can't remember, go to the SoundCloud and look up the show with Jason Lorraine.
Speaker B:Okay, now we've got that out of the way.
Speaker B:We're back talking with Paul Kirk, one of the true icons in the world of barbecue.
Speaker B:And I wanted to ask you something.
Speaker B:Cause I've actually done this.
Speaker B:I didn't write a book about barbecue, but I wrote a cookbook.
Speaker B:How long does it normally take you to write a cookbook?
Speaker B:You've written what, 12 of them?
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Well, I've co written or co written.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And my biggest problem is I've got five more on my computer.
Speaker A:Oh, don't have a publisher, but that's another Story, I'm gonna say it takes a good year.
Speaker A:I had a friend who.
Speaker A:He taught at a junior college, Johnson County Community College here.
Speaker A:And he retired.
Speaker A:He said, I'm.
Speaker A:He's very big in the Chef's association.
Speaker A:I used to be also.
Speaker A:And he said, I'm retiring.
Speaker A:I'm gonna write a cookbook.
Speaker A:I saw him about.
Speaker A:Oh, good.
Speaker A:Six, eight months later.
Speaker A:And I didn't realize how much work it is.
Speaker A:You know, people think it's just recipes.
Speaker A:Well, there's a lot more to it than just the recipes.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But I enjoy doing recipes, so I'm.
Speaker A:Fortunately, I've always been.
Speaker A:It's easy for me to do recipes and make stuff up.
Speaker A:And people ask me, what spice doesn't go with what spice?
Speaker A:I said, well, I really haven't found any spice that doesn't go with another spice.
Speaker A:I see.
Speaker A:You know, there's some that you mix them, and I don't know if I like that.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:But, you know, don't.
Speaker A:Just because a little spice works doesn't mean a whole lot more is going to make it even better.
Speaker A:Normally, it just masks the flavor that you're trying to get.
Speaker A:So, you know, things like that that you have to learn.
Speaker B:One of the things I wanted to talk to you about, Paul, was, you know, one thing.
Speaker B:You've heard this many times.
Speaker B:I've heard it many times, and we were just talking about spices there.
Speaker B:So people say, you know, I like a little kick in my flavoring.
Speaker B:I get that.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:And this kind of sounds a little cliche, but it really.
Speaker B:If you've cooked long enough, you know exactly what.
Speaker B:And I know, you know, Paul, but the listeners, if you're masking the meat and all you can taste is the spice, or if it's.
Speaker B:Especially if it's got the quote unquote kick to it, so all you're tasting is the heat and not the meat.
Speaker B:I don't think you've done your job right.
Speaker B:I agree.
Speaker B:That's my feelings on that.
Speaker A:The.
Speaker A:Who is it?
Speaker A:Out in Eugene, black man has a.
Speaker A:Had a car dealers or a garage and then opened up his barbecue.
Speaker B:Oh, Campbell's.
Speaker B:Was it Campbell's?
Speaker A:No, no, not Campbell's.
Speaker B:That's Portland.
Speaker B:I can't remember.
Speaker A:His name's Gene, but I can't think of his last name.
Speaker A:Anyway, he has the man, the sauce.
Speaker A:First time I tasted it, I mean, it was hot.
Speaker A:And I like hot things.
Speaker A:But there again, I'm like you.
Speaker A:I want to enjoy my food.
Speaker A:I don't want to taste Some food, and it just burns me out.
Speaker A:And I can't taste anything for half hour, 45 minutes, right?
Speaker A:And he used to.
Speaker A:Every time I go in there with Bob Lyon, they say, paul, you want to try the.
Speaker A:The Man?
Speaker A:I said, gene, I've already tried it.
Speaker A:And all this now is hot.
Speaker A:It has very little flavor.
Speaker A:And, you know, like I said, I'm like you.
Speaker A:I don't mind a little kick to it, but I want to taste the food I'm eating.
Speaker B:I think when you've done your job right, you chew on whatever you're chewing on.
Speaker B:Let's just say it's a piece of brisket and you're tasting the meat and all that.
Speaker B:And then the heat comes, technically, kind of after you swallow.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:You're kind of.
Speaker B:You got that, and then you kind of feel the heat and you go, man, that's pretty good, you know?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:But when you pop it in your mouth and you feel like you just took a hot Kingsford briquette and stuffed it in there, it's.
Speaker B:It's not very good.
Speaker B:It doesn't work very good.
Speaker A:I like that analogy.
Speaker B:Well, feel free to use it.
Speaker B:But, I mean, I've done that where people.
Speaker B:And then, of course, I've got people that.
Speaker B:I don't know if you'd really call them friends, but they kind of sucker punch you once in a while and say, here, try this.
Speaker B:And you take a bite of it and it's.
Speaker B:And then all of a sudden, just within seconds, it's like, boom.
Speaker B:And it's like, you really can't.
Speaker B:You know, I don't know.
Speaker B:I'm getting older, and so I guess I'm getting more fussy.
Speaker B:Paul.
Speaker B:But it's just one of those things that I think if you balance the heat with the meat, then you're doing okay, you know?
Speaker A:I agree.
Speaker B:So we've got about 40 seconds before we have to go to break here.
Speaker B:What's just kind of a real short sentence?
Speaker B:What's your favorite thing to actually barbecue?
Speaker A:Duck.
Speaker B:Duck.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Well, you'd be popular out here with the Oregon Ducks crowd, I'll tell you that.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:University of Oregon.
Speaker B:Because I was a beaver guy, and I've never heard anybody barbecuing beaver, but that's.
Speaker A:I beg your pardon.
Speaker A:I have.
Speaker B:Have you really?
Speaker A:We did.
Speaker A:Beaver sausage.
Speaker B:Good for you.
Speaker B:How was.
Speaker A:Was good?
Speaker A:Was it.
Speaker A:You know, but getting people to taste it once you told them what it was, that was the difficult part.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Well, it actually scored second in a barbecue contest.
Speaker B:Oh, my word.
Speaker A:They didn't know what it was.
Speaker A:It's very red meat.
Speaker B:Yeah, well, I know that way.
Speaker B:We're going to take a break.
Speaker B:We're going to be back with Paul Kirk, the baron of barbecue from Kansas City.
Speaker B:And actually, truly, Paul's one of the most winning guys, if not the most winning guy at barbecue.
Speaker B:So in the competition side.
Speaker B:We'll be back in just a minute.
Speaker C:Hey, everybody, it's JT And I have eaten.
Speaker C:If you've ever looked at me, you know that.
Speaker C:But I have eaten seafood all over the world, and I can tell you there's no place better than here in Oregon and our Dungeness crab.
Speaker C:If you want to learn more about Oregon Dungeness crab, just go to oregondungeness.org find out how to cook it, how to catch it, where to buy it, and the sustainability of what they're doing there in the Oregon Crab Commission.
Speaker C:Check it out.
Speaker B:Hi, everybody.
Speaker C:It's JT here.
Speaker C:As many of you probably already know, we lost one of the greats in the barbecue world, Paul Kirk, known as the Baron of Barbecue, back on May 26.
Speaker C:Paul had had some health problems for a while, and he was 84 years old.
Speaker C:I was fortunate enough to interview Paul on Barbecue Nation several times over the years.
Speaker C:So in honor of Paul and his contributions to barbecue, I thought we would rerun one of the shows that Paul was on.
Speaker C:Always a character, always a lot of fun, and I think, truly, Paul cooked with his heart.
Speaker C:So I hope you enjoy this.
Speaker C:And like I said, this is to honor Paul Kirk and his life.
Speaker B:Back to Paul Kirk.
Speaker B:When you're cooking at home, Paul, what do you.
Speaker B:If it's just you and your wife, what do you usually cook?
Speaker A:Ends on our mood.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'm gonna have do lamb shanks for dinner tonight with corn on the cob, and I don't know what vegetable I'll use.
Speaker A:Make salad.
Speaker B:Well, there you go.
Speaker B:I mean, sometimes we get toasted cheese sandwiches at my house.
Speaker B:Cup of soup.
Speaker B:We do that, too, just because you're tired.
Speaker B:So let's talk about people wanting to enter the competitive world of barbecue.
Speaker B:I mean, you're at the far end of the scale from somebody who's just starting.
Speaker B:But what could you advise them what to look out for?
Speaker B:And maybe some pearls of wisdom for those folks.
Speaker A:Don't change anything.
Speaker A:You know, dance with the one that burn you.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:Do what you know how to do and do it the best you can.
Speaker A:That's just like the other day, I was talking to somebody, and he Said, oh, you cook, huh?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I said, well, you've been in competition.
Speaker A:Yeah, I've been in a few.
Speaker A:He said, but I would rather take a professional chef on the new Backyarders.
Speaker A:He says, why?
Speaker A:I says, the backyard people try to make it better every time they do it.
Speaker A:A chef.
Speaker A:I'm a chef.
Speaker A:I know what I'm doing.
Speaker A:I'm not changing anything.
Speaker A:Well, I'm sorry, Chef, but which I am.
Speaker A:And that's what I love about backyard people.
Speaker A:And people that are getting into it.
Speaker A:Do the best you can and let ship fall in.
Speaker A:May probably the biggest curse of competition barbecue, is if you win a ribbon, then you're hooked.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's kind of like playing golf, you know, if you hit that one good shot, you're hooked.
Speaker B:You're a lifer at that point.
Speaker B:When you're out there working in the comp.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:When you.
Speaker B:When you're working the competitions, Paul, and whether it's a volunteer or you're on a.
Speaker B:You're on a pit crew or whatever you're doing, what do you see that?
Speaker B:People kind of make some mistakes once in a while.
Speaker B:Maybe they're new, maybe they're.
Speaker B:Maybe they're seasoned competitors.
Speaker B:But what kind of mistakes do you see out there?
Speaker A:Well, number one, foil.
Speaker A:But we won't even go there.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:Probably they're not patient enough.
Speaker A:They want to hurry everything.
Speaker A:And, you know, I cook at different temperatures.
Speaker A:Primarily, I cook between 230 and 250.
Speaker A:Now, like today, I'm doing ribs and chicken.
Speaker A:I'm cooking at 275.
Speaker A:And I tell them, you know, when I do classes, people, Chef, I was taught low and slow.
Speaker A:Well, you just look at any reputable cookbook.
Speaker A:A 250 degree oven is called a slow oven.
Speaker A:And that's what a pit is, is an oven.
Speaker A:So I think that, you know, and a lot of people are cooking hot and fast, and I have no problem with that if you know what you're doing, because it takes more time, more of your time to do cook hot and fast, because you have to turn it more, more often and watch it closer than if you cook low and slow.
Speaker B:That's where we came up with the saying around here, that we closed the show with his turn it, don't burn it.
Speaker B:And so that's the fact.
Speaker B:Yeah, it works out that way better for people.
Speaker B:Do you have any regrets over the years of all this competition?
Speaker B:I mean, do you regret that you didn't become a United States senator or something?
Speaker B:Well, maybe that's Not a good idea.
Speaker A:But I don't fly that way.
Speaker A:I mean sure, I wish I would have done better at this and that and.
Speaker A:But once I've done something I try to limit if I screwed up and go on to the next thing you know.
Speaker A:I'm not a regret type person as far as my philosophy and the way I live the.
Speaker A:So I don't know how to answer that.
Speaker B:Well, that's all right.
Speaker B:Well, let me phrase it to you this way.
Speaker B:What do you think is the highlights of your career?
Speaker B:What's the one thing or two things that you're probably most proud of?
Speaker A:Probably the highlight is the smile on my mother.
Speaker A:And it is, it just makes me melt when I see it.
Speaker A:And I've got a big picture, a poster with it on there that I, I did an alligator for Smoke and fire barbecue place here in, in town that sells fries, you know, cookers and all that.
Speaker A:And they poster and a friend of mine took the picture and it's on there and it's in my dining room just sitting there on a chair.
Speaker A:I mean that, that to me, I mean it just, I just love it still.
Speaker A:I don't know how to.
Speaker A:Other than that, I don't know because my problem with all the stuff that I've won and done, we all put our pants on one leg at a time.
Speaker A:So I just done what I wanted to do or love to do and don't think I'm any better than anybody.
Speaker A:People can't email me on one or put it on the Great Basso's Barbecue Forum, which all it is is a bunch of bitching.
Speaker A:And if, if you post a lot, you're, you're an expert and said Paul, you're always bragging about how many world champions you've won.
Speaker A:What are they?
Speaker A:And I said, anybody that knows me know I don't brag.
Speaker A:I in fact, and then Ray said, you know, Paul, why don't you put them up?
Speaker A:Well, I had to get a bottle of my barbecue sauce to remember what all they were to put them up.
Speaker A:So that's how impressed I am with them.
Speaker A:So I just look, I like, I enjoy what I do.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Did you do anything else prior to competitive barbecue and doing that?
Speaker B:I mean, did you start out as a chef yourself or did you go to chef school or what?
Speaker B:What's the background there?
Speaker A:I used to teach high school.
Speaker B:Huh.
Speaker A:Business education, product, you know, typing, business management, business law, that boring stuff.
Speaker A:Then my dad owned a restaurant after he stopped flying or had out flying for TWA and Then.
Speaker A:So I've been in the restaurant business pretty much since then, and it killed him.
Speaker A:But that's neither here nor there.
Speaker A:And I said, I never want to be in it again, but once it gets in your blood, forget it.
Speaker A:So I've been in that and story on my first barbecue contest, the American Royal.
Speaker A:I work at a.
Speaker A:Basically a roadhouse.
Speaker A:Breakfast, lunch and dinner, you know, barbecue steaks, fried chicken, that type of thing.
Speaker A:All the recipes were mine.
Speaker A:They were not.
Speaker A:When we get off the air today, I'm gonna go up in the mail and see if that got there.
Speaker A: That check out there from: Speaker A:But I was in two category.
Speaker A:I was in two categories, ribs and chicken.
Speaker A:And got my.
Speaker A:I mean, everything was a mess because I came out Friday night in.
Speaker A:I had a flat tire on my truck and no spare.
Speaker A:So I get a ride home and wake some people up to get their van in the morning.
Speaker A:And I said, I want to be down there at 5:30.
Speaker A:Can I get it, you know, at 4?
Speaker A:And oh, no, we need it for a delivery.
Speaker A:So I got it at seven.
Speaker A:And oh, forgot charcoal.
Speaker A:So I had to go across the highway and the store and get some charcoal and get down there like at 8:30.
Speaker A:And I said, I want to be there at 5:30.
Speaker A:Why have no idea.
Speaker B:Well, you were gonna get the.
Speaker A:Take an apple and slice it real thin and wrap it in plastic wrap, put it in a dry cooler, and it'll.
Speaker A:It'll be not, you know, okay.
Speaker A:Had marinated my chicken, did a Hawaiian style chicken, took second in ribs, first in chicken.
Speaker A:Been downhill ever since, but.
Speaker A:And that's how I got started in competition.
Speaker B:Well, there you go.
Speaker B:We're going to be back.
Speaker B:Wrap up the show with Paul Kirk, the Baron of Kansas City Barbecue, right after this.
Speaker B:Don't go away, Sam.
Speaker C:J.T.
Speaker C:here.
Speaker C:As many of you probably already know, we lost one of the greats in the barbecue world, Paul Kirk, known as the Baron of Barbecue, back on May 26.
Speaker C:Paul had had some health problems for a while, and he was 84 years old.
Speaker C:I was fortunate enough to interview Paul on Barbecue Nation several times over the years.
Speaker C:So in honor of Paul and his contributions to barbecue, I thought we would rerun one of the shows that Paul was on.
Speaker C:Always a character, always a lot of fun, and I think truly, Paul cooked with his heart.
Speaker C:So I hope you enjoy this.
Speaker C:And like I said, this is to honor Paul Kirk and his life.
Speaker C:Hey, everybody, it's jt.
Speaker C:You know, I talk about Painted Hills all the time, and we always say beef the way nature intended.
Speaker C:But it's more than that, because each bite of Painted Hills will make your taste buds explode.
Speaker C:Put a big, bright smile on your face, and whoever is at your dinner table will have a big, bright smile on their face.
Speaker C:And you can thank me for that later.
Speaker C:Just go to paintedhillsbeef.com and find out more.
Speaker C:You won't regret it.
Speaker C:Hey, everybody, J.T.
Speaker C:here.
Speaker C:I want to tell you about Hammerstahl knives.
Speaker C:Hammerstahl combines German steel with beautiful and functioning designs.
Speaker C:They're part of the Heritage Steel group, which also does their pots and pans.
Speaker C:So go to heritagesteel us.
Speaker C:Check out the Hammer Stahl knives.
Speaker C:If you're really into cooking, I think you're really gonna like them.
Speaker B:Foreign.
Speaker B:Hi, everybody.
Speaker C:It's JT here.
Speaker C:As many of you probably already know, we lost one of the greats in the barbecue world, Paul Kirk, known as the Baron of Barbecue, back on May 26.
Speaker C:Paul had had some health problems for a while, and he was 84 years old.
Speaker C:I was fortunate enough to interview Paul on Barbecue Nation several times over the years.
Speaker C:So in honor of Paul and his contributions to barbecue, I thought we would rerun one of the shows that Paul was on.
Speaker C:Always a character, always a lot of fun.
Speaker C:And I think truly, Paul cooked with his heart.
Speaker C:So I hope you enjoy this.
Speaker C:And like I said, this is to honor Paul Kirk and his life.
Speaker B:And welcome back to Marbee Nation.
Speaker B:I'm JT, Dr.
Speaker B:Dave and company.
Speaker B:And everybody up and down the Radio Northwest Network and our affiliates down in Texas, and to all the people that listen across the world, I thank you for that.
Speaker B:I really do.
Speaker B:Sincerely.
Speaker B:We're talking with Paul Kirk today.
Speaker B:You know, it's always a toss up.
Speaker B:Like he was saying about Myron says he's the winningest guy in barbecue.
Speaker B:Paul very well could be, but it doesn't matter that much because they're both experts, and Paul has done a lot of interesting things, and he spent some time out here in the Northwest.
Speaker B:We were talking off the air, and he's spent time out here in Portland and Eugene.
Speaker B:So that's kind of a good thing.
Speaker B:That's kind of a good thing.
Speaker B:Is there anything in barbecue, Paul, that you wanted to do that you haven't done yet?
Speaker A:Not that I know of.
Speaker A:I mean, I've cooked in all the big or been to all the big contests.
Speaker A:I've been to Houston, helped out there.
Speaker A:I've cooked in Memphis in May, and two of my world championships over in Ireland were Memphis and Mace type cookbooks or Cooking contests.
Speaker A:Won the American Wild Open and invitation.
Speaker A:No, not that I know of.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Well, I mean, I wish I was.
Speaker A:More competitive than I as I used to be, but I like my daughter who's taking over my team in one of the contests.
Speaker A:Been there for.
Speaker A:I'm the last of the original cook for 37 years.
Speaker A:She says, why don't you stop playing?
Speaker A:Well, that's how I learn and do new things.
Speaker A:And why don't you get serious like you used to be?
Speaker A:So, I don't know.
Speaker B:Well, maybe you get the T shirt that says, been there, done that.
Speaker B:You know, we still learn every day.
Speaker B:Every time we turn on the heat on, whether it's a barbecue, a grill, a stove, a smoker, whatever it is, we still learn something.
Speaker B:But like you said, that is true.
Speaker B:Like you said, I think the people that you know when they're turning out a product, whether it's for personal consumption or competition or a restaurant or whatever, once you got that down, I don't think you have to tweak it very often.
Speaker A:Well, pretty much I tweak it.
Speaker A:You know, when I do my personal and competition, I still try new things, different thing just to see.
Speaker A:See what happens.
Speaker A:And if I win, great.
Speaker A:If I don't, okay, I'm winning or losing doesn't bother me, you know, if I, you know.
Speaker A:And as far as losing or not not scoring, I will never blame an inanimate job, you know, or the judges.
Speaker A:That's just like I was the gu.
Speaker A:And we did it at a contest.
Speaker A:And he says, paul, how do you think we did?
Speaker A:Well, I says, well, of the six things we.
Speaker A:We cooked, is there anything you didn't like?
Speaker A:He says, no, I thought everything was great.
Speaker A:So I said, well, we may not hit the judge's hot button, but we would not be ashamed to serve anything we cooked to anybody.
Speaker A:And that's what I go by.
Speaker B:Yeah, you know, I get kind of.
Speaker B:When you talk to the people that actually judge the competitions and then, you know, they're.
Speaker B:The stuff that they.
Speaker B:Most of these guys are serving at the competition is not stuff you would actually get served in a restaurant or at home.
Speaker B:It's seasoned a little different.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker A:I agree.
Speaker B:You know, it's a little heavier, if you might say.
Speaker B:So I don't.
Speaker B:I'm not sure it's not as good.
Speaker B:And I don't think that people realize that.
Speaker B:I just don't think that they understand that.
Speaker B:I came out of the world of showing horses, and there was a lot of difference between what we would show if we were showing it.
Speaker B:A show like the Royal versus what we would do at home, riding around the pasture.
Speaker B:So same theory, I guess.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So what does your wife think of all this real quick?
Speaker B:We're running out of time here, Paul.
Speaker B:But has she put up with you for all these years or she ever bunked you in the head with a frying pan and said, get with it, cowboy?
Speaker A:Well, she's only put up with me for 48 years.
Speaker A:It'll be 48 in December.
Speaker A:She is the first Kansas state barbecue champion.
Speaker B:Good for her.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So she likes it.
Speaker B:We'll have to get her on the show.
Speaker A:My kids, they all grew up.
Speaker B:We'll have to get her on the show one of these days, so.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Well, Paul, we're running out of time.
Speaker B:Oh, okay.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:We're running out of time here.
Speaker B:But I wanted to thank you, Paul Kirk, for being with us today here on Barbecue Nation.
Speaker B:I appreciate it.
Speaker B:You can find Paul's books at any.
Speaker B:You can find them online at Amazon.
Speaker B:You can find them at most any bookstore.
Speaker B:I found a couple at the library that I didn't have because I had some of your books.
Speaker B:And if you can't find them, let me know and I'll get ahold of Paul and we'll get you a book or something.
Speaker B:How's that?
Speaker B:So I appreciate you taking the time, sir.
Speaker A:I Thoroughly enjoyed it, J.T.
Speaker B:No problem.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker A:You got a great show.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:We're going to get out of here.
Speaker B:So remember our saying here, turn it, don't burn it.
Speaker B:You can look up more of my stuff on the cowboycook.com and we will see you all next week right here on Barbecue Nation.
Speaker B:Hi, everybody.
Speaker C:It's JT here.
Speaker C:As many of you probably already know, we lost one of the greats in the barbecue world, Paul Kirk, known as the Baron of Barbecue, back on May 26.
Speaker C:Paul had had some health problems for a while, and he was 84 years old.
Speaker C:I was fortunate enough to interview Paul on Barbecue Nation several times over the years.
Speaker C:So in honor of Paul and his contributions to barbecue, I thought we would rerun one of the shows that Paul was on.
Speaker C:Always a character, always a lot of fun, and I think truly Paul cooked with his heart.
Speaker C:So I hope you enjoy this.
Speaker C:And like I said, this is to honor Paul Kirk and his life.
Speaker B:It.
Speaker A:Barbecue Nation is produced by jtsd, LLC Productions in association with Salem Media Group.
Speaker A:All rights reserved.
