Pulling pork – The BBQ Club story

The Missouri S&T BBQ Club recognizes all styles of barbecue, but their specialty is pulled pork. “There are as many styles and opinions about good barbecue as there are people,” says Kevin Brady, the club’s advisor. “Pulled pork is made from shoulder roasts, sauced with tangy southern sauce, and served on the bun with slaw.”

Student Council funded the purchase of a barbecue pit for the club, which was formed in 2007. The group’s main philosophical agenda is to distinguish slow-smoked barbecue from grilling and crock-pot cooking. Club members prefer to cook with a real wood fire, rarely with charcoal or gas. According to Brady, manager of business and fiscal operations for student affairs at S&T, the Rolla area has an abundance of oak, hickory and wild cherry — all excellent barbecue woods.

As a student organization, the BBQ Club provides an out-of-classroom setting for developing interpersonal skills and relationships. And, of course, plenty of pulled pork and other foods are usually at the center of the gatherings.

The club’s president is Evan Thibaud, a junior from Chattanooga, Tenn., who is studying mining and explosives engineering. Thibaud says the club’s motto is “Men will cook if danger is involved,” though he concedes there are a few women in the group who help keep things under control. “The girls love the food,” he says, “and they like my ‘cologne’ after a day of smoking.”

By Lance Feyh

This story was originally published in Missouri S&T Magazine.
Read additional stories from the Spring 2011 issue.