Perrytown B-B-Q Saturday - March 24th

Cooking Starts Early

by Dean Stephens

 Saturday morning starts really early. The volunteers that cook the BBQ have to prepare a number of details to make this food taste so good. For an event of this size it takes a lot of BBQ "pig cookers" which need huge amounts of charcoal to generate the heat needed, and a steady stream of fresh BBQ sauce.

Most of the volunteers work on the "pig cookers" under the cooking shelter (just added last year).

Shannon Hoggard, Brian Hughson, Steven Lawrence, Peppy Leary, Keith Hughson, Marcus Thomas, Toby King are getting the "pig cookers" ready to cook the "worlds greatest chicken".  A couple of guys in the back could not be identified because the cameraman did not do his job.

While they were getting ready to cook the chicken, Bill Perry cooked some sausage to feed the volunteers.

Shannon Hoggard, Joe Alexander, Tab Brooks, Bill Perry, Keith Hughson, and Trent Davidson are getting ready to start cooking.  Smoke blocked one of the volunteers and the last guy on the right is too hidden for me to identify also. 

Hot charcoal is critical to great BBQ.  Bill Hedgebeth, Peppy Leary, Toby King and Billy Dunlow start loading charcoal into a "pig cooker".

Lots of volunteers continue to arrive.

Bill Hedgebeth and Joe Alexander heat up more coals for another batch of B-B-Q Chicken.

It is time. Let's start cooking BBQ.  Joe Alexander, Marcus Thomas and Peppy Leary place the chicken into perfect rows.

When they are done, it makes a pretty sight.

Slow cooking is best.

These pictures are time lapsed over nearly 4 hours, which is how long it takes to make one batch of chicken.

Looks ready to flip the chicken!

One final dip in the special BBQ sauce! Stephen Lawrence and Tommy Northcott place the hot BBQ into insulated coolers to keep the chicken hot and moist.

Jody Sary, Tommy Northcott and Trent Davidson help out. 

Looks as great as it will taste.

Have to cook the potatoes too so Brian Hughson grabs another batch of the potatoes that were peeled and prepped on Friday.

Jimmy Pierce and Rick Daniels check the potatoes regularly to make sure they cook just right. 

Some work so hard they have to rest... Rick Daniels, Jimmy Pierce, Billy Smithwick, Mac Lawrence, Milton Felton and Brent Daniels discuss what they are going to do next.

Kenny and Phyllis Davidson... with Brent Daniels, making more sauce for the next batch of BBQ.

Sue Dawson, Kay Hughson, Paulette Pierce, Pam Lawrence and Phylllis Davis, with Alice Lee hidden in the background, make slaw.  Good slaw is a lot of work, and their slaw is the absolute best.

The ladies admire their work.

Great deserts finish the meal.  Carolyn Lawrence and Linda Hedgebeth add the last couple of cakes for the early customers to choose.

Work is not over, but they were ready for the first customers.