THE BEGINNING
My first taste of Texas BBQ was in Houston, Texas when my parents moved us there in 1992. I lived there for 5 years and was exposed to legendary BBQ joints like Blacks BBQ in and Pizzitola’s.
WEST COAST BBQ
When I moved back to Vancouver, my rugby buddies were doing competition BBQ in the lower mainland and asked me to be part of the team. We competed in BBQ competitions including BBQ on the Bypass, BBQ on the Bow and the Canadian National BBQ Championships in Whistler.
BBQ IN LANGLEY
In 2015, my family moved out of Vancouver and bought a house in Langley. I quickly bought two Primo ceramic smokers and started smoking out the neighbourhood. My first cook in the new house was eventful. It was a hot July day when most of the province was on fire with forest fires. When my neighbour smelled the smoke, she thought the green space behind us was on fire. Minutes later, the fire department was on my door step asking about the smoke. The next day, I brought them 2 racks of ribs apologizing for the misunderstanding.
BENNYS BBQ
Later that year, a co-worker sold me his custom-built BBQ trailer and business. The trailer was equipped with a grill, griddle, pig roasting rotisserie, hot water heater and double sinks, all heated with propane. After doing several corporate events, birthday parties and rugby wind up parties, I decided to renovate the trailer and add a smoker to it.
THE BUILD
When I returned from Texas, I needed to find an old propane tank and convert it to a smoke pit. After scouring the Lower Mainland and Western Canada I couldn’t find anything. I expanded my search south of the boarder and was rewarded. I found a 250-gallon tank in Southern Washington and brought it back. I then found a Red Real welder named Rich and gave him my plans and material for the build. After 8 weeks, Rich made my vision a reality and completed my BBQ pit.
