Archives
 By  Staff Reports news Published 
12:07 am Tuesday, May 21, 2002

Fire up the grill

By Staff
Tracy L. Brady
Record reporter
Nothing says summer like barbecue.
My grandfather, father, uncle and brother were all butchers at one time or another. They would gather each Fourth of July and fire up the pit in our backyard and fill it with tons of pork shoulders, Boston butts, chicken and ribs.
This event took an entire day and night to complete, but the end result was well worth their time and effort. I still run into childhood friends who remember how my daddy's ribs would fall right off the bone and melt the moment they hit your mouth.
Now that's a legacy.
My brother, Mike, Jr., has continued this time honored Brady tradition by building his own backyard pit and cooking several times each year. In addition to the pit, he has a couple of grills, a smoker and a turkey fryer. He experiments with new sauces and dry rubs, but remains faithful to the sauce his family taught him to make.
Now he has some friends to swap trade secrets with.
The Bama Butt Burners Competition Cooking Team of New Market has featured its barbecue wares in local competitions for four years. Mike, Jr. recently became the sixth addition to the team.
"The most rewarding part is watching everyone enjoy the meat," team manager Danny Harbin said. "But placing higher than a winning team is nice, too."
Even though barbecuing is as southern as sweet iced tea, the need to compete at it has spread like wildfire across the country. At the recent Whistle Stop Cook-Off in Huntsville, teams from as far away as Illinois and Texas entered the competition. Prizes were awarded for sauce, chicken, ribs, pork, and brisket.
Danny's team cooked about 15 pounds of chicken, four Boston butts, two briskets, and 6 slabs of ribs for the competition. Although none of their entries placed in the top 10, and heavy rainfall made a mushy mess of their cooking site, the team still had a good time feeding and visiting with folks.
"Even if we don't win, we improve with every competition," Danny said.
I took my fianc and best friend to the first night of the competition. We sampled the ribs, brisket, pork, chicken wings, and shrimp. The three of us wobbled away feeling as if we had just eaten a Fourth of July feast at the old Brady house.
"That stuffed chicken was excellent," John said as we made our way to the car.
"My belly is sticking out," Priscilla said.
I smiled and agreed with them as we walked away from the wafting aroma of burning hickory, feeling sorry as we went for all those pale little vegetarians out there.
Nope, nothing says summer like barbecue.
And I hope the Bama Butt Burners enjoy both for a long time to come.

Also on The Madison Record
‘Light Up the Night’ with Huntsville Parks & Recreation at Big Spring Park
Events, Madison County Record, News, ...
July 24, 2025
Dr. John Blevins receives Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal, premier award for career federal employees
Madison County Record, News, The Madison Recor, ...
July 24, 2025
Central role Redstone Arsenal plays in national security highlighted in judiciary committee hearing
Madison County Record, News, The Madison Recor, ...
July 23, 2025
Downtown Madison celebrates kickoff to Main Street Madison
A: Main, Business, Madison County Record, ...
Snapshot
Staff Reports 
July 23, 2025
MADISON - Madison leaders joined downtown business owners and officials with the Madison Street Alabama program on Thursday to officially kick off the...
Civic groups to conduct candidate forums on Aug. 12 and 19
A: Main, Events, Madison County Record, ...
Two upcoming forums seek questions from residents for the candidates to answer
Gregg Parker 
July 23, 2025
MADISON – The 2025 Municipal Election for the City of Madison on Aug. 26 will decide a new mayor and representatives for City Council in three contest...
Four winners certified in city council elections
A: Main, Madison County Record, News, ...
MARIA RAKOCZY news@themadisonrecord.com 
July 23, 2025
MADISON - Winners of four district elections in the city of Madison were certified at last week’s city council meeting. Four candidates ran unconteste...
“Take Back Alabama Town Hall” set for July 28 at Movement Church in Madison
Events, Madison County Record, News, ...
in the
Staff Reports 
July 23, 2025
MADISON - Community leaders from across North Alabama will gather on Monday, July 28 for the “Take Back Alabama Town Hall” hosted by Moms for Liberty ...
Amanda Browning wins second place in Fleet Reserve Association’s essay contest
Madison County Record, News, Sports, ...
Bob Labbe 
July 23, 2025
MADISON - Patriotism is the base of being an American and supporting the United States of America, especially for the veterans of the military who too...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *