Kicking Off Summer 2022: BBQ Tips from a Pitmaster – Davidson Hotels

Regional Director of Revenue Management, Davidson Hotels

I started my career in Revenue Management with Davidson Hospitality Group in May 2000 at the Hilton Kansas City Airport, before moving to the Hilton Memphis in May 2003. In early, 2006 I left Davidson to relocate to San Diego, with my now wife, and spent time operating a variety of resort and convention properties in the San Diego market. In early 2013, I was welcomed back to Davidson as Regional Director of Revenue Management covering the western portfolio for the company.

In 2016, our family relocated back to Kansas City, where I am currently based. A year after relocating, a couple of neighbors and I decided to try and compete in sanctioned BBQ events in and around Kansas City, home to the largest BBQ organization in the world, the Kansas City Barbecue Society. In 2018, our team, Boom Chicka Cow Cow, was born. After a week of work, sometimes traveling around the country, we will load up on Friday afternoon and drive to a random field, parking lot, arena, etc. to burn some meat. Events sanctioned by KCBS cook four proteins at every contest: Chicken, Pork Ribs, Pork Butt and Brisket. Awards are given out by category, as well as the highest overall aggregate score of the four categories combined is awarded Grand Champion.

Tips for the perfect summer BBQ

• Plan ahead. If you’re going to be smoking large cuts of meat, such as brisket and pork butt, these will take an extended period of time. The good news is, finish them early and rest the meat in a cooler for up to 2-3 hours before serving. This will give you plenty of time to socialize before eating without worrying about actually cooking anything.
• While experienced chefs can determine a meats doneness by look and feel, I would highly recommend investing in a meat temperature probe, such as ThermoWorks Thermapen, to guarantee your chicken, burgers and steaks are cooked to the appropriate temperature.
• If you’ve ever competed against our BBQ team, you know that we bring the music. Have your BBQ playlist ready to rock!
• If you’re providing drinks, make sure to offer a variety of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. To keep costs down, try making pitchers of lemonade, iced tea and margaritas. This will also help cut down on waste.
• Unless you’re from Southern California…don’t forget the bug spray for those summer evenings.
• Lastly, every BBQ needs a sweet treat at the end. Summers are great for fruit inspired desserts. However, you can’t go wrong with chocolate chip cookies and rice krispie treats.