The Tail of our Q

“The hickory wood gave the meat a rich, southern, smoky flavor which provided a perfect compliment to the southern-style vinegar sauce, a sworn secret of our chef.“

Bootleg BBQ was born on the back roads of northern Alabama in a small community called Lick Skillet. A slow-cook smoking process was developed over 30 years of trial and error. My uncles and aunts were part of a tight-knit community that gathered over most weekends to cook BBQ and enjoy a variety of special home cooked liquid refreshments. Good times were had as recipes, cooking techniques and many lies were shared among the neighbors.

The local hammer mill provided free hickory wood, the right price for the tight budget shared among the group consisting of mostly laborers and farmers. The hickory wood gave the meat a rich, southern, smoky flavor which provided a perfect compliment to the southern-style vinegar sauce, a sworn secret of our chef. Through the years word spread about the BBQ and many charity events were served as well as many mason jars of that local liquid refreshment.

As the legend goes it was not uncommon to see as many as 30 hogs cooked at one event. At some point local authorities found out about the home brew and put enough pressure on the group that they could no longer share their bootleg. Sadly the group slowly drifted apart. Although the group cooks have faded, the recipe and cooking process lives on through Bootleg BBQ and one can only hope that maybe a little of that liquid refreshment lives on as well.