”
Our wives are responsible for this,
”
Kevin O’Grady said from the epicenter of Royal Smokin’ Hot BBQ.
In sunglasses, a T-shirt with a beaded necklace and shorts, O’Grady
fits the dress code for a backyard barbecuer. Saturday, though, he
and his buddy Marty King flexed their homegrown skills and took on
65 other teams at the No Bull BBQ Cook-Off for the second year.
“Our wives are responsible for this,” Kevin O’Grady said from the epicenter of Royal Smokin’ Hot BBQ. In sunglasses, a T-shirt with a beaded necklace and shorts, O’Grady fits the dress code for a backyard barbecuer. Saturday, though, he and his buddy Marty King flexed their homegrown skills and took on 65 other teams at the No Bull BBQ Cook-Off for the second year.
For a Christmas gift two years ago Debbie O’Grady and Diane King entered their husbands – “They’re always competing against each other and talking about who is the best” Debbie said – into the nationally recognized competition, complete with real rules and real judges. Without hesitation, King of Morgan Hill and O’Grady of San Jose dove in the deep end of brines, rubs and sauces.
“We said, all right let’s go buy a big barbecue, let’s go ahead and do this,” said Kevin, his back to a black trailer with a custom airbrushed “Royal Smokin’ Hot BBQ” insignia.
By day, Kevin owns and operates an auto-body shop in San Jose and King is a criminal defense attorney; their wives, and grown children were in the People’s Choice booth selling Royal Smokin’ meat and their signature “naughty nachos” – chips, pulled pork, Tennessee red vinegar, jalapenos, nacho cheese and barbecue sauce.
Royal Smokin’ donated all proceeds to the Bryan Stow Foundation to support the San Francisco Giants fan assaulted by opposing fans at a Los Angeles Dodgers game earlier this season.
“We’re not trying to make money. It’s just fun. The whole family joins in, and nobody goes hungry,” King said. “It’s a great time. The best part about being here is we’re cooking for the house. It’s a local event and we get to see and people we know in our town.”
Kevin and Debbie’s son, Morgan Hill resident Mike O’Grady was clad Saturday in a large-brim straw hat and apron representing O.G. BBQ – the “O” for O’Grady and the “G” for Belmont resident Bryan Gilmore, his grilling teammate. The two are paramedics for San Mateo County and with O’Grady’s fiancee Denise – they make up Royal Smokin’s toughest competition.
“I taught him everything he knows,” Mike said, gesturing to his father just out of ear shot, a few feet away.
Next door to Royal Smokin’s shiny trailer and multiple smoker set up, was O.G. BBQ under a humble pop-up tent with a few lawn chairs and truck bed for storage.
“We’ve been practicing the last three months, every weekend,” Bryan said. The pair created their signature rub from scratch, same with their barbecue sauce. In exchange for use of the company smoker, the pair will barbecue for the upcoming paramedic appreciation week.
The competition is pretty stiff. Even Mike’s mother has her loyalties.
“I’m on this side and I’m staying on this side,” Debbie smirked as she tugged on the front of her apron.
The father and son are in a never-ending back-and-forth about whose barbecue tastes better. Perhaps an Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned cook-off with certified judges would settle the dispute.
“My dad keeps telling me he can out-cook me. But I always out-cook him,” Mike said.
Is O’Grady’s goal to beat Dad?
“I’m not trying, it’s going to happen,” he said. The scorecard read slightly different Saturday night: Royal Smokin’ placed 34th overall; O.G. BBQ placed 49th.
Gilmore wasn’t as worried as Mike about winning their first-ever competition, he just didn’t want to get disqualified for tin foil stuck to the meat, for example. “I’d be heartbroken if something like that happened,” Gilmore said. Luckily it didn’t. “But if we legitimately suck, then we legitimately suck,” Gilmore said laughing.
King and O’Grady were still hanging out Saturday after the competition meat had been turned in and gobbled up around 2 p.m., drinking and joking among their team.
Earlier, O’Grady and King spelled out their No Bull ideology: “We might not win, but we look good,” Kevin said. Grins never left their faces.
DADS MAKING PEOPLE HAPPY
Bryan Moiles children might not want another piece of poultry for a long time.
“My kids are so sick of chicken,” Moiles said from behind his chest-high serving tray near Fifth Street. His team “Dads Doing What They Love” paired Moiles with his co-worker Chris Hanson and their children for a team that did well in their first competition.
“Last year we came and saw the competition and said, ‘you know next year, we have to jump in and have a little fun with these guys,'” Moiles said.
Hanson’s son Cole, 13, a student at Charter School of Morgan Hill was busy acting as the team historian, snapping photos of the meat grilling and slicing. His mouth was smothered with barbecue sauce from the ribs he just devoured.
“Ever since I was little my dad taught me (how to barbecue). It’s been great. It’s awesome,” Cole said. The team wore matching T-shirts with hands forming a heart around a barbecue on the back. Dads Doing What They Love finished 36th overall – the third best South County team – with a respectable ninth-place finish in chicken.
The hand-drawn sign by Moiles and Hanson’s children hanging on the table of their station epitomized the day for Dads. It’s one of many events, Moiles said, that he was pleased to find in Morgan Hill after moving 3,000 miles to the Bay Area from Worcester, Mass. about two and a half years ago.
“This is a nice community and this is a nice family event. Everything we’re using is local. We got the meat from Rocca’s Market. So it’s a community thing as well,” he gave a thumbs-up to Hanson. “All right turn-in time for the ribs!”
