Big Moe! The BBQ Legend from Allegan, MI

Tell everyone a little about yourself and your business:

My name is Paul ‘Big Moe’ Pritchett.  I am the President and CEO of Big Moe Pritchett BBQ. Grew up in Allegan, went to school at Kalamazoo Valley CC then off to Western Michigan where my time was cut short by a football injury.  Managed the Town & Country on Portage and Reed for over ten years while grilling on the side.

The BBQ sauce recipe has been handed down from my great great aunt.  She was a house slave in Alabama and her duties included preparing food for the slave owners and cleaning then later every day she would prepare food for the field slaves.  The cut of meat was pretty bad for the field slaves so she came up with a sauce to cover the taste….the rest is history.

I’ve been grilling since 1970 when I was a sophomore at Allegan H.S..  This continued while working at Rockwell, then some road construction.  I then went into business for myself in the mid 1980′s in Allegan with a convenience store that was used to also sell BBQ.  With the help a few friends, started bottling and selling the sauce out of my trunk in the early 90′s.  After winning my first Michigan State BBQ Contest I decided to go with my dream and secured a local business to bottle the sauce.  Our sauce is now found in over 200 Spartan Stores, Wal-Mart and we just became the signature sauce for Sam’s Club in Michigan.  We currently compete at all the local contest and recently won 1st place at the Kalamazoo Ribfest.  We can be found at some of the biggest festivals all summer and do catering year around.

What’s in your grilling or tailgating arsenal: (type of grills, accessories, gadget, etc)?  Are you a charcoal or gas person?

We own 5 portable grills (big grills on wheels) that we use for contest and festivals.  We only use charcoal with a taste of hickory wood.

What is your “go-to” recipe for grilling or barbecue?

Our ribs have won many contests for us along with our chicken.  Our recipe is a family secret.  If I told you, I’d have to ………..We do have a process that has worked well for us.  It includes our sauce and the number of times that we baste and turn the meat once it’s done.  When done right, the sauce becomes caramelized and people seem to love it.  We competed all over the state of Michigan, Memphis, Kansas City and Bentonville, Arkansas.

Describe a perfect party: beginning with the music and ending with dessert.

We prefer good old time funky R n B followed by our signature foods such as ribs, chicken, pork steaks, polish dogs, beans and rib tips.  Our most popular dessert has been, Sweet Potatoe Pie.

What are some of your favorite, specialty products from near where you live or work?

Our Rib Tips are always something that people look forward to.  We also do a special blend in making our BBQ pork n beans.  Of course we use are own award winning sauce on everything we do.  We’ve found our customers enjoy beer as well as wine with our food.  We once sold 1 ton of meat at the Bronson Polish Festival.  We were the only food vendor on the same side of the road and we were place between the truck pulls and the beer tent.

What are five essential nuggets of wisdom you would give to anyone interested in vending barbecue?

1) Know your fan base.

2) Don’t deviate from your most popular dishes.

3) Always use an open fire.

4) Don’t hesitate to enhance the taste with things such as, hickory wood.

5) Listen to your customers

Every city or region has their own signature outdoor cooking specialty, what do you consider west Michigans’s signature experience?

At the recent Kalamazoo Ribfest, there were 15 local BBQers that competed for the best in Kalamazoo.  BBQ Ribs have become very popular in West Michigan and we’ve seen a consistent rise in the number of people that participate each and every year.  By the way, did I mention that Big Moe’s won the Best in Kalamazoo BBQ at this years Ribfest?  Not bad for an old country boy from Allegan.

What has been your most memorable experience, ever, that involves a grill?

Winning the state contest.  We showed up with an old pickup and one grill.  Other teams showed up with color-coordinated uniforms, the truck was the same color and the grills were also the same.

Any local micro-brew you can recommend?

Bells….

What is your perspective on the “buy local” movement? Do you promote local farms and the “farm to fork” movement?  Why or why not?

Absolutely, we support buy local.  We grew up and still know a lot of the farmers in the area.  The best food is local and one of the reasons is the freshness of the food.

Any additional information, pictures or stories you would like to share?

Check out Youtube.com/bigmoesbbq and see video of us at the Kalamazoo Ribfest also watch the Middle School Girls Basketball team we sponsored this year that played in the tough, Grand Rapids Courthouse League.  We finished 7-3.  That after losing our first two games.  The YouTube video and site was put together by the daughter of a close friend of mine, Barry Ballinger.  He has 13 year old twin girls that are 5′ 7″ and played on our team this year.  Kathryn and Kalani Ballinger played on our BB team and Kathryn set up the YouTube site and put the videos together..