Matt Bowman knows barbecue. When he lived in Billings, before he became the music and band teacher at Jefferson High and Boulder Elementary schools, he regularly cooked for crowds of family and co-workers.
But on the Saturday night of the County Fair, he and Dave Deskins, head custodian at the Boulder Elementary, will go larger, serving up a barbecue dinner for 200-plus visitors. The annual dinner raises funds for the Jefferson High’s band and choir.
Grilling and smoking for the masses requires some adjustments. Here’s how they do it. Well, here’s more or less how they do it: Certain critical details have been omitted because, well, they wouldn’t tell us.
1. Buy meat. A week before the fair, Bow-man orders about 100 pounds of flank steak: “It’s the more tender part, and it’s what they’ve been serving for years, so we go with that,” Bowman says.
2. Organize the sides. Parents donate side dishes and desserts. Bowman sticks to traditional fare: potato and pasta salads, green salad, baked beans and rolls. “We’re not trying to experiment. Just keep it basic and keep it good.”
3. Prepare the dry rub and sauce. Bowman is from Tennessee; Deskins is a Missourian. That translates into a strict division of labor: Deskins handles the rub, and Bowman the sauce.
Deskins has been barbecuing for over 30 years, and “there are some things I won’t tell anyone,” he says. Like his dry rub recipe: “Even my kids and wife don’t know. It’s just my own mix that I’ve formulated over the years.” Bowman allows that it includes pep-per, salt, paprika, “and some other stuff” that he won’t disclose.
The sauce? It’s vine-gar-based, but the vin-egar taste is muted by honey, seasoning salts, and “some other little things,” says Bowman. “Little secrets that we don’t share.”
4. Prepare the fuel. Bowman and Deskins will use several bags of charcoal for grilling – and they’ll add hickory and Jack Daniels whiskey barrel chips, Deskins says, for a rich Texas-style flavor. What’s the exact mix of charcoal and chips? Deskins laughs. “I can’t tell you.” As in, he won’t tell you. “You just can’t give out your secrets.”
5. Start cooking. Bowman and Deskins will light their fire at 5 a.m. on Friday at Boulder Elementary. They’ll grill-smoke the beef in a single batch for five to seven hours, then finish it off in an oven.
6. Rest. Meat and chefs will sit for about an hour. Then the beef is thin-sliced and stowed in a refrigerator overnight.
7. And serve! “This takes a lot of donations and volunteer work from the community,” Bowman says. Between 10 and 13 people will feed the crowds. A few more will clean up in time for the barn dance Saturday at 8 p.m.
