BBQ For Our Troops
October 24, 2011
Created with a single goal in mind, “to honor those who protect our freedoms, and their loved ones, with the hospitality of the uniquely American meal of BBQ,” BBQ for our Troops founder Del King, through the support of the makers of KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce and countless volunteers, has been cooking up competition quality barbecue for troops across the country. We caught up with Del recently to discuss the cause and how the Grilling.com community can lend their support.
First of all, Del, perhaps you can provide the Grilling.com community with a bit of background on BBQ for our Troops?
BBQ For Our Troops is a grass roots group that I started to thank the men and women in uniform for what they do.
What inspired you to create this program?
I am from the Vietnam era when our men and women in uniform were not treated very well and I promised myself that these guys would not go through what I did.
What has been the reaction of the troops being served?
They love it and are very appreciative of the effort.
How many troops have you fed and in how many locations?
I average doing one a month. Some months I do two, while some I don’t do any. The most I have done at one time was 22,000 plates of BBQ. I have done 10,000 to 12,000 people in a day about 15 times.
I normally do a Battalion size unit which with family member and the troops themselves works out to about 800 to 1,000 people at a time.
What does it take to coordinate a BBQ at a base? How many volunteers do you need?
It really depends on the location. Each base is different. Some units just say “yes, come on and set up” while others say we have to contact the base’s Family Readiness folks and you have to jump through their hoops to get the job done. But it is not just dealing with the base. Since we do them across the nation, you need someplace to store or transport the items I have to buy local for each event. I also have to track down vendors to sell it to me at a discount if they can’t donate. As for the number of volunteers, it depends on how many folks we feed and how much we have to cook.
On the average we get 10 to 15 people come to help. I like it when I can get more cookers to come out so I don’t even have to fire my pit up. And this is normally the case but I take it just in case someone doesn’t show up.
What dish to the troops seem to like most?
The one they like the most is the one I don’t get to serve very much — Elgin sausage. The cooks and troops love it. Next to that I would say brisket is liked the most. Many haven’t had slow smoked brisket before and they just love it. I think one of the best compliments I ever received was from a Marine when asked about BBQ sauce. He said “have you tasted this meat? You don’t need any sauce! It tastes great just the way you cooked it.”
Truly inspiring work you are doing, Del. And for anyone interested in lending their support, please visit https://www.bbqforourtroops.com/Home_Page.php and follow the instructions for making a Paypal donation!
- Clint Cantwell, Grilling.com Guest Editor
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A great idea for our troops This seems like a great thing to do for those who keep our country safe.
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hel* yea!!!!!!!!they more then deserve it. great job and thank u ever so much!!!!!!!
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