Barbecue master looks to capture state title

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Barbecue master looks to capture state title

Barbecue master Tony Balay is proud of his latest barbecue pit — a portable oven that’s 16 feet long, 5 feet wide and weighs more than 3,000 pounds.

The black behemoth is crafted of 1/4-inch-thick steel, and its current occupant is a 130-pound hog that is creating mouthwatering smells of slow-roasted pork and pecan wood smoke. It’s the fourth pit that Balay has built for himself in the past eight years, which is about how long he’s been a serious student of barbecue in search of a championship title on the national barbecue circuit.

“Pits are like purses are for women,” said Balay. There’s always another one you need.

His most recent pit has at least four cooking areas — including a warming oven and a grill — but it doesn’t have all of the “bells and whistles” found on many extravagant pits that can push an upscale oven’s price into the $30,000 range.

Balay, 40, moved his family, and his Lone Star Smoke Rangers BBQ team, from Texas to Rapid City in January. His wife, Kim, is a pediatrician with Black Hills Pediatrics.

Balay, an architect by training, left behind a construction-related business in Houston and the “rat race” of the big city to cook barbecue and raise the couple’s four children — ages 8 years to 5 months — in a smaller town.

Born in the “barbecue capital of the world” — Austin, Texas — Balay doesn’t limit himself to Texas or any other geography when it comes to barbecue. There are four basic styles of barbecue — Memphis, Carolina, Kansas City and Texas.

“Every region thinks it’s the best,” Balay said. “But I like to do all different styles of barbecue.”

It is, however, impossible to improve on a Texas-style brisket, he says, and he prefers to use pecan wood for the best smoke flavor. When he moved his household from Houston to Rapid City, a cord of pecan wood came with him.

As a contestant on the national barbecue circuit — where bragging rights and big money purses are at stake — Balay must cook four types of meat at each contest — beef brisket, pork butt or shoulder, ribs and chicken.

To get a feel for the national barbecue circuit, think NASCAR for barbecue lovers, Balay said.

He travels the country pulling his barbecue pit on a 17-foot trailer, most recently to competitions in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. His family goes along, including his sister and brother-in-law, who are part of the Lone Star Smoke Rangers team.

This year, Balay expects to hit at least 15 state and national barbecue competitions.

To enter the most prestigious contests, such as the Kansas City Invitational and Open or the Jack Daniels’ world championships held in Tennessee, you have to win a state championship title.

He’ll compete for the South Dakota barbecue championship at the state fair in Huron, a feat that may prove more difficult than it might seem in a state not known for its barbecue tradition.

“We’ll be up against a lot of stiff competition from Iowa, where there’s great barbecuing,” Balay said. Minnesota — the home of Famous Dave’s BBQ, after all — is also a threat, he said.

In Rapid City, he’s barbecued everything from a whole hog to chicken breasts for events at Calvary Baptist Church, where church member Bill Jeffery is fast becoming a big barbecue fan.

“The brisket he cooked last week was better than the finest piece of prime rib I’ve ever had,” Jeffery said.

His skills have improved over the years, Balay said.

“My poor wife tasted so much bad barbecue when I was first learning,” he said. Now, much of his practice recipes go to lucky neighbors and friends.

Barbecuing a hog is a more ambitious project, which Balay likens to tending to a small baby, he said. Since every 10 pounds of pig requires an hour of cooking, Balay gets up in the middle of the night to start the fire, sets the alarm to add more wood and spends the next day babysitting the barbecue pit, closely monitoring the pig’s progress.

Balay likes to roast whole hogs in the Carolina style. “From the rooter to the tooter, you can use that whole pig,” he said.

Tony Balay offers these original recipes that he has created for use on his barbecue:

Barbecue Sauce

2 cups ketchup

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons pineapple juice

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon black pepper

1/3 cup yellow onion puree

Combine all in a saucepan on medium heat and stir slowly until hot.

Barbecue Rub

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup paprika

1-1/2 tablespoons black pepper

1-1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1-1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

1-1/2 tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons kosher salt

Mix or shake spices thoroughly in a zip-seal bag. Rub into chicken, pork or beef as a dry rub.

Carolina Coleslaw

2 12-ounce bags of pre-cut cabbage (Coleslaw mix)

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 large sweet onion

1/2 tablespoon celery seed

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

4 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup garlic Italian salad dressing

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon white pepper

Mix together thoroughly and then chill for an hour. This recipe is great served with pulled pork.

Texas Potato Salad

5 pounds golden potatoes

1-1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1-1/2 cup Tomatillo Salsa Mix (recipe below)

1 large sweet onion, chopped

6 boiled eggs, chopped

1/2 pound bacon, crisped and chopped

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon white pepper

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon barbecue rub

Combine all of the ingredients except potatoes and barbecue rub, then chill for an hour.

Smoke potatoes in a smoker for 2 hours at 275 degrees, or roast in oven. Roughly chop potatoes and mix together with the chilled ingredients.

Sprinkle Barbecue Rub over potato salad. Chill and serve.

Tomatillo Salsa

Mix in blender:

4 tomatillos

1 bunch green onions

3 cloves garlic

1 jalapeno (de-seeded)

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 cup cilantro

1/2 cup garlic Italian dressing

2 tablespoons chipotle pepper

Old Texas Style Beans

1 pound of pinto beans

5 quarts of water

3 cloves of garlic chopped

2 large ham hocks

1 large onion (peeled with ends cut off)

2 tablespoon kosher salt

1 large pasilla pepper (end cut off and seeds removed)

1 jalapeno (end cut off and seeds removed)

3 teaspoons ancho chili powder

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Place all ingredients except cilantro in 8-quart pot and bring to boil then reduce to medium heat.

Stir every 45 minutes and add water if needed.

Let beans cook for 2-1/2 hours, then add cilantro. Remove peppers. Cook for another 30 minutes, then serve.

Contact Mary Garrigan at 394-8424 or [email protected].

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