He's known as the "winningest man in barbecue" - and it's not bragging when it's fact.
Ever since taking first place in two divisions of the first barbecue competition in which he competed in 1996, Myron Mixon hasn't looked back. He's won the barbecue world championship an unprecedented five times. He has bragging rights to 200 grand championships and 11 national championships. More than 1,800 trophies crowd the shelves in his home. His team is the only one to ever win grand champion at Memphis in May, Kansas City BBQ Society and Florida BBQ Association contests in the same year.
Maybe you recognize him from the TV show "BBQ Pitmasters." Or you know him from the barbecue empire he's built with cookbooks, three restaurants and his own line of rubs and smokers.
The legendary pitmaster recently stopped in town to see his friend Harold Stockburger, manager of Elder's Ace Hardware on East Brainerd Road, and sign his new book for fans, "Keto BBQ" (Abrams, New York, $25). After the meet-and-greet, he and his Jack's Old South team gave a grilling demonstration with some of his favorite recipes.
The premise of "Keto BBQ" is that you can have your barbecue and diet, too. It sounds like an oxymoron, but Mixon says barbecue has gotten a "bad rap" over the years when it's actually the sides and the sugary barbecue sauces that are the culprits.
Mixon says he created this keto diet in 2018 when he was carrying 339 pounds on his 6-foot frame. Keto is based on ketosis, a term for the body's state when "fat provides the majority of the body's fuel instead of carbs." So his diet is built on eating a lot of proteins and healthy fats with few carbs and no sugar.
"Since our bodies normally burn carbs for energy, if you limit carbs and increase fat, your body converts the fat into energy and burns it off in a more efficient way," he writes.
If you still have doubts, consider this: Mixon says after nine months on his keto diet, he was down to 235 pounds and had lost 10 inches in his waist. And he has kept it off.
"Keto BBQ" includes a page of foods to avoid and a second page of foods Mixon enjoys. Obviously, sugar is out, and readers will be surprised by his substitution.
Mixon says in the book that there are numerous alternative sweeteners on the market and "I tried a whole bunch of them so now you don't have to." The one he settled on is from a Chinese melon called monk fruit. The sweetener is extracted from the fruit, thus its name monk fruit sweetener. It can be bought online, but Mixon cautions read the label to check the percentage of monk fruit before buying,
"You've got to get 100% monk fruit extract. They'll say it has 100%, but it also can have saccharine or something else that's a chemical sweetener. You don't want those."
The pitmaster says he has become so accustomed to the diet that he can eat keto anywhere he goes, whether to a restaurant with friends or traveling on the road.
"I can go to Burger King and eat keto. If I want a Whopper, I take the bread off and eat the meat. You can go out and stay on your diet plan, but the worst thing out there is carbs."
Have plans to be the barbecuing king of the cul de sac this Labor Day weekend? When you fire up the grill, you might want to try one of Mixon's recipes. Note: These are not the recipes Mixon uses in competition. These are designed for weight loss.
The following recipes from "Keto BBQ" are reprinted with permission from Mixon.
BBQ Chicken Rub
2/3 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons monk fruit sweetener
4 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Combine all ingredients in medium bowl or jar.
If using a bowl, stir thoroughly to combine, use what you need and save the rest for another use.
If using a jar, twist the lid on airtight, shake to mix.
You can store this rub in an airtight container, away from heat or light, for up to 6 months.
Tangy Sweet BBQ Sauce
2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons monk fruit sweetener
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon hot sauce
In medium saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Once warm, add the other ingredients and stir to combine thoroughly.
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has slightly thickened (about 15 minutes.) Use sauce to baste chicken or top pulled chicken.
Leftover sauce may be stored in an airtight jar or other container, refrigerated, for up to 2 months. Always reheat this sauce before using.
Smoked Chicken Wings
12 whole chicken wings or 24 drumettes and flats
1 cup BBQ Chicken Rub
2 cups Tangy Sweet BBQ Sauce
Heat smoker to 250 degrees.
If using whole wings, use a sharp knife to cut each wing in half to separate the flats from the drumettes.
Apply the rub liberally to each wing. Place the wings in an aluminum baking pan in a single layer. Place the pan in the smoker, and cook uncovered for 2 hours.
Remove the pan from the smoker, brush the Tangy Sweet BBQ Sauce all over wings and return the pan to the smoker. Cook uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.
Remove the pan from the smoker, and eat immediately, with extra sauce on the side for dipping if you like.
BBQ Beef Rub
1 cup kosher salt
1/3 cup black pepper
1 teaspoon monk fruit sweetener
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
1 teaspoon mild, medium or hot chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon granulated dried onion
Combine all ingredients, and stir until well mixed. Store the rub in an airtight container, away from heat and light, for up to 6 months.
BBQ Keto Cocktail Meatballs
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup plus two tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pork rinds, crushed
1 teaspoon BBQ Beef Rub
2 cloves minced garlic
1 large egg
Kosher salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup Tangy Sweet BBQ Sauce
In a large bowl, gently stir to combine the beef, Parmesan, crushed pork rinds, rub, garlic and egg. Season with salt and pepper, and shape into 1-inch balls.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter, but do not allow it to brown. Add the olive oil. Add the meatballs, and sear on all sides until browned. Reduce heat, and add sauce. Gently simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Skewer each meatball with a toothpick, arrange on a platter and enjoy.
Smoked Broccoli With Parm and Lemon
1 1/4 pounds broccoli crowns cut into florets (about 8 cups)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons BBQ Beef Rub
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Place broccoli in a large plastic bag. Whisk together lemon juice, oil, garlic and rub, and drizzle over the broccoli. Toss to coat, and set aside for 30 minutes.
When ready to cook in your smoker, transfer the broccoli to a medium-size aluminum pan. Cover the pan loosely with foil, and smoke it for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the cover and continue to smoke for 15 minutes longer. Remove the pan from the smoker, top the broccoli with Parmesan and serve immediately.
To make this in the oven instead of a smoker, heat oven to 450 degrees.
When ready to cook, transfer the broccoli to a rimmed baking sheet and arrange it in a single layer. Roast until the broccoli begins to brown, about 8 minutes.
Remove from oven, toss with Parmesan and serve immediately.
Vinegar BBQ Sauce
2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup hot sauce
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon monk fruit sweetener
In a heavy, medium-size pot set over medium heat, combine vinegar, tomato paste and hot sauce. Stir until well mixed. Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, and stir to dissolve.
Stir in the monk fruit sweetener, and allow the mixture to come to a simmer, but not to a boil. When spices are thoroughly dissolved, take pot off the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Funnel the sauce into bottles or containers of your choice. Cover tightly. Sauce will keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 year.
Chorizo Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
1 large pork tenderloin weighing about 2 pounds
1 pound chorizo sausage links
1/2 cup BBQ Beef Rub
1 cup Vinegar BBQ Sauce
Heat smoker to 300 degrees.
Use paper towels or clean kitchen towel to pat tenderloin dry all over. Insert a sharp paring or boning knife with a long, thin, straight blade through the center of the tenderloin lengthwise. Take care not to cut out to the sides, but insert the knife about 1 inch into the center of the tenderloin.
Remove the knife, then slowly and firmly push the plastic tube of a turkey baster through the cut to enlarge the opening all the way through the tenderloin.
Trim sausage links to the length of the tenderloin. Stuff them into the opening. Use your fingers to apply the rub all over the tenderloin, coating the exterior well.
Place tenderloin in a medium-size aluminum pan, and transfer the pan to the smoker. Cook the tenderloin about 1 hour or until the middle of the loin registers 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
During the last 15 minutes of cooking time, use half the Vinegar BBQ Sauce and a brush to glaze the tenderloin. Reserve the remaining sauce.
Remove the pan from the smoker. Allow the meat to rest, loosely tented with foil, for 10 minutes. Cut the loin into slices about 1/2-inch thick, and serve drizzled with the sauce.
Email Susan Pierce at spiercetn@yahoo.com.