'Joey Mac' extols the communal nature of barbecue

The first time Joe McManus of Naperville led his team - Joey Mac's Smoke Stax - into a barbecue competition, the results were, well, less than stupendous.

"We got the dubious distinction of finishing last in ribs," he said.

McManus has come a long way in the four years since then. He and his partner, Wayne Styck, who is also his father-in-law, cooked their way to the Grand Championship of the American Royal Barbecue Invitational last month in Kansas City, Mo.

They walked away with a trophy, a check for $12,500 and an invitation to compete in the American Royal, one of the largest BBQ events in the world, for the next five years.

"I was pretty excited," McManus said. "The earth kind of stands still for these moments. Everybody's cheering ... It's a bit surreal."

To say McManus has a passion for BBQ is putting it mildly.

"For me, it's a hobby and Joe has probably taken it a step further than that," Styck said.

It all started innocently enough. When McManus was 12 or 13, his mother would ask him to fire up the Weber grill and cook the hot dogs, hamburgers, pork chops or whatever meat was being served.

McManus enjoyed that duty. After he married and moved to Naperville, his family cooked many of their meals on the outdoor grill.

But it wasn't ribs - not then. That came after McManus started researching barbecue, checking out barbecue Web sites and learning about barbecue contests.

That first contest he entered was held in September 2004 in Peoria, where his father-in-law lives. Despite the disappointing results, fellow barbecuers encouraged him to keep trying.

"I had never really cooked ribs outside," he said. "I cooked ribs all winter long. My family was so tired of ribs by the time March rolled around, they couldn't stand ribs. Nevertheless, we really figured out how to cook ribs."

Practice, practice

By the next BBQ season, which runs March to October, Joey Mac's Smoke Stax started winning awards.

But McManus wasn't satisfied. Barbecue contests include cooking ribs, chicken, pork and brisket. His results were inconsistent. One meat would turn out well one time, poorly the next.

A friend told him practice was the key.

"Joey, just cook," he recalled his friend saying. "Don't think about it. Just cook. Take every opportunity you can to cook."

McManus, a full-time mechanical engineer and chief cook at home for his wife and three kids, took his friend's advice. He learned what meat looks like and feels like when it is done. He figured out the flavor profiles judges want, often with help from his wife, Carla.

"Joe likes things really spicy and I do not," Carla explained. "I have a taste he considers similar to the general population of the judges."

McManus started competing with a Weber Smokey Mountain grill, and then switched to a Fast Eddy's by Cookshack cooker. Popular in competition, the cooker uses pellets made of food-grade sawdust for fuel and is valued for the consistent results it produces. He got a trailer to haul his equipment.

"It really, really snowballs," McManus admitted. "It's not a cheap hobby."

Contestants pay entry fees, buy their own meat and pay for travel. Compensation comes only when they win prizes, but McManus consistently has been doing more of that.

In 2007, he won his first grand championship in Clinton, Iowa, which qualified him for the American Royal that year.

"Winning your first grand championship at any contest is special," McManus said. "I'll never forget that feeling standing there by the Mississippi River. It was a great time."

He and Styck entered 10 contests in 2008 and frequently finished in the top five. A first-place win in the Illinois state barbecue contest in Shannon qualified him for the American Royal this year.

The American Royal Invitational is open only to those to who have won championships in other Kansas City Barbecue Society-sanctioned contests. The event also includes an open portion that draws about 500 teams from around the country.

In the invitational, McManus competed among 106 teams from the United States and Canada. "It's called a collection of champions," he said.

During competition, McManus and Styck normally arrive the midday before to set up. Brisket and pork take 12 to 14 hours to cook and are started that night. Ribs and chicken are put on in the morning. Judging is based on appearance, taste and texture.

In between cooking, McManus said he enjoys the camaraderie with other teams, and picks up tips from both contestants and visitors at the events.

"You spend a lot of time talking about barbecue," he said.

All about sharing

McManus continues to experiment with different flavors at home. He uses commercially available sauces and sometimes creates his own dry rubs.

"Barbecue in my mind is a combination of spices, heat and smoke," he said. "(It's) a simple food. There's no reason to complicate it tremendously."

His family may tire of BBQ by the end of the season, but they appreciate his creativity, Carla said.

"Even before he started barbecuing, he made pizza on the grill," she said. "Now all our favorite food is barbecue pizza."

Carla and their three children - ages 5, 8 and 12 - travel to whatever competitions they can. Even though both she and her husband have full-time jobs and a busy life, barbecue has become a family affair, she said.

"It's actually pretty easy to support him in it because he has such a passion for it," Carla said. "His face lights up when he talks about it."

McManus, who calls himself an apostle of barbecue, said he is pleased to see its popularity growing, with more BBQ contests taking place in the Chicago suburbs and nearby Wisconsin.

He likes eating barbecue out, as well as cooking his own. Though he says he doesn't have favorite spot, he enjoys Uncle Bub's BBQ in Westmont and Sweet Baby Ray's in Wood Dale, and hopes to sample new places that have opened in Chicago.

"I don't know that I've ever turned down a plate of barbecue," he said.

But barbecue is more that savory meat cooked over a grill for McManus.

"It's a much deeper emotion that just shoveling food in your mouth," he said. "It's all about sharing. Barbecue is a communal meal."

For those who want to read more, McManus is starting a Web site at joeymacbbq.com.

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