Cook of the week says BBQ is about the meat
Dan Mohr loves barbecue.
Whether he is making chicken for friends, impressing judges with ribs or teaching his daughter the basics, the Streamwood cook considers barbecue his passion. And while Dan has had the opportunity to sample barbecue across the country - in places such as the Carolinas, Memphis and Kansas City - he says a lot can be learned close to home.
"We have more in Chicago than people will ever know," he said.
When cooking for family and friends, Dan uses one or more of his nine smokers and lets people discover all types of barbecue. Most prefer Kansas City barbecue because it has a sweeter sauce, but he leans toward Memphis style with a dry rub and little sauce.
"I'm the food dork that likes to keep trying and trying even though it's not the food profile around here getting people to experience different tastes," he said. "It's amazing how many people realize they like a Carolina mustard barbecue sauce on pork because they never knew it existed."
Dan put his love of barbecue to the test when he discovered a pitmasters competition on television. He decided to dip his tongs in the arena and entered the Tough Man BBQ Ribs competition in Highwood at the most unlikely time of year for barbecue: February.
"It was one of those years when the weather was really mild, so I signed up. Then the night before, it dropped six inches of snow. It made my first experience a little different," he recalls.
Dan said he was worried about the judges' responses particularly after looking around at his competitors. Everyone had elaborate setups, and all he had was a 50-gallon drum and a table. To his delight, Dan won.
Part of the fun of barbecue is experimenting with rubs and sauces. Dan has 75 rubs and 80 sauces - some he's created and some he's bought. But he credits his win and making good barbecue to something else.
"The biggest tip that someone gave me is everyone thinks it's about the rubs and sauces. It's not about that. It's about the meat. You want to showcase the meat," he said. "Everyone can make bad meat and make it taste better with sauce. You want to focus on making the meat stand out."
Dan has since prepared chicken, ribs, pork shoulder and brisket in about 30 competitions, most notably the Jack Daniels World Championship. But what he speaks most proudly about is teaching barbecue, especially to his 6½-year-old daughter, Alexis.
While he takes on tasks that Alexis is too young to handle, he is proud to add he's given her free rein to experiment with flavors.
Alexis has tried to compete, too. Wearing a T-shirt bearing their team name, "Daddy's Little Grill," Alexis helped prepare pork steak at the Firin' Up the Fox Competition and Festival in St. Charles.
What Dan tries to emphasize with Alexis and son Ryan, 5, is cooking and eating healthy.
A favorite place to teach the kids about making healthy choices - and finding tasty snacks - is the garden surrounding their home. The garden also provides inspiration when making family meals. The vegetables, he acknowledges, make great toppings for his homemade pizzas.
"Those kids can eat a caprese salad five days a week," he says. "They love grabbing tomatoes, basil and I'll add mozzarella cheese, and they'll eat that for dinner."
Among Dan's biggest fans is wife, Krissy, who nominated him as cook of the week.
"Whether it's meat in the smoker, or a homemade pizza in the pizza oven, or steak in the sous vide, or a vegetable dish from the garden he created, he puts 10,000 percent in everything he does," she said. "You can taste his love for cooking and for the people he is cooking for in every bite."
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