As summer meets its end, so does barbecue season; however, for BHS English Teacher Marc Mens, a year-round hobby is still in full swing.
Mens’s interest in cooking dates back to his early childhood, when he would cook breakfast with his father.
“My dad taught me how to cook on a lazy Sunday morning,” Mens said. “I used to be the toast guy. I was in charge of toasting the toast and buttering it. My dad would make this big breakfast: fries, chopped potatoes, green peppers, onions, sausage, bacon, and a bunch of eggs. You would mix it all together. He called it Moose Mountain.”
It wasn’t until later on in life that Mens began to actually barbecue.
“My wife Kinsey bought me my first grill when we moved in together,” Mens said. “We moved to St. Louis Park in a tiny little apartment, and we were allowed to have outdoor grills, so she bought me my first actual propane grill, and every year for my birthday she gets me something outdoor cooking related. In 2021, she bought me a smoker, and from there, I just learned how to do it.”
Over time, what started as barbecuing for fun evolved into participation in statewide competitions.
“At first, it was for fun,” Mens said. “Then it was like ‘Let’s cook really good food,’ and then it was ‘Hey, we should compete.’”
One specific competition that Mens participates in is just within a 15-mile radius of BHS, one which he came across by accident.
“The competition that we have gone to the most is called Ribfest in Watertown,” Mens said. “I was just driving home, and I took a different route because of construction. They were building a big stage, and I was like, ‘What’s the big deal?’”
The competitions average around 10-15 competitors. As Mens participates in these competitions, he is judged on three simple things: appearance, taste, and tenderness, all of which are Kansas City barbecue rules.
“For presentation, they typically give you a standard to-go styrofoam [container], and you dress it all up and place the food in there,” Mens said. “For me, I primarily do ribs. There’s a science behind it. It’s time-intensive, and there’s a benefit to cooking something at a lower temperature for longer, which equates to tenderness. You have to get to 165 degrees to be food safe, but for barbecue, you’re trying to push past 200 degrees because the fat will melt, and then it becomes good.”
Following these rules, Mens has been able to win multiple competitions.
“For the first time ever, we went to Reamer, Minnesota with all of our equipment and competed up there,” Mens said. “You could have cooked whatever you wanted. A bunch of people did ribs, but we won. The following weekend, we went to Bees on the River Rib Fest, and we won that as well.”
Mens has a special trick for flavoring his ribs, which is a secret barbecue sauce that he uses.
“Part of our secret [barbecue sauce] recipe is by a guy named Malcolm Reed,” Mens said. “It’s a combination of brown sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic, and sometimes there’s cayenne or dehydrated onions.”
There’s another competition in Buffalo on the 26th, where M
ens has the chance to win $1000. However, Mens’ motives for competing go far beyond this prize money. He loves this craft and the ways it builds connections.
“Something about food bringing people together,” Mens said. “I love it.”
