Bill and Lana’s accomplishments haven’t been handed to them, but rather their reward for hard work, determination and sacrifice. The luxury of starting with a secret family recipe wasn’t an option. Their dream was to develop their own ideas, methods and recipes.
In 1999 Bill and Lana's journey began, three years before entering their first contest. They realized there was much to learn. Soon the south became their classroom. They took the time to learn about barbecue, something people in the south take for granted. It included traveling throughout the barbecue belt, eating, sampling and observing. They even had the opportunity to meet many of the legends in the world of barbecue along the way. The “secret” they came away with is barbeque is not just a cooking method or type of food, but a way of life. It’s America’s food, something to be shared with friends and family, and never hurried.
Their home became their test kitchen. Finally, satisfied with what they had, it was time to put it to the test. No, not the more familiar method of seeking approval of friends and family, but rather the toughest test for barbecue, the Kansas City Barbecue Society(KCBS). These are not the more publicized rib fests. These are well-organized, highly competitive, high stake contests. All are blind judged by true barbeque aficionados. There’s no doubt that Bill and Lana have done their homework and have beaten the odds. What they’re most proud of is that they did it their own way, without compromise, without exception.
Minnesota Style is Bill and Lana’s interpretation of barbecue. They both enjoyed the dry ribs of Memphis, but thought the dry rub added just before serving was too much. It covered up the meats natural flavors. Their Minnesota Style of barbecue began with their desire to develop a dry marinade that would not only flavor the meat, but also enhance and bring out meats natural flavors. It also had to seal in the natural juices, leaving the meat as juicy and moist in the inside as on the outside. This type of dry marinade was unheard of, but after much trial and error they had met their challenge of developing their dry marinade.
Bill and Lana had always served their ribs naked, no sauce. What a huge hit. Most everyone that had tried them would swear they had been glazed with barbeque sauce. That was the magic of their Dry Marinade. The problem was that KCBS judges were accustom to sauced ribs. The challenge was to come up with a barbecue sauce that was not too heavy. It couldn't cover up or compete with the natural flavors of the meat and Dry Rub Marinade, but rather compliment. It had to work equally well as a finishing glaze when used in competition or as a dipping BBQ sauce served table-side, that’s the way Bill and Lana do it at home.