- A third steamer Cape Girardeau was christened 100 years ago (3/26/24)
- Cape Girardeau christens its namesake (3/19/24)
- The humanist philosophy of Lester Mondale (3/12/24)1
- Cape Osteopathic Hospital opens its doors (3/5/24)
- 8 killed and a million dollars damage done in 1924 tornado (2/27/24)1
- Jackson's militant priest, county recorder at odds over marriage licenses (2/20/24)
- Streaking fad comes to Cape (2/13/24)2
From the archive: Ole Hickory Pits continues to turn out smokers, cookers
Published in the Southeast Missourian, Monday, October 24, 1994:
Terry Emmons, head welder at Ole Hickory Pits, uses a mig welder to weld a fire box for a smoker cooker. (Don Shrubshell ~ Southeast Missouri archive)
WHERE THERE'S SMOKE THERE'S FIRE
By B. Ray Owen
Southeast Missourian
David Knight's appreciation for the perfect barbecue lit a flame under an idea that, since its first flicker 14 years ago, has ignited a highly specialized and successful business.
David B. Knight and Associates Inc., a spin-off manufacturing business from Knight's restaurant business, has gained national attention since it was founded in a small building in the 200 block of North Main Street in downtown Cape Girardeau.
"We make smokers and cookers," said Knight, who left the restaurant business in 1988 to devote full time to making his "Ole Hickory Pit" barbecue smokers and "Chuck Wagon" cookers.
Knight's manufacturing facility moved to larger quarters two years ago, to 333 N. Main.
"We went from 6,000 to 9,000 square feet," said Knight, president of the company. "In addition to more floor footage, we have higher ceilings."
Knight, who was also president and majority stock holder in the Port Cape Girardeau Restaurant operation, which opened in 1975, likes to talk about his venture into the manufacturing world.
"After three visits to the restaurant by Cape Girardeau firemen, we started looking for a better way to barbecue," he said. "We were having our problems with the old brick barbecue facility at the restaurant."
The Knight family put their heads together and came up with ideas for a "better cooker."
What finally emerged was a 10-foot-long, 4 1/2-foot-wide and 7-foot-high smoker that could accommodate up to 600 pounds of barbecue.
The new cooker used a gas starter for logs placed in a chamber at one end, Knight said. The gas automatically shut off when the burning logs reached a certain temperature.
It worked well.
"We felt that if it worked for us, it could work for other barbecue businesses," he said.
The first commercial effort for Knight's Ole Hickory Pits came a few months later when he introduced one of his smokers at the St. Louis Restaurant Association Show.
Ed Price drills holes for the rotisserie part of a cooker. (Don Shrubshell ~ Southeast Missourian archive)
"The smoker was a big hit there," he said. "People liked it, so we started introducing it at other trade shows in the Midwest."
Today, Knight's cookers can be found from coast to coast and Hawaii in the United States, Japan, Virgin Islands, Mexico and Canada.
"Knight cookers are 'state-of-the-art' pieces of equipment," said Carl Collins, who is in the barbecue business in the Virgin Islands.
Collins gave Knight cookers their first major national exposure, when he hauled one of the 2,000-pound capacity smokers to New York for the annual American Chefs' Tribute to James Beard, held in Rockefeller Center.
Knight & Associates produces a number of sizes in smokers, ranging from the small 3-by-4-by-6 unit, designed for smaller restaurant operations, to the large 11-by-10-by-5 suited designed for larger restaurants specializing in barbecue.
"We also have the 'Chuck Wagon,' cooker," Knight said. The Chuck Wagon is built on wheels for easy towing and includes propane gas facilities for deep-frying, boiling or grilling.
The Chuck Wagon was in use recently at the Downtown Merchants Association Barbecue.
Knight cooked catfish, while another downtown merchant grilled hamburgers and hot dogs on the other side of the multi-use cooker.
The Chuck Wagon started out as a fish fryer, Knight said, "but, we eventually wound up with the multi-use cooker which can be used for any type of cooking."
The Chuck Wagon has appeared on the cover of a national propane gas magazine.
Knight, who travels throughout the United States promoting his cookers at various trade shows, is "at home" behind the grill, too, and doesn't mind pitching in when needed.
"I spent 15 years in the restaurant business," he said. "During that time, I did a lot of jobs -- cooking, dish washing, busboy, bartender..."
When the Ole Hickory Barbecue Restaurant opened in Hoxie, Ark., Knight could be found preparing barbecue, cooking hamburgers, taking orders and running the cash register.
"We have four smokers," said Don Nicholas, who operates Ole Hickory Barbecue Restaurants in Hoxie and West Plains, Mo. "We use one at each restaurant, one for my catering business, and have the fourth for a standby."
On another occasion, Knight demonstrated barbecue smokers at St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.
"We produce six different smoker models," he said. "It takes us about two days to make one of the larger units."
Knight explains the barbecue process in one his cooker.
"Using modern technology, we've taken a Stone Age method of cooking with wood and converted it into a modern setting," he said.
A convection fan system "circulates the heat and smoke, distributing it over the meat evenly," Knight said. "This advances the level of cooking efficiency."
Knight also joins millions of Americans who take a turn at the barbecue grill in the back yard.
"I normally use a regular barbecue grill for that," he said. "But, if we're cooking for a crowd, I'll haul out the Chuck Wagon."
David B. Knight displays a Chuck Wagon multipurpose cooker made by his company, Ole Hickory Pits, that deep fries, steams, charbroils, and has a flat grill attachment. (Don Shrubshell ~ Southeast Missourian archive)
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