Cooking out with David Knight, Ole Hickory Pits, 333 N. Main St. in Cape Girardeau

Barbecue is popular in this country, about as American as baseball, rock and roll and apple pie. Particular areas have their own style of barbecue, such as the Carolinas, St. Louis, Kansas City, Memphis or Texas. Business reporter Brian Blackwell recently sat down with David Knight, president and founder of Ole Hickory Pits. Founded in the late 1970s, the Cape Girardeau-based company has grown since it built its first barbecue pit for Port Cape Girardeau restaurant, which he purchased in 1974 and sold in 1988. The company now builds barbecue pits for back yards of homes, restaurants and even for celebrities such as late night talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel, barbecue champion Mike Mills and the competition barbecue team Texas Rib Rangers. Ole Hickory's pits have been used by winners of numerous barbecue competitions such as Memphis in May, Kansas City Royal, Great American Barbecue Festival, Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational Barbecue in Lynchburg, Tenn., and in hundreds of cities throughout the country.

Q: Who contributed to your success today?

A: My sister, Mary Miller, who was a founding part of the restaurant. She brought some direct knowledge of the restaurant industry to the table. My mom, Ione, and dad, Wallace, both contributed to my work ethic. They had basic ideas of entrepreneurship, especially my dad, who was involved in different types of the business like banking, credit life insurance and farming.

Q: What's something most people don't know about you?

A: I'm an artist. Originally I did oil paintings when I was a child. I took private lessons as a child and minored in art in college. Over the years I've changed from oils to watercolors.

KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.comDavid Knight of Ole Hickory Pits in Cape Girardeau.

Q: How did the company begin?

A: When I opened Port Cape in 1974 I wanted to feature ribs, so I built a big brick pit that was 10 feet wide and five feet deep with three great big metal doors in front of it. The modern equipment we manufacture saves about 80 percent of the amount of fuel that is required to cook the meat. So besides just having a good flavor it's very eco-friendly. If you multiplied the thousands of customers we have around the world times the wood savings, it's quite a substantial amount of greenhouse gases we're saving from getting into the environment.

Over the years I've made smaller units for homeowners and bigger ones for restaurants. For years I stayed with the commercial end of pits, but on the urging of others I made some that could be used in homes and convenience stores. We now sell more than 20 models.

Q: What's the secret to good barbecue?

A: Use the proper fuel, which is wood or charcoal. Then cook it very slowly. This is a cooking process rather than a grilling process. When a person is smoking products like ribs, chicken, beef or pork it's a slow cooking process done with indirect heat. The idea is to cook it low and slow so it makes the meat very tender. It also allows the meat to absorb the smoke flavor so it's not just a coating on the outside of the meat. And it has to have the right texture.

Q: What challenges has your business faced? A: The challenges would go back to the restaurant, with interference with business activity from the government. Rules are much worse than they were in 1974. In fact, that was the first thing that caught my eye was interference with operations. There's no end to government interference into everyday activity at a business. It's a daunting task. But we still are blessed by being in a great business environment. This is the best place in the world to be in business.

Q: What has surprised you since you got into business?

A: The notoriety we've gotten from the media. We've been in Vogue, trade magazines, food contests and on the Food Channel. We have customers from throughout the U.S. and world. By having these customers it's quite a delight to share our knowledge and product in so many diverse areas.

Q: Why have barbecue competitions become so popular?

A: This is a phenomena that dates back to the Memphis contest. The Kansas City Barbecue Society introduced the Kansas City Royal which started a trend with the Memphis and Kansas City people sanctioning other contests. They provide the methods and paperwork to make the contest a fair event. Within the last 10 years it's experienced geometric growth. It's blossomed into a nationwide phenomenon. It gets a lot of face time on the Food Channel because it's a festive event. It's a party nonetheless. Just about anybody can participate. Some people plan their vacations around cooking and judging.

Q: You've been trying for a while to land a casino in the downtown area. But on Feb. 10 a three-judge panel of the Western District of the Missouri Court of Appeals ruled against your efforts to challenge a gambling law known as Proposition A which was approved by voters in November 2008. The law eliminates loss limit and raising tax on casino profits. It also limits the number of casino licenses to 13, a number issued by the date of the election. There are supporters and opponents on this issue. What do you think is the future of bringing a casino to Cape Girardeau?

A: We have to take a step back to the appeals court and ask for another hearing. That most likely will be rejected, so we'll have to ask the state Supreme Court to review the case. One thousands jobs would make folks happy here. The economic environment is shaky and an additional 1,000 jobs is nothing to sneeze about. It would be a wonderful thing for downtown. Part of the plan is to expand connections from around town to the casino area, including from the Show Me Center. People would come to the Show Me Center if they knew they could come to the casino, and vice versa. We could become more of a tourist destination. If the Supreme Court would read the Missouri Constitution literally they would rule in my favor. If they rule it stare decisis (following precedents established in prior decisions) there's no telling which way it will go. There is plenty of opportunity to rule in my favor.