I like Smelly Butts (BBQ) and I cannot lie ...

I love this part of the country. Most people are kind, good-hearted souls, and thankfully most of them also seem to have an appreciable sense of humor. That can most definitely be said for Smelly Butts BBQ and Other Fine Food.

I found the food truck parked at its World Headquarters Sunday around noon. Located at 63 Jamie Lynn Road in Sikeston, Missouri, I suspect the World Headquarters is none other than the owner's personal residence. I think the food truck can be found here most Sundays, but please check the Facebook page to make sure. The proprietor of Smelly Butts does a very nice job updating the page, and if the food truck is up and serving food, you'll be able to find where it is in a pinch.

I had to ask how the name Smelly Butts BBQ came into being. I just knew there had to be a story, and there was. Here's how it was told to me by the nice woman who brought my dog some water while we ate. All embellishments are mine. Once upon a time (in 2007,) there was a Redneck Competition in Sikeston. Tim, an avid barbecuer on the competition circuit, decided to sponsor several teams and thought it would be funny if a redneck team was sponsored by a company called Smelly Butts. I'm imagining people wearing T-shirts, proudly proclaiming "Sponsored by Smelly Butts", and I'm sure that was the whole point. After that, Tim and team started getting calls for their barbecue, and since competitive teams on the barbecue circuit tend to have catchy, quirky names, Smelly Butts stuck. I mean, I'm never going to forget it.

On a more serious note, this barbecue has won more than 100 trophies, including a perfect 180/180 at Pork USA Barbeque Championships Smoke on the Water in 2010, a nationwide competition. I was more than eager to try it.

I've had a lot of barbecue. This part of the country seems to love it. There are more barbecue joints here than Chinese restaurants, and that's saying something. And, I used to think, let's be honest, there's only so much you can do with barbecue, right? Smoke pork, put sauce on it, and bam, it's delicious. Oh, but know I am more world-wise, and barbecue does not happen that easily. All the hard work that goes into it before you get to that point of succulent, tender meat makes all the difference, and that is the case here.

Loaded with smoky meat, the pulled pork sandwich was less "smelly" and more "succulent and fragrant."Submitted by Rebecca LaClair

Loaded with smoky meat, the pulled pork sandwich was less "smelly" and more "succulent and fragrant."Submitted by Rebecca LaClair

There is a seating area at the Smelly Butts World Headquarters, in the shade of some big trees. There's also an inside area with air conditioning, but it was nice outside. When the pulled pork sandwiches arrived, the first thing I did was lean over and take a sniff. I had to. The name of the place is Smelly Butts. Smoke and meat, with a faint hint of the sauce made my mouth water, but "Fragrant, Delectable Butts" doesn't have quite the same ring. I took the first bite and fell in love with the sauce. It was not at all how I usually prefer my sauce. I like my sauce stand-up-on-its-own thick, dark brown, and probably too sweet. This sauce was thinner, with a more delicate and nuanced sweetness, but it complemented the smoke in the meat perfectly. Neither flavor overrode the other but enhanced and played upon each other. I think it may have been the perfect sauce for pulled pork.

Next to the sandwich was a bonus pile of meat all on its own, because the meat was the star of the show. The sides, the bun, those were just supporting actors, and the meat was allowed to shine.

There are other smoked wonders available, and the menu changes a bit. Sometimes you can get smoked chicken or smoked cheeseburgers, or smoked ribeyes. I'd really like to try a smoked burger, and I know my husband would spring for a smoked steak. Sometimes there are pork steaks, brisket or smoked bologna sandwiches. But I think you can always get some pulled pork, at least until it is sold out.

Smelly Butts barbecue and Other Fine Food is a shining example of a joke that was too memorable to let go. Smelly Butts has long overcome its silly beginnings and serves serious barbecue that makes people take notice, while never losing that unapologetic redneck humor.