I really want to thank Big Ron Garcia of Big Ron’s Rub for taking the time to answer some questions and help a newbie along! Ron is the very first of what I hope to be lots of interviews at The Dry-Rubbed Rat. I have about 4 more interviews in the pipeline, with some real interesting folks, so I hope people spread the word. Thanks again Ron! ~DRR
1) How long have you been smoking?
I started after making my rub in 2006 for personal use. I was trying to begin to sell my product and found most competition cooks won’t use something unless it is proven to win. In early 2007 when I wanted to sell my rub, I tried smoking. Although I am a great cook, smoking food is a very different type of cooking. Almost everything I did at first did not come out like it should and my family and friends were kind enough to still eat it and enjoy my progress getting better each time I cooked.
2) Besides smoking, what other types of cooking do you enjoy?
I love grilling over direct flames. Chicken, fajitas, burgers etc. I can do damage in a kitchen as well, stovetop or oven. I just love to cook; just for the family or cook big for catering or family and friends get togethers. All I need is an excuse to cook.
3) How long have you been marketing your rubs?
I started in 2007. I was in the restaurant business and was unhappy with the lifestyle and amount of hours required to be succesful, so I left to go back to finish school. I missed the daily cooking. It was summertime in 2006 and I was grilling and my girlfriend (now wife) said I was cheating using a jazzed up store bought seasoning. I took out a white paper plate, a spoon and the spices I liked to cook with. On the second attempt came my Hint of Houston recipe using one part this and one part that; until I got it where I liked it. The wife said it was too spicy for the average user so I took out a few things and there was the Big Ron’s Original recipe. It has not changed since that day.
4) What made you decide to go to market?
Everyone I cooked for and that tasted my rub loved it and told me I should sell it. I went to a local spice store, mixed up a batch, went to the dollar store and got some jars. Printed my own labels and went to a local flea market to try to sell it. I wanted to give samples so I seasoned hamburger meat and cooked it on site in an electric skillet. I gave samples of cooked meat with the Big Ron’s Original Rub. I sold out every weekend and got a regular following after a summer of selling it. I then found a few BBQ forums online and I started selling it there as well.
5) What has been your biggest surprise since you started producing and marketing your rubs?
The feedback for sure. It has been a happy surprise that the recipes I like is liked by others as well. I am very sodium sensitive and this was a driving factor in my rub. Low sodium that has a great flavor and compliments everything. I feel it was just luck that I was able to accomplish it.
6) What is the most common mistake made by people new to smoking?
Over seasoning and over smoking. You need to season lightly coast to coast over the item you are cooking, not cake it on. Just like my slogan “Just Rub It On!”. You also need a nice clean fire and need to maintain the temperature. If it gets too low, you add more wood, this causes it to smoke heavily and can leave the food with a very smokey flavor. Some don’t like it too smokey and it may leave them with a bad impression on smoked foods altogether. It should leave a nice hint of smokey flavor while tasting the natural flavor of the food cooked.
7) What’s your favorite thing to smoke?
I do some competition cooking so Brisket, Pork Spare Ribs and Chicken is often. I also like pork butts, Beef Ribs, and Turkeys during the Holidays. I even like to do a whole Ham.
What’s the future hold for Big Ron’s Rub? Would you like to keep growing?
For spices, I have a Chili seasoning I plan to get going when it starts to get cold again. Again low sodium and taste great. I have done several trial runs and gotten great results. I also have a BBQ sauce I love for ribs and I am working on another for other Poultry and Meats. Of course I would like to keep growing. I am in a few local stores and a few BBQ shops that sell rubs and others accessories for Grilling/Smoking. I am tryign to build relationships with BBQ Pit/Smoker builders to sell my rub. So far only a few have chosen to carry it, but it is a start. I also have a family and make time for that daily. I am moving very slow and trying to grow at a reasonable pace making sure business is consistent before going to the next step. I plan to market the BBQ sauce very soon and after that I may try a few more stores to see where that goes.
Thanks again, Ron! You can buy Ron’s products online!
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