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Stephen
Lee of Pell City says he took up cooking later in his life than many
people, but with the help of his friends, he’s making up for lost
time. As a member of Smokin’ Crows Cook Team and Catering, Stephen
says he has found a way to make a favorite pastime profitable.
"Cooking
didn’t hit me until I was grown. I thought, ‘This is what I should
have done for a living, but it seemed a little late for that. It’s
just a hobby that we try to make a little extra money from now and
then," says Stephen.
Twin
brothers Dale and David Foote and their sister, Casey Brown, round out
the crew of Smokin’ Crows, who’ve been cooking together
competitively for four years now; but Stephen says they’ve known each
other all their lives.
"We
all grew up together in the same school and Dale used to work with David
and me at the Benjamin Moore plant making paint. He’s a full-time
minister now, and Casey works in the lunchroom at Pell City High School,
so she knows all about portion size and keeps us sanitary and up to
code. We all grew up around the grill at big family get-togethers, and
hunting and fishing and cooking outdoors all seem to go together,"
Stephen says.
And
Stephen and his friends take to the outdoors quite a bit. "We still
like to hunt and fish, and we like to claim our own kill and cook it
when we can, but we really stay so busy cooking that it’s hard to find
the time. We have several friends and family members who help keep us in
good supply though," says Stephen.
A member
of the Kansas City Barbeque Society and the Alabama Wildlife Federation,
Smokin’ Crows cooks just about everything from traditional pulled pork
barbeque to alligator and rabbit and all manner of wild game in between.
"Two
years ago we won a Championship Cook-off in Springville, where we cooked
alligator, deer, rabbit, quail and barbeque. We’re planning to make
our second appearance at Talladega this year, and we do some
fund-raisers for schools and churches. The Alabama Wildlife Federation
has a cook-off every month, and we like to compete in those when we can.
We’ve also started catering for parties and weddings," Stephen
says.
Stephen
is also the proud father of nine-year-old Chloe and says his wife,
Kelly, spends the majority of her time on volunteer work for their
daughter’s school. "She’s very involved with Chloe’s
class," says Stephen.
Stephen
says Kelly is always happy when Smokin’ Crows comes home with a win,
despite the fact that competitions can be costly and time consuming.
"A big competition can mean several days away from home, and that’s
not always easy, but it’s a lot easier when we bring home the
bacon."
Stephen
shares some of Smokin’ Crows favorite recipes below, but he says it
wasn’t easy deciding which dishes to include. "I wanted to put in
a rabbit recipe, but as I started writing it out, I realized how many
different steps were involved. I thought I’d better choose something
that would keep it under a chapter."
In
addition to several of the team’s favorite barbeque recipes, Stephen
recommends Microwave Potatoes as an easy side that pairs well with
anything cooked on the grill. And Uncle Dave’s Baked Beans and
Jalapeno Slaw are perfect partners for Super BBQ Cheeseburgers or your
favorite barbequed pork.
Kellie
Henderson is a freelance writer from Troy.
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