For this 3^rd episode of “Every Generator Tells a Story”, we met up with Ty Canmore from Fat Ox BBQ. Behind his impressing and mysterious look, his massive bear and his sharp eye, Ty is a kindhearted persona with a great sense of humor. He likes whiskey, good old rigs and makes BBQ like nobody else. Within the years, he learnt to focus on what is at the core of all good and true barbecue: hard work, determination, slow cooking salt…. and pepper.

Ty grew up in Montana on his granddad’s Ox ranch and moved to Phoenix 10 years ago. Being a handy man is an understatement. He started his BBQ dream from scratch by building the “Iron Ox”: a slow cooking smoker made of a 500-gallon tank mounted on a trailer. Add this to an old, converted UPS truck, one or two FIRMAN inverter generators plug in parallel (for lights, fridges, a/c) and Fat Ox BBQ can bring the heat anywhere…

From private corporate events to family reunions and food truck festivals, Fat Ox spreads the love for slow cooking and fine cut meats. Gathering people around good food is timeless. Being able to do it everywhere and on demand, is a plus.

In the USA, BBQ is intensely and notoriously regionalized. Carolinas, Kansas City, Memphis, Texas… styles are mostly defined by meats, cuts, and sauces. Phoenix doesn’t have a proper barbecue style (yet) but Fat Ox has been competing with the big boys and showing off its own signature.

So, what makes a good BBQ? Slow cooking and a good, long rest is what makes the difference. Cooking low and slow renders the meat’s fat, essentially basting it internally. The longer the meat’s internal temperature stays in the collagen breakdown zone, the more thoroughly broken down that collagen will be and the more tender, moist, and juicy the finished meat will be. 

Although cook time is at the core of all styles of barbecue, the clock does not stop when the meat comes off the heat. One of the most important part may come afterwards: the rest. The meat itself needs time to reabsorb the juices. And that’s what real barbecue is all about.

While referring to BBQ cooking, the famous Chef Anthony Bourdain talks about “Pain and Sacrifices”, far from the lazy family weekends spent barbecuing in the backyard.

But there is no reason, with proper patience and planning, that real barbecue — the low and slow kind we associate with places like Fat Ox BBQ — cannot be the new “backyard barbecue.”  So now, you know what to do. Get a wood pallet smoker, a FIRMAN generator to power it, quality meat, stack up a few beers, bring friends over, be patient… and let the elements roll together. 

Smoke and Sparks Episode 3 from Firman Power Equipment on Vimeo.