Martin Pat - Life of Fire : Mastering the Arts of Pit-cooked Barbecue, the Grill, and the Smokehouse

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Dadgum, this may be the easiest and the hardest part about putting this book together. I really dont know how to condense my feelings and gratitude to those who have made such an impact on my life and my story. So Im just going to sling it all up at the wall.

First, Im thankful to God for blessing me with the skill set that Hes given me, and the opportunity to experience what this life has to offer. I dont deserve it.

Mom and Dad, I dont have the space here to list all that Id like to. Mom, your love for me will always be a cornerstone in my life, a deep-down comfort that I know is always there, no matter what. Dad, your example of how you carry yourself as a man is what I love about you the most. Your integrity, character, and hard work will always be what shapes me. I wanted to be you, in every way, when I was a kid, but you showed how to be myself and follow my own path. I gave you both so many reasons to give up on me, but you didnt. You believed in me and my potential, many times when virtually no one else did. You taught me to never quit and always believe in possibility, no matter how big the dream or how difficult the solution to a problem is. Because of that, Ive never worried about can it happen and instead focus on how to solve the puzzle. Without the two of you and your love, guidance, and support, I really dont know where I would be in life.

Martha, you are such a rock. As with Mom and Dad, you also believed in me when I didnt even believe in myself. You were the one person who truly pushed me to pursue this crazy barbecue dream of mine. Youve taken such great care of me and supported me. I truly cant think of a better mother to our children, which has enabled me to work and build this life, and for that I am forever grateful to you. I cant thank you enough for being the wife that you are. I love you.

Wyatt, Daisy, and Walker: You will never understand how much your lives mean to me. You will never know how much I love youever. I dont know why God chose to bless Martha and me with each of you, but I know at least for me that I didnt deserve you. Im so thankful for each of you, so blessed to have you, and so excited about your futures. Stay strong in your faith and your dreams and never let anyone or anything distract you from them! Thank you for loving me and letting me be your dad.

Buzzy and Sharon, thanks for being great in-laws. Youve been such a help to Martha and our home life, which in turn has been a big help for me to operate our restaurants. Buzzy, thanks for fixing up that old shed years ago and fashioning our smokehouse. I appreciate all the winter mornings you fired it for me very much.

Mr. Harold Thomas, I wish you were here to read this. Without you I wouldnt be typing this right now. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for teaching me how to cook real pit barbecue. You were so kind and gentle, and so giving of your time. Thank you for letting me hang around Thomas & Webb BBQ, and for answering all of my questions. I wish I had come to see you before you passed and for that I am so sorry. My favorite sandwich has been, and always will be, the whole hog sandwiches that you used to make me.

Bryan (Ball), John, and Michael: Its been a heck of a ride from that first hog we cooked in Kossuth back in 1991. Whether it was that hog or when you worked for free on weekends to help me open Martins Bar-B-Que Joint, you boys have always been there for me.

Shannon Sewell, thanks for stealing and hauling those bricks from the new Freed-Hardeman gym site. Without you we wouldnt have had a pit with which to cook our first hog, and for that Im appreciative.

Jim Chandler, thanks for letting me build a pit at your house. More important, thanks for taking me in when Freed kicked me out of school. I miss you.

John Willingham, thank you for letting me in your world for a year or so in the late 90s and letting me learn your perspectives. Memphis in 1998 was an unforgettable year for me.

Bo Collier, Ill always be indebted to you for helping me open Martins. Brother, you are a walking enigma and I love you for it. I still have an alarm on my phone at 4:50 p.m. so you can hit your pipe, and so we can get through service without me wanting to hit you in the head with a pit shovel. Thanks man, I love you.

Marteen Garcia Pimentel, my kid brother, youve been with me way before opening Martins. Weve laid a lot of sod and cooked a lot of meat together. Youve never asked me for anything other than my friendship, and youll always have it. Gracias por tu lealtad Camarino!

Ward Boone, gosh man, thanks for manning the cash register so I could get on the line, and for being a spiritual friend and mentor. Thanks for being a living testimony to your faith and walking your walk.

Cho-Cho, you were there to load meat or prep no matter how early or late it was, and you are still one of the best line cooks Ive ever seen. Thanks, hermano !

Roberto, youve been with me since 2007 and youre still here. Im so grateful for you.

Brad Nelson, I was so broke I couldnt pay attention and you gave me a line of credit when you probably shouldnt have. You are not just my banker, but my friend.

Mike Bodnar, if Harold Thomas showed me how to cook pit barbecue, you showed me how to run not just a restaurant, but a business. That day you walked in my little kitchen (uninvited) to ask me how I cut my French fries almost got you thrown out, but Im so glad you did it. Your mentorship and instruction on how to operate a restaurant the way one should be operated will always be the guiding map on how I run any business Im involved in. The attention to daily operational details is truly the single most important ingredient in the recipe of being successful. Everything from you coming over on a Sunday in 2010 to work the fry station to get us out of the weeds, to us walking miles in Iowa chasing pheasants and bobwhitesI cherish those memories and lessons.

Kizer, what can I say? Thanks for getting my back and working so hard. Im sorry for being mean to you in the dorms at Freed (even though I have no recollection of that). But if I was, your ass shouldnt have been up so late keeping me and everybody else on the floor up with all your mischief.

John Haire, thank you for being an incredible wingman. Thank you even more for your character and example.

To the rest of the Martins staff, I dont know how to begin here. Andrew, Kelsey, Blake, Grace, Hal, my general managers, management, longtime staff, and so many more: Youve all been such an integral part of our success in your own way, whether it was the restaurants, events, this book, or beyond. Ill always owe yall way more than 0.143 percent of the rest of that bottle of pt-nat, and way more of my thanks!

To all of the Martins guests whove spent their hard-earned money to eat my food, thank you so much for your support; youll really never know what a big deal it is to us.

To Nolensville: Youll always be our roots.

To all of my guests through the years who have supported Martins Bar-B-Que Joint and Hugh-Babys BBQ & Burger Shop, you will never comprehend how much it has meant to me and my family. Thank you for all your support. I owe you all a debt I can never repay.

Jim Myers and Bill Ramsey, Im so glad the two of you drove way out to Nolensville to eat with me that day way back in 2007. Jim, your fingerprints will always be on this book, and Bill, thanks for keeping me right with the law.

Francis, first, thank you for your friendship over the years. Second, I dont know why you believed in me for this project, but thank you so much for doing so, and thank you for all of your patience, man. I hope Ive made you proud!

Nick, I know youve wanted to pull your hair out at times while writing this thing with me, but thanks for being my wingman.