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Photo courtesy of Bob Trudnak
Shotgun Fred Pirkle and Jennifer Sue Liss, daughter of Ron Liss (Taste-Liss BBQ) of Houston, TX. Fred spoke at her funeral in December 2009. |
Remembering The ‘Guru’ of BBQ
By Bob Trudnak
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Photo courtesy of Bob Trudnak
Fred and Bob with Kevin and Clara Bevington in 2003. |
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Photo courtesy of Bob Trudnak
Shotgun Fred doing what he loved. |
I remember the first day I met “Shotgun” Fred Pirkle. It was in December of 1999 and I was being interviewed for a position as a marketing / graphics assistant for his thermostatic valve control business, Therm -Omega-Tech Inc. Fred decided to hire me that day. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had just begun what would turn out to be a very exciting career and I had also met what would prove to be a very dear friend.
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Photo courtesy of Bob Trudnak
Fred and George Stone of Cool Smoke. |
Fred was very proud of his business and worked very hard. He was enthusiastic about everything we spoke about and passionate about designing and creating products to make life easier and more enjoyable. I had a sense I was in for a wild ride and fun times ahead. Time would prove I was right. Almost immediately, we discovered that we shared a mutual interest in cooking, more specifically in BBQ cooking.
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Photo courtesy of Bob Trudnak
Shotgun Fred with Free Range BBQ, New Holland Summerfest 2005. |
Fred loved cooking gadgets and had hundreds of them. He studied and used them, often times finding ways to make improvements. Soon, Fred and I were cooking together for the shop employees, testing recipes and products, as well as trying creative new concepts. At the time, we were experimenting with conceptual products like salsa choppers, tamale makers and jerky guns. The cooking sessions seemingly always turned into marathon events. Most times, I was the first to toss in the towel, while Fred continued on long into the night like the Energizer Bunny that he was.
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Photo courtesy of Bob Trudnak
Fred building an Earth oven in his backyard. |
For years we ate lunch together every day. These lunches were often brainstorming sessions on what his next gadget would be. Many times he would ask for some scrap paper and a mechanical pencil to draw up a concept he had on his mind during our meal. Fred was blessed with a highly talented staff and had a machine shop at his finger tips; usually a prototype was sitting on the table within 3 days. It was an amazing and fascinating experience to see an idea come to life in that way.
One of the many lessons and bits of advice Fred gave me over the years was when he told me a successful product should have three attributes. First, it should be something that makes people’s lives easier or solves a problem. Second, the product should be something folks can easily use and understand. Lastly, but most importantly, the product should free people’s time to allow them to drink more beer. This was great advice from an even greater guy.
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Photo courtesy of Bob Trudnak
Fred with his competition team, Bob Trudnak, Kenny Baker, and Brett Hanley 2009. |
We developed the first BBQ Guru temperature control in 2003. One of our first marketing strategies was to attend cook-offs, festivals and trade shows with a back pack full of product and ask people to allow us to try them on their cookers. This didn’t go over too well at first; there were plenty of dirty looks and choice words hurled in our direction. Many times we would hear, “Did you see those two guys trying to hook a computer up to my charcoal fire?” And then there was my favorite: “Those two boys must be crazy!” Maybe we were.
As time went on we noticed that curiosity was increasing and many were not only accepting, but were beginning to talk positively about the new product. Eventually, people began to search us out, looking for the edge, confidence and reliability that was achievable with this product. This was just the beginning.
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Photo courtesy of Bob Trudnak
Fred and his friend, Mike McGowan of Backwoods Smoker. |
Fred had an aggressive but friendly way of introducing this new concept. I was continually amazed how he taught me to win people over and change them from skeptics to believers and then more importantly, into friends. I learned so many things from Fred in the past 12 years, lessons that apply both in business and in life in general, and for that I will be forever grateful. I am very thankful I had the chance to work with and get to know Fred; he had a very unique and exceptional mind. Fred never accepted the norm as the way to do things. He always felt there had to be a better way, and you know what, many times there was.
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Photo courtesy of Bob Trudnak
Fred, Bill Wise and Woo Doggies at an Eggfest in 2006. |
Fred was passionate about barbeque; he loved life and its people. He was the center of most social gatherings he attended. His stories and jokes filled the room with laughter as he embraced the crowd. He gave all who knew him a bit of knowledge, a smile and that great feeling you were his friend. Fred, in my mind and in the minds of many, you are and always will be “The BBQ Guru”.
I will miss you, Shotgun, my mentor, my friend. |
