When I started in the fire service many years ago, my Lieutenant (now the Fire Chief) told me “Lloyd it’s your turn to cook and if you keep Chief Holder happy things are going to go smooth for you around here.” (Chief Holder was actually a fine Southern cook himself.) I had the presence of mind to immediately call some of those great cooks of my youth in order to attempt to imitate some of the fab
ulous recipes I had grown up with. It must have worked, because I have had a great career in the fire service. Oh, I only got one complaint from Chief Holder “Too much bread”. I replied “Well Chief, too much is better than not enough” He just shook his head. (This is still a bad habit of mine. From those stumbling beginnings, I realized I really enjoyed cooking. However, my real passion is smoking BBQ! I strive to produce smoked pork BBQ that would make a North Carolinian proud. But let me make this clear, I would never say my BBQ is as good as those produced at the staples of excellent BBQ from the Great North State; I just humbly try to imitate them. (I’ll let you be the judge.) More than a few years ago I started “testing” my recipes on my friends at our get-togethers on Lake Anna. (They were unknowingly my test population.) When things didn’t go just as planned, they were very kind with their reviews. After all, they are my friends. I also have a passion for helping causes like the local food bank, the Christmas Mother, youth sports programs and of course my church raise funds for their works. I love doing these for a few reasons. Obviously the good feeling that comes from the help provided by the money raised, but I also enjoy the fellowship of working alongside my friends on the Muddy Boots Cooking Team. The “MBCT” is usually a “pickup” band of my lifelong friends and family that come together for the cause. Good Christian folks, all of them. Lastly, the folks that attend these fund raising events are an even larger test population for my recipes and these folks may not be so kind with their reviews. I believe truly unbiased feedback taken in context is the best free lesson in quality. It was during these events that Muddy Boots BBQ was born. I realized that my BBQ must be pretty good because I was often asked “Where can I buy some this delicious BBQ? This got me to thinking……
Out of this demand grew Muddy Boots BBQ. The name is derived from my wife’s complaining about my sons and me coming in the house with our “Muddy Boots” on. (This is still an issue.) Muddy Boots BBQ is a family business (My wife, two sons and me). We don’t try to be something we’re not. We do real smoked BBQ, ribs and chicken cooked with wood using our cooker “The Chopping Road Beast.” (See the Chopping Road Beast page)
Our recipes come from our family, those great cooks mentioned at the begging of this narrative and from local church cookbooks. We use the best ingredients and locally grown when available. I have partnerships, more like lifelong friendships, with local award winning farmers in order to ensure you get the freshest and highest quality products. We offer both on-site and “Drop and Go” catering. I invite you to let us cater your next event.Why not sit back and relax, enjoy your guests and let us do all the work. Lloyd Runnett
Owner and Pit Master
Muddy Boots BBQ
