Luke Marrs | Fourth Plant BBQ | BAD DOG PODCAST #36

This week the boys sit down with Luke Marrs, owner of Fourth Planet BBQ in Florence, Alabama, to dive into how one of the South’s fastest-growing barbecue spots came to life.

Luke opens up about how a backyard hobby turned into a sold-out barbecue business. The conversation dives deep into barbecue culture, entrepreneurship, football, business, family, and what it really takes to build something people are willing to wait hours in line for.

Follow Luke & Fourth Planet BBQ for updates and be sure to stop by on Saturday before they sell out.

@fourthplanetbbq

RUFF RUFF

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

You can drink, you can wait on the rain. Either way, it's gonna burn.

SPEAKER_02 0:06

Welcome back, my friends, of Bad Dog Podcast. We have Luke Mars here, owner of Fourth Planet Barbecue over in Florence, Alabama. Welcome on the show, buddy.

SPEAKER_01 0:15

Thanks, brother. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_02 0:16

Let's go.

SPEAKER_03 0:17

I like that little noise there.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

Yeah. A little scratch before we get started.

SPEAKER_03 0:21

We've been talking all things barbecue. I know it, man.

SPEAKER_02 0:24

So we got we got a bunch of questions today, but just to kind of, I guess, tell us how we got connected is Eric Yun, or Yoon, right? Yes, yes. Awesome guy from Hey Show. It's you know, it's yeah, we got it. Yeah, it's Yoon. Yeah. So we had him on Hayes Shoals a couple weeks ago and we kind of talked about Fourth Planet and how you guys have really just taken the shoals by storm. And you had reached out to us about coming on, and we were jumping at the bet. So yeah, we just kind of want to hear a little bit about your story and everything that goes into y'all's product and your just whole experience at Fourth Planet. Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_01 0:55

I mean, basically, this this is a kind of a long time coming for my wife and I. My wife's name is Graceland, by the way, and um, so she is born and raised Austin. Um, her whole family's from there, that central Texas area. And then I am kind of a transplant from Ohio. I grew up in Ohio, started half my life in Ohio, and then we moved to Texas in 2003. Nice. And then we moved here to Florence uh 2022. So about four years we've been here now. But um, as far as the barbecue is concerned, I had encountered kind of a health issue about four or five years ago that uh had me stop working. And uh during that time of you know, trying to figure out what's going on and getting all the answers right and everything, I was driving myself crazy because all I was doing is just sitting inside and doing nothing. I was like, I gotta figure out something to do to pass the time, or I'm gonna run my car into a freaking tree. And so uh I mean, and I'd always cooked and uh loved doing barbecue and feeding friends and family, and so I was like, baby, I'm gonna buy a pit and just start cooking. And she was like, Okay, sounds good. So spent 16, 17 hours a day doing that and passed the time because I could sit down and chill and watch fire and didn't have to do anything. And you know, got pretty good at it and started feeding friends and family, and then they convinced us to do pop-ups. My first pop-up was at Singing River Brewery about three, four years ago.

SPEAKER_02 2:16

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

And the first time that we did that, I mean, it sold out in like 45 minutes. I mean, granted, we I th I thought 60 pounds of meat was enough for a lot of people.

SPEAKER_03 2:25

Sounds like enough.

SPEAKER_01 2:25

I mean, it sold 45 minutes, it was gone. I was like, holy hell, like what are we doing? Yeah, and so then we did another one, and that second one that we did, we had a two and a half hour long line. Um that's awesome. And it's kind of just been all she wrote from there.

SPEAKER_03 2:37

Just started as a hobby, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

Just as a hobby, man.

SPEAKER_03 2:39

And uh what did you do before then?

SPEAKER_01 2:41

So I was working in a whole bunch of stuff. So uh did the college thing for a little bit, that didn't work out. I got kicked out. So yeah, that that didn't work out, it wasn't made for me. Uh when I was young, I wasn't the best with authority. So amen, brother. Yeah, and uh yeah, my mom would say otherwise, but you know, but then put them through it for a little bit, but uh you know, just it wasn't just wasn't my thing. So did the construction deal for a while and then um eventually graduated from college when I was 28 and then worked for Dell. Um, but then got laid off about four months after because that's when COVID started. And so our hiring class, when we got hired on, they're like, hey, sorry, you're the new guy, so you gotta go. And then we moved here, and then my wife got laid off um from a job that she had been at for 11 years, and she just looked at me and just said, Let's just do it, let's just try it out because we'll regret it if we don't. Yeah, we haven't regretted it yet. It's been a really just really good thing.

SPEAKER_03 3:37

So was it still kind of like a hobby when you were doing the pop-up thing?

SPEAKER_01 3:39

Like you weren't like planning to do barbecue or no, no, I think after, well, I guess yes and no. After about the second one, I was like, This is what I'm supposed to do. Yeah, like this is not like this gives me life. Like, this is something that I I really feel like my purpose uh coming coming to life and and all that, and just like you know, interacting with people and doing something that's mine. I always hated selling someone else's product because it made me feel like I had to lie to make money. Yeah, and that ain't me. Yeah, and the authority thing, yeah, and the authority thing. Stick to this deadline. I'm like, I don't know. No, I'm gonna do it a week late just because you told me to do it, kind of thing. Yeah, later your own balls now. So now I just get to do we get to do what we want and grow the brand that we made. So absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 4:20

And it seems like the best businesses are always one that starts as a passion and then it turns into a business. That's how you know your heart and soul's in it, you know?

SPEAKER_01 4:28

Man, for sure. And it's just, you know, it's because it means something. Yeah. And like to us, it's not just like a normal nine to five. It's this is like it fills us up. Yeah. Oh, absolutely. And uh, you know, it's like I'm not sick of it. I mean, a lot of people don't like sitting in a hundred and thirty-five-degree pit room smoking briskets for 16 hours. I freaking love it. That's badass. I love it. I love waking up at three in the morning and having the city to myself. Yeah. Um, I love sitting by fire. I love it.

SPEAKER_03 4:56

What's the process like during the week? Because I mean, y'all are open one day of the week, so obviously the rest of the week is some series planning and everything.

SPEAKER_01 5:02

Yeah, so we we start prepping on Wednesdays. Um, and we basically start like all of our like condiments and sides and everything. Things that have to brine or like rest for a few days before before Saturday. Uh Thursdays are my trim and prep days, so it's when I get all my proteins and I trim them and season them. And then uh Friday is when uh we're both up there. I'm cooking all day. I get up at four and I'm cooking from like four to like ten p.m. And then uh my wife is up there for about nine, ten hours making all the sides and everything, and and then I get up again on Saturday morning at four and do all the short cooks of the chicken ribs and twinkies and all that stuff and get it ready for Saturday at noon. So Saturday's just serving. Saturday's just serving, yeah. Yeah, and just the opening up at noon and go until we sell out, and we've been selling out for a year.

SPEAKER_03 5:47

So I was wondering, yeah, because you're saying that y'all have beer for people, right? That's a selling point for me.

SPEAKER_01 5:51

I'm telling you, man, the whiplash we get from men in particular when we're out in public or I'm wearing my shirt and like, Fourth Plant, where's that at? I tell them and they'll be like, Oh, what are your hours? I'm like, we're open from noon till we sell it on Saturdays. You can come out, we'll have live music and free beer. And they free beer kind of thing. And I'm like, oh yeah, come on. If you don't want barbecue, just come have a couple beers and have a good time. That's awesome, dude. Yeah, that's a good draw. But you know, like what we were saying just a little bit ago, I mean, if you're gonna wait in line for our food, the least we can do is get you a buzz on the way.

SPEAKER_02 6:18

That is right, man. Probably people order more when they get up there and buzz going.

SPEAKER_01 6:22

Hey, a little marketing thing, we can't let that out just yet.

SPEAKER_02 6:24

So uh I know you're a football guy. What when you explain that process, it's almost like you know, Saturday's game day. Yeah, that's when all the people are there, you know, you're you're showing off your product, but you're working all week towards that game day. It's awesome, dude. Yeah, yeah. No, I've I've had Fourth Planet before, and I've like I was saying when you got here, it it legit is the best barbecue I've ever had. We love it, brother. Um, I wanted you to kind of touch on, I guess, your influence because I know when you were in central Texas, I guess, around the Austin area, there's some Michelin star places there, and I know you got your, I guess, yeah, influence from there, right?

SPEAKER_01 6:53

Yeah, for sure. I mean, when we moved to Texas, I mean, in Ohio, there's really not barbecue. And like barbecue there is like burgers, like it's like barbecue burgers kind of thing. And it's just like kind of a conundrum. It's all like I don't know, it all kind of means the same thing. It's an all-encompassing thing. And so when we moved to Texas, it was like, okay, no, craft barbecue is these specific types of meats. And I was just really intrigued by the fact that they were poor man meats that were made delicious. So back when we lived there, brisket was probably like two bucks a pound, now it's like seven dollars a pound, which is ridiculous. But uh, you know, it was just a cheap cut of meat that people who didn't have a lot of money bought because it was cheap and it could feed a lot of people, yeah. And then figuring out how to make this cheap, tough cut of meat tender and delicious. And so I loved that. I love the the taking time to turn something that's not so good into something that can be things that will make people drive 10, 12 hours for. Yeah, absolutely. And so once we did that, and then I had it for the first time, it kinda, you know, I became like obsessed with like barbecue in general because I mean I'm a thicker dude, so it's like I like I like I like to eat and all that stuff, and I'm a big protein guy. So yeah, uh, yeah, when me and my pops went, we we had it, and I remember both of us when we had our first bite of like just you know, traditional Texas spare ribs. Like we looked at each other and we're like, what the hell is this? Fall on the ball. What is this? I'm using like beef jerky up in Ohio and uh you know it's just like and that's when the scene was kind of starting to take off, especially in like 2003. There were some people that had been there for a long time, but um I think the main one that y'all might be familiar with is Franklin's barbecue. Yeah. You ever heard of Franklin's? So Franklin's uh Aaron Franklin is the guy's name, but they are like the staple as far as like the jump starting of like craft central Texas style barbecue. So it's salt and pepper with post oak wood and you know, brisket is king. And so um they would have people, I mean, there was a whole thing. I think the city had to come up with different laws because people were paying line sitters, and it was like this like tax thing. And so like people didn't want to wait. They get up at two in the morning and go sit in line for Aaron Franklin's barbecue, and then people figured out, well, I don't want to wait. And some people were like, well, you can pay me to wait. And then it ended up being a deal because it was like cash under the table, and so there's like no taxes or anything, so then the city had to come in and be like, It was that big, it was that big, it was that big. It became a thing where like it literally influenced local politics because of just the the pool that it had. And I mean, once Franklin's popped off, I mean, it seems like every corner in Central Texas there's a killer barbecue joint. Oh, yeah, dude. And now there's just so much diversity there. I mean, there's a guy, I cannot remember his name, but it's like an Egyptian-influenced uh Central Texas style barbecue. So he does he cooks with post oak and everything, but his seasonings are like turmeric and cumin and gotcha, you know, all of that stuff, and like they have like pomegranate barbecue sauce, and then you've got other people that do like uh Hispanic influenced, so they're doing like tacos with barbecue and um you know, doing like barbacoa and you know, all of those things, but smoking it the way that people do and just that kind of that style of cooking.

SPEAKER_02 10:00

So it's crazy, man. It's so cool, yeah. No, I'm the time I spent in Texas, I just remember being like, man, yeah, I couldn't get enough of it because I'm a big barbecue guy.

SPEAKER_01 10:08

Yeah, it's hard.

SPEAKER_02 10:09

That's awesome, man. Whenever, um so that I had a question for you about that is like, what would you say, uh just from an expert, I guess I could say, you know, there's Carolina barbecue, there's Alabama barbecue, and then Texas barbecue. What would you say are the like the main thing that stands out in Texas and not Alabama or Carolina?

SPEAKER_01 10:24

I mean, they're all just so different. So like if you go to Carolina, you hear a lot about whole hog. So like pig is kind of the big thing. So um really, as far as like beef is concerned, I think Texas is kind of the ones that started all that really going the big beef ribs and briskets and you know, um, really beef-centered as far as like the barbecue's concerned and what you want people to come and eat um, you know, just to be known for. Alabama, you had like your chicken with white sauce and pork and slaw dogs and all that stuff. So and brisket wasn't really a thing. I mean, we when we moved here, the amount of people that had never heard of or tried brisket blew my mind because back home, everybody and their dog has brisket. As brisket, yeah. And like on the weekends, like I mean, if you're at home on a Saturday, you just you don't even need to go to a barbecue restaurant because everybody's got a pit in the backyard. That's right. And you just smell it in your neighborhood. It's everybody's cooking. Um, but yeah, it's it's just different. Um like in Carolina, like you said, you have or like I said, we have the like whole hog, like kind of pig style stuff, and it's uh like vinegar-based barbecue sauces, thinner, maybe a little spicier barbecue sauces. Alabama, it's that white sauce, slaw dogs, pork, that kind of thing. And then Texas, it's your more savory. So you've got, you know, your heavier, fattier, you're trying to render out fats and like beef and like that kind of thing. Um but yeah, I mean, those are really the biggest differences, but I think that's why people love barbecue so much is because it is so diverse. Yeah and it's kind of a universal language for like community, and so you know, people just love eating good food. Oh, yeah. And you can get it wherever, and everyone's got their specialty, but um we saw that that was something that was missing here. Yeah, absolutely. You know, people love barbecue, and this is a really big barbecue state. Um, but we didn't have brisket. Yeah. And I was like, let's just see what happens. Yeah, and you do it better than anybody, so yeah. Well, I appreciate it, man. I appreciate it. We we take a we take a lot of pride in it, and and and you know, we we take it really serious, and um we just want to do the best that we can, and you know, we're trying to leave a legacy here. This isn't this isn't a side gig for us.

SPEAKER_03 12:19

It's gotta be like you, it's a good cut of meat, too, right?

SPEAKER_01 12:21

Like where you get your meat's gotta matter a lot, right? For sure. So we I mean, I'm incredibly picky on you know the shape and size of certain pieces of meat that we do because it makes my job easier. Yeah, for us. Flip it, baby. Put it on TikTok. There we go. That one's going viral. Love the size of meat, gotta be picky about it. But uh, no man, so we'll get like uh different types of briskets and stuff, and some can have too much fat, some can have not enough, some can be scalped, and you don't want to mess with it because it's not gonna cook the right way. Gotcha. Um, and so you have to find a good supplier, a reputable supplier, and you have to find a good line of uh briskets. There's so many different lines. I mean, you have you've got like Creekstone farms, um, they supply a lot of the big places in Texas. Uh they have a really good product, but they're also like elite and super, super expensive. So for something like that, it's harder for us because you know, I don't want to spend a thousand dollars on twelve briskets, like kind of thing or whatever. I don't know. It's just you know just the overhead of it. Super expensive. But yeah, we found a line that we really like and uh it's really consistent and um you know it cooks the way that we want to. You ain't gotta give all your secrets away. Oh, come on. I mean is it Cisco? There's no no, there's no it's not Cisco. It is so the brand is IBP and it's called Chairman Reserve. You can get them at Sam's, but uh I like to hand pick, and then my food guy knows the kind that I like now because it's just taking us a little while, so he'll kind of look through cases and he'll know exactly what I want because he he probably got annoyed with me the first six months that we were in business together because I would call him and be like, dude, come get this. What the heck is this? Like, I'm not paying for this, brother. I was like, I appreciate your hard work, but I'm not gonna I'm not gonna waste my time with this. Yeah. But uh yeah, man. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 13:56

Yeah, definitely super selective. So something we touched on earlier, I guess it was right before we recorded, though, is that I guess a lot of people around here are used to, you know, barbecue joints are open 24-7 around here. And just being open on Saturday, you were explaining that you would have to have a massive staff to cover the volume that y'all or I guess the amount of people that the I the demand is the word for it. For sure. The demand for your barbecue is so high that you probably couldn't do five days a week or seven days a week, whatever.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

Yeah, there's no way. And the way that we do it, just with everything being homemade, um, we don't buy anything that's precooked. I mean, it's all craft and all recipes that have been passed down from like family and friends that we've known for forever. Yeah. Um, stuff that we've developed, and like I said, uh, we want to be different. We don't want to be we don't want to be like everybody else. And there's no, I mean, not throwing shade or anything. No, yeah, yeah. But uh, you know, we just want to be a place that it's it feels like home and you know, it feels like something different and special. Yeah. And so when you come eat it, it tastes different, it feels different, it tastes fresh, and you know, just the the vibes, and we just want the vibes to be like immaculate when we're there, man. It's like yeah, we just want people to come out and it's just like they're on their back porch drinking beer eating barbecue with friends. Yeah, and so that's just kind of what we're going for.

SPEAKER_03 15:00

I was just sitting here thinking, if you were beefing with another uh barbecue restaurant, would you call it like porkin or something?

SPEAKER_00 15:09

I dude, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Yeah, pork in the barbecue. Pork in the barbecue.

SPEAKER_02 15:16

Yeah. Oh man. No, I guess another question too was um a little bit about the brick and mortar, like you had touched on earlier, about what your what is the next step for fourth planet? Because obviously everything is going great so far.

SPEAKER_01 15:29

Yeah, yeah. The next step is uh gonna be just adding, hopefully adding more days. Um not many. Uh I think the most that we would ever do, even if like you know, five years from now we've taken off and things are going crazy. I think the most we'd ever do is Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Gotcha. Um just the way that we do things and you know the demand for like staff and like the labor that we would have to do those kind of things. I I like it being on a smaller scale. Um I don't think I'd ever be in a position or a want to like franchise or anything like that. I don't want to do that. I think I think there's something special in the you know, like exclusivity of it all. Absolutely. Um and that's just kind of the thing that we've capitalized on from the jump, and so it's like I want to keep doing that, and it's like we've done it in a way that we feel has been, you know, just super respectful to the process. And um, I feel like um I have no like moral, you know, like division or whatever, I guess, as far as like how we've done things. And sure, you know, we're just gonna keep doing it that way. But uh as far as the next step is concerned, I mean we're gonna have to add a couple staff and have people come in and help because we've um we've maxed ourselves out for sure. Um we we don't have any more room and we need more people to help us just with like the prep and cooking and everything, but then just expanding the space that we're in. So yeah, um, hopefully we'll be able to cook more um in the near future. Um, but you know, just that slow expansion to you know meet some demand. Um but one of the cool things that we're actually doing, we're sponsoring, we're gonna be corporate sponsors for UNA this year. Oh and so we're sponsoring the fourth quarter for the football game. So it's gonna be the fourth planet fourth quarter. And uh and then we're gonna be selling concessions in the stadium as well.

SPEAKER_02 17:07

Oh, wait. So you don't cook your food and sell it in the stadium?

SPEAKER_01 17:10

Yeah, so it won't be the full menu, but we'll do like uh chopped brisket sandwiches, pulled pork sandwiches, and then the brisket of lote corn. Oh, yeah. So we'll sell that and everything. And because the biggest thing is like, you know, our name can be on a billboard, but we still have so many people in the city. Like, who are you? Yeah, yeah. We don't know what this is. So the best thing for us is, you know, at the football games, we're like, welcome to the fourth plane of the fourth quarter, you know, if this happens so and so fan. I know, and I was just like, man, it seems so cool. And then we get to have fun with like the announcement, like yeah, um, who if a score happens, someone gets a gift card. And if you haven't had the food, go catch it in the Northeast end zone. Yeah, heck yeah, dude. So what is the full menu? Oh man. Uh so our every Saturday, never changing, is gonna be brisket, ribs. Uh we do half chickens, we have our jalapeno cheddar sausage, we do our pulled pork, um, and then we have the Texas Twinkies, which is we need to try these while they're so warm. Oh, brother. Yeah, get you one of them.

SPEAKER_03 18:05

Let's do it.

SPEAKER_01 18:05

And then all of our sides, so then mac and cheese, cream corn. You can just rip it, we're gonna full bore it, baby. Just go for it. Full bore it. Rommel, dude. I love it. But yeah, so this right here is probably one of our most popular items, um, if not the most. Um we make about 150 of these a week and they sell out in about 90 minutes every week. So it's wild. Oh yeah, they're they're a mess, dude.

SPEAKER_03 18:32

Easy, fella. I have one version.

SPEAKER_02 18:34

I'm not I'm not lying to you. I probably could eat two.

SPEAKER_01 18:38

Let's see what you think.

SPEAKER_03 18:40

Oh my god. What is this?

SPEAKER_01 18:45

It's uh just a jumbo jalapeno stuffed with brisket and cream cheese wrapped in bacon, and then we have our house glaze that we use, and then the seasonings that we use.

SPEAKER_03 18:53

We all sell that separately?

SPEAKER_01 18:54

The house glaze? Oh, not yeah, not yet, but we will.

SPEAKER_03 18:57

Oh, yeah, we will, because that's gotta be the secret.

SPEAKER_01 18:59

Well, we start doing our uh we started selling our barbecue sauces, so we've got two just traditional barbecue sauces that we have, and uh we're gonna start bottling our house glaze here pretty soon.

SPEAKER_02 19:08

So Oh heck yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:10

So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:11

I mean, this is this is special. I mean, guys, anyone in the shoals listening?

SPEAKER_01 19:16

Come get you a twinkie. You gotta get there early, though. You gotta get there early because they sell out. Unreal.

SPEAKER_03 19:23

I don't want to talk anymore, I just want to eat. This is so good.

SPEAKER_01 19:27

Yeah, brother. But I mean, we get people, I mean, that was one of the things that like when Eric had done uh the Hey Shoals post for us, I mean, he had pushed the Twinkies, and I mean, I'm telling you, it is wild. I mean, we'll make I mean, we think 150 is gonna be enough. And I mean, I feel like every week we get people coming in and they want 12 on a ticket and all the stuff, and it's just they're just gone. And it's like we make so much food and it's just gone.

SPEAKER_03 19:50

Have you ever overdone it?

SPEAKER_01 19:51

You're looking at it now another one, dude.

SPEAKER_03 19:53

I'm gonna stare at them. You're looking at my crotch when you're looking at these Texas Twinkies.

SPEAKER_01 19:58

That's what it was. We're gonna go back to porking. But yeah, so it's it's been crazy, dude. It's been crazy. You never make too much food. No, we sell it every week. Yeah, yeah, it's wild. I mean, we might have like, you know, a like half portion of like beans or something left. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:17

No, I normally see your your live posts. Like you'll post halfway through Saturday and be like, hey, we've got this, this, and this left. Come get it. And I'm and then An hour later. Yeah, an hour later. We're sold out.

SPEAKER_01 20:26

A lot of people, and we have a lot of customers that just wait specifically for the rush to end. So like they've spent their time in the past a little bit, you know, they've eaten the brisket and had all the stuff that goes goes quick, and they're like, I'm good with just getting a rack of ribs or something. And so I'll be like, We got six racks of ribs, a few links of sausage and a couple pounds of pulled pork, come get it. And then in the next 30 minutes it's gone. Oh, yeah, it's wild, man. It's it's really good.

SPEAKER_03 20:47

And I mean, so could you cook everything on a Thursday and then be open on Friday and Saturday? Or you know, I guess it wouldn't be as fresh at the time.

SPEAKER_01 20:54

We could, but it would be it would be a lot. So um, I mean, I have no issue cooking, um, but my what my wife does is we don't have enough space in the kitchen for like all the sides and everything. And so it would be a lot of strain on her uh to be able to add that day until we can add more like you know, commercial ovens and that kind of thing, stuff to handle the capacity of sides up. No, oh no, no, no. No, it's all there. Food inspector, we are not cooking at the house. Chris Jackson, Food Inspector, Florence, Alabama. We are not cooking at my house. Yes, that is Austin. No, dude. Yeah, no, we are cooking in the kitchen that is licensed and all those things. But no, man, it's it's been uh you know making me think they're cooking at the house. No, man.

SPEAKER_03 21:37

He's really making me think they're cooking at the house.

SPEAKER_01 21:39

I've been there and watched them cook it there. Oh, yeah. Oh man. Oh, it's awesome. We cook in a kitchen that's smaller than most houses' kitchens, but uh yeah, yeah, we're cooking all there, but uh I wouldn't remember that.

SPEAKER_03 21:50

Like I would never think that that would be that good. Holy pun.

SPEAKER_01 21:53

And then it's like when you cook them, those jalapenos, they get soft. They don't even think jalapenos, they get sugary. Yeah, they get kind of sugary and it's like That's the thing about like smoking stuff, is when you smoke things and cook things low and you know you take your time with it, all like the sugars that are in like the pieces of meat or food that you're cooking, they come out and render, and so all of those internal sugars and fats and everything they break down and become delicious, and you're just kind of pulling all that stuff out. And so, you know, kind of like you got a doctorate in meats or something. I'm telling you, man. It feels that way. Yeah, it feels that way. No, man. No. You gotta go you gotta go to culinary school, and even at culinary school, they don't teach this. And you it's just kind of gotta be something your grandfather didn't or you have a passion about.

SPEAKER_02 22:33

Absolutely. I was gonna say you've probably spent thousands, no, tens of thousands of hours cooking over the last 20 years or however long. It's wild.

SPEAKER_01 22:40

It's been a lot. And then, you know, I don't really think about it too much just because it's just it's just part of life, yeah, part of our life now. But um, yeah, it's a lot of time. It's a lot of time. It's also a manly thing, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03 22:52

Barbecuing's manly. I love it. It's really tough. Yeah, a lot of people do it. Yeah. It's not like you're baking cakes, man. You're out here like barbecuing is some tough shit.

SPEAKER_01 23:01

I like being out there splitting wood and lighting stuff on fire.

SPEAKER_03 23:05

Your testosterone's gotta be this.

SPEAKER_02 23:10

The patience in it, too. Like, I feel like that's such a um lost art is the patience of cooking and how long it takes for it to get to your finished product.

SPEAKER_01 23:19

Yeah, and it's just the being content with sitting there and waiting. Yeah. Yeah. And everything. And but I I man, I love it. Because it's it's it's just time for me. And I mean, I've told my wife this, like, as dumb as it sounds, or as you know, however you want to say it, it sounds, uh, sitting there, like, I just get to think about stuff. And I've always been kind of like a lone wolf anyway. Yeah. And so it's like my friend group is real small. I've got like two or three that are like really good. And not that I don't like people, but it's just I mean, I'm like my dad. My dad was the same way. We're just we're just self-sufficient guys. Yeah. And uh okay with that. And you know, I love I love just sitting there and you know, dreaming about the next steps and dreaming about life and uh just being grateful for where we're at and really focusing on things, and I obsess over it, man. I obsess over it. I mean it sound it sounds spiritual. I was about I was about to say, I mean, it really genuinely is, and I mean there are times where it's like, I mean, my whole family's like unbelievably spiritual and all that, and they're and they're awesome people, and and I am too, but I think in a different way. Um it's definitely more of like I gotta like do things to be in tune with it, you know? Yeah, absolutely. And so not so much just like feeling it all the time, yeah, it's when I have moments of gratitude, and so like when I'm sitting by fire and I'm like, I can't believe this is my life. Like I get to wake up and I get to cook and I get to sit by fire and I get to feed my community, and this is what I do, and this is what provides for me and my family, and what is leading us to you know, the next step of success, and it's working out.

SPEAKER_03 24:45

Yeah, I mean, there was a point too where you I mean you didn't had no clue what you were gonna do, right?

SPEAKER_01 24:49

No, dude. I mean, it was it was really, really hard for a minute. I mean, I'm not gonna get too much in the weeds of it, but I mean that that health stuff, I mean, you know, I I've never been one to struggle with like depression or like you know, like suicidal thoughts or anything, and we're not gonna go down that road, but but you know, uh I get why people do. Yeah. And I it it put a lot of things into perspective for me. And so when this thing started taking off, I was like, you know what, this saved my life, and I'm not gonna take this for granted. And so you know, that's where we're at, and so it's we're we're so blessed to be where we're at. And uh that's amazing. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 25:21

How do you remember that every day? Because I feel like I get to a point where you just like I'll be ultra grateful and then like what resets you is it just cooking?

SPEAKER_01 25:27

Man, I just think you just have to you have to be in a mindset of every day is a new day. Right. Um you can't carry baggage from yesterday because if you could change yesterday, you could or you would, yeah, and you can't. And um, you know, you just have to be just grateful for every day that you have, and um just trying to force yourself to have you know just a positive outlook. And I know that's so much easier said than done. And I've been there. I've been I've been in those spots where you you're just like that's I mean, that's dumb. That doesn't help, that's not helpful. But I mean it really is that simple. Um and sometimes it just takes time to get there. Um it just takes time and it really does. I mean, you have to be intentional about the things that you're grateful for and pour into the things that make you happy. Yeah. Um and so if you are, you know, if you're having a really hard time, what's the thing that brings you joy? Dive into it. Yeah and no matter what anybody else says, dive into it. If that's the thing that makes you happy and keeps you going, you dive into it and you give it everything you've got, and then eventually, you know, it'll work out. You'll level up.

SPEAKER_03 26:25

I'll feel you on the, you know, it takes time, like you just hold on, but eventually it's gonna work out, but it's so hard to see in the moment.

SPEAKER_01 26:31

Well, and especially, I mean, like someone like you, I mean, like you're an artist and you're trying to grow like your brand, and you have to be passionate about it, otherwise it's not gonna work.

SPEAKER_03 26:38

Yep, you have to, and you have to be patient too, because I mean it just you know, some stars have to align, things have to happen, and you know, you can't rush it. And like we were talking about, like there's not a lot of instant gratification to music. You know, like I leave you know, I guess with cooking, you get your final product and you can sell it. With music, it's like, oh, this is we're writing this song for three years down the road. So you have to, you you have to be patient. I'm not patient at all.

SPEAKER_01 26:59

Yeah, it's a marathon baby.

SPEAKER_03 27:00

I'd be microwaving my barbecue if I had the trap.

SPEAKER_04 27:02

Come on, come on, hurry up.

SPEAKER_01 27:03

Well, it's I I talked to my dad about it, and I was talking to them about like their generation and you know, like the expectations of them and their generation as far as like age and where you're supposed to be. If I had children at 20, I'm 35. If I had children when I was 20, and no offense to anybody who does or did, they would be so jacked up, it wouldn't, dude. It it would be the worst thing ever if I had kids when I was 20 years old. Yeah. And uh I I'm not built for that. I'm not built for that, never have been. And it's like now me and my wife are finally at the point where it's like, okay, we feel secure, we feel secure in who we are, we feel like we have all the things lined up, how we'd want to raise a child. So now we're ready. If I was 20 and had a kid, man, they'd I don't even know. I don't even know. Oh yeah. I dude, I'm you'd see the explosion from miles away. Like it'd be one of those things.

SPEAKER_03 27:47

It would either make me have to grow up like instantly, yeah, or like you're saying, the kid would just be, oh, there's no telling.

SPEAKER_01 27:52

It's wild, but then it's just like you know, thinking about where you're supposed to be. So there's all this pressure. Like when we started our barbecue thing, I mean, it is true, it's like when you start having success or really going after something that you want, you get haters, bro. And like haters from all haters from barbecue restaurants. I mean, but not even that, it's just like people that like you've known and like think they know what's best for you, and you know, just trying to push through that and proving people wrong. And I'm a big prove people wrong guy. Um and that is honestly like the biggest motivation. Like, and my wife would tell you, like, she she loves and hates it when I get an idea in my head because it's gonna happen. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Regardless, uh and she just at the beginning, she's like, Well, we have to be on the same page. I'm like, We are, and I love you, but I'm still doing this. Yeah, this is gonna happen. Like, I'm still doing this, and I'm gonna do it right, and I'm gonna make sure that we have a good, you know, good name from it. Uh kind of thing. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 28:42

But uh is that how the Texas Twinkie came about?

SPEAKER_01 28:44

No, so the Texas Twinkie is actually something that a lot of people do back home. Uh, we just do it differently. We do it differently. Good, man. So we're taking a lot of that influence and you know, stuff that we've already seen and done back home, but uh, you know, changing it to make it our own.

SPEAKER_03 28:58

Yeah, it's what about the name? That's my favorite part.

SPEAKER_02 29:01

You thought it was because of the uh I thought I didn't know your last name was Mars. I was just thinking in her cellar and I was like, oh, maybe that's like a spin-off of that.

SPEAKER_01 29:08

But yeah, dude. Yeah, so just my last name's Mars. And uh said fourth plant of barbecue, but it came out of nowhere, and you would think that it would be something that clicked right off the rip. But uh at first it was like Bubba's barbecue, and my niece, my niece, my niece and nephew call me Bro Bro. And it was like it started off, they called me Uncle Bubba, and then like I guess like speech impediment or something happened when they were like six, and they're like Bro Bro, and then that stuck. And so now all my nieces and nephews call me Bro Bro. So they're like Brobro's barbecue, and I was like, I live in Alabama, I don't want it to sound like my barbecue joint sound like Bubba's barbecue is the most country name ever, which is whatever. There's a million of Bubba's. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Dude, so many. And I was like, and there's a lot of people that have like their name like Mars Barbecue, or like, you know, I mean, people Franklin's barbecue.

SPEAKER_03 29:52

Mars is still cool though.

SPEAKER_01 29:53

Yeah, and it it's it's cool, but like I was like, I want to do something that'd be fun to like, you know, like build the brand on, and you know, but it also is like a cool play on words. Yeah. And so my wife was in down, she goes, What about fourth planet? And we I about flipped the table over. I'll be like, that's brilliant. Oh my gosh, nail on the head. Yes, and so then like the merch and everything, like I've got we're working on hats, and uh, you know, the whole cow getting sucked up by a UFO, and like the next one that we're gonna do is it's gonna be an astronaut with a cowboy hat riding my smoker like a bull.

SPEAKER_02 30:21

Oh, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 30:21

And so it's just like plan on that and like all the things that it opens up as far as like marketing and merch and everything.

SPEAKER_02 30:27

We need to get Elon Musk on board, I guess. Let's go, baby.

SPEAKER_03 30:30

Somebody out there with a sign that's like dressed up as an alien.

SPEAKER_01 30:34

Yeah, man. That's funny, dude. But we've got uh yeah, we'll have a whole bunch of stuff, and um we're gonna have whenever we get the whole restaurant set up, we're gonna have a one-of-one beer that we're gonna do. Oh and I think we're gonna call it Steely Eyed Missile Man. Okay. It'll be uh it'll be made by uh not us making it, but we're not gonna make it in the kitchen, no. No, no, no, no. No, no, no. But uh in talks with some local people about um, you know, getting a one-of-one kind of thing and something that you can only have when we're there. Um but you know, just having fun with the brand. Just going through it that way. Now let's do your thing.

SPEAKER_02 31:07

Yeah, yeah, man. You've put all the legwork in. Now you get to enjoy and reap the benefits of it. Just do things like that, have a beer and you know, sponsor the fourth quarter. That's so awesome.

SPEAKER_01 31:15

Oh man, I cannot wait. I cannot wait for that. That's gonna be so cool. And yeah, you know, uh people like to make their like parents proud and everything. And like, I love my mama. I love my mama, she's a wonderful woman. But like my dad, for whatever reason, he's just got my heart by the heart, like by the strings, dude. Like he he is my dude, and I like every time we do stuff, like I just like look at him, whatever. And he, if he's looking at him, I'm like, all right, I'm nailing it. If he's happy, yeah. Oh, just wait until he comes to a game. I can't wait until he's in a game with us.

SPEAKER_02 31:46

My boy. Yeah, man, yeah. Well, dude, that's a question I have for you. So I know you're a big Ohio State fan from Ohio. Here we go. Well, baby. What do you do? So I know y'all are working every Saturday, just grind it, like, and they always play at noon. Yep. So are you trying to like do two things at once while you're serving and keeping up with a game or what?

SPEAKER_01 32:01

Yes. Have you have you been to the restaurant when Ohio State's plan? Why well, no, not when they're actually playing. Okay, because if you do, you'll hear me screaming in the background. So literally, it'll be like, I'll be slicing and then whatever, and then uh you'll hear me just be like, Go box, baby, in the background. And it's like quiet, and like Graceland's like everybody in the front's like looking around, like, who's screaming in the back? And it's me. It's the same thing. I'm just slicing brisket but still screaming at the TV. Like, that's so awesome.

SPEAKER_03 32:28

But that is a fun thing to cheer for, but you're stuck around a bunch of obnoxious Alabama fans.

SPEAKER_01 32:33

Well, it's funny. When we first moved here, the day we moved here, I put all my Ohio State stuff in the front lawn. Oh, that's awesome. Uh I had like six neighbors texting me, like, are you trying to get your house burned down? Like, what are you doing? And I was like, Bring it on, baby. I had like my the is just I have a flag that is like an eight-foot flag, and it just says the on it. And I flew that bad boy high, and eh man, they hated it. And then I've got a uh neighbor who's uh he's a Michigan fan, or the team up north, if you will. Yeah, um and I've got Michigan toilet paper. And I've also set it on his porch one morning. Dude. That is amazing. He didn't roll his yard with it. Oh heck yeah. So it's just like stuff like that. But yeah, from Ohio, uh, I'm an army brat, so we moved around uh a little bit. Uh my dad was a Green Beret uh wow uh when I was growing up. And uh I was born in North Carolina, but I only lived there for a couple months, and then we moved to the Cincinnati area. That's where my family is from. My mom and dad were born and raised in Cincinnati. Are you a pro fan? Yeah, Bengals. Let's go.

SPEAKER_02 33:33

We're talking about it. Whenever I met Luke outside, I that was the first thing I brought up. Yeah, so I'm just I'm a I'm I'm a new fan, but I'm a diehard. Since Joe Burrow's been there, I've been the biggest Bengals fan ever. I bet him every year to win the Super Bowl, every year win total. I just love them.

SPEAKER_01 33:49

This is probably gonna be the best year for them since when they played uh the Rams. That's what I think. I think the same thing.

SPEAKER_03 33:54

Two years ago, they had a lot of big trades or something. Yeah, they brought in a Did they finally get an offensive line?

SPEAKER_01 33:58

They finally did what they needed to do in the draft and in the offseason. So they would always chase like a running back or like a wide receiver or something like that, and then it's like that's great and all, but he ain't gonna get the ball if Joe's getting sacked in 1.2 seconds. That's it. And you can trade for those guys. Yeah, yeah. And so in like the picking up of like Dexter Lawrence and like all that stuff, beefing up the defensive line, not focusing on our skill positions because we got him.

SPEAKER_03 34:21

Yeah, just trash last year.

SPEAKER_01 34:23

Well, and then it's like you got Yosef Osh, uh, the wide receiver. He's like a sleeper guy. Yeah, he's just our slot guy. Yeah, he's gonna be solid, he's gonna be solid. And then I mean you got I mean, Jamar Chase and T Higgins. Oh, of course. Then Chase Brown on the backfield's gonna be his stud.

SPEAKER_02 34:36

Yeah, and he had a good one last year, but this year might be like the breakout. It's gonna be a breakout year, I think.

SPEAKER_03 34:40

So yeah, he's a beat. Y'all talking in to betting the Bengals this year. Right.

SPEAKER_02 34:45

Yeah, they brought in Dexter Lawrence and then they brought in Cook from he's uh he was the top three agent safety. They brought him in, signed a couple couple guys on the defensive line as well. I think they're gonna be pretty good. Yeah, man. Yeah, I think it's gonna work out pretty good. They finally did what they needed. Yeah. Speaking of Cincinnati, I had this on a list of topics to ask you because I I lived in Cincinnati for like four or five months one offseason, and uh I was around all the Skyliners that love Skyline chili. So give me your your take and your thoughts on it.

SPEAKER_01 35:10

Yeah, so you got Skyline and Gold Star, and it's basically like I don't even know, like Israeli-Palestinian like uh kind of thing. Like it's one of those things where like man, people will die on either hill. Yeah. Um, and you know, for me it's really pure nostalgia. Yeah. Uh I'm not going in there thinking I'm eating a five or like a five-star meal. I'm going in there knowing that it's, you know, it's just a quick deal, but it's what my family ate growing up. Yeah. Which one were you? You were Skyline. Oh, you were. Yeah, yeah. I just never heard of the other one.

SPEAKER_02 35:40

So it's thin. I've tried it. I didn't like it because I'm thinking like Alabama thick southern chili. It's different. You you can explain it better than I can.

SPEAKER_01 35:48

Yeah, so I will even tell you, it's called Skyline Chili, but it ain't chili. It's a it's a topper. Like it's more like a condiment kind of thing. But it's like a great it's got like Greek influence. And so the people who started it were like uh they're from Greek or from like the I guess Eastern Europe. Yeah, gotcha. Kind of vibe. Yeah, yeah. Um, and so uh there's like cinnamon in it and like chocolate and like a bunch of random stuff. Chocolate. But on a hot dog, it's a killer. I saw they still score with spaghetti noodles. Yeah, so they do this spaghetti. I forgot that they have it here now. You can get skyline chili at Walmart now. You can they got it in the cans and everything.

SPEAKER_03 36:22

I walk right by it every time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:25

Honestly, if you're not from there, I don't blame you. I don't blame you. But yeah, I mean, we grew up uh, you know, eating it all the time and like whenever all the family would be around, me and my dad, kind of the same, like I said, lone wolves, and you know, get overstimulated with like all the noise and family. Yeah. And then he'd just like tug my shirt and be like, let's go. And the me and him would peel off for a couple hours and go eat skyline and skyline. That kind of beer. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it's a huge following, huge following.

SPEAKER_02 36:49

It's there's uh is it Coney Island? Is that another thing? And that's they use Skyline chili on it, right? Coney Island. Or what am I thinking of in Coney Island? I remember that being a big thing when it was up there. I don't know. Okay, never mind. I couldn't remember if that was like where they was like a hot dog with the skyline and all that cheese sitting on it.

SPEAKER_01 37:05

Oh yeah, well that's Skyline. So Skyline is the Coneys. The Coneys. The Coneys, okay. Coney Island's in New York. Yeah, Coney Islands in New York. Coney Island's a theme park.

SPEAKER_03 37:13

But uh yeah, they have nine different thoughts.

SPEAKER_01 37:15

Yeah, and then they've got like the the unfortunate names for like their spaghetti one. It's like the three-way, four-way, five-way kind of thing.

SPEAKER_03 37:21

And so kind of like you can do the hash rounds at uh Waffle Hell. Yep, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:25

So three-way, just like spaghetti, chili and cheese, four-way spaghetti bean, chili cheese, five-way spaghetti bean, onion, chili cheese, and all that. What is the obesity rate? No high. It's damn high because look at your boy. I brought it down here and started cooking food. So that's awesome, bro. But it's good, man. Uh yeah. Again, super nostalgic. All my buddies in Texas, like because I mean, my best buddies live in Texas, and they're like, we don't put beans in chili, and it's gotta be thick, and you know, all that stuff. So they always give me crap about it.

SPEAKER_02 37:52

But well, dude, you probably had it had it out for them, what, two, was it three years ago when Texas played Ohio State in the playoff? Yep. College football playoff. Remember that?

SPEAKER_01 38:00

Yeah, man. I was this close to going to that game. Uh, didn't work out, but yeah, it was a very loud, very loud night in the Mars household. I bet it was.

SPEAKER_03 38:08

You're not a Texas guy, huh?

SPEAKER_01 38:09

But you lived in Austin. Yep. Yep. I would go uh and walk around Austin with my Ohio State stuff and people throw a beer at you. I'm believing stuff. I know, yeah. I this is one thing, especially since I don't since I don't live there anymore. UT fans are the worst. Texas fans are the worst. I'm looking you in the eyeball. Texas fans are the worst. Daryl K. Royal Stadium is the worst.

SPEAKER_03 38:31

A shirt or a belief a belief.

SPEAKER_01 38:33

You know, you're just like, fuck this guy. And then they take the shirt off and they're like, oh, he's cool. Dude, the first one of my buddies, when I was living, when we were living in Texas, one of my buddies' dad was the chief of police for the UT campus. And so, like every game, like I got to go to like I got court seats to go to the basketball games, we got field passes to go on the field with me and my buddy Matt. And met like, you know, Lance Armstrong, we met Vince Young, we met all those guys, Matthew McConaughey, all those guys. I was like 13, the first one I went to, and I had my highest state on, and like two seconds of being there, I had like a beer bottle chunked up my head. As a 13.

SPEAKER_00 39:01

Like, I'm like a kid. I'm like looking around, I'm like, I'm a kid. What is happening? I'm like kid.

SPEAKER_01 39:05

And then from that point on, I was like, you know, screw all y'all, yeah. And I'm gonna purposefully try and make y'all mad whenever I come down. I'm gonna wear my highest stuff. I'm gonna wear the socks, I'm gonna wear the hat, I'm gonna do all the stuff. I don't think Alabama fans are that bad.

SPEAKER_03 39:16

Like maybe in the stadium.

SPEAKER_01 39:18

Maybe maybe a drunk guy, but not and like with us, like I'm not going to have a bad time. I'm just going to have fun. Like, we're just going to like watch football. Like, I just love the environment. I'm not trying to go start a fight. It's not that deep. But like it is something.

SPEAKER_02 39:30

I mean, some people do, uh, now you know that all of your customers here are basically Alabama and Auburn fans, just about. It's pretty split here, and there's really no other fans.

SPEAKER_01 39:38

You've got to kind of tailor to the I don't have to have any issues playing Ohio State on the big screen when we get them.

SPEAKER_03 39:45

You have to wait till business got booming to kind of come out of the closet of the Ohio State business.

SPEAKER_01 39:50

We haven't fully done it yet. We haven't fully done it yet, but honestly, you know, we had thought about that, and I was like, is this gonna be an issue? Is this really gonna be an issue?

SPEAKER_02 39:57

I'm serious sometimes.

SPEAKER_01 39:58

I don't know. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to let go of me not playing Ohio State loud and proud every time. I love that. You like Peter Denying Jesus.

SPEAKER_03 40:05

I'm an Ohio State fan.

SPEAKER_01 40:08

You got a rooster crowing in the background.

SPEAKER_04 40:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:12

But uh that is awesome. Yeah, big Buckeye fan. Probably the biggest buckeye fan I know.

SPEAKER_02 40:16

Yeah, oh that's sweet. The biggest buckeye fan. I think so. That's bad. You're the biggest one I know now. I don't know everybody. I've never really met an Ohio State fan. Other than the, I knew a couple people in Cincinnati when I lived up there that were Ohio State fans, but not as big as you are. I can tell. I can tell. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 40:29

Most Ohio State fans that I know, they're they're really passionate. I guess like that's just the biggest thing up there.

SPEAKER_01 40:34

We love the tradition. Yeah. You know, you love just like the history of Ohio State. Yeah. Well, did you see when you're going on my Instagram, did you see the video of me getting on TV? I did. I just saw that. I wasn't talking to you. So, no, the guy, the uh it was my dad was dealing with some health stuff at the time, and so I pulled the camera guy over and I was like, dude, I know you got a lot of people saying this to you all the time. I was like, my dad's at home, he's watching the game. He's had a really crappy past couple months. He would freak out if he got me on TV. And the guy looked at me and he goes, I got you. And not two seconds later, he's like, five, four, three, whatever. And I'm like, I don't even know what to do. I'm just screaming.

SPEAKER_00 41:07

I'm number one.

SPEAKER_01 41:09

Surrounded by like young kids. And it's like, I'm the old guy screaming at the at the camera. Where was that? Uh that was in Columbus. Yeah. That was in Columbus. It was the big noon kickoff that day. So we go up.

SPEAKER_03 41:20

Well, hell you can't working.

SPEAKER_01 41:21

Well, so now we haven't been able to, but um, yeah, the past year and a half we haven't been able to. But prior to it, I mean, my wife and I would do doubleheaders uh pretty much every single weekend. So we'd go to Columbus and watch a buckeye game and then go to Cincinnati and watch a Bengals game. Oh, that's a good one. And then come home. Yeah. That's awesome. But I am saving up for next year when Ohio State plays Bama in Columbus. That's right. And then they play they play Bama in Festival 2028. Oh my god. You're gonna take off for that? Dude, I'm gonna sell my kidney for that. I'm gonna there's there's no no there's no world where I miss that game. And uh I think my dad and I'm gonna I'm working on my whole family, but I think we're gonna have a pretty big crowd being able to go. So you have to. We'll go and we'll tailgate and and then I'm sure it'll be college game day. Oh, it will be all the parties and like having the kids up there, having them see that, and all that would be cool. But but yeah, we're gonna be going up there for that.

SPEAKER_02 42:12

So if you were to have to, you know, let's say next year you go to that game, who do you have cover for you? Do you have somebody that you trust enough to cover things back at Fourth Planet?

SPEAKER_01 42:20

Um, not yet. Um, but I've got a couple people that I'm working on. Gotcha, gotcha, cool. So because it's gonna take a while for someone to be, you know, completely comfortable with like cooking the briskets and like my pig. Um it took me a couple years to not care so much about like the timing of of it all and just kind of flow with it. Yeah, yeah. Um whereas like when I first started, I was like, I had like all the temperature probes in and like I was like monitoring everything down to the degree, and if it like swayed by like 10, I was freaking out. And it's like now it's just it's no big deal, just like you know, let it do what it does. Yeah, and it'll get and it'll get there. And uh, you know, just getting somebody on that kind of level to do it.

SPEAKER_02 42:57

So it's your baby, like this is your like your thing.

SPEAKER_01 43:00

So you have to get to that level of trust with somebody before you can just let them come in and rip your like your kitchen and your and the best thing, the thing that I love about just like the craft Texas barbecue culture is like it's always fostering growing the community. And so it's like I look forward to bringing someone in and telling them all the stuff that we do because I hope that they can do it to do something for themselves. Right. Yeah, yeah. And it's like that's what I would want. Well, no, we're gonna have some NDA, baby. There's some NDA. Yeah, we're gonna have some things that you cannot take. Yeah, seriously.

SPEAKER_00 43:29

We're Jupiter, Jupiter barbecue, three rings barbecue or whatever somewhere. So they're doing all that, but yeah, it's you know, it is gonna take a minute.

SPEAKER_03 43:39

I can't remember who I was telling the other day. I was like, Do you know it's fourth planet barbecue because his last name's the fourth planet? And they were like, Venus? Uranus, Uranus.

SPEAKER_00 43:50

Uranus, Uranus Barbecue.

SPEAKER_01 43:52

Booty barbecue.

SPEAKER_02 43:54

Booty barbecue.

SPEAKER_01 43:55

But yeah, man, it's it's it's crazy. And trying to find people that, you know, we're real selective about it too. Because we're trying to have a team that, you know, we don't want any drama. We want people to be happy to be there.

SPEAKER_02 44:06

Like a family almost.

SPEAKER_01 44:07

And I've always struggled with, you know, having jobs where my bosses were terrible and you hated your job. And we just really are trying to make it a place where, you know, people want to be. That's amazing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 44:23

Heck yeah, man.

SPEAKER_01 44:24

And there are people out there. Um, but you know, it's just taking time. We're gonna let it come to us. We're not really seeking it out too.

SPEAKER_03 44:29

You get a barbecue tattoo?

SPEAKER_01 44:31

Uh that one's the only one. It's just a pig getting sucked up by a UFO. That's awesome. Just to barbecue his ass and put him back there. Yeah. But we'll we'll get some more stuff. So I've only got this arm done, and this is all just like, I mean, that's a picture of my dad. Yeah. And all that stuff. But uh, I'm gonna have hopefully uh a barbecue arm. Oh, dude, that'll be sad.

SPEAKER_04 44:51

So sick.

SPEAKER_01 44:51

So we'll have we'll have all that. My buddy up in Spring Hill is the one who does all my tattoos. So uh I think I got an appointment with him here in a couple months.

SPEAKER_02 44:59

Dude, I had another question for you. Sorry, I don't have to change the subject. But so for anybody listening that likes to cook at home and likes to try barbecue or try to smoke something at home. I have a Traeger. Yep. What would you suggest or what would you tell people, like, yeah, this is a good one to use to get if they're trying to get into barbecue?

SPEAKER_01 45:15

Meat or like the thing to cook on.

SPEAKER_02 45:17

What meat cook? No, no, well, no, no, not what to cook, the uh the type of grill, the setup.

SPEAKER_01 45:22

Definitely if you're not doing it full time, I would say something that's gonna make it easier for you. So something that you can kind of set and forget. A Traeger and like pellet grills are a great option because you know you can just put it on there and you let it roll, you don't have to stay up for 12 hours. Gotcha. Uh I will promise you that if you do it often, you will catch the bug and you will buy an offset and you will be the guy that drinks 14 beers, 16 beers, and cooks barbecue all night long. Because I'm telling you, man, that is some good times. I mean, like when I had like buddies come over and be like, hey, you want to come over and just drink all night and we'll just like cook brisket? And I'm like, Yeah, that sounds awesome. So we just hang out in the driveway, listen to music, and just talk and hang out and drink a bunch of beer, and it's like a Met Academy, but you basically load them with charcoal and then put wood chunks at the bottom and lowly burns down. And so you can get more into the real wood taste uh going that way. But definitely things that are gonna make your life easier from the jump. I wouldn't recommend day one getting the offset because then you've got to buy it.

SPEAKER_03 46:27

Like the pro thing. The offsets? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:30

Yeah, I mean just being able to run fire and you know, the size wood splits that you're gonna need and how to arrange it, because it's all there's all different things. So it's like if I want my fire to move fast, I flip the wood. If I want it to move slow, I turn it a different way. Okay. If I want it to burn hotter, I'll build it higher. If I want it to burn lower, I'll make it lower. Gotcha. I want you know, however you want it, there's different ways to position it. How many splits do I use? Do I use three? Do I use two thicker ones? Do I use one big boy?

SPEAKER_03 46:56

And like you also have to have the knowledge of offering.

SPEAKER_01 46:59

And it's when to let it go higher and when to go lower. And it just takes time and like um, you know, you figure it out. Yeah. And every cooker's every cooker's different. So it's like it's not all the same, and every cook is different. And that's why I like it, because it's always it feels like it's the same, but um there's variety in it all. And so it's always different every time. So it keeps it interesting, and you know, there's stuff that we figure out. Like uh I felt like I was gonna die the other day because we had a big storm rolled through, and uh screen blew in, and uh lightning bolt hit like right by the smoke shack, everything, and I was like, I mean, I guess if this is how I go out, I went out doing doing what I love. And it's like I feel like that'd be pretty badass to like think like, hey, he was cooking barbecue running fire and got struck by lightning. Like the lightning bolt hit his beer can it was my beer staff that I had, my beer can staff that I had sitting next to me.

SPEAKER_00 47:50

But uh yeah, man.

SPEAKER_01 47:51

I don't know. I don't know. I love it, but I I mean I will caution. If you get into it, you're gonna it's gonna be uh it's gonna be a lot quick, and your wife is probably not gonna be too happy. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 48:01

Uh but it it is because of the beers or the cooking. Yes. Yes, yes. Already do the beers, we might as well do it.

SPEAKER_02 48:09

Yeah, we do another beer. I think they'll they'll understand.

SPEAKER_03 48:12

At least I'll come in smelling like uh barbecue smoke and not staggerly smoke.

unknown 48:16

Staggerly.

SPEAKER_01 48:18

Yeah, man. We uh Gracelyn, she uh she's been a champ through it all. And uh man, but our whole house, I mean, all my stuff smells like smoke, I think. Just a little bit. It's like in my skin now. So um it's just just a part of part of what we do. But uh yeah, man. Yeah, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 48:33

What are some other things y'all do? I mean, like being kind of new to the area. Like, what do y'all what do y'all love about Florence? What do y'all man?

SPEAKER_01 48:39

We love the community. Yeah, I think uh this has been one of those places where it's the first time in a long time that we both feel like it's our own. Yeah. Um and we get to kind of make it our own. We love the music scene. Oh, yeah. We love how many people that are here that like we wouldn't have thought. Like we went to Flow Bama like the first like couple weeks we were here, and then it's like featuring the keyboardist from Kansas. Or like and I'm we're like, what the heck? What is happening? And then you go to Swampers and you're like, I had no idea this was here, didn't even think about it. And then one of the coolest things is Gary Nichols, uh the local guy. Uh I've been listening to the Steel Drivers for forever. Even before, even before we moved here. And then uh I knew that Gary Nichols was in the Steel Drivers, and so one night it was at Gun Runner, yeah, and uh it was like come have a night with Gary Nichols or whatever, and it was free. And I was like, baby, let's go. I was like, let's go up there, that sounds awesome. So we go, and there's three people, and it's like Gary's right there, and we are right here, and I'm like, what the heck?

SPEAKER_00 49:34

I've been listening to this dude for 12 years or whatever, however long.

SPEAKER_01 49:37

It's a Grammy winner. All that, yeah, Grammy winner, and like I got his number, and like we were hanging out, and like he was like he hung out with us after the after the set, and like super nice guy, and I was like, This is so surreal, this is crazy. That is it. And uh, you know, we we love we just love the area and like just how friendly everybody's been. We talk always about our neighbors, like our neighbors across the way from us are God's gift to neighbors, they're the best people on the planet. Um, when we moved here, uh it was funny, Graceland and I, we both had COVID really, really bad. So the first week we were here, we had our house full of boxes, we had a mattress on the living room floor and dying, basically. We had it bad. It was like it was like 10-day COVID. It was wild. That's brilliant. Like 100 and something degree temps for literally 10 days. It was crazy, miserable. And I swear to God, it was like every like 10 minutes, just bang, bang, bang, ring, ring, ring, bang, bang, bang, ring, ring, ring.

SPEAKER_00 50:23

Here's cookies, here's this, here's this.

SPEAKER_01 50:25

And so we ended up having to put a letter on the front door and be like, neighbors, we love that y'all are so kind and all that, but please leave us alone. Like we're sick, we're dying. As soon as we're good, we're gonna come meet every one of y'all. Yeah, and so that's been good. And then with the barbecue, and we were kind of getting started and honing everything in, I fed the all the neighborhood basically. Oh, I bet they're gonna be able to do it. Just walk around by the balls. Uh, I'd walk around and have I'd have be like, I have a gallon of barbecue sauce that's just like tape. Do you want this kind of thing? Or like I have a pork butt that I'd I have too much, like too much in the freezer and I don't want it. Do you want it? And so being able to take care of them and uh and all that, but yeah, definitely just like the people and um it's yeah, it's you said your neighbor, y'all are friends. Well, I mean, yeah, he's older than me, but y'all hang out and shit.

SPEAKER_03 51:05

No, we don't I don't hang out with him.

SPEAKER_01 51:06

I don't hang out with him, but my uh my good buddy is is actually uh my best friend here's named Zach, he's the brewer for Singing River. Oh, very cool. Yeah, cool, yeah. Yeah, super, super good guy. Just like getting to know people like him and like his wife and his and uh his family and their families and everything. And um, you know, we've just met some of the best people that we've ever met in our lives here. So that's amazing. Well, and then the new house that we bought, uh I'm hoping it'll be our one for a while. That's awesome. Where's it at? Yeah, uh, we're up on Cliverdale too, so we're in uh uh Sherwood Forest.

SPEAKER_02 51:36

Sherwood Forest, yeah, dude. That's I'm in Heathrow, so I'm right over there beside you. Yeah, that's awesome. That's such a nice place up there. Yeah, right across from right across from the Walmart.

SPEAKER_01 51:43

Telling you so the call was two minutes away. Oh, yeah. That's gonna be bad news. Yeah, that's concrete mixer. Dude, and me and Graceland the same, like the other day we were packing and it was like 9 30, and she just like was like ice cream, and I two seconds on a way. Got it. I don't never ask for it, but as soon as she does, and I'm like, okay, I'm not gonna get chewed out for this. Let's go! And so we'll go, but uh what's the favorite fast food place? Oh favorite fast food here. I mean, it's probably culverse. Yeah honestly, it's probably Culver's right by it. It's probably Culver's. That burger is killer. For a fast food burger, that thing is killer. Um yeah. I was let down by the water burger. Dude, the one here sucks. It's not as good as the ones. When we when we lived in Texas and it was like kind of in its prime, yeah, it was elite. Yeah, elite. Oh my gosh, it was elite. And we had one right by the house. Kind of the same distance as where we were, and they were open till like two. So you could go get like one of the honey butter chicken biscuits. Oh my god, dude. Get a honey butter chicken biscuit, dude. And then a milkshake at like 2 a.m. Shit cannot be. Oh, dude. So that was what we used it for. We'd go, there was a place, there was a place that got built right down the road. It was like the biggest indoor water park in uh the states. It's called the Kalahari. Yeah. And it was right down the road from us, and they had a really cool like piano bar and stuff. And so me and my wife, we love, we love going on dates and we love going out and having fun and you know, listening to music, having some drinks and all that. But then there's always the post-drinking munchies that we get, and water burger always hit. Uh-huh. We drive by and be like, are we gonna stop? Are we gonna stop? You want some water burger? Yeah, she's like, Yeah. And something else. No, you gotta have the water.

SPEAKER_00 53:24

She's gonna kill me. She's gonna kill me. She's gonna kill me. She's gonna kill me. She's gonna kill me.

SPEAKER_01 53:27

She's gonna kill me. She's gonna say, No, you know, I just wanted the water burger.

SPEAKER_03 53:30

No, no, she's gonna kill me. She's gonna be like, You're an idiot. In and out is goaded too, though.

SPEAKER_01 53:34

Yeah, In N Out, In N Out was good, uh, but there's another place in Austin called P. Terry's. Have you ever had P. Terry's? No, I haven't. Yeah, P. Terry's is Peter's chain? Yeah. Yeah. So I think that they they were from Austin. That's the thing, too, that's cool about Austin, is a lot of the restaurants there started off as like food trucks or like smaller stuff. So like you have Torchies Tacos, if you've ever heard of Torchy Tacos.

SPEAKER_02 53:52

Torchies, yeah, yeah. And they're a chain now.

SPEAKER_01 53:53

Yeah, Torchies Tacos, they started off as a food truck in downtown Austin. Now they're national. Um and then um Chewy's. No, Mexican joint.

SPEAKER_03 54:03

Started off as a truck?

SPEAKER_01 54:04

No, it wasn't a truck, but it was a small Mexican joint downtown Austin. That's crazy. Um, and what else was that?

SPEAKER_02 54:10

What's the super famous burger place? Is it Comeback Burger or something like that? There's a super famous burger place in Rogan. Joe Rogan always talks about it. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 54:17

You know, you know what I'm saying. Then the thing is, is when we lived there, there was so much to do that I didn't eat a lot of the stuff. Oh, gosh. So we had it, but I'll think of it here in a minute. Um there's a couple pizza places too that are really, really famous there, but um that's awesome. But yeah, dude, I mean, that was the thing with like when we lived there, like there was no shortage of really delicious, amazing food. Oh, and it's everywhere. You walk downtown and it's like food truck park, food truck park, food truck park, and all of them are different types of foods, and all of them are gonna be the best of what you had at that food truck. So it's like it's just insane. That's one thing that I wish we had here. Like that spot, I understand the need for like hotels and like all that stuff here, but that spot that was right across from Turbo Coffee, yeah, that empty lot, all I saw is like, baby, if we had all the money in the world, I would turn that into a food truck park, put a stage in the middle and like playground, and just like have like eight or nine different food trucks. They just stay there and people can come and have food.

SPEAKER_03 55:08

Like a little yeah, food truck amphitheater.

SPEAKER_01 55:10

I'm telling you, man. There's spots for that.

SPEAKER_02 55:11

I feel like there's a spot for that here. There for sure it's somewhere. I'm not sure we could find a place, but that's it. That would be so much fun. No, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:19

Yeah, well, it's fit yeah, that spot and like it was perfect because it was right in the middle of downtown. Yeah, it was, and it was walking distance for everybody. Um, you didn't have to worry about like parking, you didn't have to worry about all that stuff. You got all the parking garages, and it was that one.

SPEAKER_03 55:32

That was the last vacant lot downtown.

SPEAKER_01 55:33

It was like I think it was uh being sold for a lot more than what it was worth at the time. Gotcha, yeah. And so it was hard for people to get in there and really do what they wanted, so they needed someone like a big hotel to come in and buy it.

SPEAKER_02 55:45

We know the guy that that's doing the hotel, and he had to do so much beforehand just to even get the lot ready to build that hotel, thousands of dollars and two.

SPEAKER_03 55:58

The city are they doing the ribbon cutting or whatever? I think they're voting, they're doing some kind of vote on the tax cuts or something for it. It's like they get some kind of like I'm so stupid. I've heard of it. I don't know what it's like. They get like a tax break based off of all the money that it's gonna generate, like with all the businesses. Yeah, you know, like so they're gonna give them a tax break on their expenses as long as they buy everything local. Yeah. So they're gonna buy all the toilets and shit, like all that shit. All of it's gonna be local. But they get a tax cut, you know, and the trade-off is the city's gonna for 20 years, whatever, reap millions of dollars of people coming in, staying and shopping.

SPEAKER_01 56:32

There was something I'd seen because there was a lot of people talking a lot of crap about it and like being like, Oh, another hotel. But I don't think people understand, especially the people that live out in the county that have been here for a long time, and someone who's come from a city who blew up overnight kind of thing. Florence is given that vibe. It's literally given that vibe because in Round Rock, where I was at, so we were in Round Rock, which is just north of Austin, it was a small town. We moved there. I mean, farm town, cows everywhere. I mean, in 2003 there was nothing. And then when we moved in 2018 or whatever, 2020, uh, I think we had it was almost a half a million people. Holy cow. Um, and it was because people brought bigger businesses in. The Samsung the factory came in, the Tesla Giga factory was right down the road. Um new Apple campus was in town. And I think there was a statistic where it's like the last two years that Graceland and I were there, it was every day for two years straight, like 175 people every day were moving to the Austin area. I believe it. Yeah, I believe it. And it just blew up overnight. But then it's like you think about Florence, and it's like I don't want it to be like Round Rock. I love the you know, like the charm that this area has. Yeah. And sure it has room to grow, and there's gonna be more people that move here, but there's no need for it to be that large. Um but you think about it, I mean Memphis, Asheville, Huntsville, Birmingham, and then you've got all those cities, and right in the middle, the one that's left that still has some stuff that still has room to grow. Florence is Florence. You're exactly right. You think about it when 72, when 72 connects all the way, like with businesses, when businesses bleed together on 72 from Huntsville to Florence, it's gonna be. It's the exact same thing as what happened in Round Rock. The exact same thing. When those big businesses or those businesses start touching the smaller towns, yeah, that's when it's over. And all that stuff happens.

SPEAKER_03 58:07

Yeah, because you could live in Florence or on the edge of Florence and drive to Huntsville. People do it. Oh, we do it all the time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:12

We're going to see Creed tomorrow. Oh, at the Orion. At the Orion. Yeah, dude. I wanted to go to that street. That is awesome. Oh, dude, my divorced dad rock is gonna be going off. I love Creed, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 58:23

Damn it, I gotta play tomorrow now, dude.

SPEAKER_01 58:24

Yeah. Yeah, we're gonna go see, we're gonna go see Creed, and I think Hinder's opening for him. No way. Let's have an angel, dude. So we can't wait. We're gonna go do that and spend the day in Huntsville tomorrow. But we like having all that. But then they have the new um, what's like the agriculture center that's going in on 72? Yeah, I don't know. It's gonna be an event venue, oh yeah, hotel and all kinds of stuff.

SPEAKER_02 58:45

Yeah, out in killing. Like, killing, yep, yep, yep. Yeah. Yeah, when that's in, it's gonna be wild. Oh, I know. No, you're exactly right, though. The shoals has already grown so much in the last five years, I can't imagine what a decade from now is gonna look like. It is gonna be absolutely wild.

SPEAKER_01 58:57

Just from when we've lived here, man. I mean, like Graceland and I, we've talked about it, and I've just been like, it's like there wasn't traffic when we moved here.

SPEAKER_02 59:02

Yeah. Now there's yeah.

SPEAKER_01 59:04

But I would I would always laugh because I'd look at like when we didn't know our way around, we put it in Google Maps and everything, and drive around, and I'd see like red on like a thing, and it'd be the stoplight. And it would be like that was it. There'd be like six cars at a stoplight, but it'd be a red line on it, like there was traffic. Oh my god. And then now it's like actual, like that like whatever, like Chisholm and or Chisholm in Cox Creek, like at like 5 p.m. You're waiting six six light cycles to get through that light. You really are. It's not that crazy of traffic, but boy do I bitch about it. Oh, I know, I do too. Heck yeah, man. When you don't have it and then you get it, it ain't no thing. You know, you're you don't want it.

SPEAKER_02 59:37

But but yeah, I mean well, dude, is that good with y'all? Yeah, I thought that was we're at an hour probably.

SPEAKER_03 59:43

No, I gotta finish these texts.

SPEAKER_02 59:44

Yeah, Luke, I can't thank you enough, man. This has been such an awesome episode. You are just fantastic from a business owner standpoint. You I mean, you're an awesome dude, clearly. So if you're in the shoals any Saturday you can, please check out Fourth Planet Barbecue. It is awesome. Yeah, come on. We'd love to have you. All right, give us one last give us a woof woof.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:02

Woof woof. Let's go.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:07

That's awesome. Thank you guys. Thanks for coming on, brother. Absolutely. Thanks for watching. We'll have to do hey, let's do a collab one football game. Yeah, we should. I'll come to a pot at the restaurant.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:15

Yeah, dude, how cool would that be, man?

SPEAKER_03 1:00:16

That would be a good one. Maybe I'll play like play some music, we'll watch some football, like a bad dog tray.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:21

Dude, that would be a big event. Let's play it. Let's plan it. I'm in. Sounds good. Whatever, brother. All right. Bad dog. Wolf Wolf. Let's go.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:28

Woo!