They say where there is smoke there is fire, but in many instances, there will also be Fireman John, often with a mouthwatering spread of BBQ.
Johnny “Fireman John” McKinnon is a full-time fireman with the Ridgeland Fire Department, as well as part-time in Madison. He loves his job, but his real passion is competition BBQ and the camaraderie it fosters between competitors.
“I would compare the passion we have to that of a musician. Some people can’t play guitar, some people can barely hold a tune in a bucket, but some people figure it out and it’s something that can be enjoyed and shared with lots of people,” McKinnon said.
You can see why that world fits him. Standing behind his bar in his man cave in his garage in his Madison home you see his stout frame that says he is not afraid to get his hands dirty or drag a few bags of charcoal across a field. His eyes are friendly and full of mirth.
His walls are adorned with trophies, mostly mounted deer and BBQ competition trophies and a liberal peppering of fireman memorabilia and Mississippi State maroon and white.
McKinnon had spent many years at the grill and in the kitchen, selling food at the Sturgis, Mississippi Motorcycle Rally in his hometown, but competition never occurred to him until someone at the rally made the comment, “You should look into competition BBQ.”
Soon, he cooked ribs for a group of friends at his daughter Hollan’s first birthday and was hooked. Nineteen years later, McKinnon is still chasing the rush of competition BBQ.
Ridgeland Fire Chief Matt Bailey said that Mckinnon’s passion is well-known around the Reservoir Fire Station on Rice Road.
“He loves it that's his vice in a way and I know he does a great job at it. He has such a passion for good food and I have to say he has the coolest grill rig I have ever seen,” Bailey said.
Bailey added that he is an exemplary fireman as well.
“He is one of our top guys over there and has been with us since I came here. He’s been a good employee and a dedicated fireman,” Bailey said. “He’ll do anything we need him to do.”
Fireman John has been catering for 15 years to support his “contest habit.” Habit, vice and addiction are kind of “industry terms” that hardcore competition cookers use to describe their love of the game and its many facets.
“You know I really like to cook and I like the competitions. You get to know people. We are buddies on Friday night and we hang out, maybe talk a little trash, and drink some beers. And then Saturday, it’s on,” McKinnon said.
Feed this habit long enough and it starts spidering out into other ventures, many with direct connections to his competition craze, like his catering business. In addition, he is a Backwoods Smokers grill rep.
“They are by far some of the best on the market and it’s what a lot of competition people use. They have an iconic design that a lot of people try to unsuccessfully duplicate,” McKinnon said.
He sells between five and six a year.
Finally, McKinnon has his own line of BBQ rubs, spices, seasonings, marinades and sauces, available on his website and locally at the Flora Butcher and Grills of Mississippi in Ridgeland.
He said it took him hours of hard work to find his signature flavor.
“I have dumped so many dollars worth of ingredients in the trash at the fire station,” McKinnon said with a laugh. “It took a lot of work to get it just right.”
His pecan rub has been used by the Flora Butcher for brisket and his marinade has been used on the salmon at a Florence steakhouse.
Before he was experimenting with signature flavors, McKinnon remembers being in the kitchen with his mother and grandmother when he was young and quickly started trying experiments of his own.
Outside of their supervision he remembers his first recipe, peanut butter, which he figured was simply made with the two ingredients in the name.
“I said I like peanut butter, that can’t be too hard, seems simple. So I mixed up peanuts and butter in a bowl and I’ll never forget, my daddy was so nice he took a spoonful of it and told me it was pretty good,” McKinnon said with a laugh. “It got a lot better from there.”
Rewards for competitions vary from monetary prizes to bragging rights, but the best ones come with hardware.
Competition BBQ trophies are rarely a cheap hunk of plastic. Many indulge the full eccentricities of their communities and serve double duty as eclectic pieces of Americana art.
In April, McKinnon was prepping his trailer for the Ham Jam Art Festival and BBQ Competition just north in Neshoba County after a whole hog catering event was rained out that weekend, where a local woman paints pig statues in goofy, sassy and zany ways.
Johnny has his eyes set on Smoke on the Mountain in July in Galax, Virginia, where the top prizes include special made fiddles and banjos.
“I am really excited about that one. That one is definitely for the trophy, it is not a money run,” Mckinnon said.
In most competitions, the top five in each category usually get paid or receive trophies, but if you looked at Mckinnon’s healthy collection of accolades, the handful of trophies he received from the famed Memphis in May BBQ Competition stand the tallest.
“That's the biggest one everyone competes in, It does not get any bigger than Memphis in May,” McKinnon said.
And the trophy reflects that, in fact “trophy” may be too trite a word. “Monument” comes to mind when you see one of the tall metal bases that can only be lugged across the room. The design changes, but McKinnon has one with flames bolted the side and a top ornament that reads “World Championship.”
McKinnon has received second and third place honors at Memphis in May in whole hog, second place in shoulder, first place in beef and the Peoples Choice award one year.
The big category seasoned smokers chase is the whole hog.
“Not everybody can cook the whole hog. You have three sections, the ham, shoulder and loin. If everything isn’t just right then the loin could dry out and thats where people really beat up,” McKinnon said.
Right now, McKinnon has three events on his mind: this year’s Memphis in May Competition where he will try again to take top honors in whole hog, Smoke on the Mountain and a return to his hometown for the Motorcycle Rally in August.
“You will know where to find me, our music will be the loudest,” McKinnon said.
