EST. 2008
OUR STORY
FAMILY
INSPIRATION
I remember when I was a young little guy spending time in Pawhuska, Oklahoma with my great-grandparents, and watching my great-grandfather [Pampaw] prep bologna to go on the smoker. There were other times when I remember Pampaw picking out one of his many hogs to slaughter. He had an old school way of cooking - salt and pepper seasoning on the meat but that homemade sauce he made was amazing! I ate a lot of barbecue when I lived in Pawhuska.
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I also remember living with my grandfather in Compton, California [my grandparents are both from Oklahoma - but they moved to California in the late 1950's]. Paw-paw made the best ribs - no sauce needed! Paw-paw made the kind of ribs that you could go to the refrigerator at 2 in the morning and just grab a cold rib and be happy standing right there by the refrigerator light eating that cold rib. The way he seasoned those ribs was just magical.
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And then there was my father. Pops makes a mean rack of ribs too! Once I became an adult and settled back in Palm Beach County, Florida, Pops would barbecue every now and then and save me a few ribs to the side. In fact, he inspired me to carry on this Hollis barbecue tradition. I started thinking, "It's time I took the reigns and developed my own barbecue style."
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And then it happened. The barbecue bug bit me in 2008.
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My wife, Autumn [co-founder of Third's Barbecue] found a nice kettle style grill on clearance at a local store. I grilled steaks, burgers, fish, chicken...stuff like that. Then, I started experimenting with rubs and learning how the different spices go together. I wanted to make a dry rub to where you wouldn't need sauce for the meat - just like Paw-paw made.
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In 2009, BBQ Pitmasters came out and I was hooked. Watching that show kicked my "Barbecue Dreams" into overdrive. I started cooking on that little kettle weekly until one day, I realized someone stole my little kettle grill.
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Sure, I was just a little bit upset about someone stealing my grill but I decided to turn a negative into a positive and went out and bought my first offset smoker. It was time to take this journey to the next level.
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I continued to perfect my bbq rub for beef and pork - and eventually added three more recipes - poultry rub, fish rub, and vegetable seasoning. I was able to smoke ribs low and slow and started really learning how to make the perfect brisket. I was learning how to manage my fire and what combination of woods go well with different meats. I was a sponge for bbq knowledge.
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We call it Third's because I'm the third and it just fits...our bbq rubs and food all hold a long tradition of flavors. We've blended three generations of cooking together into one.
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And now, it's time to take our bbq journey to the next level and share these BBQ flavors with the world!
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Luther "Trey" Hollis III
Founder, Third's Barbecue
