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| THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2006 |
WWW.SANDUSKYREGISTER.COM |
Meat lovers
 Ralph Shetzer and his rotisserie grill are ready for customers at Winesburg Bar-B-Q in Clyde. Shetzer hopes to someday leave his insurance business and explore what was once just his hobby.
Register
photo/BEN
JAMIN ROODE
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Winesburg Barbecue is a product of
love for grilling, cooking, good food |
By BENJAMIN ROODE
benjaminroode@sanduskyregister.com
CLYDE
It's not often we get to turn our hobbies into
business ventures.
But Clyde insurance salesman Ralph Shetzer has done just that with Winesburg Bar- B-Q on U.S. 20 across from The Pizza House in Clyde. A giant rotisserie grill on the back of a full-service kitchen trailer is Clyde's latest addition to the seemingly growing grilled food market in the Firelands.
It all started with a special on The Food Network on the Southern Yankee Barbecue company. His interest piqued, Shetzer contacted the southern Indiana company, took a cooking class with his wife and bought a trailer.
The trailer has let Shetzer turn what has been a lifelong hobby into more. He sets alight hickory and apple wood at the back of the grill each morning at about 6:30. Once the fire is good and hot, in go the ribs, brisket, pork butt and other savory meats.
The next two hours he devotes to his insurance business until just before lunch, when the ribs, chicken and brats come off for hungry customers.
Brisket takes 10 hours to cook correctly, he said.
His biggest sellers are the pulled pork and ribs. Grilling on the giant rotisserie with several swinging trays inside also allows him to try new
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Winesburg Bar-B.Q
Winesburg features pulled pork, brisket and chicken sandwiches as well as half and quarter chickens and bratwurst. Macaroni and potato salad and coleslaw are sides. Daily specials vary. Pulled meat is also available by the pound.
125 W. McPherson Highway (U.S. 20)
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
call 419-680-0340 for large orders.
recipes and settle on standards. Ribs are rubbed and cooked dry-style with sauce on the side. A special spray - see if you can taste the Dr. Pepper on the ribs - gives a sweet taste to the meat.
It's that tweaking and experimenting Shetzer, 61, looks forward to. He plans on selling his insurance business in several years and maintaining the barbecue trailer.
Travel plans around the country in the trailer could be on the
radar screen as well.
Until then he'll continue to spread the word and keep cooking delicious meats. Word is getting around, too - this
past weekend was the first he ran out of food before he closed.
No matter what, he'll keep cooking, though.
"I just love it," he said.
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