THE THRILL OF THE GRILL

THE THRILL OF THE GRILL

Local rubs and sauces season classic summer meals. 

WRITTEN BY BARBARA TWITCHELL
PHOTO BY KEVIN KARL

Nothing says summer like the sizzle of a juicy cut of meat on the grill, the succulent aroma filling the lazy, balmy evening. And since the day prehistoric man first discovered fire, we have been searching for perfect ways to season, slather, and spice up that meat.

Enter Beverly Crowe, who laughingly credits those primal tendencies in her husband, Tim, as the spark that started her on the path to a new business. Beverly is the owner, product developer, production supervisor, sales manager, distributor, shipping clerk, and literally the chief cook and bottle washer of Bain Tussler’s All Natural Homemade BBQ Rubs and Sauce.

“I always kid Tim that he is my Neanderthal because he loves to build a fire,” Beverly says. “And he loves to cook.”

Add those two passions together and they equal, what else? Great barbecue. Beverly says that her husband of 41 years has been concocting sauces and seasonings as long as she has known him. Eventually, she started writing down what he was doing.

Beverly, herself, brings 20-plus years of experience in the catering and deli industry to the equation. As it turns out, Tim’s gastronomic creativity and Beverly’s culinary savvy for combining herbs and converting his little-of-this-and-pinch-of-that cooking methods into consistent, reliable recipes, proved to be the perfect marriage. The result is The Best Ever BBQ Sauce and The Kind Dry Rub, the company’s flagship products.

NATURAL CUSTOM
Grilling is an art as well as a family tradition in the Crowe household, one that goes back four generations. They are passionate about it. As a result, they also are passionate about the flavor and quality of the seasonings they use and manufacture.

“Every time I’d see a new rub we’d try it and it was always too salty,” Beverly says. “Then when you’d read the ingredients you would find words on there that you couldn’t pronounce. I just thought, I can do better than this.”

And she has. Crowe is proud of the fact that her sauce and seasonings, which now include a line of five dry rubs, are made from all wholesome, natural ingredients, with no preservatives or MSG.

ALL IN THE FAMILY
Together with her daughter, Jennifer, and son, Jim, production is definitely a family affair.

Working in a commercial kitchen in Virginia City, Nev., Beverly makes the sauce, Jennifer makes the rubs, and Jim helps them with the packing. Tim?

“You can call him quality control,” Beverly says. “He makes sure it still tastes the same.”

So what about the name Bain Tussler’s? Turns out Tim is responsible for that as well.

“Tim has nicknames for everyone,” Crowe says, laughing. “When we were first married, he was exasperated with me one day and said I was the bane of his existence.”

After that her nickname became Bain and he eventually added Tussler, a name she shared with a cat!

“It’s just an affectionate name that stuck,” she says.

When it came time to name the company, Bain Tussler’s seemed perfect.

The products now are available in six stores in Northern Nevada and through Justrubs.com. Crowe also demonstrates and sells the products at many local events and farmers’ markets, offering samples because, “…when you taste it that sells it immediately!”

The steady rate that the business has grown since they started in 2009 makes Crowe extremely optimistic.

“I think there’s a little Neanderthal in all of us,” Crowe says with a big smile.

In fact, she’s counting on it.

Reno writer Barbara Twitchell admits to being quite a saucy and spicy gal, making her the perfect person to write this article.

Smoker Extraordinaire
The Big Green Egg is a barbecue game changer.

If you are expecting the Big Green Egg to be followed by

Dr. Seuss’ byline, guess again. The Big Green Egg is not a children’s storybook or the latest Disney film.

It’s actually the latest craze in backyard cooking – a grill, a smoker, and even an oven – all in one compact, green, egg-shaped body. This modern Kamado cooker is based on a 3,000-year-old concept, but with new and improved design and technology.

Made of highly durable, heat retentive, space-age ceramics, this charcoal cooker boasts unparalleled cooking flexibility, easily regulating and maintaining temperatures ranging from 200 degrees to 750 degrees. Testimonials also abound on its ability to maintain moisture and minimize shrinkage of meats.

So if you want one outdoor grill that can smoke your turkey, barbecue your ribs, sear your steak, and even bake your bread, this may be the answer. The Big Green Egg comes in five sizes, ranging from mini to extra large.

But fair warning, this wondrous item isn’t cheap. The most popular large size starts at $700. And that’s just the cooker, not even the stand. Accessories are equally pricey.

Enthusiastic fans, called “Eggheads,” are prolific and almost fanatical. They say that the price is well worth it considering its durability, versatility, and excellent performance.

You can purchase an Egg at Carter Bros. Ace Hardware in Reno (775-337-1200). And for details about the Egg, visit Biggreenegg.com.