IF YOU HAVE NOT LISTENED TO THIS WEEK'S PODCAST EPISODE, YOU CAN LISTEN TO IT AT THIS LINK PIT004

This past weekend was Labor Day weekend and so my oldest son Nelson and his fiance came to visit us from Tennessee for the long weekend. 

If you missed this week’s podcast episode, Nelson and I talked about some history behind Labor Day, and then some Labor Day barbecue history. We cooked up some Texas Twinkies here at the house while we recorded the episode together. Since we couldn’t share the full cook through audio form, Nelson and I  talked you through what we were doing and then shared the recipe at the end of the podcast. So if you missed it, I urge you to go back and listen to the full episode.

LABOR DAY HISTORY
So, if you live in America, then it should be common knowledge that Labor Day is observed each year on the first Monday of September. But how many of us really know what Labor Day represents, the reason behind it and when it was made into a federal holiday?

According to the Department of Labor on their website, https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history, it is actually a celebration of the achievements of workers in America and their social and economic achievements. It is a holiday to “recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.” And remember, at that time there weren’t the same kind of labor laws we see now in today’s workforce. At that time you may be working 7 days a week and many more hours than 40 hours for the week. Of course, if you work in some arenas, you still might see that. So, the idea of Labor Day is actually a much needed tradition.

There seems to be some debate on who actually created or started the Labor Day tradition, but I’m not going to go into that today as I don’t have time and maybe that would be something fun you would like to research. Some records indicate that Peter McGuire suggested setting the day aside but then other records show Matthew Maguire was the one responsible for setting the day aside. 

The first actual Labor Day parade was held in New York City on September 5, 1882 by the Central Labor Union, but wasn’t actually a holiday until several years later. After this, several states began making Labor Day a holiday in their state. Oregon was the first to write the law, and then by 1894 29 more states had adopted the holiday. So, on June 28, 1894, Congress passed the act and President Grover Cleveland signed the law making Labor Day a national holiday.

Over time, Labor Day has had a few changes or additions. Originally, it was the tradition to have parades and festivities to celebrate. Several years later, speeches by prominent men and women were added to the traditions. And I didn’t know that “Labor Sunday” was a thing. The American Federation of Labor convention of 1909 adopted the preceding Sunday as Labor Sunday to recognize the spiritual and educational aspects of labor. Did you know that? I didn’t know that. 

A couple of other interesting facts noted on www.constitutioncenter.org are:

So those are some fun and interesting facts about Labor Day. I do want to take a moment to say thank you to you, the American worker, for putting in the hours, the sweat, the blood, the stress, the fatigue and more to make sure our economy moves and stays active. 

Now, let’s dive into some info about barbecue on Labor Day. It was neat to see how barbecue has been a part of the Labor Day tradition for pretty much the entire existence of Labor Day. Based on findings from Robert Moss (www.robertmoss.com), the Contributing Barbecue Editor for Southern Living magazine, the first barbecue was at the 6th annual Labor Day celebration in New York City. The celebration included the annual parade and then a huge cookout of a 1,200 pound ox. That…is a lot of meat. 

This tradition took off and Labor Day barbecues were a large success. Over time, the parades began to fizzle out but the massive barbecues remained. In the 1920s and 1930s, local barbecue stands began advertising and selling their meats by the bucketful at a great price. I guess you as the customer could bring your buckets to the barbecue stand and get them filled. I would have made sure I was bringing the largest bucket I could find.

With the 1950s came the move to the full lazy Labor Day weekend representing the end of summer, the cooler weather and then back-to-school days. At that point, the traditional large unionized barbecue events started to transition over to the family-sized backyard barbecues or grill outs. While they moved from cooking 1,200 pound oxen, steaks still remained on the menu. Nowadays you will see more hot dogs, brats, burgers, chicken wings, chicken breasts and veggies thrown on the backyard grills. You may see some ribs or an occasional brisket or pork butt. You will, though, still see those folks cooking up steaks, the long-time tradition. 

I would love to hear what you guys cook on Labor Day, or the Labor Day weekend. What is your tradition? Send me your traditional barbecue recipes or meals to podcast@lifearoundthepit.com with “Labor Day” in the subject line. Or, hit us up and leave a comment on social media.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, Nelson and I cooked up a dish that has become one of our favorites and Labor Day traditions here in the backyard of the Brown household. We were cooking up some Texas Twinkies.

Texas Twinkies were invented by the folks at Hutchins BBQ in McKinney, Texas. Our friend, Wendy, lives in that area of the Dallas metroplex and she introduced us to Hutchins probably 7 or 8 years ago. We try to go there anytime we are down visiting Wendy. Nelson and I tried the Texas Twinkies the first time we ate at Hutchins and we were hooked. These things are FIRE! So, they became a “fire” staple at our house. 

I’ve heard these things called a few different names including torpedoes or just stuffed jalapeno poppers, but I like the name Texas Twinkies. 

You can download the full recipe for free at www.lifearoundthepit.com/twinkies to begin cooking these at home! A brief summary of the cook is:

And again, you can get the Texas Twinkies Recipe download here.

And guys, whatever or wherever you are choosing to cook barbecue or eat barbecue this Labor Day, stop and think about the fact that you are participating in a long-time tradition in our country and are part of the Labor Day tradition. Teach your family and friends about it as well and make it special…because it is!

This week’s tip of the week is this: When it comes to cooking Texas Twinkies, I like to do a bonus pit move and add a little extra char, or crispness, to the bacon. This is not a must by any means and I’m not sure how many other folks do this, but I like crispy bacon and so do the other members of my family. Before taking the twinkies off the smoker, I will throw them directly over the flames to get a quick little crisp up of the bacon. I don’t leave them on long at all, 25 - 30 seconds at the most. This just adds a nice touch to the texture. Then, add one more light hit of the glaze and you have perfection. So, try this pro tip next time to add an extra layer of goodness to your Texas Twinkies.

We are launching the PIT ROOM, the men’s community from Life Around the Pit, this month, the month of September so head over to the website to learn more and sign up for the waitlist!

And continue to listen to the show. You can listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart, Spotify and any of the other places you listen to podcasts. We are also on all the socials as well.

Until next time: season some meat, start a fire, and make an impact!

IF YOU HAVE NOT LISTENED TO THIS WEEK'S PODCAST EPISODE, YOU CAN LISTEN TO IT AT THIS LINK PIT004