POULSBO — When the coals in his smoker are hot, pitmaster Bubba Idell tosses a bag of onion scraps into the fire.
Soon the smell of the onions mingles with the aroma of smoking meat and drifts far through the neighborhood. Like many of the flourishes he brings to the barbecue pit, onion scraps on the coals are a trick Idell learned from his grandfather decades ago in Tennessee.
“It makes the smell carry throughout the whole area, and it lets everyone know you’re cooking outside,” Idell explained, taking a break from preparing a pre-Thanksgiving turkey feast at Farm Kitchen.
Since moving to Kitsap County six years ago, Idell has tapped his knowledge of Southern barbecue traditions to create a successful mobile catering service. Bubba’s Country Cue is booked for weddings most of the year, but Idell devotes the holiday season to preparing preordered family meals. In November that means smoking dozens of Thanksgiving turkeys, which customers pick up Nov. 23 at Farm Kitchen.
Preparation begins a few days before the holiday. Idell soaks the turkeys overnight in maple and herb brine that adds subtle flavor while locking moisture into the meat. He fills his smokers with hickory and apple wood the next morning and slow cooks the turkeys for six hours or more, basting them with a mix of olive oil and Coca-Cola. The result is a bird with juicy white meat, a smoky aroma and crispy amber skin.
“The color is just beautiful,” Idell said.
Thanksgiving turkeys are a small taste of Idell’s Southern repertoire. The pitmaster roasts whole hogs, fries catfish and boils up buckets of seafood with sides to match. But one item you won’t find in his smoker is a fillet of Northwest salmon. The fifth-generation Tennessean takes pride in remaining faithful to his culinary roots, an approach appreciated by his customers — especially fellow transplants from the South.
“When they come to me and say, ‘I’m from South Carolina, and you just brought me home,’ … that’s what I strive for,” Idell said.
Barbecue transports Idell home to Nashville, Tenn., each time he fires up a smoker. His fondest childhood memories are of his grandfather grilling steaks on the patio after a day of farm work. Sometimes they’d take drives through the countryside to sniff out backwoods BBQ joints.
“I just couldn’t get enough of it,” Idell said.
Fascinated by the cooking technique, Idell immersed himself in the history of barbecue from Texas to the Carolinas. By his early 20s he was studying for a culinary career, but he put his plans on hold to take care of his grandparents in their old age.
Idell left the South when his wife, Cynthia Smith-Idell, took a job in California. He worked as contractor for a few years while cooking for parties on the side. The couple finally landed in Kitsap after Cynthia accepted a position as oncology educator at Harrison Medical Center. Feeling at home on the peninsula, the Idells decided it was time for Bubba to pursue the barbecue business he’d always wanted.
Bubba’s Country Cue earned clients far faster than Idell expected. He credits his early success in part to support he received from fellow Kitsap caterer Todd Spadafore. Now 57, Idell feels he’s hit a high point in his life, relishing the chance to share cooking skills he’s honed since youth.
“I’ve been blessed since I’ve been here,” Idell said of Kitsap. “I’ve been given another opportunity leave some kind of legacy in my life.”
Bubba’s Country Cue, a Southern-style catering company based in Poulsbo, will accept preorders for smoked Thanksgiving turkeys through Nov. 15. Christmas turkeys and hams also are available.
