Take two old friends, a country band, a childhood on a beef farm and one very rough drawing, and you end up, it turns out, with a barbecue business.
Hunter Burkall and Dave Kimmerly build smokers: heavy steel cookers that turn brisket tender over long hours of low heat and wood smoke. They design and build every one of them in the UAE. Ahead of Taste of Abu Dhabi, the two spoke about family, about friendship, and about the sketch that started it all.
The two have known each other for 20 years. "We are friends, and family, our kids have grown up with each other," explains Dave, adding that they are also godparents to each other’s children. They met through work in security consulting, as he says.
"You can tell, we're big fellas," laughs Hunter.
As they stand in their cowboy hats, it almost feels as if we're talking to brothers. They tease, they laugh and are brimming with anecdotes that all lead to their barbecuing journey. When Dave praises Hunger's guitar playing, Hunter grins: “Oh, now you’re making me blush.”
The guitar matters. Before there was any barbecue business, the two played together as a country band. The brand they eventually built, Exit 10 BBQ, still has some of that band’s energy.
