Dudley’s Barbecue started as an annual event at the Architect’s Christmas party. At the time the cooker was a humble vessel, only a steel lined hole in the ground with a steel tent cover. This vessel need to move. Don grew up in North Carolina admiring the pig cookers and the people who build them. Locals take pride in their ingenuity and designs but mostly in how economically they sourced parts and built the cookers.

One day Don saw the tank rolling down the road pulled by an old truck. He asked the Farmer for a price. Farmer called the same day. Don took the tank, at the time mounted on a military trailer, to Damian Velasquez’s shop.  They cut off the bottom to stabilize the tank and the upper half of the tank to create the lid.

Costs started to add up and Don started catering to offset the cost of the build and constant upgrades.  One expensive upgrade is the hydraulic mechanism to assist lifting the 500 lb lid. After many failed attempts Don finally called the manufacturer that provides shocks for the space shuttle. Don was slightly hesitant to tell them his purpose afraid that they will hang up on him. They were excited to help. They have been looking for new markets after the Shuttle program ended. Manufacturer sent exact engineered drawings giving Don precise locations of where to attach the hydraulics.

Logo of the flying pig came from Don’s first catering gig.  Damian had placed the Wings medallion originally but it wasn’t until Don was hired by a retiring Air Force sergeant that the wings took on significance.  The client had 8′ walls and no other way to access the backyard. The client told Don that money was no object. Don hired a lift to hoist the cooker, with pig inside, up over the wall – the pig took flight.

For the Route 66 Summerfest Don and Rod Herrera fabricated the adjustable visor out of cold rolled steel which has four positions: morning sun, afternoon sun, stow, and travel.

Don caters about twice a week in the busy season and if you’ve seen the previous post, his sauce is legendary.