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PITMASTER
H
oward Conyers, a resident of New Orleans’ Central City
neighborhood, has been lauded for his mastery of the old-
fashioned, South Carolina-style, whole-hog pit barbecue
he learned as a child from his father in the rural Pee Dee area of
Manning, South Carolina.
Conyers cooked his first hog before he was a teenager on a pit
designed by his dad, a trained welder. “Dad always made his own
pits.The one I learned on was made from an old International brand
refrigerator with a round top. It was laid on its back so the door was
on the top. He cut two doors on the end and he put a rack inside.”
After earning a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and materials
science from Duke University, Conyers began his career with
NASA testing rocket engines at the Stennis Space Center. But his
mind kept wandered back to the pits of his youth and the dying
barbecue art his family cherished. “I realized I had left something
back home that is unique and special, that is being lost. I saw that
my father was not cooking hogs back home anymore, and the stories
and history my people shared over the long hours tending the pits
were not being transferred on to future generations anymore.
“South Carolina barbecue’s rich culture is often not talked
about because its complexity cannot be captured in a restaurant
environment,” Conyers said. “To really understand the vast culture,
one must travel to rural areas and see barbecue in the home, church
or community. Unfortunately, those opportunities don’t exist for the
general public.The misconception is that South Carolina barbecue
is simply pulled pork served with a vinegar or mustard-based sauce.
But it is much more; starting with the time-proven technique of pit
cooking that differs by region. The preservation of classic regional
barbecue becomes ever more important as competition barbecue
becomes more mainstream and these traditions are lost, along with
an area culture and history.”
With passions for the preservation of South Carolina barbecue,
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and
community outreach, what is a rocket scientist to do?
Tie them together.
“I realized that STEM must be really accessible for kids to embrace
it, and the Eureka! moment occurred when I realized that South
Carolina barbecue is STEM in action.This is a straightforward way
to introduce difficult STEM concepts through cooking or grilling
— common activities in most people’s lives. For example, pit design
is a combination of Engineering andTechnology. Cooking barbecue
is the denaturing of proteins and the mechanisms of heat transfer
through conduction and convection.This is science. Math comes in
to play through determining cooking times — the amount of food
to cook to feed however many people, and the determination of
material amounts to build the pits.”
Today, Conyers is regularly called upon to address groups nationwide,
and he uses the practice of cooking whole hogs to connect his
passion for the preservation of his culinary heritage to his work as
an engineer and scientist. As a Research Fellow with the National
Food & Beverage Foundation and the Southern Food & Beverage
Museum (SoFab), Conyers has curated several projects, including
South Carolina Barbecue — Culture, Misconceptions, and Preservation
and
From the Low Country to the Bayou
. He is also regularly called
upon to address groups nationwide, and uses the practice of cooking
whole hogs to connect his passion for the preservation of his culinary
heritage to his work as an engineer and scientist. “I want this to be
for everyone,” he said, “not just the nerdy types like me. I want young
people to be inspired to consider STEM-related fields of work.”
—From the Southern Food & Beverage Museum
Dr. Howard Conyers
As a Research Fellow with the National Food & Beverage Foundation
and the Southern Food & Beverage Museum (SoFab), Conyers
has curated several projects, including “South Carolina Barbecue
— Culture, Misconceptions, and Preservation” and “From the Low
Country to the Bayou. He also hosted the event “A Creole and Gullah
Family Reunion,” which further explored the influence of West Africa
on American Southern cuisine. SoFab features the Rouses Culinary
Innovation Center by Jenn-Air, which serves as a demonstration
kitchen, laboratory, studio, meeting space and venue.
Dr. Howard Conyers
has BBQ down to a
Science
photo by
Greg Miles