Rouses MARCH-APRIL_2017_final_m

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, Dr. Howard Conyers has BBQ down to a Science photo by Greg Miles

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.

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