Still looking for your go-to barbecue spot in Pensacola? This may be the one

You could argue that The Meat Candy BBQ food truck founder Ryan Hayes’ barbecue business first began back when he was still in college in Tallahassee where he scored a house right outside of Florida State University's Doak Campbell Stadium.

He lived so close he would sell parking spot packages to tailgaters that included a cup of beer and grub hot off the grill. It was a one-stop shop for college students to get the pre-game essentials, and Hayes had fun mixing up the menu with ribs, burgers, pulled pork or hot dogs.

“We would get cheap kegs and if people paid to park, we'd give them a cup and then let them eat,” Hayes recalled.

It was a foolproof business model, really.

But Hayes had plenty of practice prior to that helping his dad on the grill. His father coached baseball when Hayes was growing up, and the whole team filled up their backyard while he fired up the grill. Now, he shares a healthy rivalry with him over who is the head pit master of the family.

“He knows who he calls for advice,” Hayes teased.

This love for being in the kitchen spilled over into making his homemade sauces and rubs that have made him a name for him for his unique “Pensacola-style” barbecue.

Although he held his recipes close in his back pocket, he pursued a decade-long career in the railroad industry, first as a conductor, and then as a manager. Even as he moved up in rank, he would keep his skills sharp and cook for the employees he managed instead of ordering take-out.

“It just seemed like it meant more because I would take the time to cook for them than it would just going out and spending the company’s money,” Hayes said. “To me, it seemed like it had a little more heartfelt meaning behind it.”

When he felt it was time to move on to a different career and his daughter's birthday party barbecue was coming up, with him catering, of course, he realized the passion he was searching for in a career had always been right under his fingertips.

“Dad, this tastes like meat candy!” He remembers his 4-year-old daughter exclaiming after her first bite of his homemade maple bourbon pork belly burnt ends.

And just like that, Meat Candy BBQ was born.

Although the burnt ends are one of the more unique items on the menu to try, he likes to mix up the flavor profiles of his meats to help you get a little taste of everything.

He knows that barbecue has a reputation for modest seasoning with salt and pepper alone, but he knew for his business, and with his wife’s encouragement, he had to stay true to himself and go bold on his flavors.

From the jiggle-off-the-bone spareribs to the juicy skin-on chicken, each meat has its very own sauce, rub or glaze that gives it a flavor beyond just the smoker.

His food trailer, which officially opened in October of 2021, started out modest at first. Hayes might even say a little redneck, with the residual logo of the original owner and the smoker hanging off the back. Even so, all it took was a sample before he began winning his customers over.

He had some skeptics who would offer the disclaimer that, “You know, I’m from Texas,” before placing their order for a fresh slice of brisket.

To which Hayes would always have a little fun and reply, “I’m sorry, I guess you’ve never had good barbecue.”

He proved his place in the barbecue world one food festival at a time, where at first he gave away more food than he was selling just to give people a taste of the flavor he was betting his business on.

The menu was simple, a choice of meat and homemade sides, but he said it would still take customers 15 minutes to decide.

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Now, with thousands of followers and a second more permanent location on the way, customers will leave with Styrofoam containers piled high to ensure that they have enough for leftovers the next day.

“I couldn’t believe the brisket was so good. It just melted in my mouth,” Meat Candy BBQ repeat customer Summer Wilson said Wednesday. “It’s not just the flavor, it's about how juicy the meat is, and that’s really hard to get. A lot of times even good flavored meat is dry, and theirs is just absolutely phenomenal.”

Hayes, and his fellow grill master, Augie, take turns smoking through the night, tending to the fire every hour and making sure the meat is just right. Energy drink in hand, Hayes can testify that this usually means not a lot of sleeping, just napping, when it comes to making sure the meat is just right for a lunch or dinner service.

“Most times we don't ever go to sleep if I'm being fully honest with you,”Hayes said.

Although the hours are long, not only in preparation of the meats but serving hundreds of people at a time at events, Hayes said it becomes a passion you fall in love with. At least that’s what happened to his friend and pitmaster, Ryan "Augie" Agullana. Hayes’ enthusiasm was contagious, and once he got his hands on the smoker himself, there was no going back.

The sweet nostalgia brought him right back to his days cooking over a live fire at his grandfather’s house as a kid. With his wife’s encouragement, he decided to jump on board with making barbecue his full-time job. Now with sales up almost double from their first year, the truck has unlimited potential, he said.

“It has always kind of stuck with me, and I love doing it,” Agullana said of barbecue. “We’re just really, really passionate about cooking barbecue that is old-styled where we run nothing but wood fire, stay up all night to make it happen. …  We’re not over here trying to make some chain barbecue restaurant — have 100 restaurants. We’re just trying to make really good food, have people enjoy the passion that we put into it and have the camaraderie with our customers and be able to spend time with our family, because that’s what’s most important to us.”

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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: The Meat Candy BBQ is becoming a Pensacola favorite for juicy barbecue