John Foreman
“You don't hear much about mutton outside of Owensboro, but it's our specialty.”
John Foreman is the sixth-generation owner and pitmaster of Old Hickory Bar-B-Q, founded in 1918 by his great-great-grandfather, Owensboro blacksmith Charles 'Pappy' Foreman. John's father and grandfather took over in 1979, and John assumed ownership in 2002, still using Pappy's original barbecue recipe. He has kept the century-old process unchanged: slow cooking over hickory wood finished with the family's signature dip. Old Hickory celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2018.
Philosophy
Guard the family recipe and the hickory pit, because the slow way is the only way with mutton.
Technique
Mutton and pork slow-cooked over hickory in a traditional pit, then sauced with a house dip unchanged for generations.