Funderbutts BBQ
Blow'n Smoke.
Do you smell that aroma in the air? The amazing scent is enough to make your belly grumble. You find yourself determined to find the location of ‘where’ that smell is coming from …. Truth be told, the answer is from our pellet smoker (thanks to Pit Boss Grills) out back — AND the man making it all happen of course.
Matt Funderburk, founder of Funderbutts BBQ stepped into this smokin’ hot opportunity by happenstance.
The adventure began over Super Bowl Sunday when he decided to smoke some barbecue for a small group of friends. After receiving rave reviews, someone planted the seed of opportunity by suggesting he cook more and begin selling it. The rest is history. Five events later from neighborhood preorders to plaza midwood bars he has his BBQ down to a science. Let’s not forget, he has already started getting bookings for catering events too.
We LOVE this awesome butcher paper by Hardcore Carnivore. Be sure to snag some!
Having already sold over 500 pounds pulled pork (double that in raw weight), Matt could walk you through his process with his eyes closed. Since the start of this adventure he has purchased over 100 individual pork butts. One could definitely say, he has learned a thing or two.
Having already sold over 500 pounds pulled pork (double that in raw weight), Matt could walk you through his process with his eyes closed. Since the start of this adventure he has purchased over 100 individual pork butts. One could definitely say, he has learned a thing or two.
Fun Fact : Do you know ‘why’ it is called a pork butt? Of course my husband, the history major, has to share some context to the name.
Fun Fact : Do you know ‘why’ it is called a pork butt?
Of course my husband, the history major, has to share some context to the name.
When purchasing a pork butt you are not buying that part of the pigs body (thankfully, as who would want to eat that?! Ha). The name is very deceiving as you are actually purchasing the pigs shoulder. It is called a ‘pork butt’ after the type of barrel the meat was traditionally stored in.
Without sharing all of his BBQ secrets, he did explain two critical takeaways :
First, he’d tell any person looking to smoke any type of meat ‘that it is a LONNGGGG process.’ In fact, his exact words were ‘if you think you’ve given yourself enough time, be sure to allot 4 extra hours.’
Second, and an absolute MUST step in the process, is after reaching the desired temp, you must wrap the meat in a towel and allow it to rest for at least 4 hours…(again, cue the lonngggg process). After coming home one day to every single cooler we owned placed sporadically throughout our house, very puzzled I asked ‘why?’
Matt shared, ‘it is because the meat cools more slowly and retains the most amount of moisture this way.’ If your lack of patience gets to you and you don’t allow the meat to rest, you will be less than pleased with the outcome. Having learned from his mistake, Matt shared ‘what will happen is as you try pulling the meat off of the bone, all of the moisture will spill into the pan instead of remaining in the meat itself,’ ultimately leaving you with a very dryyyy product.
Are you a fellow BBQ lover?
Being from North Carolina there is a long standing debate between two styles — Eastern vs Lexington.
Matts exposure to barbeque came at an early age as a boy scout who would assist with cooking the BBQ and then selling tickets for fundraising purposes. Any consumer of BBQ decides early on where his or her tastebud allegiance lies — either vinegar and pepper based OR ‘red sauce’ based.
What style of BBQ is Matts?
If you don’t already know I guess you’ll have to track him down at an event OR place an order to find out for yourself.
What style of BBQ is Matts?
If you don’t already know I guess you’ll have to track him down at an event OR place an order to find out for yourself.
How do I place an order? Currently he is selling sandwiches at pop up events -OR- you can order pounds to go.
How much does it cost? A sandwich with a bag of chips is $8.00 and/or a 1 pound togo container (typically yields 2-3 sandwiches) costs $12.00. Message his Instagram account @funderbuddies or send an email to mpfunderburk@gmail.com
Need an event catered? We’d love to help! Working in the food industry paired with the love to host, we have all the supplies and capability needed to help with your event. Just let us know how many to cook for and we’ve got the rest. Pricing depends on the scale of the event, so shoot us a message and we can talk details.
- How do I place an order? Currently he is selling sandwiches at pop up events -OR- you can order pounds to go.
- How much does it cost? A sandwich with a bag of chips is $8.00 and/or a 1 pound togo container (typically yields 2-3 sandwiches) costs $12.00. Message his Instagram account @funderbuddies or send an email to mpfunderburk@gmail.com
- Need an event catered? We’d love to help! Working in the food industry paired with the love to host, we have all the supplies and capability needed to help with your event. Just let us know how many to cook for and we’ve got the rest. Pricing depends on the scale of the event, so shoot us a message and we can talk details.
For more By The People spotlights, click here.