“If you want to be successful, deliver the anticipated experience. If you want to be really successful, exceed the anticipated experience.”

That’s Sterling “Big Poppa” Ball’s business strategy, which transcends multiple industries and has earned him Hall of Fame status as a pitmaster.

Working in barbecue is one of many hats he has worn in his life. Ball has led the Ernie Ball guitar business since he was 22 years old.

After taking over the company with 14 employees, it’s grown to more than 650 people, selling guitar strings and other music products in 120 countries. Big Poppa remains involved with Ernie Ball while dividing his time to teach the art of smoking and grilling meat to people across the country. Ball wants to build experiences for people, whether high-quality guitar strings or a well-seasoned rack of ribs.

Big Poppa Smokers’ road to becoming a successful, competitive barbecue team started serendipitously.

Ball decided to buy a smoker for himself to learn the basics of grilling with the larger equipment, but it soon turned into an obsession and creative outlet for him. Ball started buying other smokers and eventually had 13 grills littering his backyard, which ultimately turned into his “smoker garden.”

Other barbecue fanatics then approached him in his orbit about starting a competition team. Following a few years of coaching, Ball jumped in headfirst and in 2012, helped Big Poppa Smokers gain national recognition by winning an American Royal contest in Kansas City, Mo.

To this day, Ball and Big Poppa Smokers finish many contests near the top in multiple categories. That’s why reliability remains the most important part for him.

“I think we created flavor profiles that everybody uses, and still uses,” Ball said of the competition team’s consistency.

He’s earned a plethora of awards over the last decade, including more than 80 Grand and Reserve Grand Championships. The Big Poppa Smokers Competition barbecue team now holds more than 140 first place trophies.

With this run in competition barbecue, Ball is one of the people credited with putting West Coast barbecue on the map.

How Ball and his Big Poppa Smokers team accomplished the track record comes down to preparation, practice and process. He makes sure all the elements are in place. Ball emphasizes the details during each step of cooking and preparing his meat.

“One of the ways you do that is by understanding that everything is important,” Ball said of his barbecue.

It’s another reason Sterling has worked with Chairman Reserve Meats from Tyson Fresh Meats. He’s found consistency with the beef and pork product that gives him an edge when preparing for competitions.

While competition helps drive the Big Poppa Smoker team, giving back is also a cornerstone for Ball.

For seven years, he held the King of the Smoker contest, bringing together 24 of the best teams in barbecue competition and was able to fundraise for the Casey Lee Ball (CLB) Foundation. The CLB Foundation is a non-profit where 100% of every dollar donated goes directly to helping sick children suffering from various kidney diseases.

Source: Big Poppa Smokers 

Teaching techniques

Ball is interested in the process of barbecue, which is evident in his library of YouTube videos, based on cooking by feel and touch.

“When you’re cooking, your eyes are going to tell you if the fire is too big, your ears are going to tell you if it’s too hot,” he said. “Use your senses.”

Another tip Ball always stresses when teaching other people is having a good game plan for the sequence of cooking the barbecue or grilling protein.

“I like to teach process, I like to make it not scary, I like to be creative and be better than they thought it would be,” Ball said of teaching the cooking process.

Another element that keeps Ball on his game is working with a variety of proteins. He said that allows him to experiment with what could work for any type of recipe.

“If you have the process down, improving the protein is nothing but a game,” he said. “I go to the store, and I cook what looks best. Sometimes it’s scallops. Sometimes it’s pork chops and that’s what I do.”

Ball encourages people to spend time focusing on cooking, whether following along online or using it to guide themselves as they take a break from their busy lives.

“If you set up your cooking opportunity right, I think it’s really good for your head and your soul and your stomach,” he said.

The Big Poppa Smokers website offers a wide range of products, including smokers, grills, sauces, rubs and accessories. Ball likes to provide a one-stop shop for enthusiasts interested in grilling.

“We sell tools for artists just like we do in music,” Ball said. “I’m hoping I can make somebody more comfortable cooking and have a wider palate and a bigger tool kit.”

Along with his own videos, Ball has appeared on various TV shows, including TLC’s “BBQ Pitmasters.”

Creating for more consumers

Moving his barbecue formulations and techniques from the competition sector to a commercial endeavor has energized Ball and the Big Poppa brand.

Since 2013, Big Poppa Smokers has partnered with BJ’s Restaurant locations on seasonings to help enhance flavors.

After meeting Gregory Trojan, the company’s chief executive officer, Ball was given the chance to work on the restaurant’s ribs with its chefs. Ball is the first to admit that he’s not a chef. He showed up to the professional kitchen in shorts. But his flavors won them over, which has led to BJ’s using Ball’s seasonings and rib suggestions to help develop their menu.

“Sterling’s energetic approach to experiencing food across every conceivable category, taste profile and ethnicity, combined with his talent and passion to innovate trends, has made him an integral part of our culinary team for over six years,” Trojan said.