#26 - TOP 5 BBQ - #SAVETOP5

UPDATE JUNE 18, 2019, Kendon Green announced his new BBQ joint, KG's Pitmaster BBQ, would be opening at the Grow DeSoto Market Place, 325 E. Beltline Rd., DeSoto, TX.

To quote the '80s hair metal band Cinderella, "Don't know what you've got 'til it's gone."  When it comes to BBQ, you need to celebrate it when you find it. You just don't know when something good will come to an end.

In March, I visited Top 5 BBQ in DeSoto to celebrate my birthday.  I had been saving Top 5 because of its proximity to home, and it was the last of the DFW-area BBQ joints on my list.

I had a huge pile of succulent ribs, brisket and sausage with a side of collared greens and mac and cheese.  The meal was terrific.  Kendon Greene, the owner/pitmaster, likes to welcome everyone to Top 5 BBQ by saying, "It's a Smokin' Good Day."  I took him literally and put a candle in my brisket to celebrate my birthday (and Texas Independence Day, of course).

After the meal, I met with Kendon to swap BBQ stories.  I learned that he started smoking meat in 2013 after his wife bought him a smoker from Wal-Mart.  He says his first brisket was so bad even his dog wouldn't eat it when he offered it to him. He worked and failed countless times before hitting on the recipe that landed Top 5 BBQ on Texas Monthly's list only nine months after opening their restaurant.

I also learned that Top 5 BBQ has friends in high places.  It seems that someone from Beyonce's management team dropped by the restaurant one day and was so impressed with the meal, they requested it when the Beyonce and Jay-Z Tour stopped in Dallas...both times.  Then Selena Gomez came calling.  And Justin Timberlake.  And Kanye West.  And Trey Songz.  Top 5 BBQ is so popular with this crowd, someone even offered to purchase the banana pudding recipe.  Pretty heady stuff for a guy who only began cooking brisket in 2013.

Little did I know that, a few weeks later, I would be working to #SaveTop5.  You see, the day I was there was one of the last days that Top 5 BBQ was open for business.  A week ago, Kendon announced that Top 5 BBQ had to permanently close.

How does a BBQ joint loved by music royalty shut down?  How can a member of Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ Joints close its doors?  Why would Kendon Greene, a man celebrated by the Dallas Morning News for helping troubled youth learn how to cook BBQ, lock up his beloved Top 5 BBQ?

Top 5 BBQ has everything going for it right now except for one thing.  Money.  $50,000, to be exact.  The Greene family has had quite a year.  Kendon had to invest in his new restaurant to get it up to code.  Then his father had a stroke.  And on top of that, his father-in-law passed away.  Significant life changes that take an emotional toll on any family also took away Kendon Greene's livelihood.

After six years in business, Top 5 BBQ isn't a new business, but it is a small one.  The Small Business Administration states that only 30% of new businesses fail during the first two years of being open, 50% during the first five years and 66% during the first 10.  After being added to Texas Monthly's list, Kendon Greene is on the verge of achieving every pitmaster's goal...a sustainable business that will keep BBQ fans and his family fed for years.

But he needs help.  Kris Manning of Smokey Joe's BBQ approached Kendon after hearing about his troubles.  He offered his time and talent to host a BBQ fundraiser to #SAVETOP5 on Saturday, April 13 in DeSoto, from 1 pm to 5 pm.  The good folks at Unique Visions Upscale Events offered up their facility at 324 South Hampton Road.  Kris and Adavion Minor of Monroe's Southern Grill are manning the pits.  There will also be musical performances by Josiah Caleb and Kimionte KB Bennett.

If you're interested in the event, you can register at this link.  For $25 a plate you'll get a great meal and help out a great family.  If you can't make it, you can make a donation at this GoFundMe link.  Rest assured, it's going to be a smoking good day.

#top5bbq #justsmokingood #savetop5