Thursday, April 25, 2024
SMOKED TO PERFECTION: Granbury resident Mickey White has been barbecuing for 25 years while also serving the local community. White turned his passion into charity by donating his talents and delicious cooking to several Hood County events.
For the past 25 years, Granbury resident Mickey White has been serving up smiles around the community using his trusty smokers and his passion for barbecuing.
But behind the 65-year-old's talent for smoking meat is a generous heart and love for Hood County.
White’s passion for barbecuing was born when his son, Anthony, made him his first smoker during his agriculture class in high school — and the rest is history.
A HEART OF GOLD
Turning his newfound love into charity, White volunteered to cook for every FFA banquet for the next 20 years, as well as Hood County Cancer Services for 13 years.
After the big Chalk Mountain fire in July, White organized a barbecue event, Briskets for the Brave, for all nine of the volunteer fire departments in Hood County.
"We had a big turnout, but that's what I wanted,” he said. “Just giving back to the fire departments, you know, we needed to do something for them. I was a volunteer fireman myself for 22 years and, let me tell you, it's a lot of work. Those guys and gals are out there doing all they can and the only pay they get is the reward of when you save somebody's house.”
Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, White will surprise five families with a holiday dinner, complete with ham and “all of the fixins to go with it.”
“It's just something that I like to do, and there's some of those people who I know wouldn't have a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner if we didn't do this. They just wouldn't,” he said. “Barbecue has just been something that I just have always done. I love doing barbecue cookoffs and competitions. I started doing that many years ago.”
White has participated in many local cooking competitions over the years like the Granbury Founder’s Day Celebration (previously called General Granbury’s Birthday Bash & Cook-Off). He was declared the winner of the 1985 Bean Cookoff in which he received a John Wayne poster and a $50 First National Bank savings bond.
He has even helped the community with acts of service that have absolutely nothing to do with barbecue.
For the past three years — with the help of his daughter, Amanda — White has given away approximately 100 Easter baskets in an event called Joan’s Baskets. The event is in honor of White’s wife, Joan, who passed away in 2019.
Every time White caters for events like weddings or banquets, he will also take leftover food to Operation Blessing in Cleburne, a faith-based organization that serves Johnson County residents in need.
“What I do out in the community, I just get a lot of pleasure out of it,” he said. “I love surprising people and helping people.”
“Mickey is always first in line to cook barbecue for any good causes,” said Norman “Bud” Strain, one of White’s closest friends. “If a family is in need, we are there to help the Hood out.”
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
White has won numerous awards over the years for his good deeds around the community, like the FFA Blue and Gold Award he earned in the late 90s — one of the highest awards presented by that organization. He also was recently presented with a rather unique gift while at the Brookshire’s in Granbury, where he works.
“I was at work at Brookshire's one day, and a man came in that I've known for a long time,” White said. “His name is Artie Gray, and he has built 58 of these knives. He makes the knives and beautiful wood handles, and he puts them on a wood block, and he goes out and gives these to people that have done great things for the community. I never dreamed I'd be one of the people to get one of them knives, but it was such a surprise.”
DEDICATED EMPLOYEE
When White is not spending time giving back to members of the community, he is working at Brookshire's, where he spent the past 20 years as a general manager.
“I've got 48 years in the grocery business,” he said. “I had 27 years with Winn-Dixie, and I just hit 20 years in July with Brookshire's, so anytime I'm not working, you'll find me out at the smoker and if I'm not out smoking, I'm cooking something in the kitchen because I just love to cook.”
White has estimated he has cooked well over 20,000 briskets over the years — and that was before he stopped counting several years ago.
“From 1982 to 1992, we owned Lakeside Grocery out on Highway 51 and every week at that store, I would get 25 briskets on Tuesday and 25 briskets on Friday, and I've done that for 10 straight years — that's not including any of the banquets and weddings,” he said. “I do cook a tremendous amount of briskets, but to be honest, I think I make the best rib of anybody out there. I mean, I get a lot of compliments on everything I cook, but the ribs, I have just absolutely got 100% perfected and I feel like I'm about 98% on the brisket.”
STRONG DESPITE ADVERSITY
Due to recent health concerns, White has had to cut back on his hours at Brookshire’s, and transitioned to working 30 hours a week.
“It was 2017 when the doctors told me I had COPD. I never thought anything about it, because it wasn't affecting me or really bothering me, but just this past year, it has progressed,” he said. “I still get out and do my cooking though. I mean, that's something I'm not going to give up. I've always said, ‘When the man upstairs is ready for me, if I'm putting a brisket on the smoker, I'll be a happy camper.’”
White said he wouldn’t be able to spend his time giving back to the community without the help of other local friends and community members like Gray and Strain, as well as Carl Weatherford, Debbie Phillips, John Cox, Donna Erwin, Vicki Nivens, Diane and Danny Garrett, and White’s girlfriend Helen Hensel.
"I could not do these things without their help,” he said. “You know, I can cook, and I can deliver, but it takes a lot of funding to do these things. I’ve been doing things for this community for many, many years. I just thank God I've got the help.”
When asked why he gives so much to the community, White thought back to a time last year when he and Hensel delivered a Thanksgiving meal to a local resident.
"I've got this big box. It's got a turkey, all your canned goods, your yams, cranberry sauce, and hot rolls, and you go, and you knock on their door, and they open the door, and we say, ‘We have your Thanksgiving dinner,’ and the look on their face just makes it all worth it; that is exactly why I do it,” he said.
To order barbecue from White, message his Facebook page, Mickey’s BBQ, or give him a call at 817-689-1417.
"He's all about 'the Hood' as we call it," Strain added.
“I just have a love for barbecue that nobody can ever figure out — it's my passion,” White added. "My passion is helping people and barbecuing; that's what I live for.”
