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Boiling crawfish, barbecued meats, and samples of smoked everything was on the menu at How to BBQ Right/Malcoms Shop in Hernando.

The grilling and barbecue retail business celebrated its one year anniversary today on location from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Business owner Malcom Reed said March signifies grilling and barbecue season has begun.

Grilling season in Mississippi pretty much lasts from March through Thanksgiving, according to Reed. After January and February are over, people are ready to get outside. Its my favorite time of year, springtime.

Reed and his wife Rachelle opened up their store-front last year after running a successful online trade. The COVID-19 pandemic affected their online sales in a good way.

The store opened up in the middle of the pandemic and people started cooking at home, Reed said. We had a big influence with people watching our cooking videos and then wanting to buy our products online.

Reed is the owner and visionary behind How to BBQ Right, his passion project-turned-side hustle-turned-full-time career. Reed is known locally for his new storefront in Hernando, Malcoms Shop, which he describes as a store for the cooking man. But hes also recognized worldwide in airports, restaurants and barbecue competitions alike for his successful Youtube channel, which has garnered over 1 million subscribers.

The Reeds started reaching their online audience in 2010 with a newsletter that Rachelle helped develop with her internet marketing background. Malcom competed in barbecue competitions with his team, The Killer Hogs, and wanted to document the teams success. After the How to BBQ Right newsletter amassed 100,000 readers, they made the move to Youtube. The Killer Hogs traveled all across the country competing in barbecue competitions and winning almost every one.

Reed was greeting guests Saturday while volunteers passed out hotdogs for everybody.

We wanted to do hotdogs for the kids but I think everyone is eating them, Reed said. Weve got pellet grill demos, crawfish boil demos, ribs being cooked by championship teams, ribeye steak demos, kids games and samples for everybody.

The challenges of running a small business have not deterred the Reeds from creating a flavorful presence in the barbecue industry.

Small business is always tough, I dont care where you are, Reed said. Were learning as we go, this was new to us. Weve been doing online retail for twelve years. Once we bought a building here in Hernando, we really needed the office space to run our online business. We had enough room up front to open up a small retail space, so we decided to go for it. Its been a learning experience. Its been good, the community loves it and we call it kind of a mans boutique. You can come get the man in your life a cool gift, especially if he loves to cook outside.

Harley Smith, sales representative with Traeger Wood Fired Grills, was handing out samples of skirt steak to hungry guests.

It took about twelve minutes to finish off after we smoked it for about thirty-five minutes, Smith explained. We smoked it first to about an internal temperature of 105, 110 degrees, we turned the grill up to about 375, then seared it on each side for twelve minutes.

Smith said he cooks outside often at home with the weather now improving. He wanted to support Reed as one of his best dealers for the grills.

(Reed) is definitely a great representation of the brand Traeger and what people can do with grills, Smith said. My favorite thing to cook is probably brisket, ribs, or pulled pork.

Barbecue enthusiasts Rob and Lauren Cook traveled from Olive Branch Saturday to support the Reeds business.

We follow Malcom on Youtube and Mark Williams (of Swine Life BBQ in Hernando), Robb said. We use their recipes a lot. We wanted to support him and enjoy the community atmosphere.

Rob and Lauren have both a pellet and charcoal at their home they use to cook outdoors. The pair often frequent Malcoms store for supplies and seasonings.

He likes to do a lot of pork butts, hes done ribs a few times, Lauren said.

HowToBBQRight Malcom's Shop is located at 496 Whitfield Dr., Hernando and can be reached at 662-912-9947.

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Outdoor cooking celebrated at business' one-year anniversary - DeSoto Times-Tribune