Paul Finley offers Kris Williams some of the world championship tacos.

By Shari Benyousky
Guest Columnist

Column Note: At this lunch, some Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club members explore Smoked and Grilled Meats in Warsaw.

WARSAW — “The yummy smells are killing me!” wildcard Stephanie Amspaugh sighed as she waited in the parking lot in front of Uppercut Prime. Stephanie reached out to Diners and Dives to tell us about this new shop, which sells meats and grilling supplies but BBQ-to-go only on Saturdays. You can visit them at 3163 E. Center St., Warsaw (The Center Centre behind Bob Evans) any day, but you can only get the meats already cooked between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturdays.

“I always come when they open for my regular order.” Stephanie orders briskets, burnt ends (pork belly) and pulled pork. You can also get sausages, ribs, tacos, nachos, smoked chili, baked beans and other items. On any other open day, you can choose your uncooked meat and get a huge variety of rubs plus specialty items like Wagyu Beef Tallow and Duck Fat Spray.

Trophy Worthy BBQ

Steve and Tina Hughes at the SCA World Championships. Photo from Steve Hughes.

Uppercuts is owned by Steve and Tina Hughes, both nationally ranked Competition Grillmasters. The two travel all over the USA entering Steak Cookoff Association contests with their steaks, briskets, tacos and wings. “In 2022 we made three trips to Texas, for example.” Steve was showing me the rows of spices and sauces with colorful names like Colon Plow, Pork Pigasus, Aces Wild, and Cow Glitter along with their own Team Hughes’ house blends. “We put 70k miles on the car.” That year Tina placed 14th and Steve sixth in the world. They have placed higher since and intend to enter again this year.

“They call me Big Nasty on the circuit,” Steve laughed. “That’s because I can take this ugly-looking roast at the end of the pork loin and win with it every time.”

“Sometimes Tina and I compete against each other,” Steve went on. “She beats me, and I beat her. We have two rooms at home totally filled with trophies.” That’s in addition to the plaques and trophies displayed in the store. Many indicate at least a $1k award. “That blue one was worth $2,500!” He pointed over the refrigerated case full of gorgeous meats.

Every Bite Tastes Like A Gold Medal

Steve set up a table in the corner of the store for Diners and Dives to sample the award-winning delicacies. He ran back and forth taking care of customers, but took the time to answer a pressing question: “Yep, sometimes I have to get up at 4 a.m. to smoke the meat.”

First, he brought over a tray of tacos with colorful shreds of vegetables and sauces. Next came a juicy tray of ribs, briskets, smoked sausages and pulled pork. Finally, he proudly brought a platter of burnt ends. “What are those beauties?” I asked.

Stephanie Amspaugh offers some carnivore fare.

“Those are really hard to do right.” Stephanie, who also loves to smoke and grill meat, told us. “He aims for this texture like a marshmallow and gets it right every time.” The table went totally silent except for groans and exclamations of pleasure. If you haven’t tried Uppercut’s burnt ends, your culinary life isn’t complete.

“I made 120 pounds of those today.” Steve rolled up his flannel sleeves. “And I’m down to less than 10 pounds left!” My watch read 12:07 p.m. They had sold almost all of those burnt ends in two hours and seven minutes.

Heavyweight Flavors

By now, I had nearly all my fingers sauced or spiced, but I still reached for another slab of smoked brisket. “This guy needs a beer license,” someone at the table sighed happily.

“Or maybe a nice Moscato?” Stephanie added. “It’s so nice when someone else smokes all of the meat for you.”

Just then, Steve returned with a platter of bowls. “I brought you some of my brisket chili too,” he grinned. We didn’t care that our bellies felt bursting already and reached for more deliciousness.

Steve Hughes brings the meats.

Stephanie first heard about Uppercuts last Thanksgiving when she came in to purchase a prime rib. “They had it all nicely ready with rosemary and wrapped with twine. All I had to do was throw it on the grill. It came out so well that I made another one for Christmas.”

Stephanie is a physical therapist and “mostly carnivore” as it helps her auto-immune disorder. “Some people react to the chemicals in plants. I was one of those people.” She recommended eating smoked meat over mashed cauliflower with sour cream.

Ready For Prime Time

At this point, the entire table had entered meat comas, and the line at the counter was 20 people deep. Photographer Dan Holderman stopped by to say hello along with multiple other people we knew. “It’s a great little gem,” Holderman told us before getting in line.

We agree. If you like meat, Uppercut Prime is a definite visit in your future. But we do want to include a little warning — if you buy Stephanie’s burnt ends next week, you’ll get us in trouble, so take it easy!

Do you know of an interesting place, restaurant, nonprofit, or person that you’d like to see featured in Diners and Dives? Send Shari Benyousky an email at [email protected].