A local man’s love for all things barbecue and a drive to perfect his slow-cooked craft has resulted in the creation of a family business.
Not too long ago, Rotterdam resident Dave Borst, couldn’t tell you what goes into a dry rub or barbecue sauce. Today, he’d invite you to try his own concoctions crafted after studying the greats in barbecuing, at his family-owned restaurant North Country BBQ, located on South Thompson Street in Rotterdam.
“We got a hunting camp up in Old Forge and we used to drive through there on Friday nights and on the way up I used to stop at this barbecue place north of Little Falls called Piggy Pat’s,” Borst said. “I fell in love with it and then I shortly realized once the hunting season was over I couldn’t get my barbecue unless I wanted to drive an hour and 20 minutes. I figured I better learn how to make it myself.”
He tinkered with his recipe and gauged approval from his friends and family before settling on his final blend of spices, which he still does tinker with from time to time. Borst first unveiled his BBQ at Briar Creek Golf Course in Albany after talking to his friend who runs its banquet facility and restaurant.
“I asked him if he would put my ribs on his special board one night to see if people liked them, and they did,” Borst said.
Two years ago, he nabbed a contract to provide barbecue at Double M Rodeo in Ballston Spa. He has been catering over the last few years for other events and occasions.
Transitioning from catering to opening an entire restaurant came out of necessity. Borst said the state Department of Health requires a commercial kitchen to be used when preparing food.
“We started building this and I figured we might as well put a dining room in, so here we are,” he said.
But the business aspects of how North Country BBQ came to be only accounts for a portion of the work Borst put into the endeavor. Before serving up the first rack of ribs, he had to learn the craft.
“I went to Barnes and Noble and starting sitting down with a cup of coffee and going through book after book after book about barbecue,” he said.
Many of the national and world champion barbecue masters who are often featured on television shows have their own books out that spill the beans on the tricks of the trade, he said.
“They put a lot of information in their books,” he said. “I got a big, giant pile of books that I just go through all the time.”
Looking through the recipes, he said he noticed common elements between the cooks. Using these as a base, he created his own recipes and got to where he was pleased with the product.
His family does have an entrepreneurial spirit, but Borst is the first to dabble the food industry.
His family used to own Borst Oil and Tire, which his grandfather founded in 1945. The oil and tire business separated in 2000, and Borst took over the oil business. As profits dipped, he recently sold the oil business.
He said natural gas prices are going down and oil prices are increasing, which has led more people to switch and not look back for their heating options.
“Nobody is buying oil anymore and it is going in the same direction that Blockbuster video went; there is just no reason for them to exist,” he said. “That is what is happening to us oil guys.”
He said his oil business was seasonal, so using the summer for catering would’ve worked perfectly alongside it.
“I thought they would work well together,” he said. “I decided it would be best to get rid of the business while I could still make $2 off of it before it was completely worthless.”
He put funds from the sale towards helping finance his restaurant, which opened a month ago. For more information on the restaurant, visit its Facebook page. North County BBQ offers take-out and dine-in options.