State-Journal.com - NBA great develops BBQ sauce

Photo By State Journal/Hilly SchifferElmore Smith holds a bottle of Elmore Smith’s All-Natural Spicy BBQ Sauce in front of the spot where his Kentucky State University basketball jersey (#25) is retired at the KSU William Exum Center.

When Elmore Smith started playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1974, he and his wife, Jessica, entertained a lot.

The 7-foot center from Kentucky State University – where he played on a national championship team in 1972 – would invite friends and teammates to his home, and he would do the grilling, while Jessica served up the sides.

“We were always cooking out,” Smith said. “I got tired of buying a bunch of different sauces and ingredients and mixing them together, so I decided to start from scratch and make my own.”

His sauce was so popular that former teammates would call from other states and ask for it.

“I was sending it from coast to coast, and it got to be too expensive to give away, so a couple of years ago, I started marketing it.”

Elmore Smith’s All-Natural Gourmet BBQ Sauces are sold in more than 50 stores in Ohio, New York, Florida and, recently, Kentucky. Bryant’s Pic Pac on West Second Street carries the three sauces: original, mild and spicy.

“My goal is to get it between the salt and pepper shakers on every table,” Smith said during an interview at the William Exum Center Gym at KSU, where his basketball career began. Smith was in town to attend the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies for former KSU teammate Travis Grant, who is the all-time leading scorer in men’s college basketball history by amassing 4,045 points during his KSU career.

As Smith was talking, a group of prospective students wandered through the gym. They turned and waved when they realized they had just seen the man who still holds the NBA record for most blocked shots in a game – 17 – and led the league in total blocked shots from 1974 to 1975.

Smith, 59, played for NBA teams including the Buffalo Braves, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers from 1971 to 1982. A sports injury forced him to retire.

He says he’s surprised he still holds the 17-block record.

“When you see all the talent that has played since then, yeah, I’m surprised,” he said.

Since leaving the NBA, he’s done a lot of barbecuing and had time to perfect his sauces as he entertains at his home in Cleveland, Ohio.

He said his wife loves the sauce and can always tell whether he has put enough time into it or put it together in a rush.

Once he decided to market the sauce, it took six months to get the recipes just right and manufactured properly. He worked with a research and development specialist at Spring Glen Fresh Foods in Ephrata, Penn., to get his homemade sauce mass produced. Each sauce features a rich smoky flavor with subtle variations and heat settings. The ingredients, which he selected himself, are all natural, and he doesn’t use preservatives.

Arthur Box, who roomed with Smith at KSU while he was being recruited, recently heard people talking about the sauces at a Frankfort barbershop.

Smith later sent him all three flavors to try for himself.

“I love them,” Box said. “They’re real flavorful and have a hint of hickory. I’m glad they’re carrying them at Pic Pac now.”

Smith often gives bottles away, but he says he has to laugh when friends call to ask where they’re located in certain grocery stores.

“Funny thing is,” Smith said, “I can usually tell them right where to find them.”

Elmore Smith’s BBQ Sauce

Order online: elmoresmithbbqsauce.com

Locally: The sauce can be found at Bryant’s Pic Pac, 221 W Second St.