Don Hall arrived early Saturday at the Schulte's Fresh Foods parking lot and stepped to the end of a line waiting to buy American Legion Roscoe Enloe Post 5's barbecued pork steak.
He had cash in hand.
He didn't mind the line in front of him.
There was plenty to go around, at least for the early birds.
"I've been coming here for years," Hall said. "They have the best (mobile barbecue). Of all the people who have barbecue, they're the best. The slaw is unbelievable."
Sounds like something someone should try.
A past post commander, Larry Alderson, was among the pit bosses preparing pork steaks on the spot.
Volunteers cooked ribs at the post Friday, and half chickens at the post early Saturday. They sold those and offered bratwurst during the barbecue.
Despite preparing 95 chicken halves and 140 pork steaks, Alderson was confident the legion would sell out early.
It had before.
"We usually do 200 (pork steaks)," Alderson said.
He and other organizers wondered about whether customers would turn out. A light rain fell early, and there was a Missouri football game against Kansas State in Columbia. The game began at the same time as the barbecue -- 11 a.m. They wondered early if the game had drawn people out of Jefferson City. But people showed up, just like they always did.
In the previous event, the barbecue ran out of pork steaks and chicken by noon, offered Bill Siebeneck.
It raises money for veterans programs the legion offers, Alderson said.
For more than 10 years, the legion has been taking barbecue on the road, according to Dorothy Goodin, with the American Legion Auxiliary. Schulte's has been very generous, allowing the the legion to host barbecues in a corner of its parking lot, she added.
"We do six a year -- April, May, June. Sometimes, we skip July, depending on what the weather is," Goodin said. "We do September, October, November. We seem to have a good following."
The men work all hours of the night preparing the food, she added. Some go to the hall on Fridays and fill barbecue sauce cups.
"There's lots of prep. This is hard work, but it's good," Goodin said.
Auxiliary members appreciate the money from the events goes toward veterans programs, she said.
"We are all here working for our veterans," she said. "We want veterans taken care of. We want them to have a good place to be -- to feel camaraderie. We want to be the ones that prevent that veteran suicide. We want to be the one that is there to help."
Josh Cobb/News Tribune Maureen Mead prepares a customers order during Saturday's American Legion Post 5 BBQ. The BBQ was held in the parking lot of Schulte's and featured pork, steak, rib, half-chicken and brat dinners served with Legion Slaw and baked beans.
Josh Cobb/News Tribune Bill Siebeneck sprays some water on the grill during Saturday's American Legion Post 5 BBQ. The BBQ was held in the parking lot of Schulte's and featured pork, steak, rib, half-chicken and brat dinners served with Legion Slaw and baked beans.
Josh Cobb/News Tribune Bill Siebeneck sprays some water on the grill during Saturday's American Legion Post 5 BBQ. The BBQ was held in the parking lot of Schulte's and featured pork, steak, rib, half-chicken and brat dinners served with Legion Slaw and baked beans.