Who’s The (Pit) Boss?
These guys—David O. Jones and Graysen Walles, PhD.
Operating as Big Dave’s All-American BBQ and MooHogz Craft BBQ, both of these men have mastered tender, smoky, and saucy barbecue as second careers. And while operating separately, they recently teamed up through good food for an even better cause.
One’s a middle school principal with a big heart for his students, and the other has fed the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers football teams, among many other sports’ notables.
Impressed? So are we.
Read on for the juicy who’s-who details.
Words and Images by: Team OTGG
Big Dave’s All-American BBQ
David O. Jones is known as Big Dave, owner and pit master of Big Dave’s All-American BBQ. Though Greenville is his hometown, he made his name in Texas barbecue before returning home. Now, he’s back in a new location at 1193 W. Faris Road.
A former Fountain Inn Police Officer with a background in psychology, Big Dave was laid off in 1989 due to an accident that left him disabled for two years. To fill his time, he began cooking, and the rest is culinary history.
After moving to Texas, his hobby eventually led to feeding some of the biggest appetites in professional sports. While under the name of Lil' Red BBQ Smokehouse in Dallas, Texas, Jones was the executive chef to the Dallas Cowboys for several years. Upon his return to Greenville in July of 1997, Jones and his establishment became the official caterer to the Carolina Panthers for the remainder of their football season.
For 30 years, Big Dave and his wife, Patricia (whom he calls his boss) have run restaurants and served thousands of pounds of brisket, smoked and deep-fried wings, and mac ‘n’ cheese.
MooHogz Craft BBQ
Owner Graysen Walles has made a career out of taking the heat—first in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years; more than 20 years in education, including his current role as principal of Tanglewood Middle School; and now as the pit master of Moohogz BBQ.
Moohogz is in the market for a brick-and-mortar location, but until that happens, find Graysen and his crew on the front lawn at Hampton Station on Saturdays until sell out. Moohogz’s 500-gallon smoker was built in Texas and installed straight into the food trailer, making it easy to “follow the smoke,” as Grayson likes to say, to find him each weekend under the water tower.
Self-taught, Graysen cultivated his signature style by visiting, learning, and eating across the U.S., Jamaica and a few other spots in the Caribbean. His is a true fusion of regional barbecue styles while using the art of “offset,” a process that uses post oak hardwood (shipped directly from Texas), clean smoke, and simple spice rubs to flavor the meat.
Clearly a meat-heavy endeavor with brisket, chicken wings, spare ribs, pulled pork, and Midwestern rib tips, Graysen also is proud to offer vegan-friendly options with jackfruit. So there’s a little (or a lot) of something for everyone.
A true family business, you’ll be greeted by Graysen, his wife, Kenddal, and sons Lehtan or Colin at every visit.
Sauce Talk
Aside from the debate over how juicy the brisket is, the next, all-important question for barbecue connoisseurs is ketchup or mustard? Or how about Alabama white? Or vinegar? These guys have you covered.
Big Dave keeps it simple with his two signature sauces that are bottled and ready to take home if you can’t get enough in the restaurant.
“97” BBQ Sauce (formerly "93" BBQ SAUCE)
This sauce is named after D. J. Jones, Big Dave’s son, who played defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers as No. 93 and most recently the Denver Broncos at No. 97. This ketchup based bbq sauce is sweet and spicy and goes best with smoked and non-smoked beef and pork.
HAWAIIAN BOLD GOLD
For the mustard-based sauce lovers, this bold tropical/Southern infusion is a golden spin on a bbq sauce that pairs great with poultry and fish.
Keep an eye out—he says he’s also working on a line of wing sauces.
Moohogz likes to mix it up with several options, depending on Graysen’s mood.
With his inspiration drawn from the Midwest, South and Caribbean, the sauces reflect that while also keeping flavors simple and recognizable:
Original Red
Graysen’s signature sauce that’s sweet and universally enjoyed. A true crowd-pleaser and always on the menu.
Some others you might find and taste test:
Cajun Sweet Heat
Alabama White
Carolina Vinegar
Carlina Mustard
Side Show
Sometimes the sides are the showstopper. We’ll let you decide if that’s the case, but both spots aren’t skimping when it comes to flavors in the secondary menu items.
At Big Dave’s find homemade macaroni & cheese that is a reworked recipe as of reopening; cajun collard greens; potato salad; and a signature sweet potato crunch that is almost a dessert.
Speaking of which, don’t skip PJ's Homemade Banana Pudding.
At Moohogz, you’ll even find options that are accommodating of vegan and vegetarian dietary needs along with the omnivorous variety. All from scratch, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, collard greens, red beans and rice and Rosalee’s Mac & Cheese can be a meal all on their own.
To satisfy a sweet tooth, there’s creamy key lime pie, pink velvet cake, banana pudding, and pound cake.
For A Cause
As a child, Big Dave attended Tanglewood Middle School. Graysen is the principal of Tanglewood. Both want to give their time and resources to help students of the Title 1 school, and they’ve found a way to meet their common goal through food.
In 2017, Big Dave and his son established the D.J. Jones Foundation when D.J. was drafted into the NFL. A portion of proceeds from Big Dave’s sauce sales go to D.J.’s foundation, which helps underserved communities, including homeless and foster care children, to overcome adversity by teaching them leadership, discipline, and healthy lifestyle skills in a safe and fun environment.
This past December, the D.J. Jones Foundation donated $10,000 to Tanglewood Middle School and established the D.J. Jones Peace Award that will be given annually to two Tanglewood students for each of the next 10 years. The award will recognize one male and one female student who exhibit strong leadership, relational skills, and academic excellence.
That’s only the beginning of this new partnership and its impact on students. All because of barbecue.