Louisville Food Trucks have been exploding in popularity lately. You can find them parked outside any major event in town, and they offer everything from gourmet burgers to fancy sandwiches. I recently stopped by the 502 Café on my way home from work one evening and discovered something I never knew existed: bourbon bacon jam. Say it again with me: bourbon bacon jam. This stuff is literally awesomesauce: it goes on top of smoked beef brisket to make a sandwich so good you’ll have to go back for more.
I had to learn more about this beautiful creation, so I used social media to track down the owner. Chris Williams, a self-proclaimed “smoke jockey”, learned to cook in his mother’s kitchen. He started working in restaurants at the age of 15, bolstering his experience by reading everything he could about food and cooking and by watching culinary television shows.
The first time he smoked ribs he did nine racks, but the result was not up to his expectations. Instead of giving up he continued to seek out more information about smoking meats, talking to chefs and Pitmasters, as well as doing online research.
“I really love it when someone takes a bite out of my food and smiles or gives that big slow nod with a full mouth and BBQ sauce on their cheek. If you see that enough you really start to believe in your product. I began seeing that more and more and people telling me I could really do some cool things with my food so I decided about 3 years ago to take the big leap into doing food professionally.”
Chris, we the bourbon and bacon lovers of Kentucky are so glad you did.
Also on the menu at 502 Café are Atomic Buffalo Turds, Brisket Chili, and Chris’ famous Pork Belly Sliders. Not all items are available all the time, so stop by and see what he’s cooking up.
Because he smokes so much on-site, his food truck tends to be in one place for at least a couple of days at a time. To find out where 502 Café will be next see their Facebook page. They also cater, so give Chris a call at (502) 439-2692 and order a smoked turkey injected with bourbon for your Holiday dinner.
Photo Courtesy of Maggie Kimberl
Cover photo courtesy of 502 Cafe's Facebook Page
