Obie Cue’s Texas Spice
About Obie-Cue’s
The Facts:
Founded in 1985, Obie-Cue’s started as a spice store, selling high-grade bulk spices direct to the public, cheap. We opened in DFW’s nicest flea market with only a few shop-made blended seasonings but over 100 different spices. This concept flopped (the first few years featured a LOT of 70+ hr. weeks and chump-change profits), but people liked the blends. We dropped almost all the straight spices, shifting our focus to turning Obie’s recipes into blended seasonings, and became Obie-Cue’s as Obie discovered BBQ Cookoffs and started blending a lot of rubs.
The Obie-Cue BBQ team was the first Texas team invited the cook The Jack Daniel’s Invitational twice, winning Chicken in ’91 and hitting third bird in ’93. For 17 years, the world’s biggest BBQ Cookoff, Kansas City’s American Royal, hosted the world’s biggest BBQ Rub Contest. Obie-Cue’s entered it 12 times, and is the only 3-Time Grand Champion in the history of that event.
On April 6, 2013, we will start our 29th year of continuous operation at our retail shop in Trader’s Village. We’ve survived heat waves, ice storms, floods, hail, and tornados, break-ins, burn-outs, bums and bureaucrats, thanks to the inspiring loyalty of our customers. These days, we even get a few third-generation customers. There in shop number 1272 is the only place you can get everything we sell, so come on by Trader’s Village any weekend, year-round.
The Folks:
Obie Obermark created all the Obie-Cue’s seasonings. In addition to wide-ranging construction experience, he draws upon a scientific formal education bolstered by years of working as a wet-lab chemist, combined with a passion for great food, a love of cooking and a “knack” for flavor.
His wife Patricia Obermark guided us from part-time to a real business and her organizing skills keep both Obie and Obie-Cue’s from falling apart.
Tina keeps our retail operation running smoothly.
The amazing Bob “2X4” Herring taught Obie to BBQ like a champion.
The Philosophy:
If you want customers to come back, sell ’em a unique product they can’t get anywhere else. If you want ’em to come back, and bring their friends, make that unique product absolutely the best available, anywhere. If you want customers to come back, bring their friends and smile at ya, don’t treat ’em like furniture and do your level best to make ’em happy.
BBQ and cooking in general is supposed to be FUN. Don’t make it too much work. Fun is good, but fun and easy is gooder!
Passing on what you’ve learned, best honors the folks that taught you. The exact recipes that won national titles for the Obie-Cue’s team are on our labels. Really.
Awards & Credentials
National BBQ Titles (that we know of): ALL 1st Places in category.
- Sweet Rub: 11, including 2-1st Chicken at the Jack Daniels, 1 Chicken, 2 Pork, and 1 Ribs At the American Royal, 1 Chicken and 1 Brisket at the Meridian TX National Invitational, 1 Pork at OK Joe’s National Invitational, 1 Ribs and 1 Chicken at the Pasadena TX Rodeo Cookoff (over 130 teams).
- Steakmaker: Best Rub On The Planet-’95, 1st Chicken American Royal
- Sweet n’ Heat: 1st Sausage @ American Royal, Best Hot Rub-’98@ the Royal.
- Smooth Moove: 2-1st Chicken @ the Royal.
- Original Fajita: Best Rub on the Planet – ’98
- Gator Breath: Best Rub on the Planet – Ɗ99 Plus Ɗ98 Florida and South Carolina State Championships (both won by Kevin Cowan of Spartanburg, SC using several of my rubs).
TOTAL 20 first place wins in Cookoffs at a National Level.
At the American Royal Rub Contest: (this is the biggest rub contest in the world and I consider it to be the World’s Championship)
- Sweet Rub: placed in the top 10 (but never higher than 3rd) in ‘94,95,96 & 97
- Yankee Blaster: 2nd in ’94, (also the top hot rub, but no Hot category in ’94)
- Steakmaker: Best Rub On the Planet-’95, 2nd overall ’98
- Original Fajita: Best Rub On The Planet – ’98
- Sweet n’ Heat: Best Hot, 3rd overall – ’98
- Smooth Moove: 5th overall – ’98
- Gatorbreath: Best Rub on the Planet – ’99, Best Hot Rub
TOTAL 3 World’s Championships, 8 “Top 5” wins
National Trade Association Contests Food Distributor Magazine 1999 National Rub and Marinade Tasting:
- BBQ Bomber – 1st Chicken Rub – Mild
- Sweet Rub – 1st Fish Rub – Mild
- Gatorbreath – 1st Pork Rub – Spicy
- Original Fajita – 2nd Beef Rub – Mild, 2nd Fish Rub – Mild
- Sweet n’ Heat – 2nd Chicken Rub – Spicy
- Steakmaker – 3rd Fish – Mild
National BBQ Association 1999 Awards of Excellence:
- Steakmaker – 2nd Pepper Blend
- Smooth Moove – 4th Pepper Blend
- Obie-cue’s Lemon Pepper – ‘Top 10’ Pepper Blend
- Original Fajita – 4th Herb Blend
- Gator Breath – 3rd Spice Blend, 5th Packaging
- Yankee Blaster – 5TH Spice Blend
- Sweet n’ Heat – ‘Top 10’ Spice Blend, 3rd Packaging
- Sweet Rub – ‘Top 10’ Spice Blend
GRAND TOTAL: 23 First Places & 3 World’s Championships.