Commack Cook Brings Southern BBQ to Local Tables

Commack resident Ron Cusano may be a Yankee, but his love for Southern cuisine led him to create Big Bubba’s Smokehouse rubs from his home kitchen.

Cusano currently owns a printing company, but cooking was his first love. While living upstate, Cusano owned multiple restaurants and worked as a chef in Sullivan County. Having been a cook for more than 50 years, the chef created a variety of spice blends under the name Big Bubba’s Smokehouse, which are now being sold online. Cusano said that he plans to market the rubs to local grocery stores next week. 

“Cooking has always been a part of my life. From my experiences as a chef for all these years, I have a lot of recipes that I’ve created. This has always been a passion of mine. I get a lot of joy out of the challenge of creating a business, so I figured why not,” he said about his idea to create his own brand.

Big Bubba’s Smokehouse currently has eight different rubs for all meats including a “Country Brisket” for beef, a Memphis-style and smokey-pit rib and pork rub, a “Back Country” hot wings rub for chicken, “Country Pond” for fish and others. All rubs are $4.95.

“Each is a different blend of spices that compliment the meat,” he said. “Each one is specifically designed for poultry, beef, pork or fish.”

While the ingredients are listed on the package labels, Cusano said that the secret to the rubs is in the quantities of each spice in the blend. “It makes it almost impossible to replicate,” he said. 

To get the most out of the rubs, Cusano said that the suggested method is to wash the meat, pat it dry, and rub the spice blend onto its surface. Then, plastic wrap or place the meat in a plastic bag and refrigerate the meat for four hours, or overnight to give the flavors time to permeate the meat.

Cusano said that he hopes to expand the brand to also include his own barbecue sauces and dressings, as well.