My wife and I routinely discuss just about everything under the sun. During one of those conversations, we somehow got onto the subject of the egg industry.
That’s when I learned that the egg industry routinely kills millions of male chicks every year.
Male chickens don’t lay eggs, and these aren’t the kind of chickens traditionally raised for meat. So the egg industry doesn’t have much use for them. They’re killed by the millions. Sometimes they’re gassed. In some places, they’re tossed into grinders alive.
It’s a horrible practice.
However, being an entrepreneur, my first thought was, “Hell, we can probably get those chicks cheap.”
Of course, there was one small problem.
These chicks aren’t the breeds normally raised for meat, and roosters aren’t exactly famous for being juicy and tender.
Now, I’m not a cook. I’m not a chef. I’m not even particularly good at making a sandwich. But I do know one thing: when meat is tough, you cook it low, slow, and long enough to make it behave.
That’s where the idea of rooster kabobs came to life.
A few days later, I was talking with a friend and telling him about my brilliant new rooster-kabob idea when something suddenly occurred to me.
Roosters are also called cocks.
I had accidentally invented cock kabobs.
Naturally, the conversation went downhill from there.
I promptly told him he should try one and put some cock in his mouth. It was a pretty good joke at the time. Then I told him I was going to name the whole thing after him and serve his cock all over the country.
And somewhere between questionable jokes, tactless business logic, and absolutely no culinary experience, the idea for Leroy’s Rooster Kabobs was born.
Tough old rooster. Low and slow. Cut it up. Put it on a stick.
How hard could it be?
And that’s pretty much the philosophy behind Leroy’s: take a questionable idea, add a little confidence, a cold beer, and probably more enthusiasm than good judgment.
So pull up a stool, crack a cold beer, and put some cock in your mouth.