I once heard someone say, “Hurricanes are devastating, but every time one hits, we recover, and we make things better.” JR McKinny might agree. He and his wife, Barre, own It’s Tamale Time in Phenix City, Alabama. How they got there is a fascinating story. 

We first met JR at the Palafox Market in Pensacola where every Saturday he travels from Phenix City to sell his tamales and sauces. On Sundays, he can be found at the Rosemary Beach Market before heading back to Phenix City, where he and Barre own a restaurant with the same name. The good news is they ship tamales all over and they are the best I’ve ever had. Makes my mouth water just thinking about them.

JR grew up in Dripping Springs, Texas (home of Dripping Springs Vodka Distillery and Saltlick BBQ if you're ever in the area).  His grandmother, Ernestine “Maw Maw” Subia lived in Port Arthur, Texas, and was renowned for the hand-rolled pork tamales she made for friends and family. Her love for her family only surpassed her love for cooking great food.  JR says, “The one dish that brought us all together was her delicious tamales, especially during the holidays.”

JR knew his way around a kitchen and found his way to 30-A working as a sous chef for Spell Restaurant Group’s LaCo Latin Coastal Kitchen in Rosemary Beach. Later, he moved to Panama City’s Saltwater Grill where he began experimenting with new offerings and creating sauces. JR asked his aunt to teach him how to make his grandmother’s tamales. His regional manager stopped by one day, tried his tamales and sauces, and said, “This is the best thing I’ve eaten that has come out of this restaurant.” He was named the chef soon thereafter.

It wasn’t long before JR and Barre decided to go out on their own with a little help from their friend, Terri Davidson, who owned a small plate tapas pairing wine bar, Wine Dog in Panama City. The deal was he would make tamales and other menu items for Terri two days a week in exchange for access to the kitchen. They started their side business selling tamales at the St. Andrew’s Market in Panama City. Then Hurricane Michael hit, and they had no electricity for a month. 

Salvaging  300 dozen tamales, they high-tailed the goods to a little farmhouse in Seale, Alabama, and started selling them in markets. He’s thankful his grandmother’s process was streamlined and could be scaled. They bootstrapped the business and demand grew. “We would just go week to week with the tamale business, so I didn’t have to get a real job.” 

Making tamales is an involved process with a rich history dating back 10,000 years to Central and South America’s indigenous people. It’s one of the few food recipes that has survived to this day and corn is the primary reason. Tamales were critical because they are one of the few portable foods. It takes four days to make a tamale properly.  Masa is the most important ingredient which is made through a process called nixtamalization.  It removes each kernel of corn, then a chemical reaction through washing allows the kernel skin to be deleted, creating a moist dough that isn't sticky.  

The corn husks are wrapped around the masa to preserve the tamale. Civilizations and wars depended on them. JR’s grandmother’s recipe is a closely held family secret. She credits Christopher Columbus for bringing pork to the Americas. JR’s pork tamales are his best seller with roasted vegetable tamales,  coming in second. His other offerings include chicken, chorizo, jalapeno cheesesteak, and smoked brisket. His sauces come in three varieties: mild, Verde (medium), and El Sirracho (hot).

JR is passionate about everything he does. He sources his ingredients from farmers' markets to ensure freshness. His smoked brisket is from a recipe he got from a friend who owns Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas, arguably the best in Texas who literally wrote the book on how to smoke brisket, Meat Smokers Manifesto.” JR claims his tamales have the best masa-to-meat ratio.

You can order frozen tamales by the dozen online or head to Palafox Market every Saturday from 9 AM until 2 PM to buy fresh, delicious tamales. We’ve done it both ways. They will last a year in the freezer as they are not pre-cooked. You just steam, remove the husks and serve with your sauce preference. Now I’m hungry! 

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