'Doc' took special pride in all his recipes. Contributed photo

Anyone who has ever eaten at the original Rudy’s Country Store and Barb-B-Q in Leon Springs has had the pleasure of enjoying more than just great food.

Until recently, diners also enjoyed the company of the man behind the legendary flavor that made Rudy’s famous. Mack “Doc” Holiday, whose name was synonymous with great barbeque died Jan. 15, but he leaves behind a life that was filled with flavor — from the stories he told to his world-famous “sause.”

A native San Antonian, Doc began his culinary training at his mother’s knee.

“My mom is the one who taught me how to cook,” Doc shared with me during an interview last year. “The Rudy’s sauce is actually her original recipe, but I added my own touch and tweaked it a little,” he said with a grin.

Doc went from preparing home-cooked meals to bartending and catering at the Oak Hills Country Club. His days off found Doc honing his barbequing skills on deer leases, perfecting the technique that would later make him one of the co-founders and partners of Rudy’s. He said that he has barbequed underground, on the ground and in a pit and has even prepared an entire meal from the salad to the dessert on a barbeque pit.

“I’ve cooked on everything and barbequed a little bit of everything,” he laughed. “If it ain’t walking anymore I’ve probably barbequed it.”

When Rudy’s opened in 1989, Doc was on board with big plans. He explained that he envisioned Rudy’s as a place where the family could come and enjoy barbeque the way it was meant to be enjoyed, in a friendly, down-home atmosphere. In keeping with that down-home taste, Doc insisted on cooking on a German brick pit using only oak wood.

“Lots of Texans like mesquite but I’ve learned that it leaves a bitter aftertaste to the meat,” he explained. “The oak cooks hotter and offers a sweeter flavor.”

Doc was also a firm believer in strictly slow-cooking, often taking 8 to 10 hours to prepare a brisket. “The one thing about barbeque is that you can’t rush it,” he said. But it wasn’t just the barbeque that made a name for Doc. He was responsible for creating every recipe on the Rudy’s menu including the creamed corn and the world-famous “sause.”

Every sauce, seasoning and rub contain Doc’s special ingredients and, though many of tried, none have been able to duplicate the tastes. It is said that Doc was so protective of his recipes that he made all employees sign a waiver that swore them to secrecy.

Doc always said that there was more to barbequing than just the cooking process. Shannon Walsh, marketing and catering manager, worked with Doc since 2000 and said that one of Doc’s favorite sayings was that “It’s not the barbeque that makes barbequing special. It’s the passion.”

He often used a sports analogy to describe the process. “It’s like a ball player hitting a home run or making a three-pointer,” he explained. “See that clean (rib) bone? That’s my three-pointer.”

“Doc believed it was the passion that separated a barbeque joint from a barbeque restaurant,” said Walsh. “He taught all the team members about the passion and he was a mentor to many people.”

For those concerned that the great taste of Rudy’s barbeque stops with Doc’s death, Walsh stated that is not the case. “Our obligation is to maintain Doc’s traditions in everything we do,” assured Walsh.