John Willingham was Memphis barbecue. A Memphis native, a former St. Louis Cardinals ballplayer, and a tinkerer who ended up holding 17 patents — including the W'ham Turbo Cooker he designed in the eighties to cook with indirect heat. He started Whamco in 1983 and put this seasoning on the market, and it's the same 28-spice blend today.

The trophies behind it: five World Grand Championships and 24 first-place category calls at Memphis in May, the American Royal, and the Jack Daniel's Invitational. He went into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame in 2012. Memphis in May's own organizers called him the most acclaimed barbecue chef in the world.

"Mild" means the heat, not the flavor. It's a full, savory blend built to work with smoke instead of covering it. Ribs, pork shoulder, brisket, chicken, lamb, game — and plenty of people keep it in the kitchen for fried chicken, baked beans, and the rim of a Bloody Mary.

If you cook Memphis in May, you're cooking in the shadow of the man who won it. This is what he used.

13.5 oz.