By anybody's measure, Team Toyota's Terry 'Big Show' Scroggins is one of the Top 20 professional bass anglers in the world. In his first six years as a pro, Scroggins racked-up $1-million dollars in tournament winnings faster than just about anybody that has ever paid an entry fee. Plus, he recently qualified for his fifth straight Bassmaster Classic, setting a record for the second largest 5-bass limit ever caught in BASS tournament history along the way.
But catchin' isn't the only reason they call him "Big Show" - cooking plays a big role too. Over the course of Scroggins' career, he's become rather famous for not only finding the bite, but also for cooking and eating in high volumes. "It all started around home when I was fishing local events. One of my fishing buddies owned a seafood restaurant and he and I would always take turns cooking a big supper for everybody when we got off the water each night," explained Scroggins.
These days, it's common for Scroggins to roll into a Bassmaster Elite Series event just about anywhere in the country and make purchasing a grill and groceries an equal priority to catching bass. Other Elite Series pros help Scroggins cover the expense, and just about any hotel parking lot might serve as his makeshift backyard BBQ venue for three or four straight nights during a tournament. The fellow pros will attest that Scroggins has a heart for taking care of people. Feeding them is a natural part of fulfilling that desire. Fact is, because Scroggins and most other pros have their Tundras jammed packed with tackle and supplies, affording no way to take the grill to the next tournament, a hotel staff member or local chamber of commerce person is often gifted with the grill as the pros leave town.
"Preparation is the key to success when grilling an awesome steak," says Scroggins. "The best grill is one that contains a firebox on one end with a smoke outlet on the other, that design forces the heat to travel across the meat, instead of cooking directly over the flames. Kingsford charcoal is my choice for a fire source. I always buy ribeyes that are about 1 ½" thick, and marinate them in liquid teriyaki seasoning for about 40 minutes. When I first pull the steaks out of the marinade, I seer them directly over the flame for 40 seconds per side, then I push them away from the direct flame. Generally, 20 - 40 minutes is what it takes to cook them, depending on your preference for rare, medium, medium-well or whatever." Most pros and outdoor writers that have had the privilege of having 'Big Show" grill for them agree that nobody cooks a steak like Scroggins.
Indeed, life is big for Scroggins - big stringers, big steaks, big heart -- Big Show.
