Question: When do men like to do women’s work? Answer: When they’re putting on a barbecue.

Peeling onions, chopping cabbage, mashing sweet potatoes or roasting meat, which are tasks disdained by “real men” for 364 days a year, become almost competitive when the fresh-pork-over-open-fire months are in swing.

You can walk among them, gathered around their outdoor work tables totally devoted to kitchen tasks. Note: Some may pause occasionally to sip from a cold drink of personal preference.

Barbecue season, a long-ago time that welcomed fall’s cooler weeks, became year-round between world wars. For a couple of American centuries, nobody had slaughtered hogs until October. Then, refrigeration infiltrated Southern households and food plants, and fresh meats could be kept at 40 degrees.

Today, from late winter until late fall, tons of pork are dressed then hung in lockers until hauled away to our big county orgies of consumption. The biggest — 100 to 500 guests (mostly men) — are hosted by local plants, wholesale businesses and commercial firms to express gratitude to customers and friends. Needless to say this generosity attracts a lot more friends.

A handful of these enterprises shoot the works, including Cox Wood Preserving Co., which began its late winter feast more than 40 years go. Then and now they stage a super-popular midday dinner for which they do all the work themselves.

Thomas “Tom” Hayson, semiretired from the company, has been one of the leaders in planning the barbecue for more than 20 years. With his son, Brian, company sales executive, and Lovett Kitchens of the production department, plus a dozen company men, they begin making plans in early January. This year, they set the date for Saturday, Feb. 25, the place, as always, the Cox Farm off Deer Crossing Road. The guest list, often added too, would be a loose 500.

Hayson takes the job of overseeing the buying. This year, he designated Marty Journey and Ricky Thompson of the purchasing department to procure the cola, sparkling water, beer and other libations. The guys all want to keep it simple thus don’t fool with official “committees.” Marty and Ricky also agreed to hit the wholesale houses to buy the largest boxes of plastic cups, plates, knives, forks and spoons. So far, so good. But still, lots to do.

How many pigs and chickens would you buy to feed this many. Former experience led the group to decide on seven dressed hogs between 115 and 125 pounds each. That’s 875 pounds, ain’t it? These were engaged at Lee Sausage Co. Also, because sunny weather brings out the crowd, they bought several cases of Boston butts to fill in.

A hundred and fifty chickens were ordered from a local supplier, also three bushels of sweet potatoes, and sacks of cabbages. For the chicken bog, they engaged sacks of rice, celery, onions, etc.

Lovett of the production department serves as the cooking overseer, partly because he is so good at it, partly because he loves doing it. Byron Altman from purchasing, and Charles Mueller, maintenance, also head the effort.

On Friday, the day before, a dozen or more Cox men gathered at the farm around outdoor tables and began wielding chopping, paring and big butcher knives. Fires were lighted early in the evening, the whole hogs laid out over the coals at 10 p.m. Nick Clark from Cox’s Augusta plant and Michael Mecionis from the Sumter plant took over supervision of the long hours of cooking, frequently smearing on the secret and traditional barbecue sauce. Chickens don’t go on the grills until the next morning. All night the cooks, including Brian Hayson, Billy Cox Jr., CEO, and Lovett tended the fires, moved the meat around and sat resting in a group near the oven. When some went home for sleep, others came to fill in through the chilly hours.

Next morning, the entire force of two dozen or more, many from out of town, reported to continue grilling, and add the final touches to four-by-three-foot trays of hot and cold food. The chicken had to be carved into manageable portions, but the pork remained intact for guests to pull off with big forks.

By 11 everything lay ready, even gallons of iced tea, and a royal treasury table of sweets including double chocolate, coconut and caramel pecan cakes; white chocolate chip, and raisin cookies, and nearly a bathtub of banana pudding, all created by the Cox ladies.

Hundreds of automobiles began crossing the lake causeway to the house from 10 a.m. on. A loyal group of former Boy Scouts always reports to help park them. Promptly at noon, Billy called the mass of hungry to order and presented prominent Orangeburg senior citizen J.C. Pace to ask the blessing.

Two lines formed fast, passed along the humongous sized trays, loaded up, then headed for the tables arranged under three big tents. This year, the skies rained on and chilled, but failed to dampen story-telling and high appetites. At no surprise to the hosts and cooks, half went back for more.

Of course there were some who showed up long before the dinner bell to allow time to consume three high-piled plates before serving ended. “I could eat it three times a day,” they bragged. Did anybody yell, “Chow hound?”

Epilogue: Executives and managers from all Cox plants come to enjoy, and many to help cook, during the barbecue weekend. If they arrive by Friday evening, they are treated to a big roast beef dinner with Cox vendors and other guests. The men are steadfast in praise of William “Bill” Cox Sr., retired, who planned and took enthusiastic part in the feast for many, many years.

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