The best BBQ we tried at the Windy City Smokeout (plus top news and events)
This past weekend, we headed to Chicago for the Windy City Smokeout, one of the top barbecue and country music events in the country. Now in its seventh year, the three-day Smokeout attracted large crowds and more than 25,000 people attended Saturday alone. Some of the hottest country acts in the U.S. took the stage, including newer artists like Jimmie Allen and Hannah Ellis and established hot shots like Old Dominion and Chris Young.
The baby back ribs from Pappy's Smokehouse out of St. Louis were just one highlight of the Windy City Smokeout.
But the barbecue was the main event for us, and it delivered. With more than 20 top pitmasters and restaurants from all corners of the U.S., it was an incredible display of talent from Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri, Illinois, Arizona, and even Connecticut. Each restaurant had a large stall where they sold three carefully selected items, with some that they were known for and some they were not.
We braved the heat each day of the festival (hey, our stomachs just aren’t big enough to try everything in one day) and we were not disappointed.
The brisket from Against The Grain from Louisville was outstanding.
One of the biggest themes we noticed at the event was that beef was the star of the show. Many stalls had beef ribs and brisket and all of it sold out. Some of the most impressive items we tried included:
Beef rib from Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Texas.
Brisket from Against The Grain in Louisville, Kentucky.
Brisket from Little Miss BBQ in Phoenix, Arizona.
Brisket poutine from Hoodoo Brown Barbeque in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Beef cheek tacos from Truth Barbecue in Houston, Texas.
We both loved the smoked and fried bologna sandwich from Fox Bros in Atlanta.
While beef was king at the event, we also had some great non-beef items too. These included:
Hatch chile bologna sandwich from Fox Bros. BBQ in Atlanta, Georgia.
Smoked sausage taco from Home Team Barbecue in Charleston, South Carolina.
Garlic buffalo chicken wings from Pearl’s Southern Comfort in Chicago, Illinois.
Glazed baby back ribs from Pappy’s Smokehouse in St. Louis, Missouri.
Cracklin’ pork belly from Blue Oak BBQ in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The crowds at the Windy City Smokeout were enormous in the late afternoon and evening.
While we were enamored with barbecue, we noticed that the majority of the people at the event were there for the music. The festival’s focus is on the music first and the barbecue second, but there is so much good barbecue represented that it’s worth checking out. We feel that the Windy City Smokeout is the perfect event for country music fans who also like barbecue or for local foodies who want to be able to sample diverse barbecue dishes from across the country.
The beef rib from Louie Mueller Barbecue was enormous and delicious.
Unlike other barbecue festivals we’ve attended, the Windy City Smokeout required a ticket for entry in addition to charging for individual items from food vendors, so barbecue lovers in the Chicago area (or a short drive away) should consider attending for a day.
Mike Mills (left) and Carey Bringle mingle at the 17th Street Barbecue tent at the Windy City Smokeout.
With a true cross-section of barbecue from across the nation, the Windy City Smokeout has the most impressive and diverse representation of any barbecue festival we have been to, including New York City’s Big Apple Barbecue. One of the coolest things we also noticed was mingling between many of the biggest pitmasters in barbecue. For example, we spotted Mike Mills from Illinois’ 17th Street Barbecue hanging out with Carey Bringle of Nashville’s Peg Leg Porker.
All in all, we were incredibly happy to try so many great dishes from all over the country. We consider ourselves grateful to try some of the nation’s top barbecue all in one place and it’s inspired us to make even more trips so we can try these dishes in person.
Sean Ludwig (NYC BBQ) and Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist)
Co-Founders, The Smoke Sheet
Here are the top recent barbecue news stories from around the country:
Hometown Bar-B-Que in Brooklyn is honored as one of the best new Southern barbecue joints by Garden & Gun. Here are Hometown’s Jamaican Jerk Ribs. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
There are a ton of new-school barbecue joints around the U.S. Garden & Gun has released a new list of the best new Southern barbecue joints that includes many joints you should check out, including Federalist Pig in Washington, D.C.; Hometown Bar-B-Que in Brooklyn; Lewis Barbecue in Charleston, and Southern Soul Barbeque in St. Simons Island, Georgia. Also be sure to check out G&G’s piece on the state of modern barbecue.
Snow’s BBQ, one of the best barbecue spots in Texas, won the annual Texas Monthly Readers’ Choice BBQ Bracket. This means that the acclaimed Saturday-only joint is the top choice by both the editors and readers of Texas Monthly.
USA Today has a new article outlining some of the best regional barbecue joints around the U.S. and what makes each region’s specialties different.
Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn writes in a new article that “the gospel of Texas barbecue is spreading,” with Texas-like smoked meats showing up on menus outside of the Lone Star State. He writes about great barbecue he’s sampled recently in Kansas City, Milwaukee, Springfield, Missouri, and Erie, Pennsylvania.
The classic burger has been reimagined by many Texas barbecue joints, including by Valentina’s, Leroy and Lewis, and Killen’s, writes Food and Wine magazine.
If you’re looking for good barbecue in our nation’s capital, Eater has a new list of the best barbecue joints in Washington, D.C. that you should check out.
In a shocking (but not too shocking) twist, Franklin Barbecue now has a better item than brisket on the menu— the Saturday-only beef short ribs, writes Texas Monthly.
The Dallas Observer writes that Flores Barbecue, which closed in Whitney and moved 60 miles north to Fort Worth earlier this year, is now serving some of the best barbecue in all of Texas.
The popular Kansas City joint Burnt End BBQ, located in Overland Park, will soon open a new location in the Crown Center Shops in Kansas City proper in a spot currently occupied by Milano Italian Dining.
If you’re visiting Chicago and want some barbecue, you may want to stop by the South Side and get your hands on a “rib tip and hot link combo” at some of the best joints there.
Two pitmasters from New York (one from Newburgh and one from Brooklyn) recently competed on the popular Food Network show Chopped, highlighting how the Northeast is becoming a barbecue powerhouse in its own right.
Here are BBQ shows, podcasts, or books you should check out this week:
Eric Vernon of The Bar-B-Q Shop in Memphis is featured on a new episode of BBQ&A. (Photo by Ryan Cooper)
Watch: BBQ Spaghetti & Ribs at The Bar-B-Q Shop in Memphis, TN — BBQ&A
In this episode of BBQ&A by Southern Living, host Robby Melvin talks with Eric Vernon, a second generation pitmaster at Memphis's The Bar-B-Q Shop. Eric gives a tour of the restaurant, shares the history before introducing his legendary dad, Frank Vernon. Eric and Robby talk about dry, wet, and glazed ribs and eat the #1 ribs in America (maybe the world). They top it off with the Original Texas Toast BBQ Sandwich, Smoked Bologna Steaks and Bar-B-Q Spaghetti. Watch it here.
Listen: Ben Arnot of Smoking Hot Confessions - The BBQ Beat Podcast
This episode of the BBQ Beat Podcast features Ben Arnot, host of Smoking Hot Confessions out of Gold Coast, Australia. Earlier this year, Ben traveled throughout the U.S. with his family, cooking and traveling through BBQ hot spots in several states. We were fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet Ben at the NBBQA conference in Kansas City. Listen to the episode here.
Read: Salt Smoke Time: Homesteading and Heritage Techniques for the Modern Kitchen - by Will Horowitz, Marisa Dobson, and Julie Horowitz
Executive chef and owner of New York City’s highly acclaimed Ducks Eatery and Harry & Ida’s, Will Horowitz is also an avid forager, fisherman, and naturalist. In Salt Smoke Time, he explores ideas of self-reliance, sustainability, and seasonality, illuminating our connection to the natural world and the importance of preserving American stories and food traditions. Drawing from the recipes and methods handed down by our ancestors, Horowitz teaches today’s home cooks a variety of invaluable techniques, including curing & brining, cold smoking, canning, pickling, and dehydration. Order it here.
The Harpoon BBQ Festival in Vermont will feature lots of brews and ‘cue.
July 27-28: Harpoon BBQ Festival - Windsor, Vermont
Harpoon Brewery will soon be celebrating summer in Windsor, Vermont with beer, friends, live music, and BBQ. Competitive BBQ teams from all over New England will compete to be crowned the Grand Champion and one lucky team wins a ticket to the Jack. More info here.
August 8: Turf & Surf BBQ State Championship 2019 - Del Mar, California
Sanctioned by The Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS), the Turf & Surf BBQ State Championship will showcase hot competition from some of the biggest names in the West Coast BBQ movement. All-you-can-eat barbecue, seafood, and dessert samples are included with your ticket. More info here.
August 9: 16th Annual Up In Smoke BBQ Bash - Mason City, Iowa
The Up In Smoke BBQ Bash will feature a KCBS-sanctioned barbecue competition, an SCA steak cookoff, public food vendors, live music, an open darts tournament, and much more. More info here.
August 17: Stumptown Beer Revival and BBQ Cook Off 2019 - Monte Rio, California
This event, which is also called the “Russian River Beer Revival & BBQ Cookoff,” features copious amounts of beer and barbecue. An entry fee includes beer, cider, and barbecue tastings for the duration of the day, along with live music and activities. More than 40 breweries and 30 barbecue teams will participate. More info here.
September 6-8: Kentucky BBQ Festival - Danville, Kentucky
The Kentucky BBQ Festival will feature great food, live music, and a backyard barbecue competition. Top pitmasters that will be serving barbecue there include Leslie Roark, Amy and Mike Mills, Moe Cason, Carey Bringle, and Shelly Hunt. More info here.
September 7: Pig Island NYC - Brooklyn, New York
For those that love all things pork, the 10th annual Pig Island NYC in Brooklyn will be a can’t-miss affair. Held outdoors at beautiful Erie Basin Park in Red Hook, this all-inclusive event will feature great food from top Northeastern pitmasters, plus a ton of beer, cider, and liquor. More info here.
September 12-15: American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Kansas City, Missouri
The American Royal is celebrating 40 years of competition barbecue in 2019. On top of a huge KCBS competition with teams from around the country, this signature Kansas City event includes public-facing activities, including incredible live music, delicious BBQ and local food, a full line up of kids activities, and a vendor fair authentic to Kansas City and BBQ enthusiasts. More info here.
September 19-21: 2019 Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-Off - Murphysboro, Illinois
The Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-off is a unique dual cook contest sanctioned by the Memphis Barbecue Network and the Kansas City Barbeque Society. The event will also include a steak cookoff and a bloody mary contest as well as a kids Que competition. More info here.
September 21: Smoked Dallas - Dallas, Texas
Join us for a Texas-sized food fest and backyard BBQ party in the heart of downtown Dallas at this event. Enjoy tastings from 20 of the most celebrated BBQ joints from all across Texas at the event, along with live music from Dale Watson, Straight Tequila Night, and The 40 Acre Mule. More info here.
September 27-29: Q In The Lou - St. Louis, Missouri
Get ready to go hog wild and get your BBQ fix at another great year of Q in the Lou. Many of the country’s biggest names in BBQ are back once again, including Peg Leg Porker, Ubons BBQ, The Shed Barbeque & Blues Joint, Sugarfire Smokehouse, and more. There will also be live music all three days. More info here.
October 5: Brew N’ Que - Perth, Western Australia
On Saturday, October 5th, the Brew N’ Que Festival will take place in Perth, Australia at the Ascot Racecourse. Experience the best in craft brew and barbecue. The event includes barbecue food vendors, craft beer, live music, cooking demos, competitions with national and international teams, Kids Q competition, classes from “BBQ Pitmasters” television celebrity Harry Soo, and the headline event with pitmaster Bill Dumas of The Switch in Dripping Springs, Texas. More info here.
See the full Smoke Sheet events calendar online here.
Smoked Turkey Wings
For this week’s Recipe of the Week, we chose this recipe for Smoked Turkey Wings by Johan Magnusson of Big Swede BBQ. He starts by brining the wings in a simple brine solution. Then he shows some techniques to help keep the skin on the wings from getting soft and rubbery. Next, he generously applies duck fat and rub to the wings before they go onto the smoker. He finishes the wings with a light glaze of sauce. The result is a flavorful smoked dish that is perfect for your next party or gathering. View the recipe here.
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