This week’s guest article is written by Dennis Cheng, a barbecue enthusiast who documents the many pop-ups, events, and restaurants he visits on Instagram.
July is usually a busy month for me, but this year’s Windy City Smokeout introduced its Beyond the Pit dinner series, and with a surprisingly open calendar for once, heading to Chicago was a no-brainer.
Now in its 13th year outside the United Center (home of the Bulls), the Smokeout ran July 8 to 12 with more than 20 pitmaster teams and a country lineup headlined by Lainey Wilson, Hootie & The Blowfish, Jordan Davis, and Blake Shelton. Whether or not you’re a country music fan, it’s a rare chance to eat some of the best barbecue in the country without leaving one giant parking lot.
I mostly took photos to showcase the food, the people behind it, and the atmosphere, in hopes that more readers go out and support their local pitmasters and restaurants. These businesses need your support the other 51 weeks of the year, so don’t be afraid to treat yourself. Fair warning: I only photographed what I actually ordered, since I felt less shy asking for a team photo after buying something. Everything I missed, I missed because I was too full to keep going across the Saturday and Sunday I attended.
The strength of the barbecue community was on full display. Stoker, of Blake’s at Southern Milling in Martin, Tennessee, fresh off competing on Season 7 of Food Network’s BBQ Brawl, teamed up with fellow Brawl competitor Dakari Akorede of Chicageaux BBQ in Atlanta to serve a terrific pork ribeye.
Leslie Roark Scott, the fourth-generation pitmaster behind Ubons (known as the BBQ Princess), made an appearance alongside her son Jacob Scott just days before their debut on Food Network’s new series Pitmasters, which premiered July 13.
The Beyond the Pit series was the biggest reason I made the trip. I sat down with Evan LeRoy of LeRoy & Lewis on Saturday night and Kareem El-Ghayesh of KG BBQ on Sunday night. Both more than lived up to their reputations with specialty dishes that put them on the map. KG’s lamb chop and pomegranate ribs were a crowd favorite, leaving no leftovers, and Leroy had everyone flipping through his cookbook to see if they could replicate the mustard apple butter sauce he served with pork chops.
If you can’t get to Chicago during Smokeout weekend, or can’t get to every tent once you’re there, the city has plenty going on year-round. Bub City, Green Street Smoked Meats, and Lexington Betty Smoke House, which just added a brand-new smoker, are all worth the trip on their own.
For future attendees, I’ll warn that the cost adds up fast. Passes ranged from $75 for Wednesday general admission to $2,251 for a four-day Platinum wristband, and barbecue is not included with admission. Then again, that’s roughly what I’d spend on gas driving to each of these restaurants individually, before I bought a single sandwich.
Several pitmasters also served dishes they don’t normally have, like the beef cheek poutine from Hoodoo Brown BBQ from Ridgefield, Connecticut, which was good enough to earn a permanent menu spot. And if the Beyond the Pit dinners return, a multi-course meal with meet-and-greet access is well worth it for any barbecue nerd who can pace their appetite.
Dennis Cheng
Richie Holmes, the owner and pitmaster who built the Juicy Lucy BBQ brand in NYC, passed away Saturday at home at age 56. He won Brisket King NYC twice, Rib King NYC once, and had continued to launch new concepts even after his BBQ restaurants closed. He is fondly remembered by members of the NYC BBQ community.
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