Posts By / 17th Street BBQ

6
Feb

2014 Praise the Lard™ Overview

Posted by on . -- Cook-Off

Overview01Catching up and capturing some memories from our 28th annual Praise the Lard® Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-off back in September. These unique blown glass apples are crafted for us by the Douglass School Art Place, a nationally renowned glass studio in Murphysboro.

Overview02Both the KCBS and MBN Grand Champions received one of these chainsaw-carved pigs, created by Bear Tracks of Brownstone, Illinois.

Overview03Thanks to Matt Price and Arthur Agency for creating our logo and graphics. People kept stealing the posters and table tents — the sign of a popular design.

Overview04Mike McCloud of MMA Creative in Nashville was on hand as creator and host of the World Food Championships super regional which we hosted during our event. Local cooks and teams competed in three categories, vying for Golden Tickets to the finals in Las Vegas.

Overview05Each team took home one of these hospitality baskets, filled to the brim with delicious Mileur Orchards apples, apple and peach butter, and Alto Vineyards wine, along with cases of beer, soda, Rule of Pie apple hand pies, moonshine, and bags of Royal Oak Charcoal. We’re known for having some the best swag on the circuit.

Overview08It takes two people to carry them back to the cook site.

Overview06Mike and the Luckhart girls on the way to the Dairy Queen. Sweet.

Overview07The Kansas City Barbecue Society honored us with Legacy Contest designation.

Overview09Crimson Express, the Murphysboro High School’s award-winning marching band entertained us on Friday afternoon …

Overview10… and they marched through the midway as their grand finale.

Overview11Key Club volunteers helped serve at our Fish Fry and Grand Champion Buffet.

Overview12We really appreciate their help and it’s a great way for them to get involved in community events.

Overview17Debby and Bill Gage and Carolyn Wells are our ace KCBS reps, overseeing the KCBS side of the contest.

Overview13Melzie Wilson and Rollie Williams, our ace Memphis Barbecue Network reps, keep things running smoothly on the MBN judging side.

Overview14The live music and street dance draw big crowds.

Overview15The band was Jackson Junction, a Southern Illinois favorite.

Overview16On Saturday, after the judging, Nine88, a local bluegrass/folk band, provided entertainment on the stage.

Overview18We partnered with the Brews Brothers Taproom and Grand River Spirits to hold a Bloody Mary Contest. The winner received an apple trophy, along with some moonshine and other gifts.

Overview19Just before the award ceremony, the St. Louis Praise team performed a rousing rendition of gospel songs, cleverly peppered with references to barbecue. We can’t wait to welcome them back this September.

The 2015 contest dates are September 24-26, 2015. Forms will be up on our website shortly. We’ll also be a super qualifier for the World Food Championships, and there are a few more fun things coming down the pike. Stay tuned for more details!

Photos ©Troy Brown.

Keep up with us!
Follow our adventures in real time on Instagram and Twitter.
See lots of entertaining and barbecue ideas on our Pinterest boards.
And we post fun things on Facebook, too!

5
Feb

Let's Eat 2014 Edition

Posted by on . -- On The Road

BBQI realize we’re well into 2015 – hello, February! – so please bear with me as I catch up and document the rest of an amazing 2014. I’m not sure what we did without camera phones to capture every interesting plate of food put before us? Scrolling through my photo album and remembering plates of food – and with whom I shared them – makes me inexplicably happy. Most of these are moments I didn’t document elsewhere on this site and I want to remember them.

We served these barbecue parfaits to groups of VIP guests at Memphis in May. Layers of tortilla chips, slaw, and succulent strings of pulled pork, drizzled with a bit of sauce.

BeetSaladBeet carpaccio at Cherche Midi. Red and golden beets sliced paper thin and layered with brebis and sprinkled with a pistachios. One of my favorite NYC nights in 2014. I will never not order this at Cherche Midi. Shane McBride is brilliant.

BrusselsSproutSkilletSizzling, balsamic-glazed Brussels sprouts at The Pig in St. Louis. Loved these.

BSpotBurgerMichael Symon’s burger at the Burger Bash at South Beach Wine & Food Festival. So good.

CheeseBoardCheese board at Craftbar. Accompanied by lots of rosé and great friends.

ChickenAndWafflesCornish game hen and waffles with cayenne-spiked syrup. Fun take on the standard chicken and waffles. At Cody’s Bistro in San Marcos, Texas with my whole pit crew and Keith Schmidt of Kreuz Market.

FriedChickenGus’s fried chicken. A must during Memphis in May.

FriedChickenAndFixinsA sleepy Sunday afternoon at The Lodge at Giant City State Park with my daddy. All-you-can-eat fried chicken and all the fixin’s. A family tradition.

GrapefruitBruleéd grapefruit at The Breslin at the Ace Hotel. A life-changing breakfast meeting. Must remember how big the possibilities seemed at that moment.

GrilledLobsterLobster tails, carried fresh from Maine by DennyMike Sherman, and grilled during the National Barbecue Association convention in San Marcos, Texas.

LimaBeansSimple and fresh salad of butter beans, fresh South Carolina shrimp, and a light lemon vinaigrette. Monza, Charleston, SC.

LobsterRollsButtery buns stuffed full of fresh, tender lobster. An early morning treat handed over the fence during the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party by Ed McFarland of Ed’s Lobster Bar in Manhattan. Go there.

MicrogreensSaladBeet salad and a bottle of rosé at Balthazar. Always a special treat.

PickledSaladRazor clams with apple, radishes, and bright with cilantro at The Ordinary in Charleston. We ordered pretty much the entire menu and it was all so, so good.

PIeSlicesSlices of the very best Big Bob Gibson pies, carefully carried by Carolyn McLemore to Memphis in May. Peanut butter, coconut, and chocolate. Feels like home.

PizzaSugo’s is one of my favorite places in St. Louis. My great college friend and Mizzou J-school cohort introduced me to this spot. Next to my favorite shopping spot and hotel, I go there often when I’m St. Louis. Great salads, wine, and pizza. Mike Del Pietro creates great dining experiences.

SoftShellCrabSoftshell crab at Lorenzillios in Cancun. My first vacation not attached to a business trip in 20 years. Slow learner.

BBQCelebrating a big deal with our Coolfire partners. Really great burnt ends sandwich at Bogart’s in the Soulard neighborhood of St. Louis. Also the deviled egg potato salad. Bravo, Skippy!

BreakfastBreakfast does not get much better than this. Big Bad Breakfast in Oxford, during SFA, with my partners in crime.

OysterTowerAnd, the triple tower. During eight visits to Charleston in 2014, The Ordinary became our go-to celebratory spot, with the triple tower as the centerpiece. The memories of each of these evenings, and the people gathered around the table, are seared into my mind. Moments as big as years. Looking forward to many more of these evenings in 2015.

Keep up with us!
Follow our adventures in real time on Instagram and Twitter.
See lots of entertaining and barbecue ideas on our Pinterest boards.
And we post fun things on Facebook, too!