7
Dec

Register Now for the ‘Whole Hog Extravaganza’ Barbecue Seminar

Posted by on . -- In Our Restaurants, OnCue Consulting

17th Street Barbecue Whole Hog Extravaganza Join 17th Street Barbecue for the 7th annual Whole Hog Extravaganza seminar and invest in your business, your network, and your dreams.

Building a barbecue empire requires more than the ability to cook great barbecue. Not only must you master all aspects of the restaurant business; you have to adapt to ever-changing trends, technology, and ways of conducting business.

Pitmasters at the top of their game invest in continuing education. Similarly, they constantly build relationships in both the barbecue and restaurant communities.

Above all, you’ll hear from a powerhouse lineup of legendary and celebrated pitmasters, restaurateurs, and marketing professionals discussing topics that will directly impact your business.

So whether you’re a seasoned or aspiring restaurateur, barbecue competitor, or a lifelong super enthusiast, we invite you to continue your education at the 7th Annual Whole Hog Extravaganza/Brisket Bonanza/BBQ MBA seminar on January 15th and 16th!

This two-day event is packed with speakers, relevant seminar topics, and networking opportunities. Even more, it’s all designed to connect you with the ultimate tips of the barbecue trade that you can’t find anywhere else.

Presented by OnCue Hospitality Consulting, the Whole Hog Extravaganza seminar takes place at the legendary 17th Street Barbecue in Murphysboro, IL!

In addition, the classes explore a variety of cooking methods and demonstrations from prep through finished product for whole hogs, brisket, sausage, and more. During the BBQ MBA portion of the program, hear advice from this group of top talent. Bring your appetite too, because all the food will be sampled! You’ll also get a peek behind-the-scenes at the 17th Street operation.

Here’s an insider’s look at last year’s event. Every year, our lineup of top pitmasters, speakers, and press varies to bring you a fresh, relevant, learning experience. Check out this year’s lineup below!

THIS EVENT SELLS OUT. Remember, space is limited to just 35 participants in order to provide ample opportunity for learning and networking.

Click here for your all-access pass!

Whole Hog Extravaganza Seminar Lineup

Get ready for your sneak preview of the talent on board this year:

Mike Mills, Amy Mills and Phillip Heern of 17th Street, known as “The Legend,” “The BBQ Heiress,” and “The Right-Hand Man,” respectively, graciously host the event! While Mike is the most decorated pitmaster in America, Amy is the industry’s go-to girl for all things barbecue, and Phillip is an integral part of the crew.
@17thstreetbbq

John Lewis and his barbecrew opened Lewis Barbecue in Charleston in 2016. Barbecue enthusiasts flock to his pit year after year and wait in long lines to taste his expertly smoked pork spareribs, beef ribs, “Texas hot guts” sausage, oxtail and his legendary beef brisket.
@lewisbarbecue

Aaron Kleidon, brewmaster, co-owns Scratch Brewing Company, a farmhouse brewery in Ava, Illinois. Named one of the top four breweries for foraged beer by Outside Magazine, Scratch Brewing Company also focuses on farmhouse beers and other styles brewed with home grown and locally farmed and foraged ingredients.
@scratchbeer

Kat Kinsman, Journalist and author of Hi, Anxiety, is also the founder of Chefs with Issues and the Senior Food and Drinks Editor at Time Inc.’s all-breakfast site Extra Crispy.
@katkinsman

That’s not all!

Barry Sorkin, former IT professional, opened SMOQUE BBQ in 2006. It quickly developed a reputation for serving some of the best BBQ in Chicago. He’s also the co-founder of the Illinois BBQ Alliance.
@barrysorkin

Tom and Shelley Niemeier of architectural and design firm SPACE STL, specialize in strategic planning, interior design, historic renovations, and more. Tom is a Registered Architect with over thirty years’ experience in the design industry. In addition, Shelley works closely with clients to develop cohesive branded themes in their new spaces and on a variety of interior design projects in the office.
@spacearchitects

Finally, the lineup continues with appearances by: 

Roderick Weaver is no stranger to the beverage scene across the country with nearly two decades of experience. After mastering the art of mixology, Weaver started his own firm, BarWeaver Consulting, in 2013, where he has helped create and mentor notable bar programs like OBC Kitchen in Lexington and Lewis Barbecue in Charleston.
@barweaver

Michael Ollier
Certified Angus Beef
@certifiedangusbeef 

Chris Chamberlain
Journalist
@ceeelcee

Click the link below to register online or email Amy to pay by check and avoid the ticketing fee.

5
Dec

Judging the Jack Daniel’s World Championship 2017

Posted by on . -- On The Road

Judging the Jack Daniel’s World Invitational Barbecue Cooking Contest is a bucket list event for a barbecue judge and an October tradition for Mike and me. Mike and Apple City Barbecue won The Jack in 1992, and we’ve been returning for the past 15 years to serve as judges and cheer on so many friends who’ve been fortunate to compete — and win.

Here’s a sampling of the judging plates. This contest includes sauce, cooking from the homeland/chef’s choice, and dessert. As a media judge, I was able to take some photos of my food.

International and domestic teams can choose to compete in the Cooking from the Homeland/Chef’s Choice category. The images above are a few of those inventive entries. 

Creativity abounds in the dessert category and it steals the show each year. The table captains parade by, carrying each entry, as the judges hope for the most interesting submissions to hit their tables.

This was my favorite this year — mocha cakes filled with peanut butter mouse and topped with ganache and chopped mini Reese’s peanut butter cups. The accompanying mini milk bottles were rimmed with peanut butter and rolled in chocolate chips. I think this won first place — someone please correct me if I’m wrong. This was judged by the table next to mine and I was lucky to snag a taste. 

My judging plate contained a composed banana pudding, caramel apple pie in a glass, and a gooey cake swirled with chocolate.
Debbie Christiansen and her team do an amazing job of organizing the event and setting the stage for photo opps.

Catching up with friends is the best part of the weekend. Here are Mike and Johnny Trigg. Johnny was the first person to win The Jack twice. 

All of the winning teams use Snake River Farms brisket and Anella Kelso is the force behind that brand.

Thank you Frank Boyer for capturing this pic of Mike and me!

The tiny town of Lynchburg shines during this weekend as thousands of people visit the distillery, craft fair, and barbecue teams. If you’re an enthusiast of barbecue or Jack Daniel’s, put this weekend on your list.

Thank you so much to Niki Giacchina of DVL for inviting me to be part of the festivities and fun!

3
Dec

17th Street Sunday Sermon

Posted by on . -- Words of Wisdom

You Become What You Believe

Words we live by at 17th Street Barbecue.

Our restaurant signs have become points of interest and photographed and shared across the world. Please tag us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook so we can see how far they travel!

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!

26
Nov

17th Street Sunday Sermon

Posted by on . -- Words of Wisdom

Love is the Light in Dark Corners

Words we live by at 17th Street Barbecue.

Our restaurant signs have become points of interest and photographed and shared across the world. Please tag us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook so we can see how far they travel!

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!

6
Nov

Barbecue Class Content Announcement!

Posted by on . -- OnCue Consulting


Barbecue Class Catering

This isn’t your ordinary barbecue class!

When you choose to attend this barbecue class or any of our OnCue Consulting programs, you’re benefiting from over 30 years of barbecue experience. Our team works consciously every day to remain on lists such as 33 Best BBQ in America by Thrillist and 50 Best BBQ Joints via MSN.

We’ve been working hard on a lot of new content for next week’s Catering Master Class. One topic that’s totally changed is social media. The algorithms and the rules of the game — and it IS a game — have completely changed this year. That means that in order to be successful, you have to be strategic. I’m going to share my thought process and what’s working for us right now.

(more…)

24
Oct

Register Now for our Barbecue Class

Posted by on . -- OnCue Consulting

This professional-level barbecue class will be the ninth one we’ve produced. Each year we take a fresh look at the curriculum and make adjustments reflecting the business climate, things we’ve learned by trial and error in the past year, new information we’ve gathered from industry colleagues and the seminars I attend. We’re proud to present a solid mix of information, peppered with actual demos, and a great deal of delicious food.

We’re fortunate to have an ideal space in which to hold seminars. The Warehouse, our catering facility that sits across the street from our original restaurant, is a 30,000 square-foot catering facility housing our catering kitchen, a smoke room, outdoor pits, two event spaces, and loads of storage for our mountain of equipment and props. Attendees get to see behind the iron curtain and tour both of our restaurants as well as this facility.

The participants are professionals who are already in or embarking on a catering business — whether through a restaurant, food truck, or mobile unit. Many are barbecue teams who want to capitalize on their experience.

Novices and veterans alike will leave with concrete ideas that will immediately impact their business.

You’ll experience:

  • • Behind-the-scenes tours of our restaurant and catering operation
  • • Shared resources and purveyors
  • • Networking opportunities with other attendees
  • • Small class size for ultimate learning

We dive deep into the subject of catering:

  • • Tools to refine and refine your brand story
  • • Learn the newest and most effective social media and marketing techniques – what worked six months ago does not work today
  • • Exposure doesn’t pay the bills — how to support your community and get the most from in-kind donations
  • • Learn the 12 things you need to do now to take your business to the next level
  • • Discover how to price and execute events for maximum profit and customer satisfaction
  • • Gather dozens of ideas to strengthen your bottom line, elevate your best practices, and help your catering business soar!

This program is $950 per person and is priced for professionals.  Just one or two ideas can significantly impact your bottom line. This is an investment that will pay for itself over and again and make you thousands of dollars during your years in business.

Register by clicking the link below or you may pay by check and save the ticketing fee. Email Amy for details.

 

Register Online at Brown Paper Tickets


$1050 – Start 2018 with an unparalleled barbecue educational and networking experience. In addition to learning the gospel of whole hog cookery from the masters of the art, attendees will also experience brisket, beef ribs and more. Our speakers will discuss various topics focused on taking your business to the next level.

Register Online at Brown Paper Tickets

 

 

Need more info? Call 781-799-7202 or email Amy@NowOnCue.com

Save

 

1
Oct

17th Street Sunday Sermon

Posted by on . -- Words of Wisdom

For Where Your Treasure Is There Your Heart Will Be Also

Words we live by at 17th Street Barbecue.

Our restaurant signs have become points of interest and photographed and shared across the world. Please tag us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook so we can see how far they travel!

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!

28
Sep

2017 Praise the Lard Competition Winners

Posted by on . -- Cook-Off


Our cook-off is one of the most anticipated competitions on the barbecue circuit and our 30th annual event took place this weekend. 79 teams from 16 states and Canada set up camp around the 17th Street Barbecue Warehouse to compete for Grand Champion bragging rights and share of $25,000 in prize money. Over 200 Judges, volunteers and ambassadors traveled from 18 states.

This contest is like a slice of pure Americana. This is our opportunity to showcase the very best of Murphysboro and Southern Illinois to a wonderful group of people from all over the world. The field of competitors is fierce. Mike Mills likes to say that If you can win here, you can win at any of the big competitions. In fact, each year we have grand champions of Memphis in May, Kansas City Royal, Houston Rodeo, and The Jack in the field.

The year also marked the 10th year of a dual-sanctioned event with teams cooking both the Memphis Barbecue Network and Kansas City Barbecue Society contests. Of the 79 competing teams, 22 were MBN sanctioned teams, 57 KCBS teams and 16 teams cooked in both contests.

This year was the third annual Steak Cook-off, sanctioned by the Steak Cook-off Association, and the 4th-ever Bloody Mary Contest, sponsored by Brews Brothers Taproom. The 5th-ever Townsend Spice Kid’s Que drew a field of 8 competitors.

Winning teams received original trophies of one-of-a-kind hand blown glass apples exclusively commissioned for The Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-Off by the Douglass School Art Place in Murphysboro. The two Grand Champions each received a chainsaw-carved pig from Bear Tracks in Brownsville, Illinois.

In addition to providing three days of music, food, and fun, the cook-off benefits Murphysboro as a community. We recently completed an economic impact study and learned that over the past 30 years, this event has injected over $1.6 million dollars into Murphysboro and surrounding towns.

The only reason we are here, 30 years later, is because of the generosity of the community. We want to thank the sponsors, whether they’re companies or individuals, competitors, and all the volunteers. There are so many people that come together to make this all possible and create this special stop on the barbecue circuit.

Praise The Lard Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-Off gold and silver sponsors include 17th Street Barbecue, City of Murphysboro, Townsend Supply, Venegoni Distributing, Silkworm, Republic Services, Certified Angus Beef, Arthur Agency, Big Muddy Brewing, Graue, Inc, Henson’s Septic Service, Mileur Orchard, Oliver and Associates, Pepsi, River Radio, Royal Oak Charcoal, Schwebel Printing, Sound Core, Steve Hudson, US Foods, Voss Heating and AC, Old Rome, and Performance Food Group.

2017 MURPHYSBORO BARBECUE COOK-OFF RESULTS

MBN

GRAND CHAMPION:
Victory Lane

Ribs
5) Ham’s Hock
4) Diamond D Cooking Team
3) Serial Grillers
2) Phat Chance
1) Victory Lane

Shoulder
5) Diamond D Cooking Team
4) Phat Chance
3) BBQ Bus
2) Will B Que BBQ Team
1) Victory Lane

Hog
5) 3 Taxi Guys
4) SugarFire Smokehouse
3) Poker Porkers
2) Jordy Q
1) Diamond D Cooking Team

KCBS

GRAND CHAMPION:
Q Bones

RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION:
It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere

Chicken
10) Phat Daddy Doug’s BBQ
9) JH Old School
8) Swine Life
7) One2bbq
6) Iowa’s Smokey D’s BBQ
5) Victory lane BBQ
4) BBQ Bus
3) Poker Porkers
2) Jugs BBQ
1) Qbones

Ribs
10) Woodware Barbeque
9) One2bbq
8) Pork Paradise
7) SwineLife
6) It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere
5) Iowa Smokey D’s
4) Gilly’s BBQ
3) Smoke Me Silly
2) Smoke Freaks
1) BBQ Bus

Pork
10) Swine Life
9) Pork Paradise
8) All In Que
7) One2bbq
6) St.Louis Black Iron BBQ
5) Victory Lane BBQ
4) Woodward Barbeque
3) Phat Chance
2) Sexy Q
1) Boss Hawg

Brisket
10) Phat Daddy Doug’s BBQ
9) One2bbq
8) Smoke Me Silly
7) Smoke Freaks
6) Smokey’s Q
5) Tennessee Mojo
4) Gilly’s BBQ
3) QUAU
2) Qbones
1) It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere

Steak
10) Jami Durkin
9) Danny Ewer
8) Brian Thompson
7) Kevin O’Sullivan
6) Nathan Grodeon
5) Doug Vickery
4) Chris Graue
3) Jay Durbin
2) Josh Hawkins
1) AllenSmith

Townsend Spice Kids’ Que
3) Little Man BBQ
2) Sassy Bacom BBQ
1) May The Sauce Be With You

Brews Brothers Taproom Best Bloody Mary
3rd Place: Rub Runners – Todd Henery & Scott Sauer
2nd Place: Hot Mess BBQ – Brian Thompson
1st Place: Cure’s What Ails Ya – Lisa and Richard Blake

Fish Contest
1st Place: Pork Whisperers

Wings Contest
1st Place: Party Que

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!

 

24
Sep

17th Street Sunday Sermon

Posted by on . -- Words of Wisdom

If You Are Irritated By Every Rub, How Will you Be Polished?

Words we live by at 17th Street Barbecue.

Our restaurant signs have become points of interest and photographed and shared across the world. Please tag us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook so we can see how far they travel!

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!

17
Sep

17th Street Sunday Sermon

Posted by on . -- Words of Wisdom

If You're the Smartest Person in the Room, You're in the Wrong Room.

Words we live by at 17th Street Barbecue.

Our restaurant signs have become points of interest and photographed and shared across the world. Please tag us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook so we can see how far they travel!

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!