Windy City Smokeout Hits Town This Weekend

Setting up for Bub City’s Windy City Smokeout

Come for the ribs and stay for the music at the second annual Windy City Smokeout, firing up this Friday and running through the weekend. This year, a new location: Grand and the River. This BBQ fest brings you not only the best in the city, but the best in the country, featuring joints like New York’s Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (soon to open in Chicago in 2015), St. Louis’s Pappy’s Smokehouse, and Driftwood Texas’s The Salt Lick. Then of course there are the hosts themselves from Bub City, and other Chicago favorites – Smoque, Lillie’s Q, and Chicago Q.

This year features two special events: The Pitmaster Experience on Saturday and the Windy City Smokeout BBQ Brunch on Sunday. The Pitmaster Experience features demonstration classes and how-to’s from eight BBQ masters with BBQ tastings and beer samplings. Sunday’s BBQ Brunch will showcase a signature dish from each of the restaurants mentioned above. Smoked corn and black bean salad, BBQ beans, pulled pork, brisket, sausage, and of course every type of rib style you can imagine will all be included. Bub City will also be serving up its classic cornbread, biscuits, and country gravy, plus a few breakfast favorites like cheddar cheese scrambled eggs and cinnamon buns. Tickets for both the Pitmaster Experience and the BBQ Brunch can be purchased here.

Performing musical acts include Brett Eldredge, the Randy Rogers Band, and the Eli Young Band. It’s going to be a smoky, meaty, bark-filled weekend, so strap on your big boy pants.