Événement

Slow Food Chicago BBQ Tour

Continuing our series of neighborhood walking tours based on the Slow Food Guide to Chicago, we will explore several of the best BBQ shacks in the city. The locations are somewhat spread out over the south and north sides, so we will make this tour by informally organized carpools. Leading the tour will be local BBQ master and Slow Food member, Gary Wiviott, ( http://www.wiviott.com)

We will begin on the far south side, with a stop at the new Uncle John's BBQ, on E. 69th Street. Pitmaster Mack Sevier and his wife Shirley just recently opened Uncle John's as owner/operators. Mack has been a fixture on the local scene for years, most notably as the force behind the quality BBQ at Barbara Ann's, where his proprietary-recipe hot-links achieved an almost legendary status among BBQ aficionados.

Our next stop will be Barbara Ann's BBQ on S. Cottage Grove. Barbara Ann's has consistently been listed among the top BBQ shacks in the city, and always favored for their rib tips. We will sample, talk, and perhaps get a word from the new pitmaster.

Our third and final stop on the South Side will be the historically renowned Lem's on East 75th, one of the oldest, continuously family-run BBQ houses in the city, and often rated as the best BBQ in Chicago. Again we will taste, discuss, and hear a little history about the father of Chicago BBQ and original founder of Lem's, Miles Lemons.

Along the way, Gary will talk about the similarities and differences in cooking styles among all of the BBQ shacks visited, and we'll also discuss the general history of Chicago BBQ, with its roots in the Mississippi delta.

Our tour will finish with a grand finale taste-off at a Slow Food favorite, Honey 1 BBQ on the north side. For the occasion, we have ordered ribs and shoulder from a free-range, organic pig, happily raised on the all-organic farm of Larry and Marilyn Wettstein in Eureka, IL. Honey 1 owner and pitmaster Robert Adams will smoke these for us, and we will do a side-by-side comparative tasting of free-range organic versus standard commercial pork product.

Our south side tour by caravan will be limited to 25 people, BUT IS NOW SOLD OUT. The final taste-off at Honey 1 BBQ, will accommodate an additional 20 to 25 people.

You may now RSVP just for the finale at Honey 1.

TIME & LOCATION:
First stop, 11:00 am: Uncle John's BBQ, 337 E. 69th
Last stop, 2:45 pm: Honey 1 BBQ, 2241 N. Western Ave.

COST for the entire tour: SOLD OUT
COST just for the Honey 1 taste-off: $22