Big Fat Daddy's Tour For Grilling Gurus

This Just In!

Big Fat Daddy's has joined the York Pennsylvania Convention and Visitor's Bureau.  But that's not all.  The secret is out, we are a 2015 Visit York Pennsylvania Factory Tour Stop!  Many people do not realize Pennsylvania is the Factory Tour Capital of the World, housing old businesses and highlighting industry. We are one of the rare Mom and Pop tour stops which highlights grilling and barbecue!   As you may or may not know, Big Fat Daddy's roots are strong in Baltimore, but after three decades in Maryland we made the move to PA several years ago!

The 3000 square foot compound used to be home to a construction company and land developer.

We now call this "The Compound", a 3000 sq foot 3 Acre compound in the cornfields of Northern York, Pennsylvania. Herein is our licensed kitchen facility,  event warehouses, Pitmaster Playground, and office space.   It's where Wayne plays hard and works hard. For the tour, we've also been working our grilling museum, which will incorporate vintage meat history,  antiques, and education on rubs, woods, and smoking.

Get an inside look and history of Big Fat Daddy's

We also give a brief history on the meat packing industry !

The BASIC TOUR is by appointment only and lasts up to 30 minutes, for $5 per person you get:

• A tour of the Wall of Fame and Big Fat Daddy's history. Many of these articles, awards and trophies have been off limit to the public, until now.
• A complete tour of the facility to see where it all takes place, to see a real "Pitmaster's Playground."
• A tour of the little "Grilling Museum" which includes information and Wayne's collection of Vintage Goodies, mainly on the history of meat packing industry from Swift & Company to spices and dry rubs with C.F. Sauer--for this education part of the tour, chances are you will learn a little something!
• All Tourists over the age of 10 will receive a free spice sample from our partners C.F.Sauer to take home and enjoy!  They will also receive recipes and coupons.
• You can also purchase the tours as gifts on Etsy here.

 The cost to all is $5.00 per person for the basic tour.  Stipulations: 10 and under are free and all children must be accompanied by an adult.   ***All proceeds of the basic tour will be donated to Bell Family Shelter at the end of the year. 

Bell Shelter thanks Big Fat Daddy's, for fundraising efforts.  Pic: Bell Socialization

Learn the importance of rubbing your meat.

Want the VIP Treatment ? *We will be doing VIP Tours, where you get the basic tour, plus more bonuses including the items in red:

• A tour of the Wall of Fame and Big Fat Daddy's history. Many of these articles, awards and trophies have been off limit to the public, until now.
• A complete tour of the facility to see where it all takes place, to see a real "Pitmaster's Playground."
• Get to meet Wayne and rack his brain on anything BBQ related.  
• Wayne will also prepare a sample for your to taste, of something he's recently cooked or grilled. You never know if this will be pork, beef, chicken, ribs or maybe his Food Network featured Crab Dip?
• A tour of the "Grilling Museum" which includes information and Wayne's collection of Vintage Goodies, mainly on the history of meat packing industry from Swift and Company to spices and dry rubs with C.F. Sauer--for this education part of the tour, chances are you will learn a little something!
• Additional education on smoking woods--what kinds Wayne uses and how. See our preferred types, and we'll tell you where to get them. Logs, dust, chunks.  
• More in depth information on dry rubbing and injection methods for meats.
• All tourists will receive a free spice sample from our partners C.F.Sauer to take home and enjoy!  They will also receive recipes and coupons.
• A $10 coupon off a future Pitmaster Class. 
• You can also purchase the tours as gifts on Etsy here.

These tours last about an hour, and are by strict appointment only. They are $25 per person, of which ***$5 from each tourist will be donated to Bell Family Shelter at the end of the year.  VIP Tours may take place seven days a week in the off season, but most of these tours will take place on weekdays in the Summer due to Wayne's hectic schedule of having to do fairs and festivals on weekends.



More information: Here on the Grilling Museum Page , or Factory Tour Page

To Set Up a Tour: Call Cindy 410-908-9241 or 717-793-2124  Please note, these tours will have to be scheduled by appointment only, as Wayne is normally at fairs and festivals during the weekend, it is important to schedule the VIP tours ahead of time.

We had fun visiting Flinchbaugh's Orchard, who is another member of the York CVB.

Virginia Festival Obtains Grass Roots Community Support

Thanks to all the competitors coming out to cook at the KCBS BBQ competition. All are helping us with our cause.  This one: Aporkalypse Now just won at  Swinetastic 2013!

I wanted to give a great big thank you for everyone who is helping me get this festival going in Winchester--well, I call it Winchester but it's really the tiny hidden unincorporated town of Clear Brook that houses the old Frederick County Fairgrounds. 

Thanks to my vendors like Jay Dickey's Sauces who are coming out to sell their wares!

I explained to the Winchester Star that when I was 19 I set up a food stand and started my career there. The fair used to be jammed with people and they would come from neighboring counties. It's a tradition, the old Frederick County Fair.  It's not the newest fairgrounds, or the biggest,  but it's the one that means something to me.  It's country.

Kirsten Sowers, is coming all the way from Philadelphia in the middle of her vacation to perform for us.

I really couldn't do it without all the help from the bands or the community. People don't realize how much effort or cost it takes to have a festival.  You have bands to pay, a soundman, ASCAP & BMI fees (even after you pay the bands to sing), security, permits...............

 

MIK Woodworking helped us set up our cornhole area!

..............  fairground rental, insurance, dumpsters, cleaning, port a johns, attractions advertising, radio ads, cable tv ads,tshirts, flyers, signs,  and trying to get an electrician to modify or generators to give enough juice to your competitors, oh my gosh it all costs a pretty penny.

Centennial Broadcasting was willing to work with us. Shout out to Mario Ordonez. The other station thought $67 for 15 seconds was a great deal. Um, no, those dollars need to be raised for Cancer Care pal!

Thanks to all the local companies like Johnny Blue for helping us by giving us a great deal!

You try to cover some costs from vendors, sponsors, or admission but in this case we've decided to drop so many free passes or discount coupons just to get the community involved. On top of that, a portion of the gate we feel strongly should go to the Clear Brook Volunteer Fire and Rescue because volunteer firemen don't nearly get enough thanks period.  Additionally some of the gate will  help the local Clear Brook church who is helping  us with the parking.

The local Exchange Group is doing the alcohol sales and they do a lot of good for the community. Come out and support their organization.  As for the food, we are giving a portion of that to CancerCare, so we hope you will come, drink and eat!  

Did we mention we will have deep fried oreos and kettle corn ?

So how do you come out on top so that you can donate a nice sized chunk to charity? You hope for good sunny weather and lots of Community Support.  I was in shock that even people from Pennsylvania wanted to help me - they were willing to donate generators (Keystruct) if I needed them or propane (Thanks Suburban Propane).

Companies like AskNeal, helped reduce their normal rates to help us with this festival.

Countless hours, planning, and still so much to do.  So why even do it?  

My wife (left) learned how to cook from her mother (right). She had her when she was 21.

For us, it's personal.

When my Mother-in-Law told us she had colorectal cancer in September 2010, she had decided to go thru chemo and get a small tumor removed. Routine operation, and she was in good health. She cooked for a living, loving her job and the town of Danforth, Maine where she lived. Two weeks before Christmas in December 2010, her surgery was a success in a Maine hospital. She was declared cancer free--the tumor removed and her lymph nodes were clear. Plans to take her home the afternoon of the next day were foiled when they got the call later that evening that she was dead from unknown circumstances. Even after an autopsy, no one to this day will ever know why.   

Sending light to all of those battling or that have lost someone to cancer.

My mother in law told me when she died, not to mourn or have a funeral. Have a damn big party, lots of food and music and celebrate her life.    We couldn't seem to regroup fast enough when seven  months almost to the day, my wife's stepfather took his own life. After 33 years of marriage and a broken heart, he drank himself to death, taking off his wedding ring and writing a note. He could not bear life without her and carried her tin of ashes with him wherever he went.   Our family was in turmoil.  When you are faced with something so horrible, it is sometimes hard to shed light on it. 

CF Sauer helped us with banners, free spices, and more. Thank you!

Our first ever HoggingUp.com is dedicated to her. and that's what we are doing.  That's why we are putting our money, and our soul in it. It's purely a do good festival.   We've  cut our competitors off to give them personalized service.  We've not sold tickets to avoid passing ticket fees to the public. We've gone grass roots and knocked on doors of businesses in Clarke, Stephens City, Winchester, Martinsburg, Inwood, Clear Brook and Shepardstown to tell them about this.

Signet helped us with a giant sign, reducing it by LOTS off the regular pricing. That's community support!

If it's a success, we will damn sure make this an annual event. We would want to choose different area non profits each year to help. 

Thanks for big names like Hatfield for believing in us!

It's a hell of a lot of work, and it's not going to be perfect, but it's going to be our best shot of giving something back to the world and the community.  Turning a bad situation into something good.

So much support from West Virginia, and from  Around the Panhandle Magazine, check them out here!

Thanks to the companies who helped me with donations for the public, the hotels for giving great discounts, and for all the help I received from Richard Leight and the Frederick County Fair board.

Grand Rental Station has helped with product donations.

So the next two weeks I will spend modifying the Frederick County Fair into Virginia's hottest new festival......I will be busy as all get out and unable to talk to you guys.   I hope to see you there.

Hog-It-Up Mike Lackey Bluemont Tells All What BBQ Means to Him @Hog_It_Up_BBQ

Mike Lackey, Pitmaster of Hog-it-Up BBQ Team on the Go, Photo Stolen From PeterGreen

Catching up with Mike Lackey:  What Does BBQ Mean to a Texan and an Aussie? 

  

I'm introducing Mike and Michelle Lackey from Bluemont, Virginia. I love the town of Bluemont, and if you blink you may just miss the old main street or General Store.  I consider the Lackey's Bluemont's best kept secret as far as barbecue goes.  Having met in Australia Mike and Michelle (she's the Aussie) moved to their own little piece of paradise on Blue Ridge Mountain overlooking the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, which Michelle refers to as "Chateau Hog-It-Up" or as her Australian Embassy where everything works a little "differently". 

They've been married for 10 years, Michelle can't believe where the time has gone! Between them they have three kids, all of who have flown the coop, three dogs with "Boomer" being the 3rd member of the BBQ Team! They also share home with some chickens who HAVEN'T flown the coop yet! Both Mike and Michelle members of KCBS and MABA.  (In case you are wondering, the MABA is the Mid Atlantic Barbecue Association, and encompasses members from the East Coast, check 'em out here.)

 

So Mike how did your love of BBQ Start?

"My love of BBQing came from living in Texas where we'd BBQ at family reunions, but then when I moved to Virginia where I found that there was nowhere to go and eat good BBQ, so I figured if I wanted good BBQ I was going to have to cook it myself. Family and friends raved about my BBQ over the years so I thought I'd take it to the next level and compete. Now Michelle on the other hand used to only grill in Australia but has since taken to the BBQ lifestyle like a duck to water. She really likes to think she's the boss, but really I am, ..I think?"

When did you decide to start competing?

"We started competing at Pickin' in the Panhandle's 1st backyard competition in 2007 where we placed 2nd in brisket! In 2008, when we went to enter Pickin a second time , I found that the backyard was on Sunday. I really didn't want to compete on Sunday because that's my day to sleep in and relax, so I was "forced" to enter into the pro's on Saturday so I could keep the Sunday R&R tradition alive and well. Lo and behold we got a 5th brisket that year and the rest they say is history, we were bitten by the BBQ bug!"

The Lackey's Take the Prize at Grove's Harley Davidson Photo: Courtesy of Groves

 That's great!  Do you only compete in KCBS (Kansas City Barbeque Society) events or any contents? 

"Well typically we only do KCBS/MABA  events, but that doesn't mean we won't venture into other sanctioning bodies around the country to compete. We've even dabbled in chili cook offs recently winning first place, with my Texas Chili, at an event held by Groves Harley Davidson in Winchester VA! Michelle, we need to do more of these so we can fund our 'BBQ habit'!"

 What was your best accomplishment and why?

"Our best accomplishment by far has to be making it to the American Royal in Kansas City, in 2012, which was officially the biggest BBQ Competition in the world with 525 teams competing in the 'Open' portion of the event! We had an outstanding cook with Michelle, the Aussie "Chicken Queen" of our team, pulling a 5th place call in the Nation during the Invitational part of the Competition, which had 154 Grand Champion teams from around the country competing for the top spot. Now let's not forget our 54th placing in the Open, 525 teams, not too shabby at all!"

What is your favorite way of smoking or are you partial to any brand of smoker?

"First off. you "Don't mess with Texans! 'Cause we cook a little like this, We use a little Salt, Pepper, Cayenne and garlic, that's all ya need right there, slap it on your meat, fire up the Stumps Smoker, put some Oak in there and away you go! It don't get better that that!"

The Lackey's must be off sleeping while the Stumps is going....

So Stumps is your pick of a smoker? 

 

"Our all-time favorite pit is a Classic, one of Stumps Smoker's, original competition pits and we LOVE IT! In fact we love it so much we've ordered one of Stump's newest masterpieces .. the Monster!  Stumps Smoker's build a top quality smoker for the avid home BBQ fan as well as competition teams. They truly are a "set and forget" kind of pit being fully insulated and with the best part of all..... a charcoal chute! No messing around once you light that baby. Now we get some beauty sleep! 'Cause you know ...'Stump Don't Build No Junk!'"

Tell me in a nutshell "What does BBQ mean to you?"

"Ultimately BBQ means having a great cook, producing something you can be proud of, hearing your name called last and best of all catching up with friends over a few beers. Where else can you spend tons of money to hang out with your buddies!"

Who would have seen this coming?  

 

Anything else you want people to know?

"We are a multicultural team! Michelle is from Australia and I'm from Texas, well yes Texas is a country .. Isn't it? *wink*"

Damn Right it is.    

Mike and Michelle are great folks, and one thing I learned from this interview is that barbecue competitions aren't all about the prize money and winning. They are ways to make new friends, have something fun to do!  

I should also add that Michelle, ten years later, hasn't lost her Aussie accent.  Michelle is open to Australian companies pitching products to her. She'd love to be a spokesperson. 

Connect with them: 
Facebook
Website
Twitter 
Pinterest  

More Great Things from Australia - Beef & Biltong:


A related product you should try is this Great Australian Biltong Online, They ship worldwide and use the best Australian beef for their biltong.  It's the epiphany of what we call beef jerky.  You really are missing out if you haven't tried  it.

You may also remember some time ago I gave you three recipes for Australian beef. If you haven't tried them yet you should. If you want my honest opinion, both of the above "tastes better than ours" due to the fact Australians have different quality standards including grass fed cows versus grain fed. You won't find growth hormones or rushing cows to slaughter like big beef processing plants here.  The beef whether used in brisket, beef flat, bottom round, or to make Biltong just tastes so much better. 

Read all the "What BBQ Means to Me" BBQ interviews here. 

Big Fat Daddy's Twitter Fest Contest BFD Tweetfest

Wayne M. Schafer, barbecue guru is also addicting to Twitter.

Well, they said you can't teach an old dog new tricks. That may be true for my wife's 13 year old bassett hound (get out of my chair!) but for me, I have finally got my tweet on.  I have to say it's a little addicting like the taste of a good hickory wood.  Put those 140 characters in and "get r done". Snap a pic and upload from the phone. How simple is that.  I have managed to make a lot of friends on twitter and I am trying to follow them all back,(damn twitter limits) so for those of you following know I'm getting to you and I plan to follow back everyone who is following me.  It will just take me a bit to do it following a little bit each day.

You can get your tweets out there (tweeted by me) by entering the contest. Mention @BigFatDaddys and share this blog!

Here's my Twitter Fest BFD TweetFest Contest. 

All you need to do is  tell your followers how they should read my blog here at http://BigFatDaddys.blogspot.com (you can shorten the URL if you want) and copy me like this @BigFatDaddys on the tweet.    Each day I will check my mentions and pick three winners to tweet that day or the next.  Those people will not only be retweeted to my followers, but I'll see if you have a website or service that you want me to mention (I'll get this from your twitter profile). I'll share this with my friends.  That simple.  Oh, and also you may qualify for an extra bonus on my #FF follow Fridays.


Let's go. Now til November 30th ! 
Oh, and Happy Halloween!

East Coast West Coast Eats Something to Chew On

Barbecue Mayhem

Have you ever stopped to think that you can taste a thousand different barbecues up and down the East Coast yet all will taste delicious but no two alike? Certainly this is due to different ways of cooking and different spices, sauces, woods uses, etc.

Big Fat Daddy's pit beef is premarinated with dry rub.Learn all about dry rub here.

Where's the Beef?

Problem is I often wonder about the whole East Coast vs West Coast ways of cooking. Let's take beef for instance. I bet a steak in Texas is cooked totally different than a steak in Maryland.  This means you may not care for a sirloin in your home town but visit a different state and see how they prepare, marinate, or cook it and you may just change your tune.

I'm unsure if the West Coast knows anything about Baltimore Pit Beef and Dry Rubbing.  Now I don't know, I've not been to California to see if they have pit beef stands so I'm curious to know what I may be missing.  Some other states call it London Broil which is another version of Pit Beef in a way, as they are cooking and slicing the same darn way, but not sure if most use the dry rub.

Seafood Surprise

Maryland crab cakes taste totally different than Pennsylvania crab cakes which taste altogether different than New Jersey crab cakes. I often wonder how you can change a recipe so much when it really only calls for a few items? I suppose it's all based on where you grew up, what you are used to eating, and how you like it made. Maryland eats hot crab dip but in Virginia they look at me like I have three heads when I try to sell it down there.  

My wife loves lobster salad, but only in Old Orchard Beach, Maine--no two places seem to make it the same!

I'm all for shrimp but I would not be a cowering pile of fluff if someone invited me to an old fashioned Crawfish Chow Down where the scary little buggers still had their heads on. That is one big old countrified HELL NO for me.

Red and White Hot Dogs

I guess you can chalk it up to red and white hot dogs.  In Maine the red casing hot dogs are made with lamb and beef and taste yummy, and are pretty common around there.  Rochester and upstate New York has Zweigles (pop open) totally white hot dogs.

Courtesy of ErinCooks.com , the Maine red hot dog.

Now I grew up in Baltimore where the Esskay plant is, and we didn't have all these fancy gourmet colors and varieties.  I feel like I got shorted. Make sure to catch the article over at ErinCooks.com about the red hot dogs.

Are You Hungry Yet? 

If not this will sure make you hungry,  check out the Best Restaurants in Los Angeles. There's some great reviews of five local restaurants over at Barrys Tickets and I hope to visit them real soon as I think that Father's Burger is calling my name. Sites like this are very informative when you are planning a trip. Best to check out what local food reviews are and consult with local yocals  who write articles and know exactly what you MUST eat when you are in their town.   Yum.  See, I think I am missing some things on the West Coast. 

Road Trip 

So I think it's awesome to think about what foods you may be missing out on. My advice? Travel often and sample lots of local foods.

  
I want to hear about your regional favorite food, something you get in your state that just isn't prepared the same elsewhere! Let me know Tweet me @BigFatDaddys

Jim Bowie BBQ Throwdown Louisiana KCBS Competition

Carl was kind enough to tell me all about this event he's having.  This is in Louisiana and is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society . They are still looking for teams for last weekend in September 2012. It's called the Jim Bowie BBQ Throwdown in the lovely city of Vidalia and the prize money is already over $10K! Way to go Carl!

Highlights: 

The event will be held at a spacious and beautiful RV park along the
banks of the mighty Mississippi River. It is a bucolic setting for a
great contest! Here is a link to the JIM BOWIE BBQ THROWDOWN facebookpage....

The event is also listed on the KCBS events page....



Do you love pork as much as we do?

Big Fat Daddy's took Whaling City Festival by Surprise in New Bedford Massachusetts but the Portuguese BBQ Rules

Big Fat Daddy's Menagerie of foods.

We recently debuted our Texas BBQ and open pit bbq foods at the Whaling City Festival in Massachusetts.  Any BBQ guru knows that KCBS type foods are truly not as popular in New England as it is in the Southern States.   My wife however wanted to go north to enjoy a weekend eating lobster rolls and fresh fish.  We did so and had the best Cod, shrimp and calamari at the Waterfront Grille.

From WhalingCityFestival.net official site.

The Whaling City festival is huge, and the committee is great, especially Manny.  You'll find lots of vendors selling tshirts, purses, shoes, sunglasses, and handmade products.  Food includes fried dough, Sicilian pizza, bloomin' onions, foot long hot dogs, and more Lobster chowder than you can eat!  Unfortunately, it's not a place big on barbecue, at least not the kind I have

Portuguese BBQ, open spit, photo Courtesy of this site.

I was told that most bbq in the town consists of a lot of Portuguese bbq.  It was explained to me that it is done a bit differently, on open flame, or spit, sort of kabob style, in chunks with fresh herbs, like this !