Big Fat Daddy’s Instagram Post

via Instagram I am pleased to share this event which had been a local event for us for “decades”. Rob and Lucy Wood’s @spoutwoodfarm Faerie Festival had brought smiles to so many children’s faces bringing a world of imagination alive all in the while promoting an eco friendly zero waste life! Now with all endings as you know come new beginnings so here it is : This new Summer Solstice festival has emerged. It will be in my hometown of Baltimore folks and I am happy to be a part of it and raise money for a good cause - see you there with my famous crab bowls and beef delicious food . Bring your kids and tell some friends to make this event a success ! For more info check out @marshypointnaturecenter http://marshypoint.org or http://spoutwood.org see you June 22-23rd 2019. Let the magic begin... . . . . #fairy #faerie #faeries #renaissancefestival #renaissancefestival #cosplay #cosplaygirl #cosplaysexy #fairyfestival #festival #baltimore #baltimoreevents #events #eventspaces #june #happenings #festival #festivals #compost #zerowaste #nature #dressup #markyourcalendar #foodie #food #festivals #festivales #baltimoreeats #baltimorecounty #parents #baltimorefaeriefaire #ecofriendly

Big Fat Daddy’s Instagram Post

via Instagram

Big Fat Daddy’s Instagram Post

via Instagram Big azzz Texas Burgers all angus meat here no fatty shrinkage ... maybe the next guy is selling frozen but absolutely Not here.... healthy red meat fresh patted dabbed w my special dry rib and off to you on a #brioche roll. Yummy Yummy in your tummy! Coming to a town near you! . . . . #meat #angus #burger #burgers #cheeseburger #cheeseburgers #delicious #food #foodporn #foodie #foodiesofinstagram #foodgasm #foodphotography #breakfast #burgerfest #hamburger #foodiegram #bigfatdaddys #big #beef #beefeater #healthyfood #carnivore #bigass #lunch #lunchtime

Big Fat Daddy's Famous Pit Beef

Famous pit beef, how good is this? +Big Fat Daddy's  ©BigFatDaddy's

Big Fat Daddy's famous pit beef goes through a five step process before it hits your tummy.  Wayne is careful in his meat selection. Although many articles are written that we use top round, indeed we do not.  Our special selection of meat is cut into small quadrants (always the same way for years) and marinated several days in our famous dry rub seasoning.

Our seasoning is all natural and made in small batch quantities, fresh spices which contains no anti-caking agents.  Dry rubbing keeps the flavor in.   The pieces are then refrigerated for safe keeping.

They are braised and cook over high heat, general a fire box or barrel smoker, using wood. More keys are that wood is used to add the smokey taste, never a smokey additive or seasoning.  Wayne currently uses oak and apple, peach and some others.

Pit beef seared and bursting with flavor only at ©BigFatDaddy's

The flavorful hunks are turned constantly over high heat, searing the outside making a nice "bark" yet sealing in the flavor. The insides are medium rare to rare.

The next step is the resting process where the meat is resting in order to retain the medium rare on the inside and well done on the outside.  This we have implemented highest quality standards to ensure all HACCP procedures are being met, before we slice it paper thin.

                                Big Fat Daddys famous pit beef ©BigFatDaddy's

At the festival  you will see it going on the grill medium rare, but doesn't take long to hit well done.  It doesn't matter, the meat is so flavorful you will enjoy it on our subs including having it cheesesteak style with yummy peppers and onions.

Big Fat Daddy's has been doing pit beef for over 35 years, and is considered an expert in dry rub seasoning.

Call us to book your company party or catering event today!
410-908-9241
Cindy

Hogging Up Is Coming Virginia Festival

Mark your calendar the 2nd Annual, Hogging Up is happening folks. June 27-29th 2014 .If you live in MD, DC, VA, WV or PA get your butts to my festival! I have a great lineup this year BBQ tours on Friday and Sat, Samples for Sale sat 11-2:30, and great entertaiment!  Check out hoggingup.com for more information and schedule.

Update: We have raised over $8000.00 for charity. 

Hogging Up was cancelled for 2015.

thank you for your support

page last updated 1.11.15

Supporting BBQ Festivals #Barbecue #barbeque #BBQ Towns People Businesses Step Up

This is pork.

Barbecue Festivals: Why Communities Should Support Them

It's not often I talk politics but today I'm going to. It worries me that some of the well respected barbecue festivals and competitions have taken a year off in 2014 ; because I'm worried that some many not regroup or return.  I'm asking the community for their support and to understand just what these festivals are all about.

The Kansas City Barbeque Society is the largest non profit group of barbeque enthusiasts who teach hardwood smoking.  Okay, it's a group of grilling enthusiasts, but it takes an art of smoking on wood and not on propane or with electric grills. That can be hard.  Smoking meat to perfection takes time and practice and ten people can use the same cut of meat , have the same amounts of rub and spices and sauces set in front of them, and cook on ten different grills and based on wood, grill, way in which it's flipped or cooked, the meat it may taste completely different.  It's a sport or hobby and many teams consist of family or friends. To me, that's good clean fun! Not to mention people can become a CBJ Judge by taking judge classes and make a hobby of judging competitions, and that in itself is a fun past time. 




What's in it for the Public? 


So the public comes to these events and sees the teams smoking it up. Kids love to see these big grills, they are not something you see every day.  Often there's entertainment/bands, sometimes beer, wine and kids activities, arts, crafts, vendors, and sometimes even a People's Choice where the public can buy samples, etc.   If the event is more than one day then quite possibly there's different activities on each day!   Just seeing some of the grills is amazing.

As well, some organizers hold the festival to give back to a certain charity or cause. For instance, Hog Happening in Shelby gives to the Children's Homes.  Hogging Up in Winchester this year is supporting the SPCA in addition to other local non profits including the Clear Brook Woodbine Church.

Here's a grill I saw down in North Carolina. See more here.

From homemade grills to big expensive smokers, you can see them all. 

Lack of Town Official Support for the Small Organizers

Having a KCBS festival if you are individuals or private parties hurts for a few reasons, one, you aren't a government organization or town chamber of commerce who may be apt to obtain tourism rebates or grants for their contest. So the organizers are left forking the costs out themselves.  It is only with community support and patrons that the event can survive.  First off, I want to thank the patrons and barbecue lovers who do come out for supporting them, I know many of you attend these event religiously in search of eating yourself ribs and pork all day long....


In some cases, town officials make it very hard to have , hold and grow such an event.  Today I'm here to say SHAME ON THEM.  Some town codes or laws make it impossible for these events to grow and succeed.  I've seen great contests do battle with county officials year after year and eventually they are worn out and give up. We call this "tired of jumping through hoops." What I can't understand is why the struggle when the contests bring folks in from all over the nation to their towns, using their gas, staying in their hotels, or eating at the restaurants. To me, I'd want this commerce brought into my town as long as the event was run well.

Businesses Should Also Support Them

For local companies, supporting the festival in some way, shape or form is a great way to get your logo or product in front of the town in which you do business. That's great opportunities for direct marketing! Many of these festivals have programs or websites, and why aren't you in them or on them?


I'd like to add that I'm not talking about my own festivals, I'm very thankful the community and the town has worked with me on them, but then again, I'm not one so easy to give up.

So next time you hear of a bbq festival coming, please go check it out.  Some raise money for causes or charities and all take a ton of work to pull off.

Further Reading: 
Take a Judge Class in June
Great Fun Festival to Attend in May - BBQ Jamboree
Come to My Festival in June - Hogging Up
Come to My Festival in October - Hogging Up WV


Here's something:

Hey, this is new:

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. 

Winchester Virginia The Power of Barbeque in a Small Town

When I picked a town to have my Music and BBQ festival (in conjunction with a KCBS competition), I knew it had to be Winchester, Virginia.  Nestled in the panhandle, the people and community are some of the nicest folks I've ever met in my life. I  have property in Gore, VA, and fell in love with the town of Frederick County from the first moment I saw it.  For decades I've been selling my texas beef and pork barbeque at the Frederick County Fairgrounds. The people have been good to me, and the fairgrounds a pleasure to deal with.  It's towns that you enjoy working with that you want to bring a good festival to.

When my wife called back a KCBS judge, Roger Engle, she found out he had just published a book, about growing up in the small town of Hedgesville, West Virginia.  You can order the book, "Stories From a Small Town" here.  Not only were Roger and wife Gula and he an extreme wealth of information, they referred us to the "Around the Panhandle Magazine".

Mike and Victoria over at Around the Panhandle Magazine were instrumental in helping us get the word out about our festival and I'm glad to say they are sponsoring the event.  The best part of their magazine is you will never have to guess what's going on in the panhandle area. Simply grab a copy and stay abreast of all the small town happenings. We would also like to thank NVDaily who has always helped us out!

Many of you may know that Pickin' in the Panhandle is a well established festival in West Virginia. I wasn't anticipating the help and kindness we received from Jennifer and the good folks at the festival over there.  They have helped us so much already!

We have lined up Circa-Blue and Stoney Creek Bluegrass to name a few, and we are just beginning. We also have 13 year old Kirsten Sowers (who has been writing music since she was 7) coming all the way from Central Pennsylvania just to help this cause.

I suppose the best thing I can say about barbecue, is that it brings people together.   To make you understand just how lovely the town folks are, I remember one year my truck broke down, My wife had a complete stranger, Dominic fix our truck in his garage across the way.   It didn't cross my mind that over the years I had given him some barbecue or discounts off his meal, as he was a regular at my stand.  That particular year, he didn't want to take money for fixing my truck because he remembered the times I fed him for free, which I had long forgot. It's just a community where you want to help each other.

I am so glad I am having Hogging Up BBQ and Music Festival in Winchester to help raise some funds for CancerCare. I plan on dropping free admission tickets all over town to local businesses. I hope the people of the area will help me spread the word.  Bringing a festival like this to the town (even a first year event) costs a pretty penny. We are pretty much fronting all the expenses to start, because for us, it's not about making money.  Our goal is to have the festival raise awareness for a cause that is important to us. CancerCare helped someone in our family, that we lost to colorectal cancer. We want to also give the town of Winchester something back (and fun to do!)

Bring your camera gear, this MegaGear available here.

Of course, we must keep the competitors happy by bringing them a great barbecue competition. We know with Carol and Randy Bigler (our KCBS reps) we are in great hands! After all is said and done, we can feel good in knowing a portion of our proceeds went to charity.  Of course we'd love to have the festival start as a Grass Roots effort by having the town of Winchester spread the word.  We are pulling a lot of local talent from the Panhandle area and we are glad to have so much support in our cause.

Volunteers and Sponsors are still needed.  Looking for Country Artists and Crafters.  Please look at Hogging Up under Event Forms , or  contact my wife Cindy at 717-793-2124 or email us if you are interested. 

Backyard BBQ Catering and Finding a Caterer

 

Pick a winning catering company. One with a great reputation and one that will leave your family, or corporate clients pleased. Big Fat Daddy's  has been in over 100 publications, inducted into a museum, had recipes on Food Network and catered for Ray Lewis, former linebacker of the Baltimore Ravens (twice) what more do you need?   Great food, huge portions and good prices? We have those too! A wall of fame? We got it!



We primarily do backyard bbq style catering, and offers many options.  For most parties we offer the all you can eat buffet, which most caterers don't do. Believe it or not, more and more people want to have the all-you-can-eat backyard barbecue at weddings!  We also do a lot of corporate catering during the weekdays!

Big Fat Daddy's spent thirty years in Baltimore, and moved operations to York , PA but still service Maryland, Baltimore, Virginia and Pennsylvania as long as the date you request is available and that you have close to 100 people.

You can check our current selections on our catering page on our website.  Or, call to inquire.

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Catering Directory

Of course if you are looking for a fancy schmancy caterer, fine china and caviar, I'm not your guy, but the good news is you can find one by looking at Cateror.com. If you are looking for catered, part-catered, or potluck? Free information, advice, and catering directory. 

last updated 1.15.15