There are two important points to remember when talking BBQ to a pit master: it is not created over a gas stove, and it is best enjoyed in the company of people.
What began as a conversation over beers about Grand Rapids' lack of a serious event devoted to BBQ quickly evolved via virtual and real time meetings to become GrillStock -- a culinary event devoted to the art of BBQ.
GrillStock will debut in the Mitten Brewing Company parking lot and is hosted by the West Michigan Friends of Traditional BBQ, who have invited four pit masters to low and slow cook the holy trinity of delicious meats (pork, chicken, beef) over wood and coal, creating a storm cloud of scents at this WestSide watering hole.
Appearing at the grills will be LINC's new catering/restaurant and BBQ Expert, Don Everette; The Pit Stop Catering's Matt Smith; Cedar Springs Grilling Company's Keith Hall; and Dale Barlow from Holly, Mich. (Barlow, a member of the Made in Michigan movement as well as MSU's food science program, created the all-natural Barlow's Gourmet Sauces.)
And what would BBQ be without tangy sides like slaws and potato salad from Doorganics, washed down with any one of The Mitten's craft brews?
"BBQ is a great leveler of people," says John Rumery of Rapid Growth, who is also a competitive griller. "You can be in your Sunday suit and tie or simply in your blue collar work jeans and still be right at home at a BBQ."
Admission gets you all the BBQ and sides you can eat with proceeds benefiting the Kitchen Sage, a new nonprofit by Chef Tommy Fitzgerald that seeks to teach culinary skills to children and get them excited about healthy eating.
Admission: $25, Adults. $12, Children.
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