Smoky summer school is in session.
First, we wish you all a happy National Barbecue Day. To help you celebrate this hallowed, manufactured 24 hours, we’ve rounded up a mess of barbecue-focused resort packages.
Barbecue University, May 23 – 26, May 26 – 29
The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Steven Raichlen is perhaps the authority on smoking and grilling. The award-winning cookbook author and TV host leads the camps here with daily classes that lead into nights of fine smoky dining and enjoying the high-mountain luxury of The Broadmoor. Read our around-the-fire account.
Montana Master Grillers, May 24 – 27
The Resort at Paws Up, Greenough, Montana
This Big Sky Country resort is a culinary ranch resort extraordinaire, with events and adventure available year-round. Montana Master Grillers, however, is the marquee event. The package includes instruction and/or meals from six chefs, including Carey Bringle of Peg Leg Porker in Nashville, Charlie McKenna of Lillie Q’s in Chicago, and Wayne Mueller of Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Texas, a featured brewery, a featured distillery, and a featured winery. The barbecue will be served with more than just paired beverages. There will also be plenty of wilderness adventuring to be had while enjoying glamping at its finest. Read our around-the-fire account, and grill up a ribs recipe shared below.
Foodways Texas Barbecue Camps, June and January
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Texas is barbecue holy land. And one of the state’s great proselytizers is Foodways Texas, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserve, promote, and celebrate the diverse food cultures of Texas. It hosts two barbecue camps annually, the Summer Barbecue Camp next month and Camp Brisket in January. Both are hosted at the Meat Science Section of the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University in College Station. These multi-day deep dives into the science and art of smoking meat with such panels and presentation as those on butchery, wood, fire, and the wisdom of famed pitmasters. Sign up here.
BBQ-U, July 12 – 14
The Resort at Paws Up, Greenough, Montana
Get your hands dirty with Chef Sam Huff of Sam’s BBQ-1 in Marietta, Georgia, during this three-day stretch of cooking demos, hands-on cookery, and adult beverages. It’s our kind of summer school.
Lillie’s Q Oven-to-Grill Baby Back Ribs
Courtesy Chef Charlie McKenna, The Resort at Paws Up
2¼ – 2½ pound rack pork loin back ribs
¼ cup Lillie’s Q Gold
1 cup Lillie’s Q Carolina Dirt
½ cup Lillie’s Q Smoky or your favorite Lillie’s Q sauce
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. With a pastry brush, spread Lillie’s Q Gold all over both sides of the ribs. Generously sprinkle Lille’s Q Carolina Dirt over both sides of the ribs.
Place ribs in the middle of a double thickness of heavy foil cut 6 inches longer than the ribs. Wrap ribs in the foil. Bake for 1½ – 2 hours or until tender (the 2 middle bones of the rack should start to pull apart easily).
Remove ribs to a tray (discard liquid in foil packet). Spread Lillie’s Q Smoky or your favorite Lillie’s Q sauce all over both sides of the ribs. Grill on the rack of a covered grill directly over medium heat for 15 minutes, brushing with additional sauce every 5 minutes, turning once. Adjust heat as necessary to prevent burning.
Photography: Courtesy The Resort at Paws Up
