09/20/2026
RAIN. MUD. SMOKE. BARBECUE.
We did it.
Yesterday we packed up Primal’Cue and headed to the Sugar River Fire & Smoke BBQ Festival, and Mother Nature definitely decided to make things interesting.
Did it rain? Yep.
Was it muddy? OH YEAH.
Did that stop a bunch of barbecue people from firing up the pits and feeding a crowd?
Not a chance.
Wood. Fire. Smoke. Rain. Mud. Whatever. We came to cook.
And what a freaking day it was.
One of my favorite parts was getting to cook, serve, talk barbecue, swap stories and hang out alongside so many other Midwest restaurants, chefs and pitmasters:
SMOKY SOUL Barbecue Chicago
Fox Heritage Farms
J's BBQ
Hall of Fame Farms
Seven Acre Dairy Company
Sweet Smoke BBQ
Sugar River Pizza Company - Verona
The Thirsty Goat
Pink Heifer Saloon and Smokehouse
And I’m sure I’m missing somebody, so if I did, I’m sorry!
And of course, a huge thank you to Michelle Wallace for helping bring this whole crazy barbecue weekend together.
Because THIS is how we build barbecue culture up here.
Every time we get this many pitmasters, restaurants and barbecue fans together, we’re doing more than selling food.
We’re learning from each other. Pushing each other. Sharing techniques. Introducing people to different styles of barbecue. And hopefully inspiring more people to get excited about cooking with WOOD, FIRE & SMOKE.
The barbecue culture down South wasn’t built by one restaurant or one pitmaster. It was built over generations around pits, fires, food and community.
There’s no reason we can’t keep building that culture right here in Wisconsin and across the Midwest.
And events like Fire & Smoke are how it happens.
So THANK YOU to everyone who threw on the rain gear, walked through the mud and came hungry yesterday.
You showed up.
You ate barbecue.
You got muddy.
And you supported something I think can become pretty damn special.
And I’m not done yet.
Today I’m heading back to Fire & Smoke, but this time I’m leaving the Primal’Cue pit behind.
Today I get to be a barbecue fan and a student.
I’m going to eat the food from the national BBQ legends who came to Wisconsin, watch what they’re doing, ask questions, study and absorb as much as I possibly can.
Because no matter how long you do this, there’s always somebody you can learn from.
And whatever I learn today, I’m bringing back to the pits at Primal’Cue so we can keep getting better for all of you.
If you’re heading to DAY TWO and you see me wandering around with barbecue in my hands, stop me and say hi.
I’ll be the guy eating way too much food and calling it “research.”
Wood. Fire. Smoke.
And apparently… MUD.
