Annual Northern Illinois Brethren Mid Winter Gathering!! January 29th, 2012!!

Ron_L · Jan 29, 2012

Thanks for the pictures, Tom! It was great seeing you again!

Ron_L · Jan 29, 2012

As Pig Daddy mentioned, we had a great time at Sweet Baby Ray's! We ended up with 33 people all together.

There was too much food, and it all was great. Besides the BBQ, my favorite was the Green Chili Mac n' Cheese. It was nice and creamy and have a nice heat to it.

Here are a few pictures...

A few crowd shots...

Dave Raymond, Sweet Baby Ray, welcoming all of us...

The kitchen, where all of the work was being done...

A BBQ Martini (beans, pulled pork, slaw and a piece of pig candy)

A little bit of everything

Clockwise from the upper left, corn bread, corn maque choux, baked beans, red beans and rice, pulled pork, jerked chicken and a baby back rib in the middle.

The brisket came around a little later...

And here's Pig Daddy in the middle of BBQ Royalty...

LeAnne Whippen (Wood Chix BBQ and Chicago Q), Pig Daddy and Sweet Baby Ray

philw · Jan 29, 2012

food was great,dave ,duce,dylan,john did an outstanding job.
and a great turn out.
thanks to all that came out .
thanks ron & bill

Pig Daddy · Jan 29, 2012

Very nice pron Ron. Yours really rounds the event out nicely.

That being said, coupled with the pron I had posted on my blog a few weeks ago while dining at Chicago Q, my wife is surely to think something's up now. :heh:

Coz · Jan 29, 2012

Looks like ya all had a great time.Wish I could have been there instead of sittin in Madison.

Stoke&Smoke · Jan 30, 2012

Sorry you couldn't be there Coz. Billy and Wendy made it down to represent the Wisconsin contingent though :wink:

I didn't get any pics in the restaurant, but did manage a few when Dave and Duce did the catering company and kitchen tour...

The catering company is right next door to the resaurant. Looks like a fairly small building, but is deceptively large inside.

Here, Duce is pointing out the bank of ovens, next to the (not in photo) ginormous southern pride smoker in use. There was another big SP is storage

That's Diane (Shot Fairy) on the left, with Dave, Duce, a brethren I didn't get to meet that day (in the blue shirt). Not sure who the blonde is (was she with LeeAnn?

This one is inside thier walk in

All in all, it was a great couple of hours! Great food, good to see some old faces, and meet some new ones. Hope to see a few of them again in two weeks at the Winter Burn!

By the way, Amy, Ramona, WillKat, Coz, etc... you were all missed!

philw · Jan 30, 2012

nice pics guys.see you at the burn.
hawgs&hotties cooking

Gbane · Jan 30, 2012

It was nice to see some familiar faces and meet all the new ones. Thanks again ... I got to take a good nap when I got home and let all of the BBQ goodness settle in. :-D

NeoTrout · Jan 30, 2012

Here are a few more pics from the bash.

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Chow was great and it was great hangin' with the Brethren.

Stoke&Smoke · Jan 30, 2012

I somehow managed to miss those bbq cocktails. Have to try them next time I guess.

philw · Jan 30, 2012

they come out early and gone fast

billm · Jan 30, 2012

you missed all the appetizers because you came late..they were serving porktini's, burnt end bites, deep fried pickles, texas sausage, gumbo shots, and shrimps for a good 1/2 hr -45 min before we sat down and ate

Stoke&Smoke said:
I somehow managed to miss those bbq cocktails. Have to try them next time I guess.

Stoke&Smoke · Jan 30, 2012

Yeah, we meant to get there on time, truck didn't want to start, had to jump it. Oh well, just another reason to go back.

billm · Jan 30, 2012

Stoke&Smoke said:
Yeah, we meant to get there on time, truck didn't want to start, had to jump it. Oh well, just another reason to back.

yea I know..just was just letting you know you missed quite a bit of grub in addition to what we had when we sat down

BubsBBQ · Jan 30, 2012

My first gathering with the BBQ Brethren and certainly not my last. Didn't get a chance to make it around to meet everyone, but we'll get to other events and gatherings and can't wait to meet y'all and talk shop.

Thanks to everyone who organized the event and for making us feel so welcome. Thanks to Dave, and everyone at Sweet Baby Ray's for hosting and for the outstanding hospitality and thanks to my buddy PhilW for getting me involved. Hope to see y'all again soon!

RJ Howard
Bub's BBQ
(The guy in the bandana)

Porky Joes · Jan 30, 2012

I got there a few minutes late but in time for the appetizers but didn't partake in them. It was a great time meeting as many people as I could. It seems like Southern Pride is a popular brand of smoker, I have seen it in a few other BBQ Restaurants. As always my favorite food was the pulled pork and the ribs.

Hey Bill and Pig Daddy as always its a great time hanging and chatting together.

Just think Bill guys were paying you money not to dance at Sweet Baby Rays!!!!

kwas68 · Jan 30, 2012

It was my first time meeting you guys. Had a great time and looking forward to seeing you guys around in the future.
Thanks to Dave and the crew from SBR. Everything was awesome. Really enjoyed the tour.
Thanks to Ron for extending the invite. I would have never known about it if he did not PM me.
And thanks to whoever was responsible for organizing the event. Great job!

billm · Jan 31, 2012

Porky Joes said:
Just think Bill guys were paying you money not to dance at Sweet Baby Rays!!!!

great way to shake people down :-D

FireOnTheWater · Feb 2, 2012

Thanks for organizing this event everyone!
I shoulda got there a bit earlier and mingled more.

(The guy in the orange "Salt Lick" T-shirt)

Gbane · Feb 3, 2012

Need my BBQ fix for this weekend...

Annual Northern Illinois Brethren Mid Winter Gathering!! January 29th, 2012!!

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