Table, Donkey and Stick. Logan Square, Chicago
Nights like this are what make Chicago so special. An all-star lineup up chefs and mixologists gathered for a friendly Sunday afternoon competition / showcase in West Loop at the 7th Annual Cochon 555 Heritage BBQ. Cochon’s mission is to support farmers by educating the public through events about heritage breed pigs.
My favorite dish may have been this chicken/ pork dumpling
The Butcher & Larder’s popup butcher shop
Morgan Manufacturing in West Loop was the perfect location for this end-of-summer romp. It’s a completely renovated event space that existed pre-Great Chicago Fire. The building is the one of the best examples of modern industrial elegance that you will find on the events circuit. I love partying here; it’s somehow both contemporary and old-fashioned all at once. We enjoyed a weeknight prohibition era scotch event with Cutty Sark in the venue last winter.
Five of the 12 chefs in attendance competed in the culinary challenge. Each cooked one whole pig from a family farm. The winner would we be crowned King/Queen BBQ and take home $3,000 in prizes.
The Perfect Manhattan
Smoked Manhattans featuring bourbon from the 2013 distillery of the year – Breckenridge
Between enjoying chefs creations we crossed paths with a pair of fun beverages that combined our two favorite things – beer and whiskey.
George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey had quite the buzz going with their Peach Bit cocktail. Peach infused whiskey, honey syrup and Moody Tongue Sliced Nectarine IPA over ice. You can learn all about their unique style of whiskey here.
The lone beer on the menu was the Carhartt Woodsman by New Holland Brewing. It’s a barrel aged pale ale collaboration with Carhartt. The legendary work gear brand celebrated their 125th anniversary last year. Both of these Michigan-based companies joined forced to commemorate the occasion.
Unlike most brewers, New Holland is also a distillery with 15 different spirit offerings in their portfolio. Lets talk about Beer Barrel Bourbon for a second. It starts in new American oak barrels, but it’s finished in second-use barrels that previously aged Dragon’s Milk.
The flagship ale for New Holland is Dragon’s Milk, first brewed in 2001. Allowing a whiskey to age in oak beer barrels that previously held a Russian Imperial Stout creates a ridiculously soft yet robust profile.
George Dickel Tennessee Sipping Whiskey
I mean who doesn’t love tiki
Brewery/ Distillery, New Holland, Michigan
For seven years Cochon has spotlighted chefs in a way that celebrates global grilling cultures. This year Analogue Chicago chef Alfredo Nogueira took home top honors as King BBQ. Alfredo is a New Orleans’s native that moved to Chicago after Hurricane Katrina. He started making gumbo for friends as a way to cure being homesick.
The night ended with a threesome of magical offerings that appeared from the kitchen via the good folks at Bang Bang Pie Shop. The dessert cart included bacon bourbon pecan pie, key lime and a peach cobbler for the win.
The Bang Bang Pies dessert cart literally fell from heaven
–Nkosi
