by Mark Smiley
Local Favorite: Bonnie Hammontree, left, and Mickey Telles, General Manager Smōk Denver, served Asian pork belly burnt ends and their famous banana pudding at the 2023 Denver BBQ Fest.
The Denver BBQ Fest held its annual event over Memorial Day weekend this year as thousands of BBQ enthusiasts came to enjoy BBQ from pitmasters from around the world at Empower Field. This year’s event shifted to a ticketed venue making the crowd more manageable and allowed the pitmasters to prepare for a more precise amount.
Some of the returning pitmasters included Pappy’s Smokehouse, Ubons Barbecue, Black’s BBQ, and hometown favorites GQue BBQ and Sugarfire Smokehouse. New local restaurants were also on hand to dish out their well-known dishes including Smōk Denver which is located at The Source Hotel & Markethall.
Smōk Denver will celebrate its 5th anniversary in August 2023. They served Asian pork belly burnt ends and their famous banana pudding in the booth next to Black’s Barbecue, a renowned BBQ from Central Texas. Smōk Denver features a hybrid of Kansas City and Texas style barbecue with Kansas City style rubs and Texas style smokes. Smōk Denver uses a post oak wood to give it the Texas style smoke which is a cleaner and lighter smoke so they can add what they want to it and not overpower the meat. “We want the meat to talk for itself rather than what we have going on underneath it,” said Mickey Telles, General Manager Smōk Denver. “We want the flavor to be set there but we want you to feel that meat.”
The flavor was front and center at the fest and introduced attendees who may not have normally been familiar to their BBQ. This was Smōk Denver’s first BBQ Fest and the largest event they have ever done as a team. “It’s been great,” said Telles. “It’s been an incredible amount of fun and the staff here has been fantastic at taking the anxiety of setting everything up away. It has been smooth sailing.”
In addition to serving their popular dishes, they learned a little from other pitmasters along the way. “It’s nice to meet people and see how they’re doing it,” said Telles. “BBQ is cooked meat but everyone does it differently. Any slight change anybody puts on that creates a different product. It’s interesting to see how everyone else does it.”
Smōk Denver was started by Bill Espiricueta who was born in Austin, Texas, and has enjoyed BBQ from an early age. “Our pitmaster Bill [Espiricueta] is the reason all of us are here,” said Telles. “He has been around the food industry for quite awhile and came from Kansas City. We found a really good spot up in the Source Market and thought that was a really good spot to go for it. We have been chugging along ever since.”
Smōk Denver is located at The Source Hotel & Markethall at 3330 Brighton Blvd. in Denver. Visit www.denversmok.com for more information. Mention this article and receive a 20% discount on your order.
Pitmasters: Shane McBride, Pig Beach BBQ; Erin Campbell, Ubons Barbecue; Jason Ganahl, GQue BBQ; and Leslie Roark Scott, Ubons Barbecue, celebrate another successful BBQ Fest in the mile high city.
The Denver BBQ Fest is not about winning awards or competition. It is about serving great BBQ in a friendly and collaborative atmosphere. Six days prior to the fest, Shane McBride, Pitmaster, Pig Beach BBQ from New York and Florida, won an important competition in Memphis.
Ribdiculous Bar-B-Krew earned the coveted title of Grand Champion of the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest on May 20, 2023. It was the first time in 21 years that a rib team had won. They received a rare perfect score in the preliminary round. “I cried for hours,” said McBride. “Any picture you see, I have tears in my eyes.”
McBride started making BBQ professionally in 2008 and has enjoyed running his business, Pig Beach, in New York and Florida ever since. He enjoys coming to Denver and was in a relaxed mood after winning the Grand Championship. “It’s a great festival [Denver BBQ Fest],” said McBride. “To sit and cook BBQ steps away from a beautiful football stadium in a legendary football town, it’s pretty awesome.”
Baby Back: Joebaby Michaels, Bent River Records, left, and James Boatright, Boatright’s BBQ, show off the baby back ribs served in the VIP area that had guests smacking their lips.
He has advice for the backyard enthusiast. “The number one thing about BBQ is patience,” said McBride. “It’s not something you can rush. Whether you’re cooking a chicken to a whole hog, it’s patience. You also have to rest your meat. It’s all about time management, patience, and resting.”
Advice also rolled in from James Boatright, Pitmaster of Boatright’s BBQ, St. Louis, Missouri. “A lot of pitmasters put information out on Youtube,” said Boatright. “I would say don’t be intimidated by that. More than anything, keep it simple and pay attention to time and temperature. A lot of people get in a rush and want to make it look like Boatright’s BBQ. Take your time and make simple BBQ and enjoy your family and friends.”
Boatright’s served Beef short ribs in the VIP area of the festival. Boatright joked, “Nothing against the other pitmasters, they’re great. But they [guests] said I was the best so far. When the people speak, you listen.”
The people definitely spoke and enjoyed Boatright’s attention to seasoning and flavor. He prides himself on doing things just a little bit differently. “Anything you do, you can’t be one dimensional,” said Boatright. You have to think outside the box and I believe in challenging myself with flavor profiles and building layers. I like to keep it simple and have people’s tastebuds happy. Keep it real and put some love into it, you can’t go wrong.”
Caribbean Flavors: Johann Callender, Pitmaster, Barbados Smokehouse, was the first International pitmaster invited to BBQ Fest.
Boatright has been a fan of BBQ his entire life. “I have been doing this since I was knee high to a grasshopper,” said Boatright. “My first memory of BBQ was watching my dad dig a hole in the ground. I was about five years old and he put the whole hog in the
Happy Attendees: Denver BBQ Fest was a ticketed event this year and held over Memorial Day weekend.
ground and I was blown away with it. Ever since, I have been fascinated with it.”
Boatright started his professional career in 2015. Readers may remember him from the popular Netflix show, Barbecue Showdown. Follow Boatright on Facebook and Instagram @boatrightsbbq He is also a singer and his latest song called “I Can Take You Further” can be found on Spotify and other platforms.
Johann Callender, Pitmaster, Barbados Smokehouse, came the furthest to participate in this festival. Callender has been a pitmaster for four years and last year, he was here on a program in conjunction with the U.S. State Department. He was invited this year to be the first International pitmaster at Denver BBQ Fest. There are not many options for BBQ in Barbados so Callender started out catering small events and took off from there.
They served Smoked Flash Fried Chicken with a Caribbean twist and pimento wood smoked jerk lamb at his tent. “We wanted to bring a very Caribbean known dish,” said Callender. “We used a lot of pimento, cilantro, green onion, and garlic. Everyone seems to be super happy with the food. We have smoked over 600 pounds of lamb this weekend.”
Follow them on Instagram @barbadossmokehouse and be sure to visit if you travel to the island.
Woodhill Small Batch BBQ, another local participant who runs a food truck and catering business, served brisket, macaroni salad, and Woodhill twinkies this year. “The twinkies this year came about because the first year that we did this, I was doing the twinkies and serving them out the back door for the super special people,” said Jodi Segura, owner of Woodhill Small Batch BBQ. “That was a massive hit and I think because it was such a hit, they had me do them for everyone this year. I did over 1,400 of them the last two days.”
Family Owned: Keith and Jodi Segura, Woodhill Small Batch BBQ, are available to book for weddings, events, and catering. They are a local and family owned and operated business serving BBQ that rivals any from Texas, Kansas City, or St. Louis.
Woodhill Small Batch BBQ is family owned and operated by Keith and Jodi Segura. They won best BBQ restaurant back-to-back years in Castle Rock as well as best food truck in Castle Rock last year and Lone Tree this year. They pride themselves on a family first approach and although they are available to cater your event, they do not sacrifice being a part of their high school son’s activities.
That family first approach resonates with the food they prepare and the price point in which they charge for it. “I want people to understand we are a local company where families can come eat at our trailer at a reasonable price and have a great enjoyable meal,” said Segura. “I want people to realize that BBQ is great here in Colorado. It isn’t just St. Louis and Texas. We are trying to make a name for BBQ and make BBQ great in Colorado.”
Visit www.woodhillbbq.com for more information, where to find their truck or to book for your next event or catering.
BBQ Fest will return in 2024. For more information and updates, visit www.qbbqdenver.com.