Denver BBQ Fest
A mile high in the beautiful city of Denver, Colorado we attended the mother Father of all BBQ festivals on Father’s Day weekend. With VIP passes in tow, we ate our way through all the local and not so local BBQ spots. The Shed (from Ocean Springs, MS) showcased a full roast pig that was passed out to festivalgoers as a sample taste of what to expect from their location. The sample was only a teaser as the pulled pork sandwich that they offered was deliciously moist and tender. The sandwich required no sauce, but if sauce was added, there was no judgement. Eat as you like was the motto of the festival. Dunk in sauce or eat as is, it was really up to you.
The festival offered two food sessions for those with VIP passes. From 11- 2pm or from 3 - 6pm you could enter the VIP tents and imbibe from the selection of hard alcohol and craft beers, and try samples (which often times felt like full entrees) from the pit masters. For $75 - $85/pp you really can’t beat what was offered, but if spending $85/pp on four hours of delicious BBQ and beverages was not your cup of tea, worry not. The festival was free to attend. Once inside you could purchase food and beverages as needed as you sat back and enjoyed the live music and “how to demonstrations” the pit masters taught themselves. I learned how to smoke a Christmas ham, grill lobster tails to perfection, and how to properly prepare a prime rib, not a bad way to spend down time between snacks.
I must say that the Denver BBQ Fest was a great time, and for being the first year of the event, it was done as well as the established food events around the country.
For a weekend, Mile High stadium was covered in smoke... and I’m not talking about the legal marijuana. ;) All the time, hard work, and heart that the pit masters and their teams put into their meats was clear. There were no cut corners and even after working all night to ensure that their was food ready at 11am to feed all the festivalgoers, the pit masters still had a smile on their faces, and were eager to answer any questions.
I can’t wait to do it again next year. Thank you for the great time at one of the most iconic places in Denver. Go Broncos!
https://denverbbqfest.com