The pitmaster lineup is loaded.
The talent assembled for Saturday’s Smoke & Fire BBQ Celebration at Pullman Market looks like a culinary Murderer’s Row.
The big hitters include a Michelin star chef from Austin; a James Beard finalist from Seguin; a Memphis In May Grand Beef champion from Houston; a James Beard Rising Star Chef nominee from South Carolina; a James Beard semifinalist from Austin; and five James Beard nominees from San Antonio.
“The lineup is insanely sick,” said 2M Smokehouse pitmaster Esaul Ramos, a two-time James Beard nominee. “They’re all A-listers. I’m really excited about it.”
The event is not a competition but a celebration. Ramos and 14 other pitmasters will gather at Pullman Market for an inaugural evening of barbecue tastings and live-fire demonstrations from 5-8 p.m.
Mezquite Chef Ian Corral poses with some of the goat carcases that will be cooked for the Smoke and Fire BBQ celebration hosted by the Pullman Market at The Pearl. Credit: Vincent Reyna for the San Antonio Report
General admission tickets are $65 (children under 12 are free) and include food, beverage and entertainment that may be purchased at Eventbrite. The Mark Odom Band will perform.
Pitmasters include John Bates from Michelin-starred InterStellar BBQ in Austin; Ernest Servantes, a James Beard finalist from Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin; Grant Pinkerton, a Memphis in May Grand Beef Champion from Pinkerton’s Barbecue in Houston and San Antonio; Shuai Wang, a James Beard Rising Star Chef nominee from Jackrabbit Filly in Charleston, South Carolina; and Kareem El-Ghayesh, a James Beard nominee from KG BBQ in Austin.
“We’re excited to partner with a lot these people who are not just San Antonio staples but national staples,” said Ian Corral, Mezquite’s chef de cuisine with a focus on live fire cooking at Pullman. “We want to do this every year. So we wanted to start with the best (chefs) to share ideas and see how we can continue to improve.”
Local pitmasters joining Corral include fellow Mezquite chef Max Muñoz, Elliott and Nick Reese from Reese Bros Barbecue, Laura Loomis from Two Bros. BBQ Market and four James Beard nominees: Sean Wen, Andrew Ho and Andrew Samia from Curry Boys BBQ and Jason Dady from Two Bros. BBQ Market.
“I’ve never been to a festival with this much talent in my home city,” said Ramos, a graduate of Southwest High School.
One of the goats to be used for the Smoke and Fire BBQ celebration. Credit: Vincent Reyna for the San Antonio Report
Unrolled tortillas before being smashed and cooked at the tortilla station at Pullman Market. Credit: Vincent Reyna for the San Antonio Report
For the Smoke & Fire event, Ramos will grill tri-trips, a lean cut from bottom sirloin, and serve it on top of a deep-fried nixtamalized tortilla with a smoked masa and Chaplin salsa.
“My wife wants me to add grasshoppers,” he said. “I may or may not do that.”
The pitmasters represent 10 barbecue joints that will serve 10 different dishes. Two Bros BBQ Market is grilling pork bustelo sausage, InsterStellar is making pork belly with a jalapeño cucumber salad and Burnt Bean is preparing chicken tinga tostadas.
Mezquite is cooking goat. To prepare for the event, Corral and Muñoz had 10 goat carcasses delivered to Pullman Market on Tuesday.
After drying the caracasses, they began rubbing adobo seasoning on 600 pounds of meat. They used the goat head to prepare a broth.
“The actual cooking starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday,” Corral said. “We’re making goat birria tacos with flour tortillas and consomé.”
Also on the menu: grilled ribeye from Curry Boys, smoked turkey sliders from Pinkerton’s, lamb chops with chimichurri from KG BBQ, pork pozole sausage from Reese Bros. and grilled quail and tiger slaw from King BBQ.
Tortilleron Santiago Rios prepares tortillas with Chef Ian Corral at the tortilla station at the Pullman Market. Credit: Vincent Reyna for the San Antonio Report
“A lot of this meat is sourced from local farms that we butcher at Pullman,” Corral said. “Everybody chose something different – not just beef. We wanted to make sure it’s not just what people perceive as barbecue like brisket and sausage. Everything has to be in contact with fire and smoke.”