Windy City Smokeout has always been a tale of two loves: barbecue and country music.
On one side, the lovers of barbecue congregate at the event every July to pay homage to slow-smoked brisket, Kansas City ribs and secret sauces. On the other, lovers of country music pack their sweaty bodies together to form a sea of boot-wearing fans craving guitar licks and whiskey-soaked choruses.
When those two loves collide somewhere in the vast and often very hot parking lot outside the United Center, the real magic happens — and summer begins.
“I think Windy City Smokeout is the happiest place in the world,” says chef Max Robbins, culinary director of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. “You look around and you see people who all look different and who are from different places and who are wearing different things. Tall, short, old, whatever … everyone’s f---ing happy.”
Now in its 13th year, Windy City Smokeout returns to the pavement July 10-13, bringing together barbecue legends and country music stars in what has become a summer tradition for thousands. This year’s Smokeout promises just enough new to keep the old interesting.
The backstory
Windy City Smokeout started in 2013 as a little event in a parking lot, tucked under a big bridge at the corner of Rush and Illinois. The next year, the festival moved to the banks of the Chicago River at Grand Avenue in River North, where it stayed for the next five years — and grew exponentially. Chicagoans wanted to attend it, country artists wanted to play it and brands wanted to be part of it.
The event’s popularity ultimately led Windy City Smokeout to move in 2019 to the United Center, where it’s been hosted ever since. “We’re really proud of what we’ve learned and how we’ve grown,” says Windy City Smokeout co-founder Ed Warm. “We try to make every day a can’t-miss day.”
The pitmasters
More than 20 Michelin- and James Beard-recognized pitmasters are scheduled to descend on the fest this year. Chicago-based favorites such as Smoque BBQ, Green Street Smoked Meats and Soul & Smoke will make their triumphant return, bringing dishes such as pulled-pork nachos, crispy brisket tacos and hatch-chili mac and cheese.
But the beauty of Windy City Smokeout is access to pitmasters from across the country, who will offer delicacies such as the brisket barbacoa tostada from St. Louis-based Sugarfire Smokehouse and a slow-smoked pulled pork sandwich from Ubon’s BBQ in Mississippi.
The music headliners
Bailey Zimmerman kicks things off with his electric, slightly off-kilter live show on Thursday, while Old Dominion returns Friday night with a cavalcade of chart-toppers and crowd favorites. But things truly get interesting come the weekend.
“We have a lot of days, like Saturday and Sunday, that we really do have two headliners, with Megan Moroney and Kane Brown both on Saturday and Riley Green and Jon Pardi on Sunday,” says Warm. “And that’s no knock on Kane or Jon … it’s just the rocket ships that Megan and Riley are on right now.”
The new acts
As he’s done for years, Warm leans on his country instincts when it comes to new talent. “Sam Barber has quietly built this enormous following, and his songwriting and his performances have really evolved over the last couple of years since he came on the scene,” Warm says of the “Straight and Narrow” hitmaker set to take the stage Sunday afternoon. “I think he’s tremendously underrated right now.”
There are also new pitmasters such as Dayne’s Craft BBQ, new vendors such as bootmaker Tecovas and a brand-new 21-plus area for those looking for a more chill festival experience.
The best day
This year, Sunday gets our vote for the Smokeout’s best day, with the strongest music lineup of the festival, a slightly more laid-back vibe and a bottomless BBQ brunch to die for (BBQ brunch tickets are sold out, but try resale through Ticketmaster). On Thursday and Friday, barbecue lines are typically shorter and concert crowds are lighter.
Whatever day you choose, make a beeline for the ribs at Pappy’s Smokehouse, the Italian sausage at Hoodoo Brown BBQ and the green chili and cheese burrito from Little Miss BBQ. Fair warning — some food favorites sell out quickly each day.
The hot goss
Perhaps the most gossip-worthy set of the weekend will be delivered by special guest DJ Sommer Ray. Will the social media influencer with millions of followers show up with her rumored boyfriend, Mark Estes –– a TikTok heartthrob, a member of the Montana Boyz and the former flame of Kristin Cavallari, who is the ex-wife of former Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler?
In terms of side-stage buzz, TikTok sleuths will be all over the lingering looks exchanged between Riley Green and Ella Langley during their performance of “You Look Like You Love Me” come Sunday. The juicy twist? Those same sleuths have linked Green to Saturday’s headliner Megan Moroney. Will Moroney hang back on Sunday to watch him from the wings? You’ll have to be there to find out.
