Big Ed's Shed BBQ & Grilling

05/31/2025

Smoked Pork Shoulders for Pulled Pork for some LHS Graduation Parties!

Congrats...

Big Ed's Shed BBQ & Grilling

Dave Fako
Parent of LHS Class of 2020 and 2024

05/22/2025

Update: This class is full, but there is a waitlist registration if any spots open up.

I am conducting one of our adventurous and fun interactive BBQ Classes at the Lemont Public Library on Tuesday, July 15.

This will be a fun one!

Smokin' Taco Tuesday.

Experience the unique styles and flavors of Mexico and the southwest with Lemont’s Big Ed’s Q Shed. Learn BBQ basics, using smoked meats for mouthwatering tacos. Come for the fun, stay for the tacos!

The class is free and it is almost at capacity after only a few days open for registration.

Register Here:

Experience the unique styles and flavors of Mexico and the southwest with Lemont’s Big Ed’s Q Shed. Learn BBQ basics, using smoked meats for mouthwatering tacos. Come for the fun, stay for the tacos!

05/17/2025

It was a great day for BBQ - pre-dust storm!

Had a chance to go to Pollyanna before delivering our BBQ too!

Congrats to LHS Class of 2025!

05/13/2025

I was interviewed by Chris Lanuti (South Side Pod) and Tess Abassi (Folklore Coffee) from Lemont Unlocked about Lemont's trails, outdoor activities and races + a segment on the The Forge: Lemont Quarries...but we also talked about our BBQ catering and BBQ Classes. Enjoy!

04/26/2025

Books & BBQ!

We had an adventurously fun time serving the Lemont Public Library District staff training day...we served our pulled pork and pulled chicken plus our pit smoked beans and a mixed greens salad with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. We accommodated several gluten free and tomato allergies too.

Thank you!

03/31/2025

Fired up the old WSM for some home-front test kitchen'ing and made one of my favorites....Smoked Pork Tenderloin.

Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Carolina Rub, Smoked Potatoes, Grill Kale, with South Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce.

03/26/2025

My friends Mark Walsh and Kristine are selling their BBQ Food trailer. Its in Kentucky. They did great Q and took care of this trailer so its going to be a good buy. Contact them for details in the shared link...

03/23/2025

Homefront cookin' for Maureen's b-day...

NOLA style BBQ shrimp & grits, crab cake, asparagus....not usually a catered item but available on some of our rare public servings and our smaller / private chef adventures.

03/18/2025

Digging through some old stuff -- probably 15+ years on this!

03/01/2025

One of the most common questions I get: "should I wrap a brisket?"

First, what is wrapping: Its a common technique to wrap a brisket at a certain point or temperature in foil or butcher paper. This is usually done approximately when the internal temperature of the brisket is in the 155 to 170 degree range, or when the meat stalls in its cooking process, although this varies from pitmaster to master. The reasons to do this is to help speed up the cooking process, get the meat to cook beyond the stall, to protect the exterior from overcooking / getting too much bark and to prevent evaporation and retain moisture in the meat. Its an insurance policy to prevent the brisket from drying out.

Using foil, known as the Texas crutch, is very common. The foil creates a sealed chamber and is effectively the same as putting the brisket into a covered roasting pan, and to a degree the meat steams in the foil. Once a brisket is wrapped in foil there will be no additional smoke / smoke flavor penetrating the brisket. At this point the brisket could be moved to an oven or gas grill to complete the cooking because the smoker would have done its job. Snow's BBQ in Lexington, Texas, is known for this technique and was an early adapter of it.

Using butcher paper has become popular, in part due to Franklin BBQ in Austin Texas, where Aaron Franklin popularized this technique. Wrapping the brisket in butcher paper has similar benefits as foil. Since the paper is porous, it will "breathe" and allows a limited amount of air and moisture to get into and out of the wrapped brisket. A limited amount of smoke flavor may continue to pe*****te the meat using this technique.

Many BBQ restaurants and caterers automatically wrap their briskets at some point of their choosing. In some cases, they do this because they cook them one or two days before serving and then keep them warm or they chill them and reheat on serving day (This is a lot more common than most consumers realize).

Both techniques are good and as I noted are an insurance policy.

The cons to wrapping are that it limits or stops the bark from developing and usually leads to a softer bark. Wrapping also limits or prevents any additional smoke flavor from penetrating the meat. Wrapping also often leads to overcooked, somewhat soft or mushy brisket. This is particularly true if the brisket is wrapped and and held for a long time after its finished cooking (~ over 8 hours of holding).

My goal with brisket is to develop a moist, tender cut of meat that also has developed a deep, strong, flavorful and crusty bark. Because of this I do not automatically wrap briskets. I only wrap brisket if needed to speed up the cooking, get through a stubborn stall, or to protect it from developing too much bark. I also simply prefer a stronger smoke flavor and do not like the softer bark and want to avoid the overcooked, softer / mushy texture that can occur. So, I rarely wrap briskets.

Even though I do not automatically wrap briskets, my recommendations for most home pitmasters is to wrap using either foil or butcher paper as it is an insurance policy. Over time experiment without wrapping and once you get the technique dialed in you probably will like using both techniques (Wrapped / Not Wrapped). If you do not wrap I suggest running your smoker at a higher temperature of ~ 300+ degrees. This cooks the brisket quicker and reduces the chances of drying out. Cooking at the lower temps (especially the low 200 degree range) takes a lot longer to cook the brisket and increases the chances of a dried out cut of meat.

I do wrap briskets in foil after they are done cooking, and generally I hold them for at least two hours and often in that 4 - 6 hour range. I feel this leads to a well cooked brisket with a crispy and deep developed bark that remains moist and tender. I do not like the long holds of 8+ hours as I think it takes away from the bark and softens the meat too much.

Adventurously Enjoy!

*Pictures of Brisket smoked without wrapping.

02/28/2025

This is awesome recognition of easily one of the best BBQ in Chicago and anywhere for that matter...and one of the few remaining old school classic Chicago BBQ joints...they even use an aquarium smoker! I feature them in my BBQ classes and in my BBQ Manual too.

The reigning rib tip institution received an honor recognizing longtime cultural touchstones

02/27/2025

Playing around at the home front...

Cuban Sandwich made with Mojo Pork, smoked ham, dill pickles, mustard, served with Cuban black beans and fried plantains.

01/01/2025

Cheer to 2025!

12/26/2024

We hope everyone had a great and adventurous holiday this year...we also had an adventurous year serving many parties in and near Lemont and in surrounding areas (including Wisconsin 😀) plus some fun appearances at various public events.

Thank you for you support throughout the years!

We are looking forward to 2025 when we hope to continue our expansion. We are operating out of a new professional kitchen this year and are exploring some other opportunities and options as well. Look for an updated catering menu to be released soon and some other announcements.

Thank you and happy holidays.

A few pictures of our cooks and catering from the year...

12/21/2024

Good article about melting fat penetrating and moistening meat while cooking / smoking....short answer = it does not.

The fat on the outside of meat does not melt and pe*****te the muscle fibers making the meat moister. That is a myth. Here's the science on different types of fat, what happens as fat heats and melts, and the best way to trim meats before cooking to create the most delicious browned bark or crust.

12/12/2024

Texas Style Smoked Brisket!

12/11/2024

Thank You to the The Lemont Garden Club for inviting Big Ed's Shed BBQ & Grilling to serve at their annual Christmas Party at Pollyanna Brewing Company. We had an adventurously fun time..

On the Menu:

Main Q
Served with Milano Bakery brioche slider buns, corn bread muffins, pickles, and choice of BBQ sauce.

Texas Style Smoked Beef Brisket

Smoked Pulled Chicken

Black Bean Burger

Side Q

Carolina Style Slaw

Smoked Pit Beans

Smoked Mac & Cheese

Esquites / Elotes

Dessert

Apple and Peach Crumble

Craft BBQ Sauces (GF)

Memphis = Tomato and Cider Vinegar, Sweet and Tangy, Mild Heat

South Carolina = Mustard and Cider Vinegar, Tangy, Sharp, Slightly Sweet, Mustardy, Medium Heat

Western Carolina = Cider Vinegar with Tomato and Pepper, Tangy, Peppery, Medium+ Heat

12/10/2024

Adventures on the smoker today...BBQing for a local Lemont club's Christmas Party today...

On the menu:

Main Q
Served with Milano Bakery brioche slider buns, corn bread muffins, pickles, and choice of BBQ sauce.

Texas Style Smoked Beef Brisket
Hickory smoked prime grade beef brisket seasoned with course sea salt & fresh cracked black pepper.

Smoked Pulled Chicken
Hickory smoked chicken, seasoned with Carolina BBQ rub

Black Bean Burger (VG, GF, )
Vegetarian black bean burger

Side Q

Carolina Style Slaw (VG, GF, )
Cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, Carolina vinegar dressing, Carolina BBQ rub

Smoked Pit Beans ( )
Smoked under the brisket!
Great northern beans, Texas brisket rub, Carolina rub, onion, bell pepper, poblano, garlic, molasses, turbinado sugar and Memphis BBQ sauce

Mac & Cheese (V)
Elbows, cheddar cheese sauce, Carolina BBQ rub

Esquites / Elotes (V, GF)
(Mexican Street Corn)
Roasted corn, bell pepper, poblano, onion, cotija cheese, Mexican crema, chilis

Dessert

Apple and Peach Crumble

12/10/2024

Craft BBQ sauce!

12/06/2024

When on our 25th anniversary trip to NOLA Maureen and I took a cooking class at the New Orleans School of Cooking. It was fun and we learned a ton too! + its my favorite cuisine to cook - seafood, Cajun / creole / NOLA styles....

Always learning!

Send a message to learn more

11/22/2024

Winter is coming and its chili season...

We'll be serving a customer favorite - our award winning Texas Style Chili - at the Quarry Cross Cyclocross race this Sunday, 11/24 at the Forge along with our Black Bean & Roasted Corn Chili too.

Video of us at Quarry Cross last year (Not serving the pumpkin soup this year)

11/19/2024

Big Ed's Shed BBQ & Grilling

Menu
Quarry Cross at The Forge: Lemont Quarries
Lemont, Illinois
Sunday, November 24, 2024

Chili

Served with tortilla chips and cotija cheese

Texas Chili
(AKA Cup of Red)
$7 Cup
Course ground beef, with a blend of guajillo, ancho, and pasilla chilis, onions, garlic, and spices. (No Beans, No Fillers)
*Award Winning: 5th Place in the Best of the Midwest Chili Cookoff (2006), Top 15 Wisconsin State Chili Championships.

Black Bean & Roasted Corn Chili
(Vegetarian / Vegan)
$6 Cup
Black beans, roasted corn, poblano and bell peppers with a blend of guajillo, ancho, and pasilla chilis, onions, garlic, and spices.