Michelle talks about her beautiful journey today on Faces of Beauty!
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This past Saturday Nate and I served with our friends at church at an event called Broomfield Days. We had a booth that was supposed to specialize in popcorn and sno cones, but when we found out the high for the day was 60 degrees (a fluke in the middle of a very hot week) we went with the coffee-cocoa thing instead.
But I’m not here to talk about that.
And even though I could, I’m not here to talk about the whole roasting pig right behind our booth,
Nor the ears of corn that it took a cheerleading squad a full hour to do (that’s not a bad thing – it was a LOT of corn!).
Today I’m not here to talk about the hilarious shirt that we saw in line,
and even though I could go on for days and days about my new-found love of funnel cakes, that’s not what I’m here to talk about either.
What I’m here to talk about (or I should say WHO I’m here to talk about) today is so important that I would publish a picture of me with a laughing double chin on the internet.
I’m here to talk about Big Jim.
Big Jim is a native of Arkansas, just like Nate, and has been doing the BBQ thing in the Denver Metro for the past 5 years. And y’all? This man’s got some SOUL! The line for his booth was the longest one at Broomfield Days, but one sniff in the air and we couldn’t say no. Thankfully Big Jim provided the entertainment too! He would grab a slab of meat from the smoker, walk over to us, and ask if we like our pork tender.
Well of course, Big Jim – tender’s the only way to go!
He would break the pork shoulder open with his bare hands and simultaneously say, “I know it’s good, I eat it every day!”
Other one-liners we loved were, “The big dog’s in town! We done run everyone else out!” – a truer statement I’ve never heard. But I would have to say that my favorite line of the day was, “Talk to me!” Said after every trip back and forth with a different cut of meat, my stomach sure was talking then!
He uses hickory smoke to flavor the incredible food he’s got going in the 3-door smoker that he travels with. He has a meat cleaver that was handmade for him in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He likes to talk, he likes to meet people, and he is PROUD of his barbecue!
Not that he shouldn’t be though – paired with a sauce with hints of cinnamon, a slice of bread, and the best potato salad (next to Mom’s) that I’ve ever had, Big Jim knows what’s up. What else could you expect from a man with a huge cleaver (Nate was jealous) and the slogan, “Put some South in yo’ mouth”? All I’m sayin’ is he had me at that.
And put some South in our mouths we did, wishing we’d ordered more as we stared listlessly at the mile-long line. We didn’t stick around much after that, only a few minutes to talk about the cleaver situation and how Nate could somehow get himself one just like Jim’s, but the experience is one we’ll always remember and look forward to for years to come!
Talk to me, Big Jim…talk to me!
I am from Broomfield!! “Broomfield Days” jumped out at me as I was reading your blog!! I have a HUGE soft spot in my heart for my little city. Hope you enjoyed your visit!! :0)
I feel like I just watched and episode of the Food Network. Jim might be big, but your smile in that pic is just as large. What a cute post!
YUM! However my heart belongs to KC bbq 🙂
Oh my words. I think Big Jim should be on faces of beauty. BBQ is THAT good.
Man, I wish I could have met Big Jim!!! There is really nothing better than animated, authentic food people. They’re the best!! I like to think all us food bloggers count in that a bit….lol
I wanna put some South in my mouth! That BBQ looks mouth-watering awesome.
Big Jim seems like a ton of fun! And the BBQ looks and sounds out of this world!
Great post! I want some of Big Jim’s BBQ right now! Oh, and I love the photo with you and Big Jim…so glad you posted it. You are adorable!
Fun! I love events like that one. I am kind of a fair/festival junkie. 🙂 So many interesting people! And that Big Jim looks like quite the man.
Funnel cake and ribs. I don’t think there could be a better combination.
We have a great BBQ fest here in nyc—shuts down a few blocks! And boy do I let myself indulge : )
Big Jim’s BBQ looks SO good!
For a non meat eater, I’d definitely eat that!
Oh, wow, aren’t barbecues delicious??? And the pig behind your booth – did you get to try that? It’s certainly an experience, but it’s really good. I’ve only been to a few barbecues served like that. I’m glad you enjoyed all that barbecue – I would have, too!
Oh, I just voted for you in the Project Food Blog 2010!!! Good luck, girl!
Whoa, I like Big Jim.
We had a company BBQ recently and one guy insisted on doing the BBQ. He bragged for weeks that it was the best. I don’t think any of use believed him. He went on about his homemade sauce and everything.
Then BBQ day came. And he was right. It was ah-may-zing. He could have a restaurant and I would go every day. The funny thing is, is that he looks kinda like Big Jim.
I always clinch just a little whenever I see these pig roasts. But it does look like it was a blast. What great culture. And Big Jim looks like a doll! 🙂
I bet that pig was delicious! Big Jim needs to come to NYC to cook for me. 😀
Omg, that “put some south in yo mouth” – haha!! True soul and love, right there. 😉
Whoa that’s some serious animal flesh roasting away 🙂
I have not eaten any animal flesh like that since I was about 7. Not saying that for any other reason that I dont like it but growing up in the midwest, backyard bbq’s with pig roasts = h.s. graduation season! This post brought back memories of yesteryear…
xoxo
I want big Jim to talk to me too! Talk to me, and while you’re talking let me try some of those finger lickin’ ribs! They look so good 🙂
I love BBQ, but seeing that whole pig kinda made it real 🙁 Darn…I prefer my animals to be cut up before I eat them…then I don’t feel so bad 🙂
Can Big Jim come cook for me?
Everything looks so delicious!!
Wow, Big Jim is the man! And those funnel cakes look deadly but good!
Funnel Cakes… the best form of bread there is.
Don’t you love meeting people like Big Jim who instantly make you smile? He sounds like a guy who could light up a room with his personality and his food. Heck, he made me smile just reading your post!
hey love!! oh i LOVE BIG JIM And i dont even know him!!
I actually just took a glob of the hazelnut chocolate butta and froze it 🙂 I didnt buy it frozen!! I just didnt like the way it tasted! kind of funky? jessica said it grew on her so maybe it will grow on me??? haha
There’s really nothing like BBQ food! It’s my favorite part of warm weather!
Big Jim seems like a hilarious guy! I’ve watched something on Food Network about making BBQ – it was a contest I think, and I loved seeing how it was prepared. The folks preparing the BBQ were so focused and just LOVED those pigs!
I want to eat Big Jim’s food. All of it.
mmm… looks fantastic! And I thought Big Jim was Danny Glover when I first saw the picture! 🙂 That’s a good thing – Danny Glover is cool!
I want to be best friends with Big Jim. He sounds amazing, so does his BBQ