Last Saturday in Cabot, the picked-over remains of a smoked pig’s carcass rested on a foil-wrapped picnic table. Nearby stood the unobtrusive wooden box in which chef Brock Miller and Snug Valley Farm co-owner Ben Nottermann — with the help of their friends and some PBR — had slowly cooked the 180-pound porker, yielding about 60 pounds of tender, well-seasoned meat.
Neighbors, along with folks from Barre and Hardwick, lined up at 1806 Ducharme Road to get a taste of Back Road BBQ‘s first meal. Chefs Isaac Gresser and Charlie Brown — both of whom worked with Miller at Hardwick’s A Vermont Place until it closed — scooped up portions of smoked mac and cheese, stewed collard greens, and baked beans. Soon diners were coming back for seconds.
The soft opening and fund-raiser offered farm-to-table food at its least pretentious. Pastured heritage-breed pork from Snug Valley was served with yellow mustard and white bread on paper plates from under a tent in the chef’s backyard.
“Everything that touched my mouth was amazing!” said Jennifer McFeeters, a Reiki practitioner and Harley-Davidson enthusiast who noted that she’ll ride to Maine for good ‘cue.
Last weekend’s pop-up feast, paid for by donations, will be followed by several more. The BRBBQ team is gunning to buy a food truck so it can set up shop at Hill Farmstead Brewery a couple of weeks a month, serve spots in Montpelier and beyond with a consistent lunchtime delivery run, and have the option of vending at festivals and gatherings.
For now, find more info on the Back Road BBQ Facebook page.
The original print version of this article was headlined “Taking a ‘Cue”
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This article appears in The Money Issue April 2016 (Theme Issue).
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Congrats to Chef Brock Miller, always on the cutting edge!
Cheri Gersak
Yay. It was so delicious.
Congrats to Chefs Brock Miller, Isaac Gresser and Charlie Brown, all my favorite chefs!