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Barbecue season is nearly upon us and though there's certainly a seasonal novelty in firing up your own grill at home, why not let the professional pitmasters do it for you? The annual Windy City Smokeout is returning to Chicago this summer—on Thursday, July 10 through Sunday, July 13, to be exact—and it's bringing together a stellar lineup of both local 'cue favorites and national smokehouses outside the United Center.
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A smokin' good time will be had courtesy of the finger-licking barbecue being fired up by this year's participating pitmasters, each of whom will offer two different dishes during the festival. The full 2025 food lineup includes:
- Bub City (Chicago)
- Chef Art Smith’s Reunion (Chicago)
- Dayne’s Craft BBQ (Aledo, Texas)
- Gene’s BBQ (Atlanta)
- Green Street Smoked Meats (Chicago)
- Heritage Barbecue (San Juan Capistrano, California)
- Hogapalooza (Wayne, Arkansas)
- Hoodoo Brown BBQ (Ridgefield, Connecticut)
- Hurtado Barbecue (Arlington, Texas)
- Joe’s KC BBQ (Kansas City, Kansas)
- Lexington Betty Smokehouse (Chicago)
- Little Miss BBQ (Phoenix)
- Meat Mitch Barbecue (Leawood, Kansas)
- Operation BBQ Relief (Joplin, Missouri)
- Panther City BBQ (Fort Worth, Texas)
- Pappy’s Smokehouse (St. Louis, Missouri)
- Pig Beach BBQ (Astoria, New York)
- Smoque BBQ (Chicago)
- Soul & Smoke (Chicago)
- Sugarfire Smoke House (St. Louis, Missouri)
- Ubons BBQ (Yazoo City, Mississippi)
- Wright’s Barbecue (Johnson, Arkansas)
And if that's not enough 'cue for you, there will also be a bottomless barbecue brunch on Sunday, powered with free-flowing Mimosas, build-your-own Bloody Marys, plenty of juicy pitmaster barbecue, live acoustic music and more.
And speaking of music, the festival will feature live country-music performances from both up-and-coming acts as well as renowned bands, including Megan Moroney, Shane Smith & The Saints, Angel White, Maggie Antone, Kane Brown, Josh Meloy, Kashus Culpepper, Ella Langley, Riley Green and Sam Barber, among others.
Multiple cashless bars will be conveniently set around the festival grounds so you can quench your thirst with a cold glass of beer from top American breweries, including Chicago’s own Goose Island. You can grab tickets (ranging from general admission to premium VIP experiences) and find out more information at the Windy City Smokeout website.