Holy Smokes Festival 2023
This year was the third annual Holy Smokes Low Country Barbecue Festival, an event that has become one of the largest in the Southeast and one of my absolute favorite events to attend. Held at the Riverfront Park in North Charleston, this annual event brings out pitmasters from across North America to raise money for the honorable cause of ending pediatric brain cancer.
In its third year, the event organizers created an amazing experience that even the cold and rainy weather could not dampen. This year, I documented the festival, as well as its leadup, giving me the opportunity to get behind the gates and see exactly what makes this event one of the premier barbecue festivals in the world. Throughout my two days onsite, I saw the dedication of the organizers, the pitmasters, and co-founder Anthony DiBernardo, as they prepared to execute an unforgettable event.
Preparations
On Friday evening, many pit crews arrived at Riverfront Park to roll smoke. These included big names like Rodney Scott, Jonathan and Justin Fox of Atlanta-based Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q, and Andrew Muñoz of LA-based Moo’s Craft Barbecue, among many others. Big names in the industry, such as Rasheed Philips, Tay Nelson, and Bryan Furman, made cameos, helping to man the pits before the big day.
One of the standout moments of the weekend occurred at dusk when Anthony DiBernardo called everyone to the event stage for a quick prayer and to provide a few words of inspiration before a long night/morning of cooking. Anthony spoke passionately about his appreciation for all the hard work of the volunteers and the good it would go to, even letting them know how over $90,000 in proceeds from the previous years went to renovate every bathroom in the local Ronald McDonald House. Because of the efforts of the group of volunteers on those grounds, hundreds of families would get the support they desperately needed during their time of need.
The group broke, returned to their pits shortly afterward, and began the long night of cooking. Despite Friday night transitioning to Saturday morning, there was barely any falloff of workers. This was especially true in the Traditional Village area where the crews of Rodney Scott and Swig and Swine were preparing six whole hogs.
Everyone could feel the camaraderie as they all pitched in to burn down wood into coals to fuel the fire through the night. While there were plenty of familiar faces from previous years, new faces were also working the pits. One of which was Swig and Swine’s young upcoming star, Jackson, who, despite his young age, was tending to a whole hog throughout the night. The group even had an honorary member present as Blue Angel Cary “Chewy” Rickoff joined in to learn a few tips from seasoned professionals who were more than willing to give him a helping hand – in exchange for some flight stories. Quite fitting for a festival that happened to fall on Veteran’s Day.
The Festival
By the time the sun came up, the weather had gotten noticeably colder, and rain clouds stretched throughout the area. But it didn’t stop the attendees from streaming through the gates to experience. The first attendees to flow in were the VIP ticket holders, and they flocked right to their tented area for drinks in anticipation of the 11 AM food service time.
Once the food was out, everyone rushed to villages(Traditional, Coastal, New School, and Texas), each offering different culinary experiences. Whether it was the Fox Bros.’s riff on the double smash burger (with a second layer of pork belly), Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q’s white sauced chicken, or Rodney Scott’s whole hog, the crowds patiently waited for their serving.
Attendees had a chance to mingle with and take pictures of their favorite celebrity chefs while they enjoyed the VIP experience. The chefs and their crews also had a blast once the cooking was all done, and they had a moment to spend with their brothers and sisters in ‘cue. The Holy Smokes Festival again showed the power of food, community, and commitment when supporting others.
Close Out
The third annual Holy Smokes Festival was absolutely wonderful. Despite the cold and wet (those rain clouds eventually let loose), there was a sense of love and enjoyment from everyone in attendance. Again, it has shown me just how close and selfless the barbecue community is. There are very few events I have ever attended where everyone is happy to volunteer a couple days of their time to fight for one mission. The organizers of this event have once again shown why they are THE premiere festival in the culinary space.
