A Maryland barbecue venture is redefining what it means to combine tradition, community, and sustainability. As a result, Farm BBQ not only produces great food, it fuels agritourism opportunities in the semi-rural community of Fallston, MD.
Get the complete Farm BBQ story in our Low & Slow Barbecue Show interview.
Keep reading for a closer look at the story of Farm BBQ, from its Carolina-inspired roots to its partnerships with regenerative farms. Don’t miss the recipe for their one-of-a-kind Farm BBQ House BBQ Sauce.
What is Farm BBQ?
Farm BBQ began as a passion project to unite people and uplift local farmers by using locally sourced products from regenerative farms in Maryland. Unique in its region, Farm BBQ creates an authentic whole hog BBQ experience.
“We started this as a way to support local agriculture and connect community,” Farm BBQ co-founder Will says. “We know what barbecue does. It brings people together.”
The Farm BBQ mobile restaurant appears at public events, breweries, and festivals. Likewise, Farm BBQ serves private events across Central and Eastern Maryland.
Farm BBQ public events are regularly updated on the business website, here.
Find out more about Farm BBQ at the website, EatFarmBBQ.com. Follow the Instagram page for regular updates.
Farm BBQ Menu Items:
The menu sticks to traditional fare – especially the whole hog.
“I think the idea is for us to keep it simple and keep the quality high,” Will says.
Regular menu items for Farm BBQ include:
- “Whole Hoggy” BBQ Sandwich: Carolina-style whole hog, locally sourced and smoked low and slow.
- “Carolina Clucker” BBQ Sandwich: Carolina-style locally sourced chicken, smoked low and slow.
- “When Pigs Fly” Sandwich: Carolina-style whole hog AND chicken, smoked low and slow.
- Maryland Mac: 3-cheese blend of smoked mac & cheese with a touch of the bay, topped with a panko crisp.
- Farm slaw: Locally sourced green cabbage, carrots, finely chopped and blended with Farm BBQ secret spice & vinegar recipe.
“We can get a little bigger, and we will, but we don’t want to get too big, because you can’t do everything great,” Tommie says, adding St. Louis ribs, Holy Trinity sampler, or rib tips often appear on the menu, too.
BBQ Speakeasy Beginnings
Ideas for the business ignited during outdoor BBQ get-togethers in the uncertain times of 2020.
“The ‘speakeasies,’ as they started, they may have never come to fruition had the pandemic not existed, because everybody was home and looking for something to do outdoors,” Will says. “It was the perfect opportunity.”
Initially, a shared passion between Farm BBQ co-founders Will and Mark led to experiments with smokey meat samples for their families.
“Then our families had some friends over,” Will says, “and then their friends had some friends over and their friends …”
The popularity sparked “you guys need to be doing this” suggestions. Will brought in another friend, Tommie, who possesses deep restaurant expertise, including cooking pork.
“We were doing whole hogs in a Hawaiian barbecue sense,” Tommie says. “I got to know Will, and Will started bestowing the wisdom of Carolina barbecue onto me …”
“In hindsight, I think we both started off our barbecue journey barbecuing whole hogs,” he continues. “Which is not really the usual place to start, but that’s where we began. It’s a very unique hobby.”
Friendship and a common bond around whole hog barbecue expanded to business. Together, Mark, Will, and Tommie are passionate about supporting local Maryland culture and entities that encourage farmers.
“Maybe even help some of those farmers share their knowledge,” Will says.
Farm BBQ Regenerative Farm Partners
Farm BBQ’s success is rooted in its collaboration with regenerative farms. These farms prioritize sustainability, nutrient-rich produce, and ethical treatment of animals.
“Regenerative farming is as old as farming itself, but it’s been largely forgotten,” shares Will whose grandfather was a Maine dairy farmer. “These farmers are doing things the right way. This is the very best protein and produce that you could possibly give your children.
Three farms are primary Farm BBQ partners, and they all “share a philosophy about the earth and about how animals and vegetables should be raised and treated.” Other farms fill additional needs.
Farm BBQ supports partners in different ways:
- Buy as much product as possible – from whole hog to other cuts of meat and vegetables.
- Promote farm partners’ direct-to-home markets and cooperatives.
“A lot of these farms we work with have markets. That’s an easy way for people to connect with the local farmers and support them,” Will says. “We are focused on trying to build community and support those local farmers by letting the community know you have this amazing resource right here.”
Those resources add additional variety to the Farm BBQ offering, too.
“We’re happy to get creative, and in Maryland, at least, you’ve got about one month of peak season for almost every vegetable,” Tommie says. “So we’ll lean into that for a month, and then we’ll move on to the next vegetable next month.”
Why Carolina BBQ in Maryland?
Maryland, New England, and parts North aren’t often known for barbecue. When you meet and marry a woman from the South, barbecue inspiration is within closer grasp.
“The first time I had real barbecue was on my honeymoon, and we were passing through North Carolina,” Will explains. “We stopped and it was an absolute revelation. Who would have thought you could put apple cider vinegar in barbecue sauce. I’d thought barbecue sauce was just sugar.”
Later, Will found more guidance during a visit with N.C. Barbecue Hall of Fame Member Sam Jones. Seeing how “the real masters” behind quintessential Eastern N.C. barbecue restaurants Skylight Inn and Sam Jones BBQ carry on the same smoking traditions for generations had a “massive impact” on the way Farm BBQ cooks.
“There’s one way to do it right, and that’s low and slow, and it’s with hardwood,” Will says. “As much as all you Carolina people like to fight about what the best sauce is, it’s really the method.”
For Farm BBQ, the method depends on a Meadow Creek T250 trailer smoker, a 500-gallon modified barrel smoker, or a pit built on-site using cinder blocks and steel rebar. Oak is the most common fuel – “red oak or white oak is simply the best way to get a consistent product.”
As for the sauce?
“It’s a marriage between Northern and Southern traditions. It’s a blend,” Will says. “You know us Yankees up here, we can appreciate it because it is sweet. And then folks down South that like true barbecue can also appreciate it because it’s essentially half apple cider vinegar.”
The Farm BBQ House BBQ Sauce
Farm BBQ’s sauce is a reflection of its founders’ combined roots. “It’s a marriage of Northern sweetness and Southern tanginess,” says Will.
Half apple cider vinegar and half sweetness, it bridges the gap between traditional Carolina-style sauce and the preferences of Maryland’s coastal community. This innovative approach resonates with barbecue enthusiasts from both regions.
Farm BBQ House BBQ Sauce Recipe:
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- 1 ½ cup ketchup
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup Worchestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2 tbsp mustard
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp coarse black pepper
- 4 chopped cloves garlic
- About ¼ cup of your favorite hot sauce (Farm BBQ recommends Franks Red Hot).
- Another ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar
- Sprinkle of granulated garlic
Directions
Whisk together all the ingredients over low-medium heat, except the hot sauce, granulated garlic, and “additional apple cider vinegar.” Simmer for 10 minutes, then add in equal parts apple cider vinegar and hot sauce. Finish with a sprinkle of granulated garlic.
Serve on everything. Especially chicken and pork.
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