Chef Charlie McKenna of Lillie's Q Memphis In May World Championship BBQ

Lillie's Q chef/owner Charlie McKenna, who serves award-winning competition BBQ along with Southern favorites and sides at his Bucktown restaurant (1856 W North Ave), placed 12th overall in whole pork shoulder category out of 63 entries at the Memphis In May World Championship Barbeque Cooking Contest in Memphis, TN, this past weekend.

The Lillie's Q team missed finishing in Top 10 by .1 points in the whole pork shoulder category. The Lillie's Q team had placed in the Top Ten in the whole pork shoulder category the previous five years and took first place in 2007.

The Lillie's Q team also placed 7th overall out of 98 entries in the auxiliary "seafood" category by making the restaurant's signature Shrimp & Grits entrée.

Below are links to four videos of the chef Charlie McKenna and his Lillie's Q team that were shot during the Memphis In May World Championship Barbeque Cooking Contest.

* Chef Charlie McKenna of Lillie's Q breaks down whole pork shoulders and talks through the process at Memphis In May: https://www.youtube.com/lilliesqchicago#p/u/0/w24PgFGBpfk

* The Lillie's Q BBQ team injecting pork shoulders and putting them in the smoker at Memphis In May:
https://www.youtube.com/lilliesqchicago#p/u/1/ssAKGLnjzQs

* Chef Charlie McKenna and his father Quito and the rest of the Lillie's Q BBQ team prepping whole pork shoulders for blind box judges tasting at Memphis In May:
https://www.youtube.com/lilliesqchicago#p/u/3/geMMNI5K_wM

* Quito McKenna talking competition BBQ strategy and judging:
https://www.youtube.com/lilliesqchicago#p/u/4/3uKS8j3y4Rw

About Lillie's Q: Chef Charlie McKenna (formerly the sous chef at Tru and Avenues) opened Lillie's Q restaurant in July 2010 specializing in award-winning competition BBQ, Southern favorites and sides in Bucktown as a homage to his family's deep cooking roots. McKenna has competed on the competition BBQ circuit with his father and friends the last 10 years, and the team won the prestigious Memphis In May BBQ competition in 2007 in the pork shoulder category and placed in top then the past five years. McKenna opened an outpost of Lillie's Q in Destin, FL with his parents in 2008. At Lillie's Q in Chicago, McKenna is smoking pork shoulder for pulled pork, tri-tip, baby back ribs, and chicken in two custom built smokers over peach wood and lump charcoal. McKenna began cooking Southern favorites and sides with grandma Lillie and his mother at an early age and those standouts make their way onto the Lillie's Q menu via shrimp & grits, an individual low country boil, pimento cheese, fried pickles, boiled peanuts, Brunswick stew, baked beans, macaroni & cheese and banana pudding. Lillie's Q features moonshine-based specialty cocktails (like the "Morning Lillie" that's a play on a Bloody Mary and the "M&M&M" that's a mint julep riff), 10 All-American craft drafts (including a specially made copper lager by Chicago's Metropolitan Brewing that pairs with the BBQ), and a rotating selection of All-American craft bottled beers. Located at 1856 W North Ave (773.772.5500), Lillie's Q serves lunch and dinner daily from 11am-10pm Sunday thru Wednesday, and 11am-11pm Thursday thru Saturday. "Like" Lillie's Q on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/LilliesQ and follow Lillie's Q on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LilliesQChicago and check out Lillie's Q on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/LilliesQChicago

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