Mackay, Idaho 83251: Mackay Barbecue

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Mackay Barbecue 2012 Part 1 of 4 - September 15 2012

The average person standing in line at the Mackay Barbecue to get their free beef sandwich probably doesn’t know much about what has taken place in the days before the barbecue to ensure they are well fed once they get to the head of the line.

A Barbecue Committee is formed and a Chair chosen. This year Co-Chairs are Justin and Maleah Ivie. Subcommittee's are formed each with a Chair to accomplish the many tasks required by the Mackay Barbecue.

Money is raised and carefully tracked. Hopefully, more on the Committee structure will appear here later.

Preparations begin with barbecue sauce making at Ivies on Wednesday night before barbecue. The Moonshooters Pinochle Club of Mackay, Idaho gathered at Ivies grocery with Randy Ivie this evening and prepped the special, secret barbecue sauce for the Mackay Barbecue to be held this Saturday, 18 Sept 2012 at the Mackay Tourist Park - "TONS OF MEAT - MACKAY'S TREAT" - It's FREE and open to EVERYONE!

The best roast beef sandwich has tasty SAUCE and it is not an easy task to get it made in LARGE quantities.

Moonshooters Pinochle Club L to R: Carol Ivie, Terri Pehrson, Julie Johnson, Glenda Jardine, Peggy Pehrson, Terrie Bone, and Lana Pehrson (Note: Kirra Jardine Nalley was there helping too, but missed the photo op).

L to R: Lana Pehrson, Terri Pehrson, Peggy Pehrson, and Terrie Bone.

The prepped barbecue sauce will be chilled in the Ivies coolers until Friday, 17 Sept 2012 when it will be taken to the Mackay School cafeteria to be cooked and sealed in jars for the barbecue the next day. Look for the Moonshooters Pinochle Club on the day of the barbecue as they ALSO serve the sandwiches and sauces. Thanks Randy Ivie and Gals!

Then, the Tourist Park is mowed to perfection, while Barbecue Co-Chair, Maleah Ivie, her mother, Lana Pehrson (in charge of Serving), and Ken Day, City of Mackay Foreman, make sure all the needed supplies are in the serving shed storage area. Prior to the construction of the serving shed in 2004 and first used in 2005, Ken Day put up a serving tent.

Serving Tent used Sept 18 2003.

Building the new Serving Shed and Storage. Ken Day ducks in the storage area, 2004.

New Serving Shed and Storage used for the first time in 2005.

Wood was delivered from the Forest Service by Pat Powers from the Lost River Highway District to the Mackay Tourist Park to be fed in to the barbecue oven all night beginning at 5 PM today, Thursday, September 13 2012. Wood will be continuously added for 24 hours.

Pat Powers from Lost River Highway District delivers the wood for the barbecue on Sept 18 2008. Jake Drussel and Manny Guerrero in the foreground.

Terry Ulhenhopp and Manny Guerrero have loaded wood in the barbecue oven for years. For the 2012 Mackay Barbecue, the oven was fired 5 PM September 13 2012.

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After the oven is full of wood, Terry Ulhenhopp lights the fire with a propane torch at 5 PM, Thursday, September 13 2012.

Manny Guerrero and Terry Uhlenhopp placed a metal shield up at the top of the barbecue oven door and will feed the fires ALL NIGHT from the bottom. The burning wood will heat up the barbecue oven. Before the meat roasts are added to the barbecue oven tomorrow night, all of the wood and ash will be removed.

Terry Ulhenhopp and Manny Guerrero stoked the barbecue with firewood. As the fire burned, Terry used a metal tripod with a long metal pole to stir the embers frequently and then reloading the oven with firewood. This is done continually from 5 PM Thursday until approximately 6 PM Friday night to ensure the bricks of the oven are thoroughly heated. Workers stoking the fire in the oven wear a fire suit borrowed from the Mackay Fire Department due to the intense heat.

These four young men fed wood in the barbecue oven at the Mackay Tourist Park all night and will continue throughout today until the beef roasts are prepared tonight at the Mackay Fire Hall. The oven should be the PERFECT temperature when the meat is put in!

L to R Standing: Nate Yowell and Nate Laib - L to R Sitting: Terry Uhlenhopp and Dennis aka Wally Wallin - September 14 2012

Mackay Barbecue 2012 Part 2 of 4 - September 15 2012

The Mackay BBQ Oven was fired with wood for a full 24 hours from Thursday afternoon, September 13th until the 14th. Then, the metal doors were loosely shut while the roast beef is prepared at the Mackay Fire Hall. Mackay's Assistant Fire Chief, Ken Day, closes the metal doors loosely. He measured the temperature at 950 degrees PLUS (the thermometer only goes to 950 and then says "HI" for anything greater).

Mackay BBQ Preparations Continue - September 15 2012
South Custer Historical Society volunteers Dave Wilson and Earl Lockie were at the Mackay Tourist Park setting up for tomorrow's barbecue. Don't forget to stop tomorrow and buy baked goods to support the historical society!

Most people who have not helped with the barbecue believe the meat is cooked over burning wood embers inside the barbecue oven. However, the wood embers are only used to heat the brick structure of the barbecue oven and removed before the meat is place in the oven. Accordingly, when the meat is placed in the oven late Friday night, the heat from the bricks of the oven cooks the meat.

On Friday night before Barbecue Saturday a large group of volunteers met at the Mackay Fire Hall (previously at Lin Hintze’s Big Lost River Meats, and before that at Ivies IGA).

Back over to the Mackay Fire Hall for the roast preparation. 2,000 pounds of roast beef!

An assembly line is formed and a group of volunteers prepare the 2,000 pounds of purchased beef roasts. Each roast weighs approximately 30 pounds when removed from the boxes. Carvers removed the plastic covering on each roast and cut the roasts down to a uniform size about the size of a football or 10 pounds. Holes are stabbed into each roast and garlic is stuffed inside. The garlic was purchased peeled this year (in the past, volunteers had to peel the garlic first).

Holes were cut in to each roast and garlic stuffed inside each hole.

Each roast is rolled in a large tub of donated Lost River Seasonings (Pauline Chaney Layne's recipe) and dropped in to a cheese cloth bag.

Finally, each roast is double wrapped in tinfoil.

The wrapped roasts are placed on the barbecue cart shelving (5 total) after each shelf is covered with 2 layers of tinfoil. Below is the rolling cart that the 5 shelves fit on. This year (2012), the five empty shelves were taken to the Mackay Fire Hall on Daryn and Stacey Moorman's flatbed trailer to be loaded with wrapped roasts and returned to the Mackay Tourist Park.

Just before the wrapped roasts on the shelving arrives at the Mackay Tourist Park from the Mackay Fire Hall, volunteers from Mackay's all-volunteer Fire Department got the the Tourist Park and remove the wood embers from the barbecue oven. This is done quickly to maintain the temperature of the oven brick lining.

After all the racks are packed with wrapped roasts, the rolling cart is rolled into the barbecue oven - this is a HEAVY endeavor and requires many men. Finally, rock salt is placed on top to prevent the meat from burning.

A large pan of water is placed under the rolling cart to add moisture to the cooking process.

One new volunteer was heard to say, “I always thought these guys were just down here partying before the barbecue.” She couldn’t believe the incredible amount of labor the dedicated volunteer crew goes through to put on the Mackay Barbecue each year.

The barbecue oven is then quickly sealed (shown below the morning of barbecue before the oven was opened.