Review: Meat, Music and Mayhem ‘Rained’ Supreme at Grillstock Manchester

Grillstock Festival goers headed for Albert Square to soak up a heady mix of low ‘n’ slow cooked meats, Southern sounds and US beers at the second event in Manchester.

The sun made an appearance as fourteen ‘King of the Grill’ teams battled it out to be crowned Grand Champion, with team ‘British Bulldog BBQ‘ taking the award.

Around 8000 meat lovers joined the rockabilly hoedown this year, which was headlined by the Vintage Trouble, DJ Yoda and Hayseed Dixie. The stage, sponsored by Nokia Mixradio looked fantastic at night with fire pyrotechnics lighting up the stage for the main acts.

The King of the Grill competition got smoky with 1.5 tonnes of meat being cooked during the competition. The Chef’s Choice round, when competitors can cook anything on their BBQs, was won by ‘Risk it for a Brisket’ with a delicious Chilli. This closely beat a variety of exciting dishes including a whole spatch-cocked lamb and lobster tails.

Brooklyn Brewery dished out its famous Lager and Summer Ale, while food vendors from all over the country BBQ’ed brisket, ribs, hot dogs, pulled pork and other favourites for the crowds. ‘Clifton Chilli Club‘ hosted an epic chilli eating competition, sponsored by the ‘Chilli Alchemist’ where capacity crowds assembled to cheer on the competitors on stage.

For the second year Weber supported grassroots BBQ in the Manchester, partnering with Grillstock to deliver packed out BBQ academy classes throughout the weekend. Elvis popped up all over the site serenading the crowds in a jewelled catsuit which shimmered in the sun.

Jon Finch, Co-Founder of Grillstock commented;

“What an awesome weekend in Manchester. The quality of the food for King of the Grill blew us away and we hope everyone enjoyed two days of our Southern style hospitality. Manchester truly knows how to party. Big thanks to our sponsors Weber, Nokia MixRadio, Brooklyn, Frank’s RedHot and French’s Mustard – they have helped us create a festival to do US BBQ Challenges proud.”

Photography: Paul Box