I've been thinking about what I want ETB to be. 

In the simplest sense, it's an entity that provides food.  But I'd like for it to be more than just a restaurant or a food truck or some guy that caters.  I absolutely hate the term "brand", but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want ETB to be more than just food--but an entity with a purpose.  I want this business (loose term) to not be a business.  I want to have fun, I want to unite, and I want to make people happy.  Be that with food, music, fundraising, booze, or the merriment that grows from doing all of these things in an outdoor setting and appreciating not only what you're ingesting, but what you're feeling and why you're doing it.

The food aspect is fairly cut & dry and ever-evolving.  I essentially strive to make the best "whatever" I've ever had.  If I end up tasting something better than mine, I tip my cap and then try to make mine better.  Constantly being inspired by perfection and creativity, without losing the fun.

Fun.  Another aspect that is totally open-ended and free to be tinkered with constantly.  Could mean music.  Could mean beer.  Could mean yard games.  Can't be forced.  I would like whatever I'm doing to be loose, free, and fun.  Another reason I don't want it to be a "business".

I've been thinking deeply about the term "unite".  To lean on a quote from Bourdain, "Barbecue might not be the road to world peace, but it's a start."  I don't want to be a boring restaurant.  I don't want to be a boring food truck setting up at breweries.  I want something bigger, and I honestly think that barbecue can be bigger.  It brings people together regardless of politics or gender or opinions.  I've seen people rally at pop-up events to support a cause, donate what they think is a reasonable amount of money to that cause while receiving a delicious plate of BBQ,, and uniting with friends and peers to cheer on that cause.  Be it donating to Frontline and hospital workers, a sick friend, a colleague in need, feeding a bunch of overworked teachers, or just the sheer enjoyment of congregating with others outside and having fun.

Barbecue is fun and it unites us.  And I reluctantly suppose I need to "brand" that.  Because folks want and need to know what you're about if they're going to ride the ride.  

"Earl Todd Barbecue: The Reluctant Brand that is Fun and Unites."  Looks like a work in progress...
​
-earl

Been a while, huh?

Well, we got ourselves a new year and it's time to cook more.  I'm excited. 

We're going to have plenty of neighborhood driveway barbecues this year--in my driveway, and in plenty of other driveways in other neighborhoods, as well.  That'll be fun.  If you're interested in hosting a driveway BBQ,, holler.  We'll see what we can work out.

We're expanding into delivery and pick-up options as well.  If you're hungry and we don't have a driveway pop-up scheduled, just give us a holler and we'll whoop up some barbecue and/or sides for you and you can pick it up.  If you're somewhat close, we can even drop it off at your place. Foil pans and plasticware make for an easy dump-in-the-trash clean up.  None of that fancy catering crap, 'cause BBQ's not supposed to be fancy.

We're still on a donation only basis, so check out the "Recommended Donations" on the Menu page.  We added those because nobody knew how much to donate, so now you have a guideline.  And they're not set in stone.  If you're feeling generous and want to donate more, sweet, thanks.  If you can't swing the recommended donation, do what you can and we'll still appreciate it.  It all comes out in the wash.

We've got a couple new menu items, too.  Vinny Wings, which are chicken drummies & flats, seasoned with ETB Magic Dust, grilled over direct fire, then smoked.  I don't have a fryer, so you get healthier wings by default.  But don't worry, they're still crispy and awesome. We can even toss them in some homemade Buffalo Sauce too, if you want. My very good friend Vinny clearly influenced these. We've also added the Thunder Pig Deluxe, which is a comical creation of excessiveness.  It's the Thunder Pig that we''ve all grown to love--a giant pulled pork sando with bacon, provolone, pickles & onions, and ETB Action Sauce--but with sliced sausage and coleslaw added.  You can't even see the damn bun.

And don't forget the ribs--StL Style and Baby Backs, both.  And of course, the Diablo and a Doc.  That's my ode to the cinematic masterpiece, "Smokey and the Bandit".  You get the most outlandishly delicious sammich I could come up with--pulled pork, sliced sausage, provolone, all smothered in smoked pork green chili.  And of course you get a can of Dr. Pepper with that.

So let's get together and eat some BBQ this year, have a beer or two.  Looking forward to it.

​-earl

What the hell is sanjuanandeggs?  Valid question.

It's the moniker of a buddy of mine.  That's his Instagram "handle" or whatever you call that.  He's a fly fisherman, like myself, albeit a much more popular one..  Better?  That's up for debate.

His name is Tanner Smith, and he's been a friend over the past several years.  We've worked together, drank beer together--sometimes in the morning...fished a little, and stayed in touch after our parting of ways in the fly fishing industry. 

Unfortunately, last month I discovered that sanjuanandeggs had been diagnosed with cancer.  Stage 4 gastric cancer.  Tanner's 35. I can't imagine.  We always gave San-Jay shit that he was going to get skin cancer from being out on the river without sunscreen all the time.  The universe had a darker joke.

The universe can eat shit.

We are calling In the troops.  All hands on deck.  Gastric cancer can go to hell because we are raising cash-money for this young man in any way we know possible.  The fly fishing community is coming together to do what we can--what we know, to help raise funds for Tanner's bills.  Guides, fly tyers, industry professionals, and angling companies big and small are coming to help. And since I still consider myself part of this community, good bad or indifferent, ETB is setting up shop at Rep Your Water on April 29th to raise some dough for our boy.  The what/where/who/when is below:  Hope you can make it.

What: Community Fundraiser for Tanner Smith aka sanjuanandeggs. Sweet deals on Rep Your Water gear and swell BBQ. . It's a BYOB shindig, so open beers and coolers are allowed and encouraged. 

Where: Rep Your Water, 2546 S. Main St. Unit B, Erie CO 80516.  RYW's showroom/offices are located in an old airplane hangar.  They will have their overhead doors open for rad shopping deals to benefit Tanner.  ETB will be in the parking lot smoking up tasty eats.  Parking should be clearly marked, NO ENTRY FEE or ticket of any sort.  Open to the public.

Who: Corrine and Garrison Doctor of Rep Your Water are hosting, Matt and Rick Todd and maybe Hank (all Earl Todd's) will be cooking.  All BBQ proceeds go to Tanner's gofundme.

When: Saturday, April 29th.  4pm to 7pm-ish

Menu: Thunder Pig Sammich (Pulled Pork, Crumbled Peppered Bacon, Provolone, Hot/Sweet Pickles, ETB Action Sauce, and Pickled Red Onions on a toasted Brioche Bun. $8), St. Louis Style Ribs ($3/bone, $33/rack), Neighborhood Beans ($6/bowl), and probably cole slaw.

This event isn't just for fly fisherpeople, it's for EVERYONE.  I image there will probably be a few fly rods laying though, in case anyone would like an impromptu lesson.

Hope to see you there.  Thanks, gang.

-Earl

It's another driveway BBQ coming up this weekend, Saturday, October 8.  And here's what we're celebrating: Fall.  The Cardinals in the playoffs (sorry, Rockies and Royals...). Football season.  Meat.  

What: Cooking some rib slabs, along with a couple monster sammiches: The Thunder Pig and Diablo & Doc.  Thunder Pig is a pulled pork sammich with peppered bacon crumbles, provolone, sweet-hot pickles, pickled red onions, and ETB Action Sauce on a grilled brioche bun.  The Diablo & Doc is another pulled pork beaut, but with sliced ETB Action Sausage (garlic, jalapenos, cheddar), provolone, smothered in homemade smoked pork green chili.  Comes with a Dr. Pepper.

When: This Saturday, October 8.  3pm-ish.  To-go boxes are on hand, or pull up a chair and have a beer.  Don't cost nothin.

Where: Driveway, man.

How much:  $30ish donation for a slab o ribs w/ sauce on the side.  $12ish for a sammich.  Green chili ala carte....hmmm, let's say $6ish.  Single ribs?  Sausage? I don't know...whatever you think is fair.  Beer is free.  Dr. Pepper comes with purchase of a Diablo & Doc..

I've got a few shirts for sale, too.  Rando sizes and colors, $12/ea.  Pick one up and be the damn envy of your neighborhood.

Hope to see you there.

​-Earl

Summer is when barbecues are supposed to happen, right?  Well, sorry about that.  My family travel schedule has been quite full lately.

Not to fret, though.  In five days, "Ruby's Ribfest" is happening.  Ruby is my daughter and she turns 8yrs old on July 19. And like a good daughter she's requested ribs and a party.  So two days before that, we're having a driveway shindig that should be a lot of fun.  Smoker space is already accounted for, but I'll have some extra goodies for those that haven't reached out.

Here's the deets:

When:  Sunday, July 17. Food ready between 4-5pm, but smoker will be going all day.  Feel free to hang out if I like you.

Where: Driveway.  

Eats: Ribs, duh.  There'll also be a giant cauldron of Neighborhood Beans, pulled pork, and I'll have the flat top out making random sammiches with buns and pickles & shit.

How much?  Doing donations, if you're so inclined.  "Crap man, how much do I donate?"  Well, the recommended donation would be $30/full slab of ribs and sauce on the side.  But you can donate $10 or $100, it's cool.  Sammiches?  Beans?  $5, $10, $20--whatever you feel is fair.  That's how I'm doing it.  Pork prices have skyrocketed, so anything is much appreciated.  Or I might consider trading for a delicious bottle of whisk(e)y, old rare comic books, a chainsaw, or other things that I think are cool.  All I can say is no...and then ask you to leave.

Extras:  I'll have a cooler of beer.  Have a brew, don't cost nuthin.  If I like you and you plan on hanging out, bring a chair and don't bother me too much.

Should be a fun day.  If you show up early, don't get me too drunk or I'll screw everything up.  Seriously.  I suck at drunk BBQing, oddly enough.  Questions?  Just reach out.  I'm easy.

See y'uns there.
​-earl

Well, after a few weeks of ridiculously cold weather, it's starting to look a little like Spring again (with the exception of the Winter Storm Warning tonight, of course....)  The time has changed (finally), the flowers in my front yard are starting to pop up through the dirt, and baseball is back after a lockout that lasted two months longer than Tom Brady's retirement.

That said, let's plan a few neighborhood barbecues!

First up, opening weekend of baseball!  The Rox open the season at home against the Dodgers, the Cardinals at home against the Pirates, and the Royals at home versus the Guardians from Cleveland..  Three home openers from the only three teams that matter.  So we've got Colorado, StL, and KC........let's get creative.

Colorado means green chili.  And for the first time ever in life, I'm putting ETB's take on green chili on the menu.  I've cooked and tweaked and cooked and tweaked and am finally satisfied....no proud, of my recipe.

A quick description: a combo of Hatch green chilis, chipotles & adobo, a house-blend of spices, and chunks of slow-smoked pork.  Eats more like a stew than a sauce, and is moderately spicy and smokey. Goes great with eggs, tortillas, tortilla chips, hashbrowns, chili dogs, chili burgers, over fried taters, over mashed taters, with a bloody mary, with a margarita, served with sour cream, onions, shredded cheese, and warm flour tortillas, or in a bowl, plain.  I dig it the most.

St. Louis would typically mean StL-style ribs.--their dang namesake.  I do them lots.  Lots.  But this time we're mixing it up a bit.  Instead of ribs, which I absolutely love cooking, we're representing StL with one of its most weirdly popular foods....Provel Cheese.

That ain't barbecue, ya dingus.  True, but wait....

Kansas City Is one helluva barbecue city.  I used to live there, I know this shit.  So in representation of BBQ City USA, we're making the Z-MAN SAMMICH made famous by Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que (OG's still call it Oklahoma Joe's and only go to the gas-station location).  

Quick Description: Thin sliced smoked brisket piled on a brioche bun and covered with two onion rings, melted PROVEL (not provolone---see what I did there?), and sauce ON THE SAMMICH...which I'd never do...but it's the Z-man, so I have to, and it's fantastic.

We'll have it all ready to pick-up curbside at the barbecue driveway, Saturday, April 9 between 11am and 1pm.  Get those preorders in!

So there we go.  Here's the menu in menu-like form:

BASEBALL OPENING WEEKEND BBQ MENU:
Colorado-Inspired Smoked Pork Green Chili- $7*/pint
Kansas City-Inspired Z-Man Sandwich w/ St. Louis-Inspired Provel cheese - $12*

When?
Pick-up between !1am-1pm, Saturday, April 9

Where?
My barbecue driveway, curbside

So, go Rockies! Go Cards! And Go Royals!  But especially Cards.  Every other team, "Booooooo!"
*all prices are suggested, friendly, neighborhood donations


Secondly, Cinco de Mayo.

I'm gonna do tacos.  

Colorado has just ridiculous Mexican food...it's so good.  But here's an alternative: Barbecue Tacos!

Traditional pulled pork...pulled Carnitas....chicken of some sort...maybe beef of some sort.  Haven't nailed down an exact menu just yet, but the wife and I have been throwing around some fun menu ideas. We gots lots a time to figure it out.  Driveway margaritas might be something.

At any rate, throw these dates on your calendar and get your pre-orders in for April 9!  If you want brisket a la carte, I'll see what I can do--just contact me.

Thanks gang!  See you soon!

​-Ear.l

Well, the Chiefs lost in overtime....and the Broncos aren't any good.  The Rams were taken from St. Louis by an awful, awful man who unfortunately owns the Avalanche as well.  And Tom Brady lost and thus retired. So it looks like we're rooting for the Cincinnati Bengals, which is fine, because one: One of my best friends resides there...and two: Doctor Johnny Fever of WKRP in Cincinnati freaking died during the game.  So, this one's for you, Doc!

In 12 days the big game will be on our televisions.  A day in which gluttony is encouraged.  Big game, big parties, lots of drinks, lots of food.  I can help you out with that last one...

ETB will be slinging meats before the game for your Super Bowl soirees.  Pick up between 2pm-3pm...game is at 4;30pm, so you'll be back home in time to watch the billion dollar commercials for tortilla chips, Dodges, and light beer.  The menu is as follows:

* Slider Station: 1lb fall-apart pulled pork, 1lb ETB Action Sausage (housemade pork/beef sausage with garlic, jalapeno, and sharp cheddar), coleslaw, pickles, onions, sauce on the side, and 24 Kings Hawaiian slider rolls.  $50

* Pig Out Pack: 2 slabs of StL-style pork ribs, 1lb pulled pork, 1lb ETB Action Sausage, coleslaw, Neighborhood Beans, pickles, onions, sauce on the side, and Wonder Bread: $120

  A la cart:

* St. Louis-Style Pork Ribs: $25/slab (12 bones, sauce on the side)
* Neighborhood Beans: Smokey, Sweet, & Spicy, $6/pint
* Sweet & Tangy Slaw: $6/pint
* ETB Action Sausage: $6/link
* Smoky Marinated Chicken Breast: Garlic, Sesame, Ginger marinade, smoked w/ Colorado Apple Wood: $6/ea

Happy to customize orders, too.  Orders have already started rolling in, so please reach out soon to reserve your spot on the smokers as space is limited.  Again, curbside pickup is between 2pm-3pm Sunday, Feb. 13.

And please keep in mind, all prices are considered generous donations to keep this friendly, neighborhood driveway barbecue guy cooking.

I appreciate each one of you reading this.  We'll see you soon!

​-earl  

Sorry, folks.  Barbecue's closed.  (for the holidays)
Yes, we've taken the holidays off this year.  Several different reasons...main one being time with family.  As much as I love cooking for folks, Thanksgiving and Christmas need to be spent with family.  So even after ETB gets enormously famous, I'll probably continue foregoing turkeys and hams for the holidays.  And I'm kind of proud of that.  But man, I absolutely appreciate all the inquiries!  You guys continue to humble me.

There has been plenty of family travel, lately too.  In fact, we'll be in Hawaii over Christmas this year.  So keep an eye out for some driveway cooks after we get back.  There's going to be Smoked Pork Green Chili, Pulled Pork Carnitas Tacos with Slaw, Grownup Beanie-Weenies made with the combo platter of ETB Action Sausage and Neighborhood Beans, maybe some Brisket, and of course Ribs.

And definitely be thinking about Super Bowl--I'll be doing racks of ribs, and maybe some other things.  Haven't decided yet.

2022 plans are currently in the works.  It's going to be a transition year, as my youngest is going to be in Kindergarten, freeing up some more time for barbecue.  So we're definitely working out how and when we'll be set up, as well as a more established menu.  I've been digging into the possibility of shipping product, too.  Maybe a beef jerky option, as well.  Stay tuned.  This is fun.

And one last thing--if you'd like a t-shirt, I've still got several sizes and colors of the Elvis (see website) and just a few sizes and colors of the OG shirt.  They make the best damn stocking stuffers ever.  Ever.

Once again, thank you all so much for your ongoing support!  Wasn't planning on a pandemic when I set out to start this gig up--not that it changed a ton, just pushed pause for a couple years.  But you all bought some food (some drove a damn long way, too!), hung out by the smoker, drank some beers, given me a high-five while you're at the ol' curbside pickup, told your friends about us, and just enjoyed part of your day with me.  And hey, that's what barbecue's all about, man.  I appreciate you!

​Sincerely, 
Earl.

Hey there, friends.  Hope you're all healthy and swell.  Those dang Covid numbers are creeping back up there, so play it safe out there.  Speaking of, doesn't look like ETB will be going back to public events this year, with the spike in cases.  Just doesn't make any sense.

Instead, we'll keep on truckin' with our driveway cooks and curbside pickup.  Even though that wasn't the business plan for late summer, 2021, I'm still very grateful that I get to cook for so many excellent people.

That said, "Lotta Pig Sunday" is right around the corner on August 22..  Racks of StL-style ribs and pulled pork sliders are on the smoker, and we're almost full!  Right now, I've got two more spots on the cooker for ribs--and at a friendly donation of $20 a rack, that ain't a bad deal.  If you'd like some sliders, I'm humbly asking for donations of $3 per slider or $8 for three.  You get onions and pickles on that pulled pork if you want, and they're on Kings Hawaiian rolls. Mmmmm, boy.  I might make slaw, haven't decided yet.  Curbside pickup is roughly between 3pm and 4pm.  I'll buy the beer.

Thanks again folks!  You are top notch!

​-Earl

Once again, my apologies for my lack of updating on this blog...for anybody actually reading it.

This Sunday, July 11, there will be Grown-Up Beanie Weenies in the driveway between 12p-3p.  ETB Action Sausage with garlic, jalapeno, and cheddar cheese inside, along with the newly renamed Neighborhood Beans with smoke, spice, and chunks of meat.  You may have them old school beanie weenie style, which is sliced up weenie in the beanies...or any variation of the two dishes you wish.  There will be barbecue sauce, pickles, onions, and Wonder Bread on hand.  Maybe a cooler of beer, too.  Why not?  It's a barbecue, right?

Feel free to private message me for a pre-order, or walk-ups are fine, too.  Hope to see a few of you Sunday!