- Brendan Kiley
- IT BEGINS Tamara Murphy of Terra Plata wanted to go to Burning Man but not, you know, go to Burning Man. And have great food. Hence, the annual Burning Beast, which features a dozen or so of Seattle's best chefs cooking over open fires, and takes place at, and benefits, the great arts and education programs of beautiful Smoke Farm.
- Brendan Kiley
- EAT MORE MEAT This year's lineup. Tickets sold out in record time, like five minutes.
- Brendan Kiley
- BEFORE THE SLAUGHTER Just kidding! These are Smoke Farm's beloved egg-makers... they're safe. For now.
- Brendan Kiley
- LAMB That's Dana Tough (Spur, Tavern Law, etc.) at right.
- Brendan Kiley
- MORE LAMB Three more legs are roasting on the other side... quite a feat of genetic engineering. JK! Corfini Foods provided the extras. The whole lamb—and ram, and ewe—came from Arlington's Ninety Farms. "We got the whole family," Tamara Murphy said.
- Brendan Kiley
- CHICKEN Destined to be made Korean-gochujang-barbecue-style by Charles Walpole of Blind Pig Bistro and Babirusa, being carried by Gary Payton.
- STUFFING THE BEAST That's beastmaker Arne Pihl in, um, the beast's behind. This deer looking backward was the biggest beast ever, at 32 feet, but Pihl cautions: "Always trying to go bigger will kick you in the ass." He refers you to Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities for more insight.
- Brendan Kiley
- DYLAN GIORDAN OF BIN ON THE LAKE MADE THESE WITH RAM MEAT "I'm just playing with my balls," he said.
- Brendan Kiley
- THIS PERSON IS A REGULAR SLOG COMMENTER Of course! He said, "I was a vegan for 13 years. I'm better now."
- Brendan Kiley
- MATT LEWIS Of Where Ya At Matt and Restaurant Roux fame brushes sauce on his pig.
- Brendan Kiley
- A BAR IN A BARN It is the best kind of bar of all.
- Brendan Kiley
- CHARLES WALPOLE Of Blind Pig Bistro and Babirusa versus those chickens that Gary Payton was carrying earlier. He is winning.
- Brendan Kiley
- SO MUCH DUCK SAUSAGE About to be smoked by Mike Easton of Il Corvo.
- Brendan Kiley
- NICE SHIRT Hahaha.
- Brendan Kiley
- TAMARA MURPHY In between her sardines, which tied for my personal best in show.
- Brendan Kiley
- MILES JAMES Of recently closed Dot's (sad!), who made salmon a number of ways, including cured cured with English pea puree, mint, fennel, which was phenomenal—tied for best, to my mind. Wait—Josh Henderson's Indian-accented goat was also great. And Dylan Giordan's ram meatballs. Four-way tie!
- BATHTUB GIN Made a carne asada 75.
- Brendan Kiley
- THE BEAST In full swing, with blue smoke billowing everywhere.
- Brendan Kiley
- THE GUYS FROM GOAT MOUNTAIN PIZZA IN BELLINGHAM In an upset win, they took official Best of Beast by audience vote for their rabbit corn dogs. That's a cauldron of duck fat, I believe.
- Brendan Kiley
- THE BEGINNING OF THE END Burning to the sound of David Bowie's "Fame." That's accelerant dripping out the bottom onto the grass.
- Brendan Kiley
- THERE IT GOES Fire fire fire!