Community Corner

Pork in the Park Coming to Stamford this Weekend

This article was written by Patch editor Liz Giegerich to preview Saturday & Sunday's Pork in the Park competition, coming to Stamford's Mill River Park 

If you are applying your barbecue sauce at the beginning of your grill session, you are burning off all its deliciousness. Wait until the last 15 minutes to apply the sauce, Port Chester pit master Steve Fretterd explains.

“This is one of the most common mistakes that people make when at the grill,” Fretterd said. “All barbecue sauce is sugar based, whether it’s mustard, ketchup, honey, or whatever. Any time you apply heat it will burn off quickly,” Fretterd said. Waiting until the last 15 minutes helps you get a nice caramelized meat with no burn, he said.

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Fretterd, 45, is a Port Chester resident and self-proclaimed pit master who just started his own business catering and holding classes for barbecue enthusiasts who want to learn more. Big Steve’s 5 Region BBQ focuses on the five different styles of BBQ: Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri and Memphis. Usually people are exposed to only one at a time, he said. 

“I always loved barbecuing, being outside, always had a love of fire, and always been into Americana food,” Fretterd said. His favorite style is Missouri because it offers the boldest flavors, a variety of meat, and it’s the kind where you get both sweet and hot flavors, he said.

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Fretterd first started cooking when he was 18 and thought he knew how to barbecue until a third generation pit master taught him better while he was grilling at a tailgating party in California eight years ago.

The pit master watched Fretterd for a while before approaching him to teach him the true art of cooking meat on a grill.

“He told me there is a big difference between barbecuing and grilling,” Fretterd said.

Ever since his first lessons on the different styles of woods, rubs, meats and cuts, Fretterd was hooked and eager to learn more.

“I took my curiosity of it and love of cooking and curiosity of American history and I went crazy with it,” He said. “I studied everything I could about barbecue and I practiced myself.”

Over the last few years, Fretterd perfected his craft and after being laid off from a job last year he started his business at the beginning of 2013.

He teaches BBQ lessons at Curious-on-Hudson in Dobbs Ferry, offers private lessons and does catering. He also makes his own rubs and sauces. Check him out on Facebook here.

You can also find him judging the Pork in the Park competition in Stamford this weekend. 


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