Meat Week Crew Adds Stimulating Conversation to the Agenda

Fans of Meat Week, the annual trek to area smokehouses featuring barbecue favorites including ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and more, this year also get to chew the fat with their idols.

Built into this year’s program, which extends from Sunday, January 28 through Saturday, February 4, is a Q&A session with Lance Kirkpatrick, pitmaster at Texas-based Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew, and Hill Country culinary director Ash Fulk, led by New York Times national political correspondent Jonathan Martin.

Other highlights include:

• Federalist Pig: pitmaster Ron Sonderman plans to share the special beef short ribs he recently told Eater about with Meat Week participants
• Sloppy Mama’s: the roving barbecue operation is offering “all the meats” platters featuring a half-dozen proteins and four sides ($35 for one person; $50 for two; $99 for four) at Solly’s
• Pork Barrel BBQ: this homegrown barbecue spot is hosting a meat-eating contest
• Liberty Barbecue: this new arrival in Falls Church — from the family of restaurants spawned by Liberty Tavern in neighboring Arlington, Virginia — scores the lone lunchtime slot during the entire week

Break out the wet naps.