Spirits Vodka Barbecue Bloody Mary 2 Reviews Chris Lilly has been at the helm of Big Bob Gibson's Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Alabama, for some time now, constantly perfecting and producing quintessential barbecue goodness. I had the chance to try Chris's barbecue at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party in 2011, and I can honestly say it has forever changed me. I compare all barbecue I have eaten since against his majestic mountaintop of flavor. Hope you feel the same about his Bloody, featuring beef jus (save the drippings from your next barbecue, or use unsalted beef broth), smoked celery salt, and lotsa smiles and high fives. —Brian BartelsReprinted with permission from The Bloody Mary, copyright 2017 by Brian Bartels. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Photographs copyright 2017 by Eric Medsker By Chris Lilly Chris Lilly Barbecue Hall of Famer Chris Lilly is the vice president and fourth-generation partner of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Alabama. He has led the Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q Competition Cooking Team to an impressive 17 World BBQ Championships. Chris authored two cookbooks, Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book (2009) and Fire & Smoke (2014).Experience: Chris Lilly entered the barbecue scene in 1992. He and his wife Amy were "baptized in hickory smoke" when they joined her family's celebrated business. Dissatisfied with commercial products, Chris and his father-in-law Don developed their signature Big Bob Gibson Champion Red Sauce in 1997 and it became an instant hit. This ushered in an unprecedented era of winning competitions, starting with being named "The Best Sauce on the Planet" at the American Royal International Barbecue Sauce Contest in 1998. Chris has since become a globally recognized and sought-after barbecue expert. He was an instructor for the Pork Summit at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley and served as a guest chef at the Food Network's South Beach Wine and Food Festival for 15 consecutive years. He is the spokesperson for Kingsford Charcoal and an ambassador for brands like Smithfield and Yeti. Chris has appeared frequently on TV shows, including the Today show, Live with Regis and Kelly, Martha Stewart, and BBQ Brawl with Michael Symon and Bobby Flay.Education: Chris graduated from the University of North Alabama with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on April 26, 2017 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Eric Medsker Yield: 10 Ingredients 64 ounces tomato juice 20 ounces vodka 1 1/2 cups beef drippings (or beef broth) 5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish 2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons celery salt 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 2 1/2 teaspoons salt Juice of 1/2 lemon Directions In a large pitcher, combine the tomato juice, vodka, beef drippings, Worcestershire, horseradish, Sriracha, 1/2 teaspoon of the celery salt, and the pepper. Squeeze the juice from 1 lemon half into the pitcher, stir well, and refrigerate until chilled. Run the remaining lemon halves around the rim of 10 highball glasses. Combine the remaining 1 teaspoon celery salt and kosher salt on a small plate. Coat the rims of the glasses with the salt mixture. Fill the rimmed glasses with the chilled Bloody Mary and ice, garnish as desired, and serve. Rate it Print