• Tuesday-What'sUP July 18 - 06:38 pm

The Bootjack Fire and Rescue Department held their annual chicken barbecue this past Sunday and the aromas coming out from under that canopy were tantalizing to say the least. This group of men and women have been preparing their special recipe each July for more years than I can count and each year it's just as tasty as the last.

In the first shot, the guys are seasoning the raw half chickens (if you look closely you can see the "S" trail the shaker on the right is making). That's George Beveridge in the second photo...he's been doing this for something like 40 years. If you could count all the chickens on that "supersized" grill, there would be somewhere around 600 cooking at a time. The first batch of the day is usually 700; the next batches go with 100 fewer so the chefs can use the end portion of the grill as a warmer.

In the last shot you get a glimpse of the smiling faces that greet you as you go through the line to pick up your chicken dinner. It's a regular assembly line of women who pack the finished product in take-out containers, making it easy to transport with you on a picnic. The whole operation runs like a well-oiled machine, which is a good thing when you're putting out 2500 chicken dinners in the course of one day.

P.S. The chicken was "finger licking good"! :->

Hi gang!

What a "fowl" experience... ;-)

I don't know what the secret recipe is, but Bootjack FD has the best BBQ chicken in the country, hands-down!!!!

Scrumpdiddlyumptious!

Thanks Mary, I owe you one.

The seasoning "S" is really cool.

Looks like a great reason to forget calorie counting to me!

Hoorah for Bootjack Fire dept!!!!...and the Auxillary!!!...they do a great job....and the auxillary is a real support........

WOW! That looks so good... ALMOST as good as a Pasty from Pasty Central.

That's a lot of chicken!!!

their chicken looks great, i wish i was there

Forgot about that tradition. Just looking at the pics' I can almost taste it though.

What a huge grill! The chicken looks good and I'll bet the aroma set the taste buds dancing!

I rode back on the Blue Goose that Sunday evening of the Detroit riots in 1967 and Sen. Hart and other dignataries were huddled in the rear of the plane discussing the actions to be brought to bear in Detroit..They had just attended the BOOTJACK FIRE DEPARTMENT chicken barbeque roast so that would make it at least 40 years of serving the community.

I agree with Captain Paul.....there is no doubt about it......Bootjack chicken BBQ is the BEST!

The chicken BBQ is awesome, and makes me hungry as well. Maybe that's why my dad is so darn good at making BBQ chicken.