Big Kyle Barbeque has become a staple for amazing food and friends.
Before he was smoking meats professionally, Kyle Norris was just a guy who loved cooking for his huge family gatherings. “Thanksgiving at our place was absolute madness. From siblings, to kids, grandparents and a few family friends there were over 75 people. It was crazy but perfect,” he says with a grin. One year, he even ended up delivering Thanksgiving dinner to all the Amazon datacenters for workers who were working the holiday. “There I was, juggling food for 50 people at home while making deliveries to these data centers. Total circus, but honestly, those are the moments I live for.”
Kyle’s barbecue skills? They came from years of friendly family competition. “In my family, you bring food, and if you can’t cook, you’re on ice and drink duty - simple as that,” he chuckles. The spark happened when he catered his son’s friend’s wedding rehearsal. The guests couldn’t stop raving about the barbecue, and that’s when Kyle knew he had something special.
The secret ingredient in his famous collard greens, is fresh produce which comes straight from Chestnut Hill Farm. “We’ve experimented with everything, but nothing comes close to those farm-fresh greens,” he says. During football season, you can catch his killer smoked chili at Commanders games and local high school matchups.
Kyle has built lasting relationships with local farmers, as he is a familiar face at farmers markets, and his barbecue has grown into something of a local institution. These days, he’s even feeding the crowds at pro sports games - the Commanders, Orioles, and Washington Spirit all serve his food. “Being a lifelong Commanders fan, serving barbeque at their games? That’s bucket list stuff right there,” he says.
But what really gets Kyle excited? It’s when customers tell him he’s more than just their barbecue guy…he’s family. Whether he’s serving up his legendary Big Willy Chili Dogs featured on Fox 5’s Cooking with Como, or smoking jerk chicken wings for a neighborhood cookout, Kyle is all about making people feel like part of the BKB family. (P.S. You can purchase the rub!)
I'm more than just their barbeque guy, I'm family.