Park Ridge (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Commuters waiting for trains at the Park Ridge Metra station are greeted by the scent of barbecue in the morning.
The smoker at Mel's BBQ, in Chicago’s northwest suburbs, runs 24/7 as it cooks briskets, ribs, and pork shoulder under a wood fired flame that's low and slow.
Mel's BBQ is the passion project of Mel Thillens, a Park Ridge resident who left his family's armored car business to start his own restaurant. His family is also the namesake of the northwest side baseball stadium.
"My grandfather started Thillens Stadium back in the 30s,” Thillens said. “My dad ran it for years and years. I helped run it for years and years — both Thillens Stadium and the armored car cash delivery company.”
Related
He fell in love with barbecue 20 years ago, though, when he borrowed a friend's smoker to cook for a family party.
"I was having a party and I wanted to feed a lot of people,” Thillens said. “I borrowed a buddy's smoker and put a few pork butts on there and sat up all night watching them cook.”
Thillens got the idea for the restaurant during the COVID shutdowns of 2020.
"Like a lot of people during COVID, you kind of sit at home and wonder what you're doing with your life,” Thillens said. “I was enjoying the business I was running for a long long time. But I asked myself what I wanted to be doing, and barbecue is my passion.”
Barbecue is a famously slow process. Briskets, ribs, and pork shoulders take hours to cook. After two months of operation Thillens said he has learned how to speed up a meticulous process.
"I'm getting a lot faster at wrapping briskets, I'll tell you that,” Thillens said. “When you do 10 – 12 or more per day, you get pretty quick at some of these things.”
Related
Related
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!