Marv’s Marvlus Pit Bar-B-Q Brings Delicious Low-And-Slow-Cooked Barbecue To The Party

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Imagine wowing a huge crowd – a family reunion or that office picnic you’re in charge of planning – with low- and slow-cooked Southern-style barbecue. Now picture doing that without lifting a finger: You simply sit back and savor the meal and the company while someone else frolicks over the smoker and barbecue pit.

How? Just leave it all to Marv’s Marvlus Pit Bar-B-Q, who bring everything to your site, including a 17-foot-long smoker and barbecue pit.

Brothers-in-law Chris Murphy and Lance Anderson own and operate Marv’s Marvlus Pit Bar-B-Q after working with original owner Marv Tuter for several years.

“I started working for him on the weekends, and then pulled Lance into the mix when Marv needed additional help,” says Chris who, at the time, was operating an insurance agency that specialized in restaurant and catering risk.

For the next five years, Chris and Lance worked for Marv, building a solid friendship in the process. When Marv began talking about retirement, he asked if they’d be interested in buying the business.

Chris and Lance are joined by their spouses, Amy and Christina, who help with catering jobs when they need additional staff.

Marv’s Marvlus Pit Bar-B-Q focuses on company parties, weddings, birthdays, bar mitzvahs, and other large gatherings. “We like to have a minimum of 50 guests,” Chris explains.

And there’s always more than enough food for such big crowds.

“We cook everything fresh, on-site,” Chris says. “A lot of caterers cook things off-site, and then other people serve it; it kind of gets passed around from place to place.”

The food Chris and Lance create in their traveling barbecue pits is phenomenal. They use high-quality ingredients and buy whole hogs directly from a Graham farmer.

“The smoke flavor in the meat is absolutely wonderful,” Chris says. “We dry-rub everything and smoke it for hours at low temperatures.”

“We cook whole hogs, briskets, pork shoulders, ribs, and chicken,” Chris continues. “We usually show up about five hours before folks are going to eat, and then prepare the food on site.”

Marv’s has two pits, so the team can split up and cater two separate parties at the same time, or combine and throw huge shindigs.

Ole Hickory is their large wood-fired rotisserie smoker that holds a thousand pounds of meat and is used for whole hogs and large parties.

The second pit, dubbed Pitts-n-Spitts, is also a wood-fire grill, and holds 500 to 600 pounds of meat on flat racks.

A whole hog, brisket or pork shoulder, which cooks for 12 to 20 hours, is started the night before an event. “So when we pull the smoker on-site, we’ll have the meat already on there,” says Chris.

But many other items – like ribs, which take five hours, and chicken, which takes about half of that – are cooked on site. Chris and Lance make side dishes and set up the party while the barbecue does its low-and-slow magic.

“There’s something cool about watching it from beginning to end,” Chris says of the process. “Your chefs are there on site. You see the food come out cold and we prepare and cook it right there. It’s just so fresh. It comes right off the smoker.”

The team also brings all the fixings to the site – plates, napkins, silverware, and all condiments. Everything you need to have a party.

Marv’s preps and cooks the food, sets up the party, cleans up when they’re done, and pull out once every guest has a chance to savor their delectable meal.

There’s a mountain of choices at Marv’s website to choose from. The parade of scrumptious options on their website’s menu – from appetizers and specials to side dishes and desserts – is meant to simply give an idea of what they can do. “We’re very flexible. We can accommodate pretty much any request,” says Chris.

It’s clear that Chris and Lance love barbecue.

“Oh my gosh, I love it,” Chris says of the act of barbecuing – and the outcome. “I just love being around the smoke. And I love the idea of slow cooking and allowing the meat to become tender, with really good flavor and texture.”

“And I love the casual charm of a barbecue,” he continues. “You get to take your time with things and it’s pretty low-stress. Everybody loves barbecue and the ambience it brings.”

Marv’s Marvlus Pit Bar-B-Q

703 Puget St. NE

Olympia WA 98506

360.459.7729

marvsbbq@marvsbbq.com

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