Category: Soul Food & BBQ

📅 Memorial Day Weekend (Late May)

Vibe: Kicks off summer. Crowds of 10-30 at most backyard cookouts. Casual.

What to grill: Hot dogs + hotlinks (everyone), burgers, occasionally ribs if someone’s serious.

Quantities (15 adults): 30 hot dogs/links, 20 burgers, 2 racks ribs (optional), 5 lbs sides x 3 varieties.

Order ahead: Buy meat by Friday. Bigger ribs orders — Wednesday.

📅 Father’s Day (June 21)

Vibe: Family-only, intimate. Often outdoors. Dad’s grilling but YOU bought the meat.

What to grill: Whatever dad loves. Often: ribeyes, ribs, brats. The food matters less than the gesture.

Gift angle: See our Father’s Day gift guide — tackle baskets, hotlink coolers, custom baskets.

📅 4th of July

Vibe: Biggest cookout of summer. 20-50 people not unusual. All-day grazing.

What to grill: The whole spread. Hotlinks, burgers, hot dogs, ribs, chicken, sausage. Variety wins.

Quantities (30 adults): 60 hot dogs/links, 40 burgers, 4 racks ribs, 6 lbs sides x 4 varieties.

Drinks: Triple your normal drink count. Hot weather + long day = empty cooler by 6 PM.

Order ahead: 4th of July is HEAVY at every grocery store. Order by Sunday for Wed/Thu pickup.

📅 Random Summer Weekends (June–August)

The casual “had a few friends over” cookouts. 6-15 people. Throw together in a few hours.

What to grill: Whatever’s in the freezer + a quick run to Mr. Mc’s for fresh hotlinks and ice. Brats + sauerkraut is a chef’s-kiss easy throw.

📅 Labor Day (Early September)

Vibe: Closing summer down. Mixed feelings. Often a bit smaller than 4th of July but with more reflection.

What to grill: Last-burst-of-summer specialties. Smoked brisket. Whole chickens on the rotisserie. Fancy sausages.

Order ahead: Specialty meats (brisket, whole birds) — 5+ days. Hotlinks and basics — day before.

Cookout-Long Survival Tips

• Buy 50% more ice than you think. Wichita summer + outdoor cooler = ice melts twice as fast.
• Cooked food stays out max 2 hours. 1 hour if temps are above 90°F. Refrigerate or toss.
• Pre-cook ribs at home, finish on the grill. Best for big crowds — less stress, better consistency.
• Always have a vegetarian option. Even if it’s just grilled veggies on a foil pack. Hosts who forget look thoughtless.
• Hotlinks are the universal favorite. If you only buy one meat, buy hotlinks.

Want Someone Else to Handle It?

Fat Boyz catering does cookout spreads — full BBQ trays delivered hot or take-and-bake. Saves the host from spending 12 hours over a grill.

Related

• Smoking Ribs for a Wichita Crowd
• Hotlinks & Smoked Meats
• Holiday Shopping at Mr. Mc’s

It’s Not Just Food — It’s Tradition

For Black families across the South and now across the country, Sunday dinner is a ritual. Church in the morning. Family gathered around the table by 2 PM. A spread that took someone — usually Mom or Grandma — half the morning to put together.

The food itself has roots in West African cooking, brought through the Middle Passage, adapted in the American South with what was available, and passed down through generations. Collard greens. Smoked meats. Cornbread. Yams. Black-eyed peas. Rice and beans. Mac and cheese.

When you eat soul food on Sunday, you’re eating a tradition. That’s why it hits different.

What Makes Real Soul Food Different

• Time. Real greens simmer for hours. Real ribs smoke for hours. Real beans soak overnight. You can taste the time.
• Seasoning meat. Smoked turkey wings or hocks in the greens. Bacon in the beans. The flavor isn’t from a packet.
• Cornbread that’s actually cornbread. Not the sweet box mix. Real, savory, golden crust on top.
• Mac with a crust. Baked, not microwaved. Three cheeses minimum. Crispy top, creamy middle.
• Sweet tea that’s actually sweet. Diabetic-coma sweet. Lemon optional.

Where to Get It in Wichita: Fat Boyz at Mr. Mc’s Market

Fat Boyz is the kitchen tucked inside Mr. Mc’s Market. We run Soul Food Saturday & Sunday every weekend, and trays are available take-and-bake all week.

The menu rotates but the staples don’t:

• Smoked ribs — fall-off-the-bone
• Smothered chicken — gravy thick enough to stand a spoon up in
• Fried chicken — buttermilk-marinated, hand-breaded
• Collard greens — slow-simmered with smoked turkey
• Mac and cheese — the crust on top kind
• Yams — sweet enough for dessert
• Cornbread — buttery and golden
• Hotlinks from Wichita’s largest selection
• Black-eyed peas
• Potato salad — old-school recipe

When We’re Open

• Soul Food Saturday & Sunday — fresh, hot, served by the plate
• Take-and-Bake (all week) — grab a tray, heat at home. See our take-and-bake guide
• Catering — events of 10 to 200+. Family reunions, funerals, churches, weddings. See soul food catering page

Why It Matters That It’s Local

Mr. Mc’s Market is family-owned and Wichita-rooted. When you support Fat Boyz, you’re supporting a local Black-owned kitchen, local hires, local suppliers, and a tradition that’s been keeping families together for generations.

That’s the kind of Sunday dinner worth showing up for.

Related

• Soul Food Catering Wichita KS — Fat Boyz
• Take-and-Bake Meals from Fat Boyz
• Smoking Ribs for a Wichita Crowd
• Hotlinks & Smoked Meats in Wichita

How Many Ribs Do You Need?

Rule of thumb for adults: half a rack per person. For a 20-person cookout, that’s 10 full racks. Hungry crowd or mostly men? Bump to 3/4 rack per person.

For kids or mixed gatherings with sides, you can stretch — 1/3 rack per person works if you’ve got hotlinks and other meats on the table.

Pick Your Cut

• St. Louis-cut spare ribs: Bigger, meatier, easier to time consistently. Best for crowds.
• Baby backs: Smaller, faster, more tender. Pricier per pound.
• Full spare ribs: Cheapest. Has the rib tips attached — trim them off or smoke them separately.

The 3-2-1 Method (For St. Louis Cut)

• 3 hours at 225°F unwrapped, on the smoker
• 2 hours wrapped in foil with a splash of apple juice or beer
• 1 hour unwrapped, glazed with sauce

For baby backs, run 2-2-1 instead — they cook faster.

Timing Plan for a 6 PM Cookout

• 10 AM: Smoker fired, ribs going on
• 1 PM: Wrap in foil
• 3 PM: Unwrap, glaze with sauce
• 4 PM: Pull ribs, rest in cooler (no ice) — they’ll hold hot for 2+ hours
• 6 PM: Serve

Resting in a cooler is the secret. The ribs stay hot, the juices redistribute, and you can keep working on sides without juggling the smoker.

Sides That Round Out the Spread

• Mac and cheese — the side everyone wants seconds of
• Collard greens — slow-cooked with smoked turkey
• Coleslaw — cuts the richness of the ribs
• Potato salad — old-school, with eggs and pickle
• Cornbread or rolls — to mop up the sauce
• Hotlinks — pick from Wichita’s largest selection for guests who want variety

Or Let Fat Boyz Handle It

If smoking 10 racks for 20+ people sounds like more than you signed up for — Fat Boyz catering at Mr. Mc’s Market does this all day. Ribs, mac, greens, cornbread, the whole spread for any size event. We deliver hot or set up. Call (316) 265-9930 for a quote.