Big Dreams & Brisket Beans: Hank Futch of the Blue Dogs Masters the Honky-Tonk BBQ

Amy C. Balfour

Hank Futch has a lot going on. 

The co-founder of the beloved South Carolina country-rock band the Blue Dogs, Futch is gearing up for the release of the band’s first full album in 15 years. Called Big Dreamers, the album puts a fresh spin on their classic rock sound. 

Futch is also busy with a side hustle that combines his two passions: smoking meats and performing live. In fact, he’s thinking of changing his catering company’s name from Hank You Very Futch’s Pickin’ & Grillin’ to Hank You Very Futch’s Smokehouse Honky-Tonk. The latter confirms that customers will be listening to him play while chowing down on his food. 

Futch typically caters small, private backyard parties. He pulls up with his smoker in the morning, gets the smoke going, then slow smokes whatever meat the customer requests. After smoking duties are done, Futch performs favorites like Homegrown Tomatoes, Butter Beans, and The Old Fat Boy and His Hog. 

One of Futch’s signature dishes is brisket beans. He’ll smoke chicken or baby back ribs for the crowd while also smoking brisket, serving half the brisket as an appetizer and the other half in a mix with four or five different beans. “It’s like your traditional pork and beans except you’re building it from scratch. It has a little bit of Dijon mustard and some BBQ sauce, and I kind of spice it up a little bit.”

Futch attributes his love of food and music to his father, who passed away last fall. “I love music because of my dad,” said Futch. “He played guitar and just led all the parties. Lots of home food parties… big dinners. Like Monday night football dinners he used to have at the house. So it’s not only music, he really inspired me to cook. All that stuff.”

As for Futch’s skill with food, much of it can be attributed to years of practice that began when he was a kid in Florence. And he wasn’t just practicing grilling and smoking – he was all in for all sorts of intricate recipes. 

“I remember they had these magazine drives as a young kid. I got the Bon Appetit magazine, and I would just dive into that thing. One of the best things I found in the magazine was a blueberry tart and apricot glaze,” said Futch. He still remembers that it took him the better part of the day to prepare and cook it. “But boy was it worth it.”

He also gives an appreciative shoutout to his culinary inspirations, the late John G. Thornhill and Irv Peters of Charleston Bay Gourmet, one of Mount Pleasant’s oldest caterers. “Both are good friends and have been cooking whole hog, ribs, bbq chicken and all the sides for as long as I can remember.” He also gives a nod to his favorite oyster cookers, Ben Moise and John LaRoche. “I learned a lot from all of these men.” 

Futch formed the Blue Dogs in 1987 with Bobby Houck, whom he’s known since their Cub Scout days. The band toured the Southeast for about ten years, playing with the likes of Willie Nelson, Hootie & the Blowfish, and Bruce Hornsby. Futch plays bass with the band, and guitar when performing solo. He has also played for years with his brother Hal, performing across Charleston as the Futch Brothers.

Sadler Vaden, the guitarist for Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, produced the new Blue Dogs’ album. Vaden is a Summerville native and used to play with Futch at Red’s Ice House as a teenager. He also played with the Blue Dogs for a number of years. According to Futch, Vaden is a Lowcountry boy, who’s now a mover and shaker in Nashville. 

The album release party is June 3rd at the Windjammer on the Isle of Palms. Holy City Brewing is brewing a Belgian Wit – the Big Dreamer –  to coincide with the release. 

Visit www.bluedogs.com or the Blue Dogs Facebook page for details about the album, the release party and upcoming shows. For information about Hank You Very Futch’s Pickin’ & Grillin’ email Futch at hank@bluedogs.com.