Ah, summer in the Northern Rockies. With days “almost arctic in length,” as famed Montana writer Norman Maclean put it in his classic novella, A River Runs Through It, these warmer months were tailor-made for this corner of the country. Whether you spend the days floating rivers with inner tubes in tow, testing the appetites of brown trout in your favorite honey hole, scaling open granite faces, or simply idling in the abundant wildflowers, cap them off with a good ol’ Western barbecue.

The smells and sounds of a barbecue done right — the smokiness of charcoal starting to burn; peals of laughter from kids playing hide and seek; aroma of sizzling brats and steaks; sharp cracks as friends open cans of local brew — remind us all year long of the sense of community and family that pervade on these cherished evenings. So fire up the grills, ice down the drinks and serve up this summer’s backyard barbecues with products sourced exclusively from Montana, Wyoming and Idaho in our beloved Northern Rockies. −The Editors

READ ARTICLE