PHOTOS: Irene Does Not Stop Hundreds from Flocking to Cutchogue BBQ

Hurricane or shine is what those who lined up in the light rain said at the 2011 Cutchogue Fire Department Chicken Barbecue — which went on despite the threat of Hurricane Irene on Saturday from 2 to about 7 p.m.

The menu was limited to take-out only, but the mood was joyful in the line and out in the cook pits.

“It was very intense,” said fire department member Will Park at the grill. “It was very hard to cook in the rain, we went through a lot of charcoal.”

Park said he and his crew cooked exactly 3,612 chickens outside. Normally, the plates could be purchased as to-go or stay-in but due to the hurricane the department decided to nix the large outdoor tent that is their tradition.

“But these are hardcore people – their families have always gone here and they are too,” said Cutchogue Chief Dave Fohrkolb.

Fohrkolb added that it was a hard decision not to have the outdoor tent for the first time in 55 years but he knew his guys would be lacking in sleep anyway, serving the community their delicious chicken and then protecting them during the impending storm.

“It’s voluntary evacuation and mandatory inebriation,” said Cutchogue resident Abbey Gannon. “It was worth coming here.”