Risk It for the Brisket
It was never a marketing slogan. It was a line in the sand. This is the true story of reopening, the fight with the state, and why I'd do it again.
★ Restaurant owner · Small business advocate · Activist ★
The guy who wouldn't chain the doors.
In 2020, Ian Murphy reopened his Gaylord, Michigan smokehouse against the state's dining orders, took the fight to court, and won. Today he speaks to audiences across Michigan about courage, due process, private property, and what it takes to go first.
“We are hosts. It's what we love to do… There is due process. They can't come chain the doors.”Ian Murphy, Up North Live, 2020
About Ian
Ian Murphy bootstrapped Iron Pig Smokehouse in Gaylord in 2017 with one smoker, an abandoned breakfast spot, and a lot of stubbornness. When Michigan shut down indoor dining again in November 2020, he reopened. The health department served a cease and desist order. The MLCC served an emergency suspension on December 2, 2020. Ian kept the lights on and his staff paid, and #RiskItForTheBrisket was born.
The years in court that followed brought constitutional wins on separation of powers, including rulings from Otsego County Circuit Judge Colin G. Hunter in 2022 and 2024. In December 2025 the fight reached the Michigan Court of Appeals in Lansing. Iron Pig now has two locations, one of them on the site of the 2021 freedom rally.
Now Ian works for local control and private property rights. He helps rural Michiganders fight industrial solar plants through the IRON Foundation (Fight4Michigan), hosts the Murphy's Law Podcast, and is writing his book, Risk It for the Brisket: How One Michigan Smokehouse Defied Tyranny and Smoked the Courts.
→ Listen: Murphy's Law Podcast (murphpod.com)
→ The full story: timeline, court cases & archive
Book Ian For
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Lincoln Day Dinners & GOP Events
A keynote that ties Lincoln to the fights small businesses and landowners face in Michigan today. It's built to fire up the room.
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Leadership Conferences
How to lead a team through a crisis when nobody's coming to rescue you, and why courage is contagious.
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Restaurant & Hospitality Groups
Advice from an owner who's been there: regulators, licensing, due process, and keeping your staff paid.
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Town Halls & Community Meetings
Local control, PA 233, and industrial solar plants. What residents can do and how to organize.
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Podcasts & Media
Plain talk about the 2020 shutdowns, the court battles, and the movement that grew out of them.
Signature Talks
Lincoln Didn't Ask Permission
Small businesses and private property are the backbone of freedom. This talk covers three things Lincoln understood that we'd better remember fast.
Courage Is Contagious
When we reopened, people said I was crazy. Then they saw the line out the door. This talk is about leading when it's unpopular and why someone has to go first.
Due Process on Main Street
What every owner should know before the cease and desist arrives: your rights, your record, and how to win in court.
Never Surrender Your Land
The emergency powers of 2020 were a test run. This talk covers PA 233, industrial solar plants, and how rural communities are fighting for local control.
From Protest Ground to Smokehouse
We're willing to risk our livelihoods and our business. This is a talk about building something worth fighting for, and growing it after the fight.
As Seen On
More coverage is in the story archive.
Rate Sheet
Typical ranges below. Final quotes depend on date, length of program, and travel.
| Event type | Format | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Day & GOP dinners | 20–40 min keynote + Q&A | $2,500–$5,000 Northern Michigan county parties: $1,000–$2,500, or travel + table/book sales |
| Political rallies & speeches | Speech or rally remarks | $1,500–$5,000 Issue rallies (industrial solar plant, small-business fights): often waived or modest honorarium |
| Leadership conferences | Keynote, breakout, or panel | $5,000–$10,000 |
| Corporate keynotes | Keynote | $7,500–$12,500 Virtual: about half |
| Restaurant & hospitality associations | Keynote or workshop | $3,500–$7,500 State associations: $2,500–$5,000 |
| Town halls / community meetings | Talk + open forum | $0–$1,500 |
| Podcasts & media | Remote or in studio | Complimentary Sponsored/produced appearances: $500–$1,500 |
Travel & Terms
- Michigan (within ~150 mi): flat $350–$500 travel. Beyond that or overnight: mileage + hotel the night before.
- Out of state: host covers coach airfare (business class on 4+ hour flights), hotel, ground transportation, and per diem, or a flat $1,000 (Midwest) / $1,500 (national).
- Deposit: a 50% non-refundable deposit holds the date; balance due 14 days prior.
- Cancellation: if the host cancels within 30 days, 100% of the fee plus any non-refundable travel is due. If Ian cancels, full refund or reschedule.
- Force majeure: reschedule within 12 months.
- Discounts: 25–50% for 501(c)(3)s, small-business groups, and Northern Michigan chambers. Travel-only for local county parties, schools, and veterans groups.
Booking Inquiry
Prefer email? theironpigsmokehouse@gmail.com