BBQ Enthusiasts tune up for American Royal
John Giffin, john@emporiagazette.com
Monday, August 22, 2011
Old pros, hobbyists and newbies gathered at the Lyon County Fairgrounds for the 12th annual Flint Hills Beef Fest BBQ Contest Friday and Saturday.
The Kansas City Barbeque Society sanctioned event serves as one of several tune-ups to the American Royal World Series of Barbecue Sept. 29 through Oct. 2 near Kemper Arena in Kansas City.
Cooks participated in two different cash awarding competitions: a KCBS sanctioned competition and the Sunflower Series competition. There was also a local, non-cash competition. Chicken, pork ribs, pork and beef are all judged by KCBS standards. The Beef Fest competition added miscellaneous beef and cook’s choice this year. Entries are judged by the KCBS on the three standards of appearance, taste and texture.
Awards were also given for Most Colorful Campsite and People’s Choice. The top five winners in each category won cash and ribbons.
The KCBS overall Grand Champion with 696 total points was The Smoking Hills, which received a $1,500 cash prize. Pellet Envy was the reserve champion with 691.4284 points and a $750 cash prize.
4 Legs Up BBQ received a blue ribbon in miscellaneous beef (“4 Legs Up Road Kill”) and Cook’s Choice (“pork muffins”). 4 Legs Up BBQ won a coin flip with Blue Bucket BBQ (“Perfect, Perfect Cheesecake”) to win the cook’s choice. Pellet Envy won the brisket category with a perfect score.
In the Sunflower BBQ Series, Blue Bucket BBQ was the overall Grand Champion with a cash award of $1,000. The Sunflower BBQ Series is a local circuit which includes the Flint Hills Beef Fest, Osage City’s Smoke in the Spring in early April and Burlington’s WildBlue BBQ in mid-July.
Choo, Choo BBQ was awarded Most Colorful Campsite and Trapper’s Smoke Shack was the People’s Choice winner.
KCBS judges have to undergo some training. After joining the KCBS, a judge has to take a judge certification training course.
Lenexa resident and 2011 KCBS-certified barbecue judge George Belzer underwent the training in order to refine his own cooking skills.
“I love barbecue and wanted to improve my own barbecue,” said Belzer. “The best way to do that is see how other really good barbecuers are doing it.”
Emporia barbecuers Darrin Parmenter and Brad Hartig of Joke N’ Smoke BBQ are seven-year veterans of the Beef Fest competition. The brother-in-law duo entered in all categories, but have had the most success with chicken.
“From day one it’s been one thing that we’ve always done well in,” said Parmenter chuckling. “We always get judged well.”
Joke N’ Smoke enters several competitions throughout the barbecue season and have won several awards. In a non-KCBS sanctioned event in Topeka, Joke N’ Smoke won Grand Champion a couple years back. Previously at the Beef Fest, the hometown team was fourth in chicken, seventh in pork ribs and 10th in pork ribs. This year, Joke N’ Smoke had a top ten finish with a ninth place finish in miscellaneous beef with a prime rib entry.
In his first year of competition, Pinkies BBQ team leader Duane Clark of Wichita placed sixth in the miscellaneous beef category with a Sterling Silver Tri-Tip, not what he considered his specialty.
“I’m hoping it’s the butt. Pork butt,” said Clark laughing and pointing at the neighboring camper. “I got a side bet going with him on that.”
Pinkie’s finished 26th in the pork category.
No team was willing to give up their secret ingredient except for Dusty Roads BBQ’s Tim Flora. The eight to 10 year veteran of Beef Fest from Leavenworth summed up what the Flint Hills Beef Fest and barbecue competitions boil down to for cooks by divulging his secret ingredient that led to a fifth-place finish in miscellaneous beef.
“All it takes is love,” he said.