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Pushing for Perfection Like any sport, players have to push to win. Competing BBQr's are no different. They're hardcore to the bone. A competing BBQ cook doesn't think twice about traveling hundreds of miles towing a thousand pound slow cooker to stay up all night long to tend to a brisket. They will brave any outdoor element to slow cook their cuts to perfection, whether it's rain, shine, boiling or freezing temperatures. But it's more than an addiction for winning, BBQ competitors share a passion for food, outdoor cooking and a growing American sub-culture. BBQ has always been the center for social gatherings and America's insatiable appetite for BBQ is hardly waning. As the Kansas City BBQ Society's (KCBS) celebrates the 27th American Royal Barbecue invitational and the Jack Daniel's competition celebrates year 18 this October, there's little doubt BBQ as a sport is going anywhere. The American Royal is known as the "World Series of BBQ", and boasts the largest barbecue contest in the world. Last year 81 teams participated in the invitational and 474 teams participated in the open competition. BBQ is about as American as you can get. It's about bringing people together and celebrating life with food. With the variety of spices and smoky flavors induced from woods representing different regions of the country, each flavor filled bite comes with a little bit of history and culture. It's hard to say how long the BBQ subculture has been growing, but one could argue it's rooted with the human discovery of fire. People have been cooking over a flame since the beginning of mankind and BBQr's love cooking outdoors. Perhaps no one is capturing the BBQ subculture quite like Mark Dolan's interactive site, BBQ Pilgrim. Dolan is a journalist and professor with Syracuse University who has taken a year off to travel the country and document America's BBQ subculture via audio and still photos. It's hard not to enjoy the stories on Dolan's site, even if you're vegetarian. Vying for bragging rights, ribbons and cash, BBQ competitors at the Western BBQ Association's (wbbqa) Western Regional Competition in Albany, OR are a mixture of professional cooks and die hard BBQ lovers. "BBQ sauce runs through my veins," says Big Kahuna, owner of Portland, Oregon's Big Kahuna's Barbecuing & Catering. Herrera is a former Backyard-Qr gone professional after winning several BBQ competitions over the past seven years. At this mid size competition, with about 25 teams, it's clear the BBQ community is a fun bunch with team titles such as Woody & the Boners and Pants On Fire BBQ. As early as 6:00 am, BBQr's are rolling-in to set up camp. BBQr's are like a band of modern day gypsies on an epic competitive quest to serve the best-smoked cuts. Some BBQr's have impressive mobile homes while others pitch tents. They haul all of the amenities for an outdoor kitchen that can be set up and torn down to mobilize for the next event. Professional BBQr's will "work the circuit" attending up to 30 events a year with as much as $60K in cash prizes available to win. Regardless of professional status, BBQ competitors welcome everyone. Competitions are a way to be creative and experiment with smoking and slow cooking particular cuts of beef and pork while having an opportunity to socialize and learn from fellow food lovers. "BBQr's are a community of their own," says Keith Lillethun, a backyard-Qr, known as Country Slim, "We don't discriminate, we don't care about color, sex or religion. This community doesn't reject anybody unless you burn your food," he says with a hearty laugh. By mid afternoon at the Western Regional, kitchens are in place, cooking tents are decorated in spirited team colors. Kitchen areas and meat have been officially inspected and the cookers are fired up releasing an enticing smell of smoky flavors. It's also time for newcomers to BBQ competitions to participate in the backyard competition. Backyard competitions are an opportunity for newcomers to the BBQ community to compete with less experienced competitors and earn valuable points. Lynnae Oxley is a 24-year professional kitchen veteran who recently caught the competitive BBQ bug. It's her first competition with team Pants On Fire. Even though her day started off with a cut finger, there is no time for tears when it comes to perfecting a brisket, and who needs stitches when you have Crazy Glue? After gluing her finger she is determined to give it all she's got, "I want to show the guys that I can cook just as good of a brisket," she says. For Oxley this BBQ competition has opened a whole new way of looking at food. She's discovered the artistic challenge of cooking to compete. "When you cook for people you create a whole meal and experience," Oxley says, "When you're cooking for competition everything: taste, texture, appearance, what heat does, what type of wood result in what flavor, all will come together in just a few bites. You have to make everything count." Timing is everything at BBQ competitions. Competitors have a limited amount of time to prepare, cook and present their entries, and there are very strict rules regarding turn-in times. A participant must turn in their entry no more than five minutes before or five minutes after the designated turn-in time. Choosing what type of cut to prepare and knowing how long and what temperature to cook are keys to success. All-nighters are common for BBQ competitors as they monitor the temperature of their cookers. They must become the master of their machines and you'll often see a cook sleeping on a cot or in a chair near their slow cooker. Even though it's a competition, the contagious spirit of the BBQ subculture hinges on the desire to teach one another and learn more about food. "I'm very competitive by nature, but the camaraderie is what makes it so much fun," says Tom Brohamer with BBQ'n Fools. "It makes everybody's cooking better because we're all helping each other learn about flavors." Regardless of who makes Grand Champion, the BBQ community's passion to carry on an American tradition makes everyone a winner. "It's not uncommon for us to share our secrets," Big Kahuna says, "When somebody I've taught wins, I'm just as proud because we can all take credit." After a long night and successfully meeting all her turn-time times, Oxley's brisket placed as she had hoped, and her pork ribs took second place for the backyard competition. No doubt she's hooked, "I can't wait for the next competition," she says excited, looks like the BBQ community has another winning player and subculture cohort. Special thanks to BBQ lover Holly Nelson for research help with this article. |
