Bring your barbecue (even it it's only a Hibachi) and your best steak or ribs recipe for a chance to be judged a top chef.
Those Were the Days is back, and with it is the first Barbecue Showdown, Aug. 6 and 7 at the Western Development Museum in North Battleford.
Organizer Shirley Maze of the WDM says this event promises to be lots of fun, and a chance for the backyard barbecuer to learn more about slow barbecue style from the "big boys," including the Canadian National Barbecue Champions.
There will be a professional competition, and an amateur competition. The amateur barbecue competition will be held on Saturday, Aug. 6 with judging completed and prizes awarded before the end of the day. Top prize is a Traeger barbecue.
The amateur side of the Barbecue Showdown is restricted to 20 competitors, so Maze advises you get your applications in early. Entry fees are $50 per barbecue team. That might be your family or a team of friends or co-workers, says Maze. Each competitor will be able to choose between offering the judges steak or ribs to their judging panel. The meat will be provided to each team Saturday as part of their registration fee.
The judging panel will include at least one of the professionals, says Maze. For more information, contact Maze at 306-445-8033 or by e-mail at [email protected].
The professional's Barbecue Showdown is a Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association (PNWBA) sanctioned event to be held over the course of the two days of the Aug. 6 - 7 weekend.
On the professional side of things, the competition categories are: Chef's Choice (to be judged Saturday) and four main meat categories which will be judged on Sunday, "Little Porker" (pork butt), "Wishbone" (chicken), "On the Rack" (pork ribs) and "Da' Udder Meat" (beef brisket).
Professional teams will include: Burnside BBQ from Portage laPrairie,Man.; RubMe Tender crew from Kipling andPrairie Smoke and Spice BBQ crew from Regina.
Rob Reinhardt is the head cook of this team and will be running a barbecue seminar, says Maze.
The Prairie Smoke & Spice BBQ crew have accumulated honours as: 2010 Canadian National BBQ Champion; 2009 Alberta Champion and Western Canadian BBQ Champion; Top International Team, American Royal Invitational and Open; and Canadian Total Point Champion, 2009 (PNWBA). What started with a sample of real barbeque in Texas eight years ago has turned into a consuming passion to produce the best, most authentic 'Q available in the prairies.
This crew and the other professionals who will be attending may be experienced veterans, says Maze, but they are a lot of fun and are in no way intimidating. They love to promote their sport and are a great resource for learning more, she says.
The pros will be on site for most of the weekend, but the best time to meet up with them will be Saturday afternoon, says Maze. There may even be opportunities for sampling the pros' barbecue, she hopes.
The professional side of the showdown is sanctioned by the Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and enjoyment of barbecue in the Northwest.
The PNWBA is committed to educating the public in the furtherance and development of authentic barbecue knowledge through cooking classes, judging classes, and competition barbecue cooking events.
Formed in 1991 by a group of Northwestern barbecuers, it has grown from 20 members to over 800 internationally.
