Sweet, smoky aroma wafts through Sterling during third year of Art of BBQ – Sterling Journal-Advocate
The third year of the Logan County Arts League barbecue competition was tastier than ever, with 25 teams from across Colorado and beyond descending on downtown Sterling last weekend to compete for $10,000 in cash prizes — and some awesome custom trophies.
The competition hosted by the Kansas City Barbecue Society kicked off Friday night. As professional teams circled the Logan County Courthouse Square and began preparing their entries, LOCAL’s 20th annual July Jamz also kicked off with a performance by Eagles tribute band The Long Run, drawing a crowd to downtown Sterling as the smell of smoking meat began to fill the air.
Things really heated up on Saturday when the Backyard Division competitors arrived and began cooking their ribs and side dishes.
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Judges’ plates are filled with ribs presented by six of the teams competing in the KCBS Art of BBQ competition on Saturday, June 29. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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The table captain shows an entry in the chicken category to the judges for evaluation during his participation in the Art of BBQ competition on Saturday, June 29. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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A backyard competition judge samples ribs entered on Saturday, June 29. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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Art of BBQ judges take their oath at KCBS before the first submission of entries on Saturday, June 29. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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A table captain shows off an entry in the pork category to judges at her table during the Art of BBQ competition on Saturday, June 29. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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A judge scores his ticket after tasting chicken entrees at the Art of BBQ competition on Saturday, June 29. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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The first tray of entries for the 3rd annual Art of BBQ contest is brought to the judging area on Saturday, June 29. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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LOCAL member Pete Youngers divides leftover appetizers into sampler boxes to share among volunteers who helped with the Art of Barbecue on Saturday, June 29. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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A table captain for the backyard competition shows a side dish contest entry to judges for evaluation of appearance. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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A judge samples one of the sides entered in the backyard contest. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
Behind the scenes, judges and volunteers organized within the United Methodist Church of Christ. Judges for KCBS competitions must be certified, which includes membership in the organization and completion of a judging course. This year’s competition included a handful of novice judges as well as several judges who were certified as master barbecuers, meaning they had judged at least 30 competitions and met other criteria, including cooking with a team in a competition.
Before the judging began, the judges all took an oath as KCBS judges, pledging to “objectively and subjectively evaluate every piece of barbecue meat that is presented to my eyes, nose, hands and palate…so that truth, justice, the excellence of barbecue and the American way of life may be strengthened and preserved forever.”
When the atomic clock struck 11:55 a.m., teams had 10 minutes to drop off their chickens at the drop-off table behind the church. The boxes were then wheeled inside to be sorted and delivered to one of four tables of six judges each, who first rated each chicken on appearance, then taste and tenderness, on a nine-point scale.
The cycle repeats every half hour for the three remaining categories: ribs, pork and finally brisket. The sorting gets more difficult with each round, because KCBS rules require that no judge taste entries from the same team in the same competition.
Once the KCBS competition was over, it was the backyard competitors’ turn. They had two entrees to complete; first, ribs, followed by an “Anything Goes” side dish. Entrees in this category ranged from mac-n-cheese to sliders to a grilled peach dish.
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Pulled pork sandwiches made with meat prepared by Art of BBQ contestants are featured at the Community Cookout, a fundraiser for LOCAL, on Saturday, June 29. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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Robert Woodward provides live music during the community meal at the Logan County Courthouse Bandstand on Saturday, June 29. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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Inflatable rides were set up on the lawn of the Logan County Courthouse for children to enjoy Saturday during the Art of Barbecue. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
While judges sampled the food prepared in the gardens, community members sampled pulled pork prepared by some of the KCBS competitors at a fundraising dinner on the courthouse lawn. Attendees enjoyed live music by Robert Woodward and browsed vendor booths set up on the plaza, while a children’s area featured several inflatable rides.
Once the final results were tallied, the teams gathered around the kiosk for the awards ceremony.
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The overall grand champion of this year’s Art of BBQ competition went to Poppa Pig and Porkchop, whose scores also earned them membership in the Kansas City Barbeque Society’s 700 Club, with a combined 702 points. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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Team Bushmaster BBQ won second place overall in the Art of BBQ competition on Saturday, June 29. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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Sasquatch BBQ won the overall award in the Backyard Division at the 2019 Art of BBQ. LOCAL’s Loretta Davidson (center) and Sarah Davis (right) presented the cash prize and trophy. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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Loretta Davidson presents third place in the Art of BBQ contest to American Heroes BBQ. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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Poppa Pig and Porkchop placed first in the chicken division of the Art of BBQ competition on Saturday, June 29. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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First place in the ribs category went to Heifers, Butts & Clucks BBQ. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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The Art of BBQ team Poppa Pig and Porkchop received a perfect score of 180 points and first place in the division. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
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BrewsCue won the brisket division of the 3rd annual Art of BBQ competition. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate)
The first three were:
Backyard — Coasts
- Sasquatch Barbecue
- Bovins Brothers Barbecue
- Smoked Barbecue B
Backyard — Side
- Dig and discover
- Barbecue with locomotive breath
- ThriverQ
Backyard — Global
- Sasquatch Barbecue
- Bovins Brothers Barbecue
- Rudd’s Barbecue
KCBS — Chicken
- Papa Pig and Pork Chop
- Bracken Barbecue Grills
- Bushmaster Barbecue
KCBS — Coasts
- Barbecue of heifers, buttocks and clucking
- Colorado Bulldawg Barbecue
- Hot Butt Barbecue
KCBS — Pork
- Papa Pig and Pork Chop
- Barbecue at ease
- BrewsCue
KCBS — Beef Brisket
- BrewsCue
- M-Dubs Barbecue
- Papa Pig and Pork Chop
KCBS — Overall
- Papa Pig and Pork Chop
- Bushmaster Barbecue
- American Heroes Barbecue
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