Well, no one melted at the
2017 Grills N Grilles BBQ Cookoff at Western Gateway Park in Penn Valley, CA...but we came pretty close to it. It was about 104°F when I left the event, and were it not for the available shade trees and gourmet ice cream sandwich from
Lazy Dog Ice Cream and their mobile emergency ice cream treat dispensary, I think I might have had a meltdown, for sure.
But earlier in the day, when performing our duties as KCBS BBQ judges, we enjoyed the air-conditioned splendor of Buttermaker's Cottage, a replica of a historic structure originally on the property. I'm pretty sure A/C was not part of
the original 1800's design, but I'm glad those who led the construction process strove for practicality if not complete authenticity in the reproduction process.
As a KCBS judge, you show up at a contest willing to fill any role needed that day, not just to eat copious amounts of meat. To be honest, there are some days when I show up at a contest and don't feel like eating 1.5 pounds of meat, I'd rather do something else. On this day, I was happy to volunteer to help with two non-meat-eating tasks: I did number switching on entry boxes for the 8-team backyard rib contest, and I helped with what's called the "grazing table". The grazing table is the area where entry boxes are taken once each judge has taken a sample. Leftover meat is placed in Styrofoam boxes for people in the judging area not directly sampling meat that day (e.g. people receiving the entry boxes outside the judging area, people doing the number switching on boxes, the table captains, etc.) as well as some boxes prepared for volunteers working for the event organizer/sponsor. The garnish, if any, is removed from the boxes and discarded (or in some cases collected for hungry goats or rabbits that don't mind the flavor of brisket mixed in with their parsley). Finally, the entry boxes are grouped by table and retained until after the awards ceremony, in case there are any questions about the box numbering, which box went to which judging table, etc.
Grills N Grilles is a fairly small contest, with 27 pro teams cooking the four competition meats--chicken, pork ribs, pork, and brisket--and eight backyard teams cooking pork ribs only. So it's a neat little event to attend no matter who you are, whether team, judge, or visiting public. There's a disc golf tournament early on the morning of the event and a classic car show where many proud owners from around the Sierra Foothills bring their pride and joy for all to see. And there's some food and beverage and vendors and live music thrown in for good measure, as well as a prize raffle that helps support
United Way of Nevada County. In fact, the entire event is sponsored by UW and the proceeds help pay for the good works they do in their local communities. I was pleased to support the cause for the second year by providing a prize for the raffle...it always feels good to help the United Way!
Congratulations to
DG Firehouse BBQ for winning GC and
Smokey Luv BBQ for RGC. Well deserved! And thanks and congrats to organizer extraordinaire
Ben Lobenstein for putting on a smoooooth contest.
Without further ado, here are some photos from the event. I hope you enjoy them!
It's a three hour drive from my home in San Jose to Penn Valley. This is the country road that passes behind Beale Air Force Base running from Marysville to Penn Valley. California is called "The Golden State" because of the 1849 gold rush and because of our state flower the poppy, but whenever I see grasses like this I think it's as good a reason as any to call this place "The Golden State".
KCBS contest rep
Julie Poe addresses the assembled judges, with her partner-in-crime/contest rep
Ian Schmidt standing on the right.
Judges in the back of the room hanging on Julie Poe's every word.
The general public stepping up for a taste of authentic KCBS barbecue.
There would have been a lot of casualties had it not been for the
Lazy Dog Ice Cream truck & trailer. Hope these guys made a jillion dollars!
The fine folks from
Feather Falls Brewing Company were in attendance pouring their craft beers for the thirsty crowd. They will be hosting the next event I'll be judging:
Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championships at Feather Falls Casino & Lodge in Oroville, CA on September 16, 2017.
As usual, there were an assortment of teams using WSMs for some or all of their barbecue entries.
Thin Blue Que had some brand-spanking new WSMs and a couple of more-experienced WSMs on-hand.
I like the beefy rolling wooden platform...
...and especially the "handle" extensions added to all of the vent dampers, bottom and top. I can imagine this being really helpful on the charcoal bowl for the guy or gal who has trouble bending over due to a bad back!
Continued...