3rd Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship, Oroville CA


 

Chris Allingham

Administrator
Staff member
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Sponsor Feather Falls Casino & Lodge + Organizer Extraordinaire Ben Lobenstein of Fire It Up! Events = Another great edition of Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship in Oroville, CA on September 15-16, 2017.

Forty eight teams from all over California, the Pacific Northwest, Nevada, and as far away as Montana descended on Feather Falls to lay claim to their share of $25,000 in prize money, trophies, and bragging rights in the KCBS-sanctioned four-meat BBQ competition. In addition to the contest, there was the early morning 10th Annual Oroville Veteran's Memorial Motorcycle Rally & Ride 'N Shine with a scenic ride through the Foothills and another $2000 in cash prizes, raffle, and Ride 'N Shine bike show! Add live music, People's Choice barbecue from a variety of vendors, and plenty of craft beer from the onsite Feather Falls Brewing Co. and you're guaranteed a good time! Several people commented that public turn-out seemed much higher this year than last and that vendor sales were up, so that's a good indicator of the growing success of this event now in its third year as a KCBS contest.

Another great thing about this event is that everything that goes on in the casino parking lot benefits local charities, including:

  • Oroville Rotary
  • Two local high school Safe Grad Night events, cheerleader programs, and booster clubs
  • Hope Center
  • Oroville Gymnastics

My wife Julie and I made the three hour trek from San Jose to Oroville on Friday and arrived in time for a late lunch at the Feather Falls Brewing Co. inside the casino. At last year's contest, I heard about their over-the-top burgers, so we made a beeline past the slot machines and into the brewery to indulge in half-pound burgers and cold beer. That meal sufficed as both lunch and dinner for Friday!

After lunch, we checked into The Lodge at Feather Falls and settled into our comfy room. Once my food coma subsided, I wandered across the street to say hello to some of the BBQ teams and take photos of their preparations. It was fun talking with teams and watching them inject brisket and pork, trim ribs, and do all the stuff necessary to get turn-ins to the judges starting at 11:00 AM the next day. (This contest turns in entries 1 hour earlier than most KCBS contests.) And some teams were preparing food for their own dinners, so some good smells were already wafting around the site.

Rick Brandini of RBQ working his brisket magic.

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Jerry Aguilar of Burnin' & Lootin' BBQ injecting pork butts.

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I also attended the 5:00 PM Cooks' Meeting, something that few BBQ judges get a chance to do.

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Teams grab bags of ice after the Cooks' Meeting.

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Continued...
 
Later that evening, we headed down to the casino for an hour of slot play. My wife lost about $10, but I hit a $169 jackpot on a quarter machine, gave back $109, and walked away up $60. Between the two of us we were up $50 which covered our gas and most of our lunch!

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Then it was time for bed, we had to get up early on Saturday morning to check out and head over to the Judges' Tent by 9:00 AM sharp. One last look at the venue as the teams settled into their long night of cooking.

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The next morning, the sun was up and a slight haze covered the area, indicating that real barbecue was being made using a wood or charcoal fire! The judges began gather at the tent and the trophies were laid out for the eventual winners. Organizer Ben Lobenstein was caught eating a quick breakfast on-the-go in his golf cart!

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As you may have read in other forum threads or on some of my Facebook posts, this contest marked my 30th KCBS contest toward Master Certified BBQ Judge status, something that took me 3 years, 2 months, and 20 days to accomplish. I couldn't have asked for a better contest for it to have happened at! It was a real privilege to be recognized for this achievement by the KCBS contest reps and to have the honor, along with fellow new Master CBJ Clayton Dewberry, of administering the Judges' Oath to all the judges in the tent. And the gift of a bottle of Tito's Vodka made it even better!

I want to extend a special thanks to the six KCBS contest reps present at this year's Hot Q's & Cold Brews--Julie Poe & Ian Schmidt, Kathleen & Kelly McIntosh, and Merrialyce & Steve Alvarez--for all the time and energy they dedicate to KCBS so that we can all enjoy this hobby of competition barbecue. These six reps were involved with 29 of the 30 contests I participated in, and I want them to know that they are very much appreciated!

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Photo Credit: Paul Brown http://www.madmeatgenius.com/

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Here are two of our fine KCBS reps: Julie Poe and Kathleen McIntosh.

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Photo Credit: Paul Brown http://www.madmeatgenius.com/

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My wife Julie served as a table captain and I served as a judge sampling meat, and we had some really strong entries at our table! Judges love nothing better than one good meat category followed by another and another! But when you have a $25000 purse at a contest, it's going to attract the best of the best teams, so lots of high quality entries are to be expected.

With the judging complete, we walked around the venue, taking in the sights and sounds. Here are a few random photos.

Chris P. Bacon was the event mascot. Here he is cooling off behind the Judges' Tent, out of sight of the general public and especially children. (By the way, by coincidence Chris P. Bacon is my rap name.)

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No, Big Poppa Smokers is not using WSMs...these Webers belong to the team next door.

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Continued...
 
The band Looking 4 Eleven rocked the crowd all afternoon.

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One of many motorcycles at the Ride 'N Shine.

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Photo Credit: Paul Brown http://www.madmeatgenius.com/

We left the event before the awards ceremony to beat the traffic back into the Bay Area, but not before stopping at Foothill Meat Co. in Oroville for some of their smoked bacon, pig candy, and venison pepper sticks. Then we stopped at Bock's Fruit Stand outside Marysville for some late season peaches and plums straight from the orchard.

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And here are some photos from the awards ceremony, including a surprise marriage proposal...and she said yes!

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Photo Credit: Paul Brown http://www.madmeatgenius.com/

Congratulations to Mar-B-Que for taking Grand Champion!

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Photo Credit: Feather Falls Casino & Lodge

Congratulations to Son of Smoke for taking Reserve Grand Champion!

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Photo Credit: Derrick Galiste

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Photo Credit: Paul Brown http://www.madmeatgenius.com/
 
That's contest organizer Ben Lobenstein and his famous crushed red velvet Master of Ceremonies jacket...with shorts for 88*F weather...and plenty of white meat. Love you, Ben! :D
 
Thanks for the report and pictures Chris....Oriville is a strange place to live in lol I lived there for about a year on a very small 2000 acre cattle ranch in a cabin Tha was built in the 30's paid a woppin 185 bucks a month for rent lol And as long as you didn't mess around with the cow's you could do ANYTHING you wanted....The owner of the land Owens massive land in Oriville.... Just couldn't take the LIFE style up there or Marysville.
 
I want to extend a special thanks to the six KCBS contest reps present at this year's Hot Q's & Cold Brews--Julie Poe & Ian Schmidt, Kathleen & Kelly McIntosh, and Merrialyce & Steve Alvarez--for all the time and energy they dedicate to KCBS so that we can all enjoy this hobby of competition barbecue. These six reps were involved with 29 of the 30 contests I participated in, and I want them to know that they are very much appreciated!

I'm sure the remaining 2 reps were thinking fondly of you as well

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When is the official release date for Chris P. Bacon's newest single - Naughty Pitmasters Need Love Too (Rabbit in the Moon Remix) ??
 
I'm sure the remaining 2 reps were thinking fondly of you as well
I don't think I made much of an impression that day by losing my KCBS badge in the hotel lobby. :(

Not sure when my rap single will drop. Can't agree on a title...most suggested titles include words like "meat", "rub", "smoke", "pull", "butt", and other terms not suited for a G-rated forum like this. :D
 

 

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