BEACHFRONT BBQ COOK-OFF
            A California State Qualifier for the American Royal and Jack Daniels
   
Imperial Beach California
      
September 1-2, 2007
 

The San Diego Union-Tribune
www.signonSanDiego.com
By Arthur Salm
STAFF WRITER
   
September 3, 2007
Barbecuers rub elbows at sanctioned contest

IMPERIAL BEACH ' For whatever historical reasons, barbecuing in California means slathering sauce on a slab of something and grilling it.

NADIA BOROWSKI SCOTT / Union-Tribune
Judges with the Kansas City Barbecue Society dug in to their work yesterday at an officially sanctioned event in Imperial Beach.
But barbecue ' real barbecue ' is a whole other kettle of pork butt.

On Seacoast Drive in Imperial Beach yesterday there was a lot of pork, as well as chicken, ribs and brisket, being tended to in an officially sanctioned Kansas City Barbecue Society contest. No grilling is allowed, but surely none was contemplated.

'The official definition of barbecue is beef or pork or chicken cooked over wood or a wood product at a low temperature for a long period of time to accomplish a 30 percent weight loss, said John Hopkins, 67, the Kansas City Barbecue Society representative. 'Two hundred and twenty-five degrees is a typical temperature.

Ten teams competed in the event, sponsored by the Imperial Beach Chamber of Commerce, the Port of San Diego and various local businesses. Two were local: Mötley Quë of Cardiff and Smoke-A-Licious of Pacific Beach. Some teams fired up their barbecues Saturday afternoon ' nearly 24 hours before the noon judging.

FINDINGS: Hard-core barbecuers competing in a Kansas City Barbecue Society event in Imperial Beach spill their secrets.
Tip 1: Balance between seasonings, dry rubs (salts and sugars) and wood.

Tip 2: We put beer in everything.

Tip 3: Keep it simple.

Tip 4: It's all in the rub.

Tip 5: Innovation: Explore, try new things.

Tip 6: Patience.

At 10 a.m. yesterday, the teams prepared feverishly - even in the beach -  sea breeze, it was warm. Hopkins gathered his judges around him and reminded them of the basics: Chicken may be presented with or without skin; if smoked, it may be red around the bone, and there may be a pink appearance to the breast meat, so do not judge according to color. Pork ribs are very subjective, but meat should pull cleanly from the bone. With brisket, look for moisture and tenderness.

There were questions: Can rib meat be presented without the bone? (No.) How many bones? Is there a limit? (Discussion.) The teams were set up in booths strung along a closed-off block of Seacoast Drive, just south of a display of classic 1950s Chevys that blended well with wafting barbecue smoke. The event was open to public inspection, but not public consumption. The teams weren't  there to sell food: They were there to cook and to win.

The competition, for all of its intensity, is remarkably friendly. This was the first contest for sailor Dominique Smokey  Bibbs, 26. Bibbs was helped by a bunch of his buddies from the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, but also by his more experienced competition.

They gave me a lot of tips, kind of showed me the ropes, he said.

When it comes to competing, that is; when it comes to barbecuing, well, Bibbs is from Kansas City, and already is marketing his Multi-Purpose Meat Rub. A believer in synthesis, he incorporates styles from around the country.
- Don - t be afraid to combine, Bibbs said.  A little from here, a little from there. Innovation! - 

Asking top-notch barbecuers for their secret recipes elicits not refusals but a series of varying explanations that can be summed up as It's Not About the Sauce.

Brent Walton, 53 of Clovis, is the proprietor of QN4U Championship Barbecue Team. Walton is a professional - QN4U caters - and his secret is just about exactly what you wouldn't expect.

Keeping it simple,  he said.  Too complicated, and it loses its whole meaning. . . .  Very elaborate  ain' t barbecue. Meat needs to be cooked well, seasoned well.  

Seasoned?

Salt and pepper, and not too much,   Walton said.  Everybody's looking for a magic bullet, some secret seasoning. That simply doesn't  happen.

And, it seemed, simplicity won the day: The top prize of $700 went to QN4U.

There's balance in any true barbecuing, said Dan Diaz of Santa Paula.  There's the seasonings; salts and sugars (dry rubs); sauces; and wood. When all are in perfect balance, you win. It's not just the sauce, trust me.

The BEER-B-QUERS, from Fullerton, take the relaxed approach.

We're purely hobbyists, said Jordan Tash, 26. Its been an evolution. We started off just doing Weber's (grills), then we started smoking stuff. It's been kind of a quest. A lot of people were cooking all night. We started at 5:30.  

We put beer in everything,  said Brian Dong, 36. Today, in the brisket, ribs and butt, we added a little bourbon. It 's mash, right? Inside of smoked oak? -

This is the BEER-B-QUERS  first contest, but they are obviously well-seasoned in the Spirit of  Cue. When a shirtless passerby sticks his head under their tarp and wants to know if you guys are selling this stuff,  he is told there's a table selling barbecue down a ways.

But hey, man,  a BEER-B-QUER calls out, want some ribs?  

Oh, wow really?  

Somebody get him a plate.  

The above copied from the:
The San Diego Union-Tribune
www.signonSanDiego.com
By Arthur Salm
STAFF WRITER
   
September 3, 2007
Barbecuers rub elbows at sanctioned contest