Lenoir County hosts 3rd Annual BBQ Summit on Saturday
Photo by Catherine Hardee / Neuse News
The 3rd annual BBQ Summit at the Lenoir County Cooperative Extension brought cook teams and judges from all over the state to Kinston on Saturday, and this year, a 10-team cook-off was a part of the event.
Like at last year’s event, attendees included both experienced professional cook teams and aspiring cooks who were hoping to gain insight before their first competition. Those present heard presentations from experienced judges and organizers on what the judges are looking for from a well-cooked pig, as well as food safety guidelines and advice on organizing events.
At this year’s summit, experienced judges made practical demonstrations a bigger portion of the proceedings, as the event also featured a North Carolina Pork Council sanctioned cook-off, the first event this year to offer a chance at qualifying for the NC State Championships later in the year.
The field was limited to ten teams, and according to certified master judge Charlie Martin, those spots were filled within 45 minutes of the opening of registration.
This event is unique, Martin said, because the judges explained their process as they judged the teams, allowing both the cooks and the observers the chance to better understand how the judges approach a pig.
“This was a win-win for everyone, because we had a lot of first-time attendees who want to either judge or cook better, and they get to hear what we have to say and what is going through our minds as we judge,” Martin said.
After the judging, all the attendees enjoyed a lunch of barbecue from the top four pigs, with sides and tea provided by Visit Kinston, who helped sponsor the event.
The top three competitors from Saturday’s summit cookoff: L-R Kevin Peterson, Wesley Bowers, David Grandy. Photo by Catherine Hardee / Neuse News
Judges said all the pigs were very well cooked, with very little separation between 1st and 10th.
The winning cook was David Grandy, with Wesley Bowers coming in second, and defending state champion Kevin Peterson in third.
Lenoir County Extension Director Tammy Kelly said the NC Pork Council agreed to donate the meat from the other pigs to the Lenoir County 4-H. The plan had been to use the barbecue for sandwiches to be sold at the Freedom Classic, but with the cancellation due to snow, the meat would instead be frozen and sold at the upcoming county livestock auction after Easter.
Despite the change of plans for the meat, the event overall was a great success, Kelly said, with the biggest crowd of attendees so far.
“We had a lot of new faces, and a lot of excitement for this year’s BBQ festival. I can’t tell you how many people have asked about the Lauren Alaina concert,” Kelly said.
