All American BBQ Showdown

Competitors are vying for bragging rights and audacious trophies in a Kansas City BBQ Society-sanctioned event. Barbecue enthusiasts from as far away as Oregon are registered for the cook-off and the competition and coals are sure to be hot.

Barbecue contests are wildly popular with competitors, foodies and the general public. The craze has exploded from the backyard and smoky grill joints throughout the food world, energized by television series like "Pitmasters" and "Best in Smoke."

The Rancho Cordova event, in its inaugural year, is expected to attract as many as 50 competition teams, who will begin rolling into Hagan Park on Saturday, July 2.

Check out that rig

But it won't be your old Weber, or a backyard gas barbecue they will be hauling when they claim what is usually a field for playing baseball. Competitors will bring smokers and sometimes elaborate grilling rigs that can cost their owners into the tens of thousands of dollars, some of them tricked out like gleaming race cars, all in the pursuit of the perfect, most tender mouthful of brisket or ribs they can muster.

Like all Kansas City BBQ Society events, competitors at the All American will actually be preparing four meats for judges: brisket, pork ribs (back or spare), pork (Boston Butt or shoulder) and chicken. How they will rub, massage, season and cajole flavors and tenderness from their ingredients is always a closely held secret. Pitmasters normally play it safe and grill a mountain of food in pursuit of the perfect entry portions.

Ric Gilbert, a hall of famer in the barbecue world, explained that for competitors it all has to come down to a single, tasty morsel.

"We cook a lot of food to find the best samples for turn-ins," said Gilbert, who sometimes is a competitor, sometimes a judge, sometimes a promoter. "Many teams will cook six, eight, or more racks of ribs just to find the perfect six bones for turning in to the judges."

Chicken is the same - 12, 18, 24 or more thighs are typical; again, searching for the perfect six samples to turn in. Brisket is no different: two briskets, each weighing around12 pounds are common, just for six slices.

"The judges will eat a lot of food on that day," Gilbert said. "They will typically take only one small bite of a sample to form their score. It is critical that a competitor's samples be as perfect and flavor-packed as he or she can produce for a high score."

Jawbone with the best

For those who wish to talk over grilling mysteries with the competitors, Saturday evening is a great time to visit, said Ben Lobenstein, who is running the grill showdown.

"Saturday night is when the competitors are setting up, preparing their meats and getting them onto their grills," he said. "It's a great time to wander around and see what they are doing and ask them for their secrets."

The Fourth of July Carnival will also be running, making Saturday night a low-key, admission free chance for fans to size up the competition and enjoy some early holiday celebrating.

On Sunday, July 3, competitors will be all business as they coax their entries to perfection. The sweet and spicy aromas alone are worth the trip, but there is also another reason to be at Hagan Park at midday on Sunday: the competitors will be selling tastings of their grilling masterpieces, along with some other fun-from-the-grill treats.

Tasting tickets will be sold both at the entry gates and at the BBQ competition. For $10, tasters will receive 10 portions and a ballot to use for voting in the "People's Choice" competition.

"Our grillers will start selling tasting portions at 11 a.m. and will continue until they run out," said Lobenstein. "For the best variety, we think you should come earlier rather than later."

How does it work?

At 1 p.m., the All American Showdown area will kick into high gear with country music by "Deuces Wild" and a chance to sit down with a cold beer in a designated Beer Garden and watch all the action: competitors delivering their final entries, grilling tasting and more as the best pitmasters in the West do their thing.

How does competition barbecue work?

While the cooking is under way, a great way to enjoy the competition is to wander among the teams and watch as they work the most intricate details for preparing their turn-in boxes for the judges. There's a lot at stake at the end of the day come awards time, so no detail is left out.

Competitors are vying for bragging rights, trophies and cash prizes.

Lobenstein said the teams will be extremely focused while preparing their turn-ins. If they don't seem welcoming during this intense time, be patient, and try again when they look a little more relaxed. They'll be more than happy to talk all you want.

Until then, be sure to visit the vendors area, enjoy the great music, or just watch the teams work their craft. Check out the vast variety of pit styles used in competition - everything from back yard pits to elaborate cook/sleep/live-in trailer rigs.

And if you think the competitors are serious about what they are doing, so are the judges, who will score entries on three criteria set forth by the Kansas City BBQ Society, the sanctioning body for the competition. Scores can range from one through nine with six being average and nine being the best ever.

The taste score is the most important, tenderness is second, and appearance third. Winners will be announced during a trophy ceremony at 5 p.m.

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