Page 30 - OCT 2020 Barbecue News Magazine

BarbecueNews.com - 30
OCTOBER 2020
MN in May - It Was Worth the Wait
It is 2020. Anything can happen. For example, this year’s MN in May didn’t happen until August. It had to be renamed to MN in MayAugust. I mean, why not? And that was just one of many chal- lenges in a long road of twists and turns to get to the event. A road with surprises around every corner, all the way up to the end!
May in August
During the week leading up to the event, the forecast looked rainy for much of the week. On Friday, during load-in, the rain clouds were rolling across the sky and it rained three times during the day. But as evening arrived, the clouds started rolling out and Sat- urday dawned to be the most perfect Minnesota day (i.e.: one of those days that reminds us all why we live in the Midwest). As I looked around at all the smiling teams going about their morning routines, I reflected on how the “Yet, one more twist!” seemed fit- ting for an event that almost didn’t happen.
Nailing Jello to a Wall
Organizers Stan and Tonia Dobosenski (of Rub My Rack fame) have had a wild ride getting this year’s contest to event day. From the very beginning there was a stream of postponements, nail-bit- ing decisions, and reinventing how the event would look. State mandates. City mandates. Event location mandates. KCBS up- dates. The event date was moved. The location was in question. Ok, you can have the location, but you can’t have water. (Ok... maybe you can have a little water.) Scratch the band on Friday night. People’s choice? Gone. Chili contest? Nope. Cook’s break- fast buffet? Can’t do a buffet – ok, we will revamp for breakfast delivery. Kid’s Que? Let’s have them cook at their family site. Team spots? Make ‘em wider to allow more social distancing. The organizers took on every set back and powered thru to get us to competition weekend!
Where’d all the charcoal go?
Competition BBQ’ers have had a wild ride trying to locate sup- plies this year. First there was no toilet paper, and then there was no meat. Next came gloves and sanitizing wipes being impossible to find. So, it seemed only fitting that in the weeks leading into MN in May, it became impossible to find charcoal in MN. How can there be no charcoal, you ask? Well, I have no idea why Covid stole all the charcoal, but teams were texting and calling each other like crazy. Everyone thought it was just their local store. In- structions were given to buy every bag anyone could find, and “I’ll pay you back later!” Teams spent hours upon hours driving
By Kristen Spain
around the state to different stores, scouring the internet, and calling every place they could think of to get fuel for the competi- tion. If nothing else, this year has proven that pit masters are well prepared to be on the next season of Survivor! (Wait, is that even a show any more?)
Judge Proud
This year has been a crazy one for judges. Just like the teams, judges have been affected by contest date rescheduling, Covid concerns, and travel challenges. (Heck, it seems like only every second or third rest area along the highways is open, fer cripes sake!). So, our hats go off to all the judges that came out to our event this year!
We were excited to have a full roster of certified KCBS judges for our Pro competition. As we understand it, this is a feat not accom- plished by many contests this year. Dick Dahlen and John Scharff- billig went above and beyond to recruit, contact, and organize the judge schedule this year.
Mentor On
Last year we started a new tradition of offering mentoring oppor- tunities for backyard teams. For teams that were interested, we paired them up with a Pro team for a session on Friday night. It was an opportunity for the teams to ask their burning questions and/or learn some tips & tricks from a Pro team in order to up their game. A large number of teams were interested in participat- ing this year. Each team was scheduled for a one hour session with their corresponding mentoring team. Not surprising, it appeared like most teams were still hanging out, up until Quiet Time. What a fun way for everyone to make some new friends and share some BBQ knowledge.
We Even Added an Event this Year
In addition to the backyard team mentoring, we added an oppor- tunity for judges to meet and greet with a competition team this year. It was a chance for judges to visit with a team on Friday night and learn more about what teams do to prepare for the big event and ask any questions they may have. I heard tips and tricks being bantered about. It was also a time for the teams to ask what judges look for in presentation and taste. A great way for teams to gain some insights on what might help them get to the winner’s podium the next day.