Page 18 - Barbecue News April 2020 Issue

bbq winner
Ardie Davis
aka Remus Powers BBQ Hall of Famer ardiedavis@kc.rr.com
Thirty years ago in Tom Lee
Park at the Memphis in May
World Championship Barbecue
Cooking Contest I met a couple
of gentlemen from Douglas,
Georgia, who told me about a
new barbecue newspaper they
were starting. They were famil-
iar with my “Remus Says” col-
umn in the KC BullSheet, and asked if I’d mind writing a monthly column for the Barbecue News Magazine. Of course I said “Yes,” and that was the beginning of a long-term friendship with Joe Phelps and Doc Gillis that I treasure to this day. Although they now rest in peace, death can’t end our friendship, nor can it stop their influence in the barbecue community and on this publica- tion. Another key influence in the community and the Barbecue News Magazine has always been Joe’s wife and Kell’s mother, Car- lene Phelps. Rest assured that during BEN QUE’N’s Barbecue News Magazine 30th Anniversary tour, Carlene is on the job, “taking over this email address for me,” as Kell put it. And I’m sure that the entire Barbecue News Magazine family shares Kell’s excite- ment about Carlene’s help: “I am excited to have her talents working for us in the coming months and years as we continue to grow the reach of the magazine.” Kell was on the job recently at the huge Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo (HLSR) World’s Champi- onship Bar-B-Que Cookoff, admirably promoting the News, seeing old friends and meeting new friends. Thus, I thought it would be fun to compare the Houston event with Memphis in May. Of
Houston, you have a Winner!
Southtown Smokers Patty & Joe Kump with Texas Social Club Director Bill Felder
Kell Phelps & Bill Felder hat switch gives you a Georgia Cow- boy & Texas Ben Cue’ N’
course, when you’re in any city for a bar- becue contest, why not check out some local cuisine? Grazing notes about grasshopper tacos, brisket fried rice and other Houston culi- nary delights are at the end of this col umn.
Whether you judge
barbecue by Mem- phis, Kansas City, Georgia, World, Texas or other standards, you’re a member of the Barbecue News Magazine family, and you can eas-
ily adapt to local judging criteria and protocol. It’s all about bar- becue excellence wherever you find it. It’s also about new adventures, new friendships, the joy and comfort of long-term friendships and another important element: fun!
Compare the recent Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo (HLSR) World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Cookoff with the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest for example. Briefly, minus more details that are covered in judge instruction sessions, here’s a thumbnail comparison:
Memphis meat categories are all pork: whole hog, shoulder & ribs. Contestants can only enter one meat category. Judging is a combination of blind and onsite. Entries are judged for Appear- ance, Tenderness and Taste, from a scoring range of 1 to 10, with final comparative overall scores of each entry judged, allowing one score of 10 for the best of those entries that the judge sam- pled, ranking the other entries in descending order.
In addition to judging the meat on Appearance, Tenderness, Fla- vor and Overall Impression, on site Memphis in May judges evalu- ate the team’s area and personal appearance plus the quality of the presenters’ description of the team’s cooking process. A panel of onsite Finals Judges determines which one of the top teams in each meat category emerges as the overall Grand Champion.
The meat categories at the HLSR World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Cookoff are Chicken, Pork Ribs and Beef Brisket. Instead of a 10 point spread on Appearance, Tenderness and Taste, HLSR Cookoff entries are judged on 4 criteria, starting with a maximum of 5 points and ending with a maximum of 20: Sight, 1 to 5 points; Smell, 1 to 10 points; Tenderness, 1 to 15 points; Taste, 1 to 20 points.
Photos courtsey of Ardie Davis
BarbecueNews.com - 18
APRIL 2020