Cookoff at a Harley-Davidson Dealership

Have you ever attended a barbecue cookoff at a Harley-Davidson dealership? Neither had I before being a judge at Biker Blues & BBQ in Salisbury, NC.

Judges line up to sign in for the contest.

The event’s full name -- Tilley Harley-Davidson’s Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic – clearly indicates that much more than barbecue is on the schedule. Motorcycles, specifically Harley-Davidsons, are everywhere: new ones on the showroom floor and lots of others brought to the rally that look so good that they could pass for new.

Many new motorcycles are on display on the showroom floor.

Although the event starts with music the night before any barbecue is judged, Saturday is the main day. The rally, a “poker run” that lasts more than five hours, begins well before the cooking teams turn in chicken, their first entries, for the contest. When I saw all the motorcycles parked before the rally began, I was surprised -- more than 100 riders were participating.

The motorcycle rally was a popular part of the weekend.

The cookoff, part of the Old North State Barbecue Series, drew 63 teams, making it one of the largest contests in the Southeast. The large number of teams was attracted by more than $15,000 in prize money. Sauced BBQ! Team from Denver, NC, took home $3,000 as the grand champion – a return to the top and a big improvement from the week before in Goldsboro, NC, when low brisket scores dropped the team to 19th out of 39 teams. (The team incidentally also won the cookoff in Lakeland, Florida, my first event this year, and was the reserve champion in Asheboro, NC, where I judged last month, so it usually is successful.)

Cooking team set up in the back parking area of the dealership.

The contest was flawless in execution, a challenge considering how many cooking teams participated. At the designated intervals for turn-in of the entries, the volunteers smoothly handled the containers to maintain the “blind judging” standards of the Kansas City Barbecue Society, which sanctioned the event.

The People's Choice competition gave the public a chance to vote for their favorite barbecue.

The blend of music, barbecue, and motorcycles attracts a sizable crowd in Salisbury. Begun in 2012, Biker Blues and BBQ is well established among judges and cooking teams as an event to attend. It will continue to be a favorite event each fall for everyone.

The huge Grand Champion trophy was taken home by the Sauced BBQ! Team.

Goldsboro, a City with a Celebrated Barbecue Heritage

Goldsboro, NC, is very proud of its barbecue heritage. It claims to be the home of “the best BBQ,” and its online visitor information brags about its prominence on the N.C. Historic Barbecue Trail. As a result, I’ve wanted to judge here since I was first certified.

Cooking teams set up in the grassy area near Cornerstone Commons in downtown Goldsboro.

However, as the county seat of Wayne County, Goldsboro is more important to me than for barbecue reasons because it’s also the home of my maternal ancestors. I’ve visited the county before to explore the rural areas north of the city where they lived. For this visit, nothing but barbecue was on my mind, and I enjoyed being a judge at the Beak Week Festival.

The stages for music during Beak Week includes several innovative approaches.

Although the festival was begun in 2014 to celebrate the county’s poultry industry, more than chicken is evaluated during the barbecue contest. Ribs, pork, and brisket are also cookoff categories to comply with the requirements of the Kansas City Barbeque Society, which sanctions the event.

Food and crafts vendors along Center Street are ready for the crowd on early Saturday morning.

Poultry is clearly important to the county, and a wing-eating contest, a bird-themed costume fun run, a “fowl play” softball game, and a week-long scavenger hunt for chicken and turkey cutouts in the downtown area add to the festival’s emphasis on poultry. However, the $20,000 in prize money is the main attraction for about 40 cooking teams to compete in the barbecue cookoff.

Judges meet in the gym of the Goldsboro Police Department.

Goldsboro’s reputation for hosting a superb barbecue contest grows each year. Even though the cookoff is part of a poultry festival, the crowd of more than 10,000 knows that barbecue encompasses much more than poultry, although in Wayne County, it’s an indispensable part.

Several photo opportunities are available during Beak Week, which celebrates the local poultry industry.