Returning to
Kings Mountain, NC, for the annual
Firehouse BBQ Cookoff is been a priority since last year. Held in this small suburban city within the Charlotte metropolitan area, the contest has always been well organized as it was again for
its 22nd year.
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| During the third weekend in April, a fire museum becomes the host of a barbecue cookoff. |
The cookoff is so respected that the North Carolina governor proclaimed the 2018 contest as the N.C. Firehouse Barbeque State Championship. One benefit of the recognition is that the winner this year receives an invitation to the
American Royal Barbecue Contest and is eligible for the
Jack Daniels Invitational Contest. With $4,500 in total prize money at stake,
33 teams signed up for the hopes of not only taking home cash and a trophy but also receiving invitations to the other prestigious events as well.
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| Cooking teams set up on the grassy area of Deal Park. |
Before the first entries were turned in and the judges had settled into their chairs to begin serious judging, the atmosphere resembled that of a reunion. One benefit of being a judge is seeing familiar faces at each cookoff. The judges at this year’s event included several who had been at previous Firehouse BBQ Cookoffs.
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| Before the competition begins, judges who arrive early look over an antique fire engine, which had been moved outdoors. |
All judging activities take place in the
Kings Mountain Historical Fire Museum, one of only three fire museums in the state. Built more than 40 years ago, the museum houses two vintage fire engines (1930 and a 1938 models), which are moved outside so the judges have adequate room to set up and evaluate the cookoff entries.
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| Judges wait in the museum for the first barbecue entries to arrive. |
The museum has several items of interest, including a 1927 hose cart, the first piece of equipment to fight fires in the city. A soda acid fire extinguisher, which needed two firefighters to move it, is also on display. Other relics — helmets, hoses, nozzles, patches, and other memorabilia — hang from the ceiling and are in display classes. All of these were quietly overlooked when the judges began their task: judging chicken, pork, ribs, and brisket.
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| Vendors line the walking track at Deal Park as the competition begins. |
Once again
Kings Mountain has earned its spot on the barbecue competition
trail. Teams compete, judges evaluate, prize money is distributed, and trophies
are earned – and after everyone has gone home, the
museum returns to a state of
slumber to protect its collectibles until the third Saturday in April of
another year when a new cookoff begins.
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| Festival activities include a play area for children. |
