Pigs and Pedals

How does a small city attract visitors to its downtown area during an otherwise quiet weekend? In many small towns, successful shops and restaurants depend not only on weekday regulars but also on customers after daytime hours end on Friday. To help maintain a lively downtown, community leaders in Asheboro, NC, plan several weekend events that draw locals and visitors to the heart of its business community.

Cooking teams set in next to Bicentennial Park in downtown Asheboro.

A creative activity in August is Pigs and Pedals, which combines two popular activities: eating barbecue and racing bicycles. Add music by local bands and craft beer served in a beer garden (the first time for Asheboro) at Bicentennial Park in the downtown center, and thousands of spectators come to enjoy the festivities as well as to observe the cooking teams set up in parking areas adjacent to the park. In addition, the Randolph (County) Livestock and Poultry Improvement Association cooks all night before selling hundreds of barbecue sandwiches beginning at noon on Saturday to raise money for local charities.

Meat for sandwiches being prepared by a civic organization smokes quietly
on Saturday morning before the crowd arrives and the street activities begin.

On Saturday morning, the downtown streets were relatively quiet except for the scuttle of cooking teams, contest officials, and a few pedestrians. However, by early afternoon, a crowd had arrived to enjoy the street scene and barbecue sandwiches.

A local civic organization sells barbecue sandwiches as a fundraiser.

Cooking teams brought their entries to turn-in tables at historic Sunset Theater, which opened in 1930 and was recently renovated by the city with $1 million in improvements. Upstairs in a quiet room that seemed far removed from the sounds of the park, the judges evaluated the chicken, pork ribs, pork and beef brisket to determine which teams would take home the prize money.

Judges evaluate competitive entries upstairs in the historic Sunset Theater.

The “Pedals” part of the event was a Criterium bike race along the streets of downtown Asheboro. Cyclists from across the state and region competed on a closed circuit course in races that began at 9 a.m. and continued until 4 p.m. on Saturday. The cyclists raced in front of an appreciative but small audience. By mid-day, the crowd was lured to Bicentennial Park by the smoke and aroma of barbecue in huge cookers now ready for the sandwiches.

Racers complete another lap under the banner that marks the finish line.

With 32 barbecue teams competing for $12,000 in prize money, Pigs and Pedals was quite successful. Although Criterium bike races had been held in downtime Asheboro in the three previous years, this year was the first time that the barbecue competition had been sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society.

Early arrivals buy barbecue sandwiches when they go on sale.

Like other small cities in the South, Asheboro has endured plant closings and manufacturing layoffs. In 2012 when a plant that made wires for car and truck tires was closed, another 310 jobs were lost. Pulling together to host Pigs and Pedals in this city with a population of about 25,000 does more than satisfy the desire for good barbecue. It also raises money for local charities, attracts first-time visitors, increases community spirit, and boosts the revenue of local merchants and restaurants. 

Smokin’ in the Valley

Maggie Valley, NC, is the perfect location for a barbecue festival in the summer. In July, a good event in the South depends on sunny and warm weather, and Maggie Valley in the mountains offers days that are warm but not too hot with lots of sunshine.

Cooking teams set up the night before in the festival grounds of Maggie Valley

In July the maximum temperature is 82 degrees. At night the thermometer reading usually drops below 60, so cool temperatures in the evenings also offset the daily highs. In addition, the risk of rain is low. July is the driest month in the summer with only 3.7 inches of rain. With these conditions, the organizers of Smokin’ in the Valley, which proclaims itself as the Western North Carolina BBQ championship, couldn’t ask for more favorable conditions.

Smokin' in the Valley proclaims the Western N.C. BBQ Champion.

Smokin’ in the Valley is an event that local residents look forward to attending each year, even though Maggie Valley has a full summer schedule of exceptional events that annually draws repeat visitors. The motels, lodges, and inns fill up quickly, and I had to call several places before I found one with a room available (fortunately a reservation had just been cancelled).

Food vendors do a brisk business along the path to the music stage.

The most attractive part of Smokin’ in the Valley is not the weather but the crowd enthusiasm. The line to get a tray of samples by the cooking teams is long, but everyone waits patiently. Can you imagine standing in line for up to an hour to vote in the People’s Choice category?

The reward for standing in line to vote in the People's Choice category is
a tray of tasty samples prepared by cooking teams.

The event is held on the festival grounds (where parking is easy) of Maggie Valley next to charming Jonathan Creek, a regular destination for trout fishing because it is part of the Mountain Heritage Trout Waters Program. When Smokin’ in the Valley occurs, the grounds become a singular destination to browse through mountain arts and crafts and enjoy food from vendors (my favorites were cornbread salad and root beer float) that complement the barbecue sold in the People’s Choice contest. People arrive early and linger for hours to enjoy the music.

Mountain music performs throughout the day on the festival grounds.

Many entries that I judged were excellent, an indication that many cooking teams had been competing for years. Several earned high scores for appearance. For taste and tenderness, most beef brisket entries were excellent. Even judges who are die-hard pork aficionados considered the beef briskets as good as any other barbecue in the contest.

The judges tent is quiet before noon when the first meats arrive.

Maggie Valley is popular for more than barbecue. Several judges that I talked to were also dedicated motorcyclists, who had applied for this event to combine their interests in judging barbecue with riding mountain roads. The highways in this part of North Carolina are known not only for their scenery but also for their twisting turns and changing elevations. This area has several scenic journeys, including one with 318 twists and turns in 18 miles (known as “The Dragon”). In addition, some judges took time to visit the popular collection of vintage motorcycles on display at the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley.

Backyard grillers can buy bags of wood -- pecan, hickory, cherry, and apple -- in the arts and crafts area.

A valley in the mountains is an excellent place to hold a barbecue festival in the summer. The trophies and prize money that Smokin’ in the Valley offers contestants is only part of the attraction for competing in this event.

Trophies for the reserve (left) and grand champions await the winners.

Sampling and Learning at a Grilling Class

Would you take a barbecue grilling class at a restaurant owned by a highly regarded chef and graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America? When I had the opportunity to participate, the decision to sign up was easy (although it was also sweetened by a discounted registration fee). The class indicated the growing interest in personal grilling.

Lots of food on the grills were ready for tasting when the class began

The class was held at Backyard Bistro, a family-owned restaurant in Raleigh, NC, well known for several signature dishes, including beef brisket slow roasted for 12 hours over hickory wood and St. Louis-style pork ribs dry-rubbed and also slow roasted. Three stations had been set up outdoors just outside the restaurant’s patio area: one was a custom-built open grill heated with charcoal briquettes, and another was a clamshell cooker fired by gas. The most intriguing grill had been made out of a trashcan for demonstrating smoking techniques.

The simplest grill is made out of a
trashcan.

The class was more a sampling class than a cooking class, although a chef at each station explained the advantages and disadvantages of the setup and heat source. The class favorite was clearly the homemade trashcan grill, and the distinctive smoke flavor imparted to food cooked in it attracted the most attention.

Smoking box with hickory wood inside
the trashcan grill.

The chef indicated that the trashcan grill had been built for less than $50 in supplies, including L-brackets, temperature gauge, circular steamer grates, and a smoking box for holding wood. At the bottom of the trashcan, holes had been drilled to let in air that kept charcoal embers slowly burning to heat and smoke hickory wood pieces in the smoking box set on the coals.

Ribs prepared in the trashcan grill
were extremely flavorful.

Food smoked in the trashcan is
ready for sampling.

Lots and lots of food items were grilled during the two-hour class: scallops, swordfish, shrimp, steak, beef brisket, chicken, pork ribs, and Portobello mushrooms. Veggies included corn, blanched potatoes, summer squash, and zucchini. In addition, pineapple basted in a mixture of brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon was on the grill to show how fruit can be part of a barbecue event.

The class was brief, and its instruction was basically only an introduction for someone interested in starting to grill. Anyone with grilling experience wouldn’t gain much except for enjoying the food that had been cooked.  In fact, some seemed interested in only eating. However, the chefs did offer suggestions practical for the backyard griller:

• Don’t pre-soak wood being used to impart a smoky flavor to avoid smoldering it and changing the smoke flavor that would be otherwise produced. 
• Use a smoking box for the wood (rather than placing the wood directly on the coals) so that the smoke is gradual. 
• Sear meat on a hot cooking area initially to lock in flavor and juices. 
• Move the meat after searing to a low heat area so that cooking continues slowly. 

One of the vehicles in
 Backyard Bistro's fleet

The class attracted more than 40 participants because Backyard Bistro is also acclaimed as a regional caterer. It has a fleet of “flame-wrapped vehicles and grills” for cooking on site. Its 40-foot “Big Rig” has four 3-by-5 feet grills (large enough to cook a whole 125-pound pig each) and has fed as many as 8,000 people with 16 buffet lines going at once. Joe Lumbrazo, head chef and owner, has been selected to cook for the governor at political events. What better crew of professional chefs to observe?

Joe Lubrazo discusses meat and vegetables cooked on gas-fired grill.

The buffet enjoyed
at the end of the class.

The class was entertaining and provided information about grilling techniques and fuel sources. Watching the chefs demonstrate their pride and skill in preparing exceptional food on a grill obviously motivated the participants to improve their grilling techniques.

---

Grilled Pineapple 

Although no recipes were provided as part of the class, this recipe is a good one for grilling pineapple.

1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and sliced into one-inch rings
¾ cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Directions
1. Mix honey, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in bowl.
2. Add pineapple to bowl and spoon mixture over pineapple rings.
3. Place pineapple rings and mixture in plastic bag that can be resealed.
4. Seal bag and press to continue coating each ring.
5. Marinate overnight (but not less than 30 minutes)
6. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
7. Grill pineapple for approximately 3 minutes per side. Remove when grill marks appear (and be careful to avoid burning sugar on pineapple).

Note: Makes about 12 servings.

Grilled pineapple that I prepared several days after the class using this recipe.

Moved by Mother Nature but Not Stopped by Flooding

Competitive barbecue cookouts never occur as planned. A critical change in plans can pop up at the last minute, such as a mandatory relocation. When I was a judge at the Bend in the River Cookout in Minnesota, I saw the best of impromptu event planning.

Torrential summer rains that hit the Midwest in June caused extensive flooding in towns and cities along key rivers. Several days before the cookout was to begin in Mankato, the Minnesota River overflowed its banks. Flood waters churned down city streets after daily massive downpours; during one, 5 inches of rain fell overnight. The event had been planned at the scenic Land of Memories Park that is in a large bend of the river, but after days of rain – and extensive flooding – not a dry spot was available. The park was completely under water, and the river was cresting at levels higher than predicted.

Nate Herme always picks dry places
for his barbecue cookouts!

Nate Herme, the event organizer, moved the festival to Saint Peter, a nearby city that is home of the county fairgrounds. The cookout was held in amazingly calm conditions, although the forecast of thunderstorms again proved true when they eventually arrived in the late afternoon. At the judges’ meeting before the start of the competition, Nate joked that the original location was now the Lake (rather than Land) of Memories because it had so much water. Coordinating the relocation was a huge task because this event had so many cooking teams (the first cookout in Minnesota with 50 competitive teams – plus the amateur contest had another 50 teams as well).

However, the last-minute change in location didn’t seem to affect any of the cooking teams. Saturday morning was quiet as they focused on preparing their entries. While the competitive teams were busy, the amateur teams were also cooking. The festival is well known for pulled pork and ribs available for sampling, and a $10 ticket entitles a person to five samples. Proceeds of the ticket sales are used to purchase playground equipment for children with disabilities and to make local parks more accessible to them.

Barbecue samples for only $10 draw a crowd.

The competitive teams prepared the usual meats – chicken, pork ribs, pork, and beef brisket – for an event sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society. The beef brisket samples were some of the best that I have judged, and I assigned the highest score of 9 to more than one. The other meats were also exceptionally well prepared.

Several teams are busy at work on a Saturday morning.

An unexpected surprise of being at the cookout was a chance to talk to Dean Compart, who told me about his Duroc hogs, the second most recorded breed of swine in the United States. His family farm, which initially imported the Duroc breed from Sweden and Denmark in the early 1990s to produce leaner pork, is now managed by a third generation with the fourth generation being groomed for future operations.

Dean Compart (right) is extremely proud of his Duroc swine.

Even with the change in location, the cookout drew a large crowd of spectators interested in observing the teams and sampling the best barbecue in the Midwest. Seeing the skilled cooks in action was a big draw, but knowing that buying tickets to sample barbecue would help to upgrade local parks and make them more accessible to children with disabilities made the event meaningful.

Does carefully selecting your own wood guarantee better results?

Some teams spare no expense to travel in style.

Barrels are another choice for cooking equipment.

Have cooker on trailer, will travel.

Who is doing all the work for this team?

Stew on the Intracoastal Waterway

From the Intracoastal Waterway, Dockside is an alluring destination.

Imagine stopping for lunch on the Intracoastal Waterway and finding Brunswick stew on the menu. That possibility can happen in Wrightsville Beach, NC, if you stop at Dockside Restaurant and Bar. 

Customers can arrive by boat dockside ...

... or enter through the front door streetside.

Located on the westside of the waterway just south of US Highway 74/76, the restaurant attracts boating customers daily who may be as interested in boat fuel, power, ice, or other essential supplies as in lunch or dinner. A dining customer, on the other hand, usually arrives in search of great seafood and a cold beverage.

Tables on the deck by the waterway are popular.

When I began reviewing the menu, I was immediately attracted to blue crab and corn chowder listed in the soup category. Then “Uncle Satch’s Brunswick Stew” caught my attention. Even though its ingredients of pulled pork and chicken, corn, lima beans, potatoes, and tomatoes seemed ordinary, I was curious to know more about Uncle Satch. Although Dockside is better known for its seafood, any stew named for an uncle is worth a try.

“Uncle Satch’s Brunswick Stew” is a tasty choice.

The menu claims to support local growers at Xanadu Farms, but the vegetables in the stew seemed to be canned (typical today for most situations) rather than fresh from local suppliers. However, the stew was dense with its tasty ingredients, although more tomato content would have made the stew even richer.

Who Uncle Satch is still remains a mystery to me; however, I am now a fan of the stew that bears his name. If you are driving, boating, or even riding a bike near Dockside, stop in for more than seafood – try the stew, which definitely complements any sandwich or entree. On my next visit, I may even try the chowder – after I have another helping of Brunswick stew.

Across the street from Dockside, an elegant, tall, old tree laden with Spanish moss greets visitors arriving by car or bike.

Barbecue on the Charleston Harbor

Imagine planning a party. What setting would you want? When a barbecue competition was planned in South Carolina, the organizers took advantage of the spacious scenery of Lookout Pavilion that is part of the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina, a fashionable property that proclaims itself a “waterfront sanctuary.” Charleston, “known as the place where history lives,” is a great venue for a barbecue throwdown.

Rows of cooking teams were quiet until the gates opened for the public.

On the banks of the Charleston Harbor at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, the pavilion is a great venue for cooking teams, judges, musicians, vendors, and the general public. It’s the best setting and most scenic location of any barbecue competition that I’ve attended. The area where the judges meet overlooks Cooper River (which forms the Charleston peninsula with Ashley River), the ferry to Fort Sumter, and several U.S. Navy warships.

Even the judges got a sign showing where to report.

Appropriately named Smoke on the Harbor BBQ Throwdown, the event attracts competitive cooking teams from throughout the Southeast, although most are from South Carolina. The governor even issues a state proclamation that the throwdown celebrates the barbecue traditions of the Palmetto State and that competitors are vying to be designated the S.C. state barbecue champion.

Begun in 2012, the event each year also hosts a food drive with the Lowcountry Food Bank. As the public observes the teams competing for prizes, the local food bank gains extra attention and recognition. For the 2013 event, the contest was sanctioned for the first time by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, which requires the categories of beef brisket, pork, pork ribs, and chicken. KCBS sanctioning also attracts judges (and is the reason that I applied to judge), and the 2013 event appealed more widely to cooking teams compared to the 2012 event, which was sanctioned by the smaller Southern BBQ Network, and the competition categories were limited to pork butts, pork ribs, and chicken wings.

Killer B's won as the overall champion and received designation as the state champion,

The size of the crowd that attends is almost overwhelming for the space, and almost everyone brings a donation of canned goods because it cuts in half the price for public admission. The public begins arriving as early as 11 a.m. on Saturday as the teams are finalizing preparations to turn in cooked meats for judging. As usual for a KCBS-sanctioned event, the first category of chicken is due at noon, and the other categories are turned in at 30-minute intervals.

Teams were well-prepared before turn-in times.

The staff of the resort and marina did a superb job in organizing the event. They have been planning special events since 1997, and challenges of hosting events such as the Charleston Wine and Food Festival have certainly honed their planning skills. Because the throwdown is so well organized and the location so scenic, I hope to return next year.

Tables were set up to garner votes in the people's choice category.

Finding the First Opportunity to Judge

How long does it take to be selected as a judge for an event? After I had completed training and was certified as a judge by the Kansas City Barbecue Society, I was ready to judge. However, I was naïve to think that all I had to do was to select an event to attend, submit my application to judge, and wait for an acceptance notification.

A trailer brought in for the first event that I judged, is all that is needed as a music stage. 

Within days of being certified, I sent requests to judge at five events in the Carolinas that I thought would quickly develop my experience level so that I would not be a “novice” judge for too long. However, the excitement of being certified soon turned to disappointment with the notices that I received. I was being waitlisted because all judges needed had been selected or applications for judges were no longer being considered.

Cooking teams, such as this one from Waxhaw, NC, at the first event where I was a judge,
can plan far in advance for which events they compete in.

Then I realized that judges submit applications well in advance of an event and many judges who enjoy being at the same contest year after year and submit their applications soon after the event ends for the next year. In addition, because the number of judges is limited by the number of cooking teams that are competing, some contest organizers wait until about two months before an event to notify judges of their selection.

Music and food drew a large crowd at my first event.

Finally, one of my five requests bought positive news. I was selected to be a judge at a contest in Fort Mill, SC. An event that had been known as Anne Springs Close Greenway BBQ & Bluegrass Festival was being renamed as Fiddle-N-Pig Shindig and expanded to include competition sanctioned by KCBS. Only later did I learn that I was able to judge because this event was still seeking judges because this year was its inaugural sanctioning by KCBS, although the festival had been held in previous years.

Teams such as this one began setting up early for the cookoff.

The excitement of being a judge at my first event built over the weeks before the date of the festival arrived. Being at an event in Fort Mill would give me time to explore Charlotte, NC, which is nearby, and a few small towns and historic areas in upper South Carolina. The festival was held at the Annie Springs Close Greenway, a 2,100-acre nature preserve and recreation complex that offers equestrian, hiking, boating, swimming, camping, fishing, and walking activities.

Meat for the cooking team is ready the day before for the cooking teams. 

The location was perfect for a barbecue and bluegrass festival. An entry fee permitted everyone to sample barbecue and vote in a people’s choice category. Musical ensembles played on a portable stage in front of a crowd that sat on a slope that was mostly shaded when they were not walking among the cooking teams. As the music played, teams turned in their entries at the historic Dairy Barn, built in 1947, and the judges scored the entries on the second floor of the barn.

Judges beginning setting up before the first entries are turned in

Fiddle-N-Pig Shindig was a great opportunity. I got to practice the training that I had received and taste excellent barbecue. This first event motivated me to seek other contests and continue my journey as a certified KCBS judge.

Trophies at the Shindig await the winners.