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Local News - June 2003 |
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Barbecue and bikes mix it up downtown |
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Hog Happenin’ By ALICE SMITH, LTN Staff Writer Bill Lowe and Dale Tubbleville won’t let just any barbecue touch their lips. The two certified Kansas City Barbecue Society judges said taste-testing competition-style ribs and chicken has spoiled them. “We can’t just walk into any barbecue restaurant anymore,” Tubbleville said. He and Lowe were among a group of judges to sample the barbecue cooked Friday and Saturday during the third annual First Charter Hog Happenin’. And not just anyone can be a judge. First, they had to complete a day-long school to become certified. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it. Competition judging is serious business. Inside the Citizens Center Saturday afternoon, judges sat almost stone-faced around tables. One-by-one, a sample was brought to their tables in a Styrofoam container. Judges looked over the dish carefully, taking in its appearance and presentation. They then tried each sample, considering its tenderness and tastiness. “We do this strictly for the love of the event and eating some of the best barbecue in the world,” Lowe said. While they admit that judging is a very subjective process, most times when the results are revealed, it’s clear that the best barbecue has won, they said. Cookers converged on the courtsquare Friday evening. Bikers also started showing up, the sound of engines revving bouncing off the courthouse. Jerry Dills of Cesar rode in on a 2002 Fat Boy Harley-Davidson motorcycle. He’s been riding all his life. “It makes your blood pump,” he said Friday night. “There’s peace of mind. When you get out there on the open road, there’s nobody but you.” Rain threatened the start of Hog Happenin’ Saturday morning. But around 9:45 a.m., the sun came out, warming up the festival and lifting the spirits of those involved. Tents started popping up, people began milling around and the smell of slow-cooked barbecue wafted down Main Street. Another storm at around 3 p.m. shut down the event early, but everyone involved considered it a success. The Smokin’ Mountain Boys out of Kings Mountain said rain does affect cooking. “Rain will kill the heat on the cookers,” Bobby Etters said. But no one in attendance Saturday let the showers stop them. Bobby Etters and fellow cooker, Walter Etters, said a lot of barbecuing is trial-by-error. And the best part -- they can eat their mistakes. “It’s a lot of fun trying,” Bobby Etters said. Troy Austin came all the way from Anderson, Ind. to showcase his Southern Yankee Rotisserie Pit Smokers. Austin said he goes to about 30 or so barbecue events a year. Each competition usually yields one or two sales. “I never really expect to get an order when I’m here, but I expect a phone call a few weeks later,” Austin said. It was his first time in Lincolnton. The North Brook Gang BBQ Cooking Team, the only team from Lincoln County, set up their cooking camp in a corner of the Citizens Center parking lot. They cooked 225 pounds of Boston butts, 50 chickens and 100 pounds of ribs, said By early Saturday afternoon, they’d already sold out of ribs. And while most cookers agree that slow-cooking and patience are the key to good The North Brook Gang uses a barrage of secret ingredients, including a “special home remedy,” Mitchem said, as he slathered chickens with sauce. The Smokin’ Mountain Boys whip up a homemade sauce and their own rubs, Walter Etters said. But neither groups were willing to divulge exactly what makes their products so delicious. “I’d tell you, but I’d have to kill you,” Bobby Etters said. The 2003 Hog Happenin’ State Championship Cook-off winners are: · Grand Champion — Flying Pig Barbeque, Spartanburg, SC · Reserved Chamption — Lazy Bones BBQ, Asheville · Chicken — Lazy Bones BBQ, Asheville · Pork Ribs — Flying Pigs BBQ, Spartanburg · Brisket — Your Butt’s on Fire, McConnels, SC The 2003 Poker Run winners are: · Best Hand — Mike Sipe · Most Aces — Bobby Motz Worst Hand — (Tie) Travis Scronce and Joel Wilson
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© 2001 Lincoln Times-News |
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