Great American Barbecue Fest
Being mayor of Perry, Mo., population 700, would seem lofty enough status, but Bill Arnold upped his star Saturday with a story about his homemade barbecue sauce.
?Diane Sawyer ate this right out of the jar when I was on ?Good Morning America,??? Arnold said at the Great American Barbecue Festival in Overland Park.
The 55-year-old had on overalls and a sauce-stained cap. Unlike most of the other 80 or so teams set up in the parking lot of the Overland Park International Trade Center, Arnold goes it alone as the sole member of Blues Hog Barbecue Co.
But he said he never feels outforked at these things. He?s got trophies and a high ranking. He grew up in Tennessee and started cooking when he was 3.
?As long as I can remember, I?ve been cooking pig,? Arnold said.
Like every team Saturday, he fixed chicken, brisket, pork butt and ribs while competing for $40,000 in prize money for the meats, sauces and side dishes.
The fundraiser, sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society and known as the Mardi Gras of Meat, drew thousands of people to the trade center near 115th Street and Metcalf Avenue. Proceeds benefited the Fox 4 Love Fund, the Guadalupe Center and Kookers Kare.
Bands played, guys tried to see how fast they could throw a baseball, children screamed on carnival rides and fireworks lit up the night.
But mainly people came to eat and get messy. Organizers predicted the crowd would go through 200,000 wet naps.
A barbecue translation guide would have come in handy. Especially when visiting with Doc Hawkins of the Wetsu BBQ Crew, which traveled 14 hours from Dripping Springs, Texas.
He sat under a canvas cover at midmorning, knocking down a cold one, and said of a team member: ?He can cook chicken that?ll put a harelip on the governor.?
That means good chicken.
And of the team?s rib man, he said: ?His ribs will make you run away from home.?
Good ribs.
?How we doing, Robbie?? Hawkins asked a relative on his team.
?Pork butts are coming in, brisket?s looking mighty fine and the ribs are purring like a kitten,? Robbie Hawkins answered.
Team names seem to be a big thing in barbecue. Banners waved for the Grillbillies, Rub Me Tender, Jack the Ribber, Jurassic Pork, Two and a Half Pigs, Smokearitaville and others, including a few you won?t see printed here.
A local entry was Early Bird BBQ of Overland Park.
Chris Early said it?s a family thing and that he and his team do about 12 contests a year. He said they have a lot of fun, but he noticed a while back that when they have the most fun, they don?t win.
?Now we take it more serious,? he said about 10:30 a.m. as he poured vodka into a glass.
?What? It?s a Bloody Mary. Look around ? we?re in a parking lot. It?s like game day.?
To reach Donald Bradley, call 816-234-4182 or send email to dbradley@kcstar.com.
Article source: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/05/21/2892879/at-the-great-american-barbecue.html
