Fingerpickin' & Fingerlickin':
11 Years of BBQ & Bluegrass
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Marcus Huff
Doug Champllin of DJ's BBQ, Albuquerque, N.M., retrofit this 1959 DeSoto to accomodate a four-barrel smoker for ribs and brisket. A first-time entrant in the Wyoming BBQ Championship, Champlin usually attends 15-20 contests a year, placing in the Top 5. DJ's BBQ will be one of 30 featured at this weekends event, held at the Washakie County Farigrounds in Worland.
WORLAND - The 11th annual Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championship and Bluegrass Festival kicks off tonight at the Washakie County Fairgrounds. In advance of the event, Governor Matt Mead proclaimed Aug 14-15 "The Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championship and Bluegrass Festival Days" for the state of Wyoming.
Originally organized by a loose group of barbecue and music fans in 2004, the festival has grown to host more than 300 competitors and national bluegrass acts such as Leftover Bisquits and Mountain Holler. This year's event features The Railsplitters, Jeff Scroggins & Colorado and The Vintage Martins. The main event, a wide variety of beef brisket, pulled pork, pork ribs, chicken, and side dishes, will be served up to audience and judges alike by 30 competitors from around the United States. As usual, main sponsor Pepsi will provide drinks to wash it all down.
For Larry Hill of Worland, representing Rolling Hogs BBQ, the festival is more than just a chance to display his BBQ skill, it's also a family affair. Competing against him this year are son Larry Hill Jr. of Lovell (Over the Coals BBQ), daughter Kari Barr of Worland (Barr's BBQ), and grandson Tenn-Ray Barr, also of Worland. Tenn-Ray will be specializing in the "Potato Tornado," a spiral-cut seasoned, deep-fried side dish and helping out around the arena.
"I came in third for brisket the first year, and haven't placed since" laughed Larry, "I reckon if I ever come in last I'll just quit." In actuality, Hill is a founding father of the festival, and a regular volunteer to supervise the assembly of the judging area before the audience ever arrives. "Larry was one of the first guys," remembers organizer Dale Wagner. "In addition to cooking to compete, he'll be cooking for the certified judging class again this year."
For competitors like Mike Wozniak of Brimfield, Ill. (QUAQ BBQ), the Worland festival is one of more than 40 he attends each summer. Wozniak, grand champion in both 2010 and 2012, looks forward to the Wyoming State Championship as much as the bigger competitions held around the country. "This festival is smaller, but with less than 100 competitors, mostly from Wyoming, you know you're up against the best Wyoming has to offer." To win the grand champion title, Wozniak cooks and presents in all four categories: brisket, pulled pork and ribs and chicken. "You can't specialize to be a grand champion," he noted. "You've got to do it all."
With free admission and gates opening at 4 p.m., barbecue lovers will be able to start tasting the competitors' handiwork right after the opening ceremonies at 5:30 p.m., with the People's Choice Awards at 9:45 p.m. Jeff Scroggins & Colorado take the stage at 6 p.m. to begin the musical portion of the event, followed by The Vintage Martins and The Railsplitters.
For the kids, the festival features a bouncy house, face painting, and a kid's barbecue competition on Saturday at 8 a.m. Also on Saturday are the main judging events, a raffle, and a 5K run that begins at 7:30 a.m.
Event organizers would like to remind all guests that tobacco products and pets are not allowed in the fairgrounds.
