Local barbequers Jeff and Shelly Sharp earned first place at the second Blazin’ BBQ & Bluegrass, hosted by Marshall County Tourism.
“We are proud to announce that two Marshall County teams placed in top 10 overall,” said Cori Humes, Tourism director, with the Sharps, grand champion overall… and sixth place goes to Smokin’ Hookers Bar-B-Q from Tippecanoe, head cook Jeff Hooker.”
The event was Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) sanctioned. The KCBS is the world’s largest organization of barbeque and grilling enthusiasts, and sanctions more than 450 contests worldwide.
There were 33 professional BBQ teams, who spent the night Friday preparing their delicious chicken, ribs, pork and brisket – and one dessert category. Forty-two certified judges then scored the meats. The Sharps took fourth place in chicken; sixth place in ribs; first in pork and third in brisket. The team’s overall score was 702.3088. Coming in second was Able Acres BBQ with a score of 696.5600.
“It was our hometown cook,” the Sharps posted on their Facebook page (facebook.com/pages/Yellow-River-BBQ) “and everything ran smoothly. We would like to give a huge shoutout to CTE Solutions and Tim Martin Buick GMC for their sponsorship. We couldn’t have done it without you!”
Tourism volunteer Bill Walters said, “Congratulations on a great season,・in regard to the Sharps, “It is especially great to see you earn a home-town championship. I was glad to have a small part as a volunteer at the Blazin’ BBQ and Bluegrass. It was a fantastic weekend with good entertainment, great competitors, and fun times.”
Walters said the sponsors were instrumental in bringing this event to Centennial Park. “I had the opportunity to visit with some out-of-town competitors that I met last year,” Walters said. “I just enjoy volunteering for events like this which benefit our great city and area. I hope to see this event grow in future years and believe it will with support from the sponsors, hard work by the staff at Marshall County Tourism, and even more volunteers in future years.”
Humes said more than 1,000 people attended the two-day event, enjoying music, great food and the BBQ competition.
Complete results of this contest can be found at http://www.kcbs.us/ and searching the events tab for Blazin’ BBQ & Bluegrass.
By Maggie Nixon for WTCA (See WTCA’s Facebook page for more photos)
