BBQ Cookoff a sizzling success

When their mouths weren’t full and savouring the taste of carefully cooked beef, pork and chicken, residents of the community were raving about Barrhead’s first annual BBQ Cookoff.

About 500 people came out to taste the mouthwatering concoctions of the cookoff competitors Saturday, August 9.

Five teams in total signed up to participate, much lower than the event’s original goal of about 20, however the competition could be dubbed nothing other than a total success.

Teams included Pembina West Co-op, Northplex, the Hillbilly Sizzlers, and of course the two that started it all: Barrhead Custom Meats Old Guy, headed by Dennis Ranger, and Barrhead Custom Meats New Breed, with Ranger’s son Shane.

Four of the five teams began their cooking process Friday at midnight, with charcoal donated by Sanderman’s Home Hardware. The fifth team, cooking meats that didn’t require the extra time like brisket does for example, started Saturday.

When curious individuals started flocking to the Agrena parking lot around 3:30 p.m., following the smell of freshly barbecued meats, the teams opened up public judging at 4 p.m.

With the purchase of a $5 “Taste Tester” button, anyone could taste the meats and vote on what they thought deserved first, second and third place in each of the four categories.

Ranger, who came up with the cook-off competition idea last fall as a way to go head to head against Shane, said he couldn’t be happier about the turnout.

“It was better than what I thought it would be. The people, everybody, all the participants were here for fun,” he said. “People loved it. A few people gave us some really good suggestions and so we’re going to get together and work on them.”

Some suggestions from the public included all teams having the same amount and variety of meats, and setting up right in front of the Agrena instead of the opposite end of the parking lot.

Both the public taste testers and the competitors said they thought next year is going to be bigger and better, but Ranger didn’t expect this big of a turnout.

“As a matter of fact, we made the ballots and the taster buttons so whatever we had left over we could use next year,” he said. “We had 400 voting sheets, and they’re all gone. Some people didn’t even get them.”

Ranger added he thinks participation will at least double, and crowds are expected to be as high as 600 in 2015.

“A lot of people didn’t know how it was going to work. Now they’ve seen the way it works, and we were having a ball, so they want to get in on the action,” said Ranger. “Two or three people already said now that they see how it runs, they would be very interested in entering a team.”

As for results, Barrhead Custom Meats Old Guy claimed first place in Beef Brisket, Pork Ribs, and Pork Shoulder. Northplex came out on top in the Chicken category.

“The old boy bested me,” said Shane, who came second after Ranger in more than one category. “I have to eat humble pie now.”

Though he wasn’t able to get the best of his father, Shane said he isn’t disappointed in the slightest. In fact, the losses made him more determined to up his game for the 2015 competition.

“This was actually a really great experience,” said Shane. “I’m looking forward to next year when I can turn the tables.”

How did Ranger feel about winning three out of the four categories?

“The biggest thrill is beating my son,” he laughed.

As someone in the lingering crowd said, perhaps some things do get better with age.