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One of the hottest attractions at the
Blues, Brews and Barbecue event this
year will be the Kansas City Barbecue
Society All American Barbecue
Throwdown.
This will be the fourth year the
Westland Jaycee organization has
hosted the barbecue competition, and
there is no shortage of contestants.
Eric Stoddard, chairman of the
throwdown event, noted that the first
amateur competition four years ago
started as a “sort of backyard competi-
tion. The next year, there were 16
entries vying for awards, last year, 29
professional barbecue cooks entered
and this year more than 40 have
already entered hoping to win the
GrandChampion trophy.
“It's a family event,” Stoddard, a 4-
year-member of the Westland Jaycees
said. The club members handle the
parking and myriad other duties asso-
ciated with organizing and overseeing
the event, now sanctioned by the bar-
becue society.
There are strict rules for the profes-
sionals cooking in various categories
including ribs, chicken and brisket, all
vying to become the Grand Champion
or Reserve Grand Champion in one of
the various categories. Judging is pret-
ty rigorous, too, Stoddard said as there
are more than 50 professional judges
who rate the entries.
This year, teams of cooks will come
from Ontario, Canada, Pennsylvania,
Ohio and Indiana, hoping to take
home the grand prize and many will
bring their families with them for the
event.
There is no admission
fee to come over and watch
the barbecue and
talk to the cooks
”
The thrill of the grill
More than 40 competitors vie for barbecue honors
