Barbeque Competition Declared State Championship

The Princeton Rotary “Burning Down The Fox BBQ Competition” was declared a State Championship by Governor Jim Doyle. The competition will be held August 25 and 26 at the Princeton Public School grounds. The Rotary club is hosting the Championship as a fund raising event.

Club President Tony Moore explained, “ this year's event has been sanctioned by the Kanasas City BBQ Society (“KCBS”). With it being declared a State Championship, cooking teams from around the country will come to Princeton to compete. To be qualified to compete at the National Championship, a team must win a state championship first.”

This is the third annual BBQ competition held in Princeton . Local teams are urged to step up to the challenge and compete in the event. Duane Rose, a competitor and member of the Grand Champion team “Burnt Offerings” reflects, “ It's awesome competing. You have a lot of fun and there is real camaraderie with the other teams competing. We plan on entering the event again this year.”

The teams for the sanctioned event will check in Friday to start cooking their beef brisket and pork shoulder. It takes a good 18 hours to cook these meats to perfection and the teams will be up all night tending their BBQ pits. To qualify for Grand Champion the team must enter all four required categories: Ribs, Chicken, Pork Shoulder, and Beef Brisket. Judging will start at noon on Saturday with a formal judging process using mostly certified judges. $3,000 is up for grabs in this division.

“It's incredible fun to attend these events”, states Chip and Patti Hiestand, who make an annual pilgrimage to the Memphis in May BBQ competition in Memphis Tennesee. The Hiestands comment, “It's about the food, music, and just having fun.”

If you are interested in competing in the event or providing sponsorship, more information is available on the event's web site www.burningdownthefox.com , or you can call Anita and Tony Moore at 920-295-3647. More information about the KCBS and BBQ competitions can be found on the KCBS website www.kcbs.us.