Grillmasters getting ready for barbecue championship in Wheatfield
Enthusiasm on fire for Eagles-sponsored championship
By Thad Komorowski
Updated: 07/03/08 7:48 AM
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- Roy “Honcho” Gregory, one of many area barbecue enthusiasts, fires up his homemade grill in Wheatfield. Gregory has a perspective on barbecue that becomes almost philosophical.
WHEATFIELD — Enthusiasm is only the first characteristic Roy Gregory shows when the subject is barbecue.
Keep him on the topic and the 53- year-old retired Teamster is bound to get a gleam in his eye, as he rattles off dates, places and facts, and rifles through folders and flyers for backup printed material.
After a brief time, he’ll stroke his thick, dark beard and offer a convincing perspective on barbecue that becomes almost philosophical.
But not all of the sauce is serious. Mention his upcoming barbecue championship and he gets like a kid before Christmas.
The “Smokin’ Eagles BBQ Championship ‘08” is set for Aug. 15-16 in the parking lot at the Summit Mall at 6929 Williams Road. Gregory has been promoting the event, passing out applications and flyers, and stirring the pot since January.
The winner or “grand champion” could take a share of up to $10,000 in prize money at the sanctioned event here and move on to the “National Best-of-the-Best Invitational” in Georgia on Halloween to go for part of the $60,000 pot.
The Wheatfield championship hopes to attract hundreds of visitors who will spend a lot of time visiting tables and booths and licking their fingers as they sample the barbecued wares of up to 50 competitors. Located near the Sears end of the Williams Road parking lot, there will be live music, dozens of vendors selling everything from grills to ribs, and plenty of barbecues secrets to pry from the experts. Visitors also can become certified barbecues judges by attending the Friday night class.
Whether it’s the result of process, pastime or lifestyle, the smoke from the barbecue is becoming a popular smell across the country. Barbecue recipes and events are regularly featured on cable television food and travel channels. On the internet, about a dozen championships, sanctioned by the National BBQ Festival of Douglas, Ga., are scheduled this year. There may be several different sanctioning bodies but it’s the National BBQ folks that “are the overseers who make sure we meet the standards.”
They were looking for a stronghold in the northeast and Gregory suggested Wheatfield.
“There is a local interest coming out of the woodwork,” he noted. “We’re trying to capitalize on that interest.”
Contrary to backyard belief, grilling is not barbecuing, according to Gregory. Grilling is what is done to hot dogs and frozen hamburgers to keep the kids happy. The processes are on two different levels, he noted.
While grilling can shoot up to 500 degrees, barbecuing is a “low and
slow” process where the temperature stays between 180 and 200, sometimes hitting 225. “You can take a lower grade of meat and make it a prize possession — our most prized commodity,” Gregory explained.
Beef briskets may take up to 18 hours, shoulders to 10, but ribs can be completed in four although a longer cook is preferred, he said.
“By cooking slowly, the marble (fat) that runs through the meat melts,” he pointed out. The lower end of meat becomes “a beautiful thing.”
Slow cooking can also melt personalities by leaving time for everyone to talk, socialize, and get to know and understand one another, he said.
“Abe Lincoln had barbecue during a number of board meetings. It’s a way of breaking the ice. This isn’t Democrat or Republican or black or white. This is out common ground,” Gregory said.
Sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Eagles 1411 of North Tonawanda, the championship allows chefs, whether “professional or backyard,” and their teams to match their barbecues best in several categories and compete for prize money, he said. As the contest evolves in the years to come, so will the categories, he said.
The meats in the contest are limited to the standards — brisket, chicken, pork and pork ribs — and must be cooked on site. However, the choice of styles is wide open and sauces can include Texas, Memphis, St. Louis, Carolina or any combination.
“We’re making it open to anyone to join. We’re being very flexible even with late entries,” he said.
Entry information can be found on the Web sites of Wheatfield Business Association, The Summit mall, the Town of Wheatfield, the FOE 1411, and the National BBQ Festival or by calling 695-3755.
Or e-mail mailbags2@aol.com for entry information. Gregory knows it has the potential to become as big or bigger than the “Taste of Buffalo” in a few years.
“I want everyone to know that on the 33rd week of the year, we’re eating barbecue at The Summit mall. When they look at the calendar (after the contest), they’ll say ‘I’ve got 365 days to go’.”
