related stories
Bikes, Blues & BBQ 2006
All the stories about this year's Bikes, Blues & BBQ, including daily schedules.
- City still awaiting final tax numbers from BB&BBQ rally (10-07-2006)
- Organizers deem bike festival a roaring success (10-02-2006)
- Bikes, blues & vows (10-01-2006)
- Ride-N-Boogie gives bikers another option (10-01-2006)
- · Grill skills (09-30-2006)
- BIKES, BLUES, & BBQ Event Schedule (09-29-2006)
- Bikes, Blues, & BBQ Music Schedule (09-29-2006)
- Volume up: Fayetteville packs streets and stages with multiple music acts (09-29-2006)
- More than motorcycles (09-29-2006)
- Big ‘Bikes,’ little scholars (09-28-2006)
After pouring just the right amount of marinade over his three-pound brisket, Fayetteville resident Tim Foschee cautiously glanced around before adding the rest of his secret ingredients.
“ I don’t think you can ever over marinate, ” Foschee said as he sealed one of his meat-filled Ziploc bags. “ Besides, we can’t even start cooking until midnight. ”
Foschee was just one of about 40 contestants preparing Friday for the Sixth Annual Arkansas State BBQ Championship, which began at midnight. The event takes place at the Northwest Arkansas Mall and is just one of the events associated with the Bikes, Blues & BBQ Motorcycle Rally.
Foschee and two of his closest friends — Adam Kees of Springdale and John Tedford of Fayetteville — are entering the state championship for their second time.
“ Tim’s the main guy — he’s like our pit chief, ” Kees said. “ Last year was the first time that any of us have done something like this and we landed in about the middle. ”
Foschee, who has been perfecting his grilling technique for the past 20 years, is optimistic about this year’s contest.
“ I learned a lot last year, so I think we’ll do much better, ” he said. “ I’ve been cooking for about 20 years, mainly just because I like barbecue. Some of the things I’ve learned have come from experience, plus my wife has also taught me a lot — she’s honest. ”
While area residents are invited to attend the contest, they are not permitted to sample the entries.
“ According to the guidelines, you can’t sell anything you cook, ” Foschee said. “ But according to the health department, you can’t give it away, either. Last year everyone kept coming up to me and saying, ‘ Your BBQ smells so good, I have to try it. ’ I got really good at giving directions to all the local barbecue restaurants in town. ”
Also returning to this year’s championship cook-off is Fayetteville resident Matt Durrett, along with several of his co-workers from the Washington County Prosecutor’s Office.
“ We’re not all from the prosecutor’s office, so [Washington County Prosecutor ] John Threet is not responsible for our actions, ” he joked.
Durrett said he and his teammates placed seventh in last year’s cookoff.
“ Last year we stayed up all night, so Saturday morning was miserable, ” he said. “ This year, we’re definitely going to pace ourselves so we can win. ”
According to event coordinator Ron Autry, the championship has grown by about 20 percent since last year.
“ We’ve got people competing from seven differ- ent states, ” he said. “ We’re sanctioned by the [Kansas City Barbecue Society ], so we go by their rules. ”
Contestants are judged in four separate categories of meat — chicken, beef brisket, ribs and pork.
“ They’re judged on their taste, texture and appearance, ” Autry said. “ The sauce has nothing to do with it. They are only judged on the actual meat. ”
Autry said the grand champion of the contest will receive $ 3, 500; the reserve grand champion will receive $ 2, 500 and the third place winner will receive $ 1, 000.
“ The winner gets points toward qualifying for the national championship, ” he said
Autry said this year’s contest also features a new event called the Williams Foods Wing Ding — a contest sanctioned by World Wide Wings.
“ Depending on how much participation we get this year, it might become part of our barbecue contest next year, ” he said.
Categories for the Wing Ding contest include hot, BBQ and other. First place winners t receive $ 75, second place receives $ 50 and third place winners receives $ 25.
Winners for the both contests will be announced at 3 p. m. today.
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