BBQ brings good food to COTR
Editor’s Note: This article continues a series by The West Alabama Watchman on the annual Demopolis holiday event known as Christmas on the River.
Good food goes along with festive celebrations, and Christmas on the River is no different.
Already 35 barbecue teams are on tap to compete at the COTR Barbecue Cookoff, a qualifying event for the national Kansas City Barbecue Society Championship.
Dee Wright one of the five members of the COTR BBQ committee, said some five or 10 more teams are expected to sign up closer to Dec. 3, the eve of the cookoff.
The popular event draws hundreds of people to sample barbecue and vote for their favorite ancillary dish. Trinity Episcopal Church members again this year are preparing barbecue sandwiches and sides for everyone who pays the $5 admission fee. Gates open at the George Franks Field at 5 p.m.
In addition, Wright said, several competing teams may offer samples of their specialties to those attending.
As people walk around the venue to see each of the competitors, they also have a chance to select a favored side dishes in an ancillary event. Wright said teams are invited to cook whatever they want—a dessert, side or meat — and people vote for their favorites by putting a dollar or more in a bucket. Teams with the most money at the end of the night receive a trophy, but all donations this year go toward sponsoring an event for special needs children to be held at Soggy Bottom.
The competition on Saturday is closed to the public as teams prepare their entries for judging.
“It’s really like go-time for the teams,” said Wright.
Between 55 and 70 judges coming from as far away as Minnesota and New York to rate the different varieties of specialties in the official Alabama State Championship BBQ Cook-off, part of the Kansas City Barbecue Society circuit.
Winners will be announced about 1:30 p.m., once are the scores are tallied, said Wright.
The judging has two divisions – back yard and professional, she said. Each division has meat categories. Back yard teams compete in chicken and ribs; professional teams enter brisket, chicken, ribs and barbecue. There is also a sauce classification.
Winning teams get a trophy and money, and the top teams qualify for the Kansas City competition. Since the COTR event is the last one on the circuit for the year, teams also use it to earn points to meet the requirements for Kansas City.
In addition, the COTR BBQ committee recognizes local teams with trophies and points.
Members of the BBQ Committee with Wright are JB Warren, Paul Willingham, Corey McCormick and newcomer Jessica Dial.