It is day two at the American Royal BBQ competition. The parties from last night are only a throbbing memory. It is time to get down to business. Before Ms. Goofy and I returned to the Royal we stopped at the ‘Kansas City River Market’ district farmers market. This market runs through out the week. There are food shops and restaurants arranged all around a parking square. On the weekend the parked cars are replaced with local farmers selling their wares. This is a very nice and busy market. There was a little price sticker shock. The prices were generally lower than California produce. Pumpkins and fall produce was abundant. Several meat vendors with grass fed beef sold their meat. Some chocolate linguini caught my eye. We also bought some jalapeno and chipotle pasta.
Today the competition showcases invited bbq champions from all over the country. I am sure they kept their party activities to a minimum last night to concentrate on preparing their brisket and pork shoulder. These meats can take up to 15 hours to smoke and cook properly. We strolled through the grounds and witnessed some intense preparation. A lot of teams were getting their meat ready for the ‘Open’ competition tomorrow. Each team has similar methods but their own twist on the process.
The noon hour approached. This would be the time to turn in the first category of chicken. There is a time window to turn in your meat. If you are one second late you will be disqualified. This window of time can be a chaotic and crazy time. Some contestants have a long distance to travel to the turn in area. Some have taken a stopwatch and timed themselves for the distance. Crowds can be a factor in this time. One contestant rode her entry in on a bicycle. Ms. Goofy and I enjoyed watching the mad dash to the ‘turn in’.
We spent several hours at the Royal today. Tomorrow we will return with our judge’s badges. We are going to warm up our barbeque taste buds with a practice bbq dinner. What better place to do a warm up but the famous Arthur Bryants. Stay tuned.
6 comments:
I never knew there was so much drama at a bbq judging - timing is everything!
It all sounds terrific... Glad you found the river market. An incredible local (for me) asset!
Enjoy the experience
Keep the pics and posts coming.
Nice. I'm not going to the Royal, until I'm invited. Hope you had a great time!
That looks like some amazing meat! I'm looking forward to your report. Your remark about the sticker shock made me smile... we experienced the same thing here.
Zoomie, My kind of drama.
A Year on the Grill, The River market was a great place. We returned Sunday night and listened to a blues band jam at the bbq joint(Winslow?) into the evening. We also had pizza and watched the Raiders tank another game next door.
Chris, I will do my best. My stomach is getting in way of the keyboard.
WhiteTrashBBQ, Shoot, I am inviting you. You will be happy if you attend.
Zia, We feel like we are getting such a deal.It is worth every penny and more.
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