DawsonTimes.com

In an unusual community activity to raise money for local student scholarships, Brenau University will host Barbecue & Banjos, May 28-30, a Memphis Barbecue Network-sanctioned competition for professionals, a cook-off for backyard grillers and performances by local bluegrass bands.

In addition to festivities that are open to the public on May 30, the event also features a four-hour cooking class conducted by two-time international barbecue champion Bill Morris. Better known as “Billy Bob Billy,” Morris is the author of “They Were Smokin’,” an in-depth guide to cooking barbecue. He is a retired member of Holy Smokers Too, a team that has twice won the Memphis in May world championship.

Charter Communications has signed up as the top corporate sponsor for the event. Others that have joined in thus far include Primerica, Leon Farmer, McDonalds and Southern Proper.

“I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t like barbecue. It’s part of our Southern culture, and it represents a cooking style that is an art form,” said Jim Barco, Brenau senior vice president for institutional development. “This is first and foremost going to be a community event, created specifically to help Brenau students in our area finance their educations.”

Although the centerpiece for the three-day event is the professional competition that will help participants qualify for a crack at the world championship, there are also many other activities in the family-friendly festival that make it a bit unusual, Barco said.

One is Morris’s cooking school.  In a four-hour class from 1-5 p.m. on May 29, Morris will teach barbecue techniques such as fire management and meat selection acquired from three decades of competition experience. The class also will include a mock on-site presentation for a Memphis Barbecue Network contest. Ribs, shoulder and whole hog cooking methods will be covered. The $69 fee for the barbecue class includes a copy of Morris’ cookbook, a pass to Saturday’s event, and beverages.

Good backyard grillers are not necessarily good barbecue cooks, Morris said in an interview from his home in Knoxville, Tenn.  “The biggest mistake beginners make is cooking too hot and too fast. That tends to pull all of the moisture out of the meat and results in an overcooked product.”

Morris recommends cooking at a temperature of 225 degrees.  “A Boston butt should take about eight or 10 hours, or four to five hours for ribs.”

On Friday, May 29, local grillers affectionately known as “back-yard braggarts,” will begin setting up their sites to prepare to compete in the ribs and Boston butt categories. Winners can claim bragging rights in their community for the coming year as well as $300 for first place, $150 for second place and $75 for third place in both the ribs and Boston butt categories. They are also eligible for the $500 People’s Choice Award.

Prizes totaling $12,000 will be awarded in the professional competition, with $2,800 being awarded to the Grand Champion. Cash prizes of $1,250, $750, $500 and $250 will be awarded in the whole hog, ribs and shoulder categories.

On Saturday, May 30, the gates will open to the public at 10 a.m. for a day of barbecue, bluegrass music, and shopping in the green space surrounding the amphitheater on the Brenau campus.  Local bluegrass bands the Hoyles, the Musselwhite Family and Highway 362 will perform from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Vendors will offer backyard chefs everything from sauces and rubs to cookbooks and top-of-the-line smokers. 

Professional cookers from throughout the Southeast will begin setting up their equipment on Thursday and “cooking some of the most delicious, world-class barbecue to grace the earth,” said Barco, who has already completed his training as a judge. And for those who aspire to a higher level in their barbecue production, there will be a raffle for what Barco described as “the most bodacious grill you’d ever hope to own, the ultimate tail-gating grill experience,” a gift of Bubba Grills.

Admission is $5. Proceeds will benefit the local student scholarship fund for Brenau University.  More information about Banjos & Barbecue and registration forms for the competitions and cooking class are available at  www.Brenau.edu/bbq.

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