I was invited to judge at yesterday’s Meadowlands Battle for the Best BBQ. I’ve guest judged at the popular racetrack a few times now and Rachel and Jennifer from the organization’s marketing department always put forth a great event, in this case, on a very rainy Saturday.

Food trucks and more modest tents and tables were set up in The Backyard, an outdoor event space overlooking the race track. Attendees could walk around and purchase food from vendors among the following participants:  

• Bearded Pigs BBQ
• The Guac Spot
• Smoke + Fire Craft Meats
• Road Grub Mobile
• Tacoholics
• Empanada Guy
• Kimchi Smoke Barbecue
• Olsen’s BBQ & Grill
• Bite Back BBQ

There were also some sweets-focused vendors: Glazed and Confused, Flirty Desserts, Kath’s Catering, Waffle de Lys, Carnival Concessions & Jersey Girl Smoothies.

The battle we judged consisted of four food categories: chicken, pork, brisket and ribs. The vendors could opt to submit entries for all the categories or not. Four vendors turned in food in all four categories, the others cooked chicken and/or pork.

I’m a KCBS-certified BBQ judge and knew what to look for from the cooking teams. Knowing it wasn’t an official/sanctioned BBQ competition, I was more open-minded about the various submissions, some of which were a bit unorthodox.

The winners were chosen based on a points system: appearance, taste, tenderness. I thought there were clear winners in each category. Prizes were $500 for wins in each category and the winners were:

• Chicken: Kimchi Smoke Barbecue 
• Pulled Pork: Glazed and Confused 
• Brisket: Smoke + Fire Craft Meats
• Ribs: Bite Back BBQ

There was also a “Fan Favorite”, Delicious BBQ.

I was familiar with the outstanding food Robert Cho puts forth at Kimchi Smoke, so wasn’t surprised he took home a win. I was a little surprised though that his win was for chicken and not the delish pork or brisket he’s famous for. I’m a sucker for brisket and I’ve been presented a good version at VERY few BBQ events. Kevin Pohlman, the self-proclaimed “one-man BBQ competition team” behind Smoke + Fire Craft Meats blew me away with his. The brisket slice was perfectly-bendable without breaking off, a sure sign of an overcooked brisket, juicy, beefy with the right amount of smoke. I’ve trained myself to take small bites at these cooking competitions, but I simply couldn’t do that with this brisket – fine work. I was happy to see that a ‘dessert’ vendor could pull off a good pork dish – neat!

The Meadowlands hosts many food events during the year and fans can stay abreast of upcoming events by connecting with the track via Facebook or by signing up for its newsletter.

Cheers,

Veronique