In Kansas City, some people view cooking barbecue as a sacred art. The devout pitmasters know the preparation that goes into crafting the sauces, the rubs and the smoke. Many weekends have been spent working over the grill, honing the right flavors by local barbecue aficionados. This is serious work that, while not a religion, is certainly a strong cultural tradition.
This summer, for the fourth time, the tradition of making the best barbecue in the world meets the ancient Jewish tradition of keeping kosher at the annual Kansas City Vaad Kosher BBQ Festival and Competition, sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society. {mprestriction ids="1,3"}The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16, at the Ritz Charles, 9000 W. 137th St., Overland Park.
The Kosher BBQ Festival is the only kosher barbecue event sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society, which is recognized as the preeminent barbecue judging organization on the planet. The organization sanctions over 450 events worldwide, including the superbowl of barbecue, the American Royal. The kosher contest stands out for a number of reasons, with one of the biggest being the actual meats that are used.
Generally the categories at a barbecue competition are pork, ribs, chicken and brisket. The necessary elimination of pork was an easy obstacle to overcome, substituting beef ribs and turkey in its places. This gives the competition a taste all its own.
There will be a panel of judges made up of food critics and experts, with the host and moderator being Simon Majumdar, who frequently appears on Food Network and is the author of best-selling book “Eat My Globe,” and “Eating for Britain.”
Three local Jewish men who know a thing or two about barbecue will be among the judges this year — Larry Zimmerman, Stuart Cohen and Jerry Kaplan. Zimmerman says he has judged 50 to 60 events in total, and has judged the kosher contest twice before. He had started in non-barbecue events for foods like chili and chicken wings, but his palette was looking for more.
“I really like barbecue so I thought I should get into this part of it,” Zimmerman said. “And being Jewish, I wanted to try the kosher competition out.”
Zimmerman, who is originally from New York and has lived in Kansas City for the past 30 years, says he enjoys the subculture of the competitions. He says swapping stories on grilling mishaps and new chicken recipes with fellow barbecue enthusiasts is as big a part of the event as the actual competition.
“It’s fun learning new cooking techniques and seeing the diversity of people’s backgrounds,” Zimmerman said. “I am always interested in comparing the results too, and seeing peoples’ different favorites.”
Jerry Kaplan, who has been a judge with the Kansas City BBQ Society since 2008, agrees.
“I really enjoy going to different parts of the metro and making a day trip of it with my wife,” said Kaplan, a member of Temple Sinai. “I’m a local and have always loved barbecue, and you eat a lot as a judge. After the thrill of eating barbecue is kind of gone, it is still exciting meeting local talent.”
While the meat usually isn’t, the judging can be tough. There were approximately 30 teams at last year’s competition, almost double the 16 teams that attended the first year, with the goal this year of again bringing 30 teams together to compete. Winners are picked in each category, with first, second and third place all receiving trophies, and then an overall grand champion is awarded. The champion also receives a trophy and is listed in the Kansas City BBQ Society’s official publication, “The Bullsheet.”
What is not bull is the seriousness with which these barbecue athletes approach their craft. Though there are not as many “professional teams” — teams that go to competitions every weekend and travel the entire circuit — at this event, in the past there has still been teams that have come from a wide range of places including Louisville, Kentucky, Highland Park, Illinois, Brookline, Massachusetts, and Morristown, New Jersey. It’s definitely more than just cooking that draws people to this event.
The Vaad HaKashruth of Kansas City, which sponsors the event, says that one of the biggest benefits of the competition, besides the great food, is the opportunity to educate the Kansas City community about the meaning and deeper significance of kosher. Beyond that, the Vaad is appreciative of the opportunity to allow members of the community to get together.
“This competition is a little more informal, with more, as I would call them, backyard barbecuers,” Zimmerman said. “That adds to a really fun atmosphere.
Season of taste
Someone who knows his way around a grill is Stuart Cohen, who has been a longtime barbecue competitor. He decided to become a better competitor he would also become a judge, and in 2001 he did.
“If you are going to cook, it’s better to know how judges think, what they are looking for,” Cohen said. “I really like it, sampling different flavor profiles, it’s a unique opportunity to be able to try all this great food.”
Cohen, who grew up attending The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah, says that it is an honor to be a judge at the Kosher Barbecue Festival. As a judge, he says he gains new insight at a competition that is this unique.
“This is the only event where everything is supplied,” Cohen said, referring to the fact that the Vaad provides all the ingredients to maintain the competition’s kosher integrity. “This makes it a totally level playing field.”
Since attending the Kosher BBQ Festival, Cohen says he has seen one important evolution.
“The food gets better every year,” he said.
One of the new offerings for this year’s event is Kids-Q Competition, which allows children in two age categories, 6 to 9 and 10 to 12, the opportunity to compete. The kids will make the sauces, rub and operate the grill with adults only able to help with the cutting. A Vaad representative will light the grills.
Rabbi Mendel Segal, executive director of the Vaad, came up with the idea to have a kids contest.
“We will be the first kosher kids barbecue contest. They have them at many non-kosher barbecue festivals,” Rabbi Segal said of the kids only event, adding that some of the same folks who judge the adults will judge this competition as well.
Admission is free though there is a charge for concessions. The event is paid for through corporate sponsorships and fees are charged for competitors and vendors. In addition to corporate sponsors, community sponsorship is provided by Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City. For more information on the event and registering a team visit vaadkc.org.{/mprestriction}
