Mmmmm, What's That Smell?

Something was cooking down at New London’s over the weekend and it didn’t take a bloodhound’s nose to sniff out the source.

The aroma of barbequed pork, chicken, and beef brisket that had been slow cooking throughout the night of October 14 wafted up toward Bank Street, drawing hungry onlookers toward the rows of smokers and grills that lined the boardwalk down by the harbor. Many were disappointed, however, when they learned that much of that delicious barbecue was intended for official tasters only.  

This was the only official Kansas City Barbeque [sic] Association contest to be held in Connecticut this year and 15 teams, with names such as Nice Rack BBQ, The Perfect Butt, and Redneck Caviar, had come from as far away as Canada, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Vermont to vie for the championship.

They arrived in RVs with pounds of meat and smokers of all shapes and sizes, which they set up dockside on Friday evening. Many stayed up all night to keep an eye on the brisket and all were up bright and early on October 15 to fire up the grill for ribs and chicken. These barbecue enthusiasts are serious about their meat.

Then again, the Kansas City Barbeque Association takes these events very seriously. Each year, the association holds about 400 contests all across the country. Judging is done in four categories: brisket, pork butts, ribs, and chicken, and there’s a final award based on points won in each for overall champion.

The rules are strict and all the meat has to pass inspection before it even has a chance to pass muster with the judges, who came to New London from Missouri for this event.  Despite the rain that fell on Friday, however, they all managed to hold true to the most important rule of all: Keep the grill hot and the beer cold!

“I thought I was coming out here to show New England how to barbecue but they proved me wrong,” said Bunny Tuttle, a master certified barbecue judge from Kansas City, Missouri. “They were good!”

Tuttle’s surprise is understandable. Unlike Missouri, Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina, New England isn’t generally associated with barbecue. Each region has its own unique style. Texas has more mesquite and heat, Georgia and South Carolina are mustard and vinegar based, and Kansas City barbecue is sweeter and slathered with sauce.  

In New England, the preference is sweet with heat, and less vinegar, said Eric Mitchell, director of New England BBQ Society, who was one of the competitors at this event.

With so many different styles, you might wonder what criteria the judges use. Tuttle was ready with an answer to that. “What really makes a good barbecue is flavor, moisture, and good texture,” said Tuttle. Of course, it goes without saying that the flavor has to be good. On that score, the competition in New London was fierce.

Eric and Cindi Mitchell of Yabba Dabba Que! in Bedford, New Hampshire, came prepared with three Big Green Egg cookers, a design inspired by ancient Asian Kamado cookers  that can be used for everything from smoking at low temperatures to searing meat on the grill at 700 degrees.  The couple has been competing since 2006, and participated in about 15 events this year alone.

“I think we did OK,” he said. “I’m not predicting DAL (Dead Ass Last).”

In fact, Yabba Dabba Que! did better than okay, taking second place for both their chicken and their pork ribs. The overall champion, however, was ZBQ, a team comprising two couples from Rhode Island. Team ZBQ’s Paul Zonofrillo literally jumped for joy when the announcement was made.

“I can’t believe it!” he gushed. “We’ve never won a grand champion before!”

The team, which has been competing for six years, has come close to winning before, said teammate Chris Clegg, but this is their first big victory.

Not only does the winner take home the largest cash prize of the day, ZBQ’s grand champion status means the team is now qualified to compete in the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational Barbeque and is also eligible for the American Royal Invitational, both of which are considered the holy grails of barbequing contests.

“This is why this is a big deal,” said Tuttle.

The event was also a victory for New London. City Waterfront Coordinator Barbara Neff came up with the idea to bring the Kansas City Barbecue Association here after city leaders asked her to find another event that would bring more people to downtown New London. Neff had just three months to pull the event together, and that included getting a proclamation from the governor to make it an officially sanctioned event and rounding up 15 teams, the minimum number required by the Kansas City Barbeque.

To meet the association’s requirements for a second annual competition, she’ll need to get 25 teams next year. Still, now she has more time to plan, Neff is confident there’ll be no shortage of entrants.

“Cook-offs are really big,” said Neff.