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If you are a barbeque aficionado or just a foody in general, you might not want to miss the Diamond State Barbeque Championship this weekend.
Sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, the annual competition will take place Saturday, Oct. 17 at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino and will feature teams from all across the tri-state area.
Competing for the third time in the competition will be Middletown team Pigheaded BBQ, which includes head cook Ron Templeman Sr., his son Ron Templeman Jr. son-in-law Mike Sadgwar and nephew Brian Milito.
“I saw a competition on the Food Network one day and I said, ‘I like barbequing. I think I can do that,’ ” Ron Sr. said. “I started cooking in the back yard, and after a year or two, I decided to get involved.”
He said it didn’t take much effort to get his family on board.
“We just jumped in with both feet and started doing it,” Ron said. “And everyone started liking my cooking.”
He said in this competition, teams will cook four different kinds of meat: chicken, ribs, pork and brisket. Judges will score the dishes based on appearance, taste and tenderness or texture.
Ron said when his team first started competing, they’d have fun and experiment, but now they cook for the judges.
“The whole thing is consistency,” he said. “The judges have not always agreed with us on what we think is good.”
Ron said many of the competitors take certified judging classes, which can be an asset in a competition, but everyone has their own tastes.
“You can’t teach someone how to taste,” he said. “Most judges like sweet but some like spicy. But I do know what they score down for.”
Fred Bohn, director of culinary operations at Dover Downs, said the hotel and casino decided to start hosting the competition four years ago after seeing the competitions on the Food Network.
“Barbeque is starting to be the hot thing in the food and beverage industry,” he said. “We fiddle around with it here … and I said, ‘Why can’t we have [a competition]?’ We’re always looking for something new.”
Bohn said it’s a fun event for the public because there’s much more going on throughout the day, including a Strong Man competition, a car show, giveaways and a Big Boy’s Toy Show.
He said he is expecting a large turnout for the barbeque competition this year.
“We had 82 teams last year and we’re expecting the same this year, which makes it the largest on the east coast.
Bohn said $15,000 in prize money will be awarded to the top teams. The winning team will also get an automatic invitation to the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational Barbeque in Lynchburg, Tenn.
Ron said the Dover event is the only sanctioned competition in Delaware. He is looking to get a competition sanctioned at the Dutch Country Farmer’s Market in Middletown.
He said his team enjoys competing for the social atmosphere of it all.
“We compete against most of the same people all the time,” Ron said. “So we’ve developed friends along the way. It’s just a time to get together.”
EVENT INFO
WHAT Diamond State Barbeque Championship
WHEN Saturday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, 1131 N. DuPont Hwy, Dover; Teams will cook outside of Dover International Speedway’s Monster Mile.
COST Registration costs $225 to enter the competition; Admission for the public is $7. Admission is free for children 12 and younger. VIP tickets are $35.
FOR MORE INFO go to www.doverdowns.com or call 302-857-3703.
If you are a barbeque aficionado or just a foody in general, you might not want to miss the Diamond State Barbeque Championship this weekend.
Sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, the annual competition will take place Saturday, Oct. 17 at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino and will feature teams from all across the tri-state area.
Competing for the third time in the competition will be Middletown team Pigheaded BBQ, which includes head cook Ron Templeman Sr., his son Ron Templeman Jr. son-in-law Mike Sadgwar and nephew Brian Milito.
“I saw a competition on the Food Network one day and I said, ‘I like barbequing. I think I can do that,’ ” Ron Sr. said. “I started cooking in the back yard, and after a year or two, I decided to get involved.”
He said it didn’t take much effort to get his family on board.
“We just jumped in with both feet and started doing it,” Ron said. “And everyone started liking my cooking.”
He said in this competition, teams will cook four different kinds of meat: chicken, ribs, pork and brisket. Judges will score the dishes based on appearance, taste and tenderness or texture.
Ron said when his team first started competing, they’d have fun and experiment, but now they cook for the judges.
“The whole thing is consistency,” he said. “The judges have not always agreed with us on what we think is good.”
Ron said many of the competitors take certified judging classes, which can be an asset in a competition, but everyone has their own tastes.
“You can’t teach someone how to taste,” he said. “Most judges like sweet but some like spicy. But I do know what they score down for.”
Fred Bohn, director of culinary operations at Dover Downs, said the hotel and casino decided to start hosting the competition four years ago after seeing the competitions on the Food Network.
“Barbeque is starting to be the hot thing in the food and beverage industry,” he said. “We fiddle around with it here … and I said, ‘Why can’t we have [a competition]?’ We’re always looking for something new.”
Bohn said it’s a fun event for the public because there’s much more going on throughout the day, including a Strong Man competition, a car show, giveaways and a Big Boy’s Toy Show.
He said he is expecting a large turnout for the barbeque competition this year.
“We had 82 teams last year and we’re expecting the same this year, which makes it the largest on the east coast.
Bohn said $15,000 in prize money will be awarded to the top teams. The winning team will also get an automatic invitation to the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational Barbeque in Lynchburg, Tenn.
Ron said the Dover event is the only sanctioned competition in Delaware. He is looking to get a competition sanctioned at the Dutch Country Farmer’s Market in Middletown.
He said his team enjoys competing for the social atmosphere of it all.
“We compete against most of the same people all the time,” Ron said. “So we’ve developed friends along the way. It’s just a time to get together.”
EVENT INFO
WHAT Diamond State Barbeque Championship
WHEN Saturday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, 1131 N. DuPont Hwy, Dover; Teams will cook outside of Dover International Speedway’s Monster Mile.
COST Registration costs $225 to enter the competition; Admission for the public is $7. Admission is free for children 12 and younger. VIP tickets are $35.
FOR MORE INFO go to www.doverdowns.com or call 302-857-3703.
