A&E / HEALTH & SPORTS / HOME & DESIGN / FOOD & DRINK / PARENTS + KIDS / BUSINESS / SHOPPING / CAREERS
p U n Tur e Heat ! th ta rth Dako
No SCHEELS
The annual North Dakota BBQ Championship, hosted by SCHEELS Home & Hardware, is the biggest backyard grilling event in the valley, and there’s quite a bit at “steak.” For each category, as well as for the reserve champion and grand champion, there are cash prizes. Winners are chosen by none other than the community’s finest BBQ judges; and this year, one of Spotlight’s own, Paul Hoefer, took his seat among the jury, ready to face the grillmasters.
78 | NOVEMBER 2022 | FARGOMONTHLY.COM
!
to Fargo
h
ip broug
pionsh BBQ Cham
eat and the m t a e h e h tt
P
aul has a personal interest in grilling and smoking different recipes, but how did he land a spot as a judge for it? Let’s learn about the grilling competition and hear what it was like for Paul to put his taste buds to the test! “Honestly, this is a true case of not what you know, but who you know. My buddy, Tank McNamara, asked me if I was available to be a last-minute fill-in. Tank has been judging this competition from the start. He knows I like to fire up my smoker and BBQ, so it worked out well for me,” Paul said. “I think he picked me because he knows I am a fan of food and he has seen me eat before!” Speaking of eating, the judges needed to come ready to chow down, as there were four different events throughout the day; chicken, pork shoulder, pork rib and brisket, all of which the groups of judges had to try six to seven different submissions from contestants. Totaling over 20 BBQs throughout the day, Paul counted 26 for himself. This is not a challenge for the faint of stomach, but how do you even begin to prepare for this?
“I actually started my Saturday morning off with a great breakfast at Randy’s University Diner with some friends. I then just went about my morning like normal. I needed to be there about 45 minutes before the first round of judging,” Paul said. “I did ask others at my table, who have done this before, for some tips. Like, ‘I don’t have to eat all of it, do I?’ They let me know their tips and the best way to judge, as well as the right amount of each meat to eat. It ended up being a lot of food, all great food!” The food is great and all, but the judging portion is very specific. Eric Berg has been a co-director of the event from its beginnings. Beginning in 2012 as part of what was known as Blues, Brews and BBQ, the event has turned into the sophisticated (but fun!) grilling competition it is today. The judges take their jobs as seriously as the cooks behind the grills. After the last scorecard is filled out, Eric and his other scorekeeper head to a trailer to see which grillmaster received the most points.