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Barbecue is heating up by Susan Mikula Campbell
With new sponsors, more competitors, more vendors and additional contests, Wheatfield’s Smokin’ Eagles Barbecue Competition is firing up for its second year. The competition will run from Aug. 21 to 23 at The Summit mall parking lot in Wheatfield. Last year, 18 U.S. and Canadian teams competed in the event, which offers as a top prize a ticket to the invitation-only Best of the Best competition in Georgia in October. This year, organizer Roy “Honcho” Gregory is hoping for at least 40 teams competing in the chicken, ribs, pork and brisket categories on Saturday, and even more competing in the backyard and kids’ competitions planned for Sunday. The Supervisor’s Cup Competition also will be back, with the supervisor’s team from Wheatfield defending its title against the team from Town of Niagara. This year, there also will be supervisor’s/mayor’s teams from Boston, Evans and Angola - “And we’re looking to add more,” Gregory said. “Winner takes all for the charity of their choice.” Speaking of charity, proceeds from the Smokin’ Eagles Barbecue event this year will benefit Niagara Hospice and Juvenile Diabetes. Gregory announced this week that the Seneca Niagara Casino is the grand champion sponsor for this year’s barbecue and will be the official hotel. Cataract Travel in the Town of Niagara is the official travel agency. Diamond sponsors are David Chevrolet-Buick-Pontiac, Save-A-Lot, George Edwards Jewelers and A-Z Rental, all in Wheatfield; The Barbecue Shop Inc. in Lewiston; and Try-It Distributors in Cheektowaga. Gregory, who lives, eats and breathes barbecue, has been doing some traveling lately and showing off his own skills at other barbecue competitions, while at the same time promoting the upcoming Smokin’ Eagles competition. On Memorial Day weekend, the retired teamster put a team together to compete in the Rock City Rib Fest in Rochester. He and Rob Giordano, president of The Barbecue Shop, and Noel Grosskopf, retired Delphi worker, took sixth among 47 teams in the chicken category. Interestingly enough, they did it cooking on a 55-gallon drum that they converted into a barbecue grill just days before the event. The paint was still drying as they drove to Rochester, where some people sported $20,000 equipment. “It’s not what you cook on, it’s what you cook,” Gregory said. Giordano wasn’t able to enter the Smokin’ Eagles event last year because he was teaching a barbecue class in Lockport the same weekend. This year, however, he’s not only teaming up with Gregory on trips and working behind the scenes to help organize the Wheatfield competition, but also will be a vendor at the event, offering everything from charcoal and smoking woods to grill supplies like brushes and rib racks. He also will be selling special sauce from his friend Barbecue Stu. The Pittsburgh-area resident (like Giordano after his 2005 back surgery) turned to his love of barbecue to make a living after he became disabled. Giordano offers parts and grilling accessories and travels to customers’ homes to do cleaning, design, installation, full service and warranty repairs on gas or charcoal grills and smokers. Giordano and Gregory will be too busy to do any cooking at the Smokin’ Eagles event, but are hoping more local residents will follow their example and take the plunge into barbecue competition. At the very least, the duo hopes locals try the new Smokin’ Eagles backyard event. Giordano said he’d been thinking about putting a team together and trying competition for years until he joined up with Gregory. “We’re like a garage band,” Gregory joked. “We want to be rock stars.” For more information on the Smokin’ Eagles Barbecue Competition, including applications to enter the various contests, go online to sebbq.com. |
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