Cape Jaycees hold 26th BBQ Fest to benefit local charity

Saturday was the finale of Cape Jaycee�s annual two-day BBQ Fest at Arena Park in Cape Girardeau to benefit a local charitable foundation, Toybox.

The event featured 44 teams of competitive barbecue cookers from around the nation vying for multiple monetary prizes totaling more than $10,000 awarded throughout the afternoon.

Trophies were presented to those teams who bested their opponents in four main categories: chicken, pork ribs (loin or spare), pork (shoulder/butt/picnic) and brisket (beef).

Contestant Carl Fitzgerald and his family were in attendance Saturday morning preparing their entries. Fitzgerald and his crew made the trek from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to participate in the BBQ Fest competition for the first time, he said, representing Pig Farmers BBQ.

He said Cape Girardeau is his wife, Angie�s, hometown, so that�s what brought them to Southeast Missouri for the weekend.

Carl Fitzgerald of the Pig Farmers BBQ team from Albuquerque, New Mexico, spreads sauce on ribs Saturday during the Cape BBQ Fest at Arena Park in Cape Girardeau.Fred Lynch

�I said, �Hey, they�ve got a competition, so let�s go to the Midwest and do a comp,�� he said. �This is our first year at this one.�

After Carl Fitzgerald jokingly said his specialty for the two-day event is �drinking,� his wife chimed in and said, �His pulled pork is absolutely to die for.�

�That is my favorite,� she said. �We won second two weeks ago in Alamosa, Colorado, and we won first place in people�s choice award at the same event.�

Fitzgerald and his family arrived early Thursday afternoon, he said, and was the first team at the park.

As for the planning of the event, Fitzgerald said it began last Sunday when he started trimming meat and getting the meat prepped.

�There�s a lot of prep work involved. Especially traveling this far,� he said. �I did everything at home; that�s why it�s kind of going smooth.�

According to Fitzgerald, the prep work, with just the meat, �is probably eight hours worth,� and the prep work traveling this far �is probably about six days of loading and getting everything ready to go.�

Fitzgerald said his main goal for Saturday was to not come in last.

Also in attendance Saturday was Billy Freeland and his team from Sikeston, Missouri, representing Blind Smoke BBQ for the second time, he said.

He said even the weekend�s rainy forecast didn�t disturb his preparations.

�We�re used to it. It�s usually raining, it seems like, when you�re having a cook-off,� Freeland said.

John Spear, representing the local team Moose Knuckles Grilling at the event for the fourth time, said he enjoys hanging out with people during the festival.

�We saw how much fun everybody was having, so we wanted to do it,� Spear said. �And also, the money goes to a great cause.�

Around 2:30 p.m., the festival�s grand champion � BYO Grill of St. Louis � was recognized. The team had the highest accumulated total score from all four categories, with member Mark Cooper accepting his team�s trophy; they will receive $2,500.

The event�s second place winner � also know as the �Reserve Grand Champion� � was Scott Henricks, representing Oklahoma Joe�s Serious Que, also of St. Louis.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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