Chamber BBQ Fest to be sanctioned event

When the grills fire up for the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's 13th annual BBQ Fest in late August, the competition will be firey.

The event will be officially sanctioned by the world's largest organization of barbecue enthusiasts -- the Kansas City Barbecue Society.

"What it means is we've moved from a backyard kind of contest to a professional type of contest," said chamber president John Mehner. "It doesn't mean you have to be a professional to cook, though."

It also means that participants will have to pay a $200 entry fee instead of $100 fee. But the prize money is also greater -- up from $300 to $1,000 for the grand champion and $750 for reserve grand champion, which is a new category this year.

First place in each category -- chicken, pork ribs, pork and brisket -- will now get $300 instead of $100. Other lesser prizes also will be increased.

Mehner said it will also draw participants from farther away to compete. He believes the event will draw from at least five states.

That's because people want to win to compete at prestigious KCBS sponsored events like the American Royal Invitational, where the total purse is more than $70,000.

The new event will also have to follow KCBS judging criteria. Mehner said the chamber will be offering a KCBS judging school July 30 to train judges. The BBQ Fest will be held Aug. 26 and 27 at Arena Park.

"It will make it a professional contest with sanctioned judges," Mehner said. "We did this because we had a lot of interest from a lot of teams. They told us they'd love to see us sanction the event."

Mehner said when more people come to an event, it works as a tourism boost.

he mission of the Kansas City Barbecue Society is to celebrate, teach, preserve and promote barbecue, said executive director Carolyn Wells. Wells said there are currently 188 sanctioned events across the country.