Stevens & Cullen crowned pitmasters at Smoke Your Face Off competition
Sweet and savoury aromas drifting from ten smokers welcomed a full house to the Glenboro Community Hall on Saturday for the Glenboro Agricultural Society’s 2nd Annual Smoke Your Face Off fundraiser.
Pitmasters fired up their smokers as friendly competition filled the air, with guests sampling a variety of slow-cooked barbecue creations. When the smoke cleared, Frank Stevens and Colby Cullen were crowned this year’s kings of the smokers, with Stevens taking top honours for his spiced-up brisket and Cullen earning the title for his delectable pork butt steak. Both men were presented with the Smoke Your Face Off apron, along with the crème de la crème of prizes…bragging rights.
Stevens, who also took part in the inaugural event last year, said he tried a new recipe this year. After injecting his brisket with a secret blend of spices and applying a rub, he placed it in the smoker at 7:30 p.m. the night before, letting it cook slowly until 12:30 the following day.
Last year’s winner Steve Nelson commented that he tried a completely new recipe that he hadn’t tried prior. “It was good, but I thought my entry last year was better,” explained Nelson.
Event organizer and Glenboro Agricultural Society president Ernie Bezaire said the seven entrants were very closely matched, with only five votes separating first place from fourth.
Swinging to the pork side of things, the competition wasn’t quite as close, with Colby Cullen being crowned King of the Pit for his tasty pork butt steak. Cullen said the winning entry came from his tried-and-true secret recipe.
“I put mine in the smoker around 10 p.m. on Friday until 1 p.m. the following day,” said Cullen, who wasn’t willing to divulge any more details, keeping his secret sauce just that – a secret.
The evening proved to be a huge success. Although organizers felt bad having to turn people away at the door, they were thrilled to have a full house of guests who also served as judges for the evening.
“We put a cap of 100 dinner tickets to ensure everyone left with a full belly and got their money’s worth,” said Bezaire.
Each sample was placed in a coloured muffin tin liner, while votes were cast in colour-coded bags to ensure the contest remained completely blind.
The evening also included a number of door prizes as well as a silent auction featuring three fresh briskets. Craft beer from Black Wheat Brewers of Brandon was also available and enjoyed as guests gathered for an evening of good food, conversation and laughter.
Proceeds from the event will go toward the Agricultural Society’s Animal Husbandry Scholarship, awarded annually to a graduating Glenboro student. With sold out tickets, satisfied appetites and plenty of smoky bragging rights earned, organizers say the popular fundraiser is quickly becoming a much-anticipated community tradition and are looking forward to next year’s competition.
PHOTO CAPTION: Ernie Bezaire presented Colby Cullen with his apron for winning 1st place in the “Pork Butt” category at the Smoke Your Face Off Competition held in Glenboro April 18.
