For Immediate Release Media Contact: Pam Jones or Marjorie Beenders
July 27, 2010 Phone: 573-636-8282 « Email: pam@tbwgroup.net
They'll be QUE'N at the Cookoff
at Central Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks
LAKE OF THE OZARKS, MO - When the tantalizing aroma of barbecue smoke drifts over the west side of the Lake of the Ozarks, you can be sure it’s time for the Laurie Hillbilly Bar-B-Q Cook-off. Sure enough, they’ll be “QUE’N AT THE LAKE” on August 6 and 7 at the Laurie Fairgrounds. The 18th edition of this fun, family-friendly and tasty event will offer top grillers $7,225.00 in cash prizes plus trophies, ribbons and bragging rights. In addition, visitors will get to meet and mingle with members of competing Bar-B-Que Cook-off teams named Smoke On Wheels, Munchin’ Hogs at the Hilton, Floppy Backwoods Smokers, Smoke Rattle & Roll, Bad To The Bone and BBQ Gods of the Universe—more than 50 in all. The event is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society. In addition, participants at the 14th annual Kids Q—kids age 5-15—will be QUE’N to win prizes, too. Admission is free to come watch the teams doin’ their QUE’N.
Bar-B-Que Cook-off categories are chicken, pork ribs, beef brisket, pork shoulder or Boston Butt plus “open,” meaning anything prepared on-site. The Grand Champion will receive $1,000 and the First Place winner will earn $500. The top scoring local team (within a 50-mile radius) plus the team whose booth best reflects the theme also will win prizes. Judging will start at 12 p.m. Saturday. As for the kids, they’ll grill hamburgers, sausage or hot dogs to win savings bonds, trophies, ribbons and certificates. Their judging will start at 9:15 a.m. Saturday.
Gala Cook-off fun officially will start at 12 p.m. when the Happy Holler Beer Garden will open. At 7 p.m. show off your Electric Glide and other moves at the dance at the Happy Holler Beer Garden, featuring the Killin’ Time band. Contestant-cooked chicken wing samples will be given away from 6-8 p.m., donated by G2M Supermarket. The wacky Buck-A-Duck Races, featuring rubber duckies disguised as farm animals floating down a waterwheel-driven stream, also will take place Friday night, and prizes including a $250 gas card and $100 cash will be raffled off. The Happy Holler Beer Garden will re-open at 11 a.m. on Saturday and the award ceremony will take place there at 4 p.m. Stop by the Hillbilly Smoke Shack for a delectable lunch or dinner.
“We raised the cash prize total from $5,375 to $7,225 this year to attract more teams,” says Susann Huff, Cook-off chairperson and Laurie Events and Parks coordinator. “A lot of teams come back year after because they love the relaxed atmosphere here and they enjoy seeing their barbecue friends, even though they compete against each other.” She adds, ”In addition to the cook-off, there’s a lot for families to do here at the Lake. Many families come to watch or compete in the cook-off and stay for the whole weekend.” That would include Andy Groneman and his family, of Kansas City, KS., otherwise known as Smoke On Wheels, the Grand Champions of the 2009 Laurie Hillbilly Bar-B-Que Cook-off.
Groneman, his wife Kim and their daughters Kaylin, 9, and Lauren, 7, travel the land in search of barbecue competitions, from Arkansas to New York, Missouri to Wisconsin and more. And they win! In addition to claiming Grand Champion in Laurie, Smoke On Wheels (the name came from the first cooker Andy used, built on a trailer axle) won the 2009 New York Empire State Championship, was named a 2008 American Royal Open Reserve Grand Champion, placing fifth out of 4,700-plus teams. Smoke On Wheels also nailed the 2008-2009 Kansas City Barbecue Society Team of the Year title, among other honors. The girls clean up in kids’ competitions, too.
Groneman, an engineer for Sprint in his “other” life, wins in every cook-off category—chicken, ribs, pork shoulder and brisket. His secret? “We switched to pellet cookers from charcoal about five years ago and have had very good luck ever since,” he says. “This cooking style gives you more control over the pit so you can spend time doing other things besides managing the fire.” In addition, he notes, “You have to cook a lot and be consistent. And don’t take yourself too seriously.”
The competition season, which lasts March through October, already has been good to Groneman. “We won in Pleasant Hill, Missouri and Lawrence, Kansas,” he says. “And after Laurie we’re going to Rosarito, Mexico for the first Kansas City Barbecue Society international event.”
The family especially anticipates the Laurie Cook-off. “The venue at the fairgrounds is great and the event is very well run,” Groneman says. “We really enjoy the friendly hospitality and always look forward to seeing all the good friends we’ve made there.” The family typically schedules extra time after the Cook-off to fish, go out to eat, visit an attraction or two and get out on the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks.
The Gronemans are not heading to Laurie or other Cook-off destinations for the money. “If we win we’re lucky to break even,” he says. “But the family enjoys it. Winning is a bonus. The girls are not sitting in front of a TV or video game. They’ll be in the great outdoors in the beautiful Ozarks, learning about good sportsmanship and camaraderie, all the things you want to teach your kids.”
Several new judges may make all the difference at this year’s Laurie Hillbilly Bar-B-Que Cook-Off. That’s because the Kansas City Barbecue Society held a judging class this spring. More than 30 individuals learned what to look for in the various categories. The last judging class was held about five years ago. “It’s very serious business,” Huff says. “You even learn what greens you shouldn’t use in your presentation.” The course was presented by the Kansas City Barbecue Society, which sanctions the Laurie event. The organization has more than 10,000 members worldwide and sanctions nearly 300 events each year. The Laurie Cook-off winner will earn an invitation to the KCBS’ prestigious American Royal Barbeque Cook-off in October.
“Come spend a day or more in Laurie and enjoy our fun Cook-off and beautiful surroundings,” Huff says. “Contestants and spectators always have the greatest time. And so do area residents, because as I say every year, the whole town smells like bar-b-que!”
For more information about the Laurie Hillbilly Bar-B-Que Cook-Off, please call Susan Huff at (573) 216-9358 or (573) 374-8776, visit www.cityoflaurie.com, or send an e-mail to laurievents@aol.com. And to find out more about all the great events, activities, shopping, attractions, lodging and dining at Central Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks, please call 1-800-FUN-LAKE or visit the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau’s web site a www.funlake.com.
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